KANSAS CITY — Eric Winston usually gets about 50 mentions on his Twitter feed after a game. When he visited the Kansas City Chiefs during the start of free agency, the veteran right tackle got hundreds of them from random fans trying to court him.

“I loved it. I thought it was really cool,” Winston said. “I thought it was great they were so into it. They knew everything was going on; they knew who I was. They knew what I could do. It was just another piece of the puzzle.”

All the pieces added up to a $22 million, four-year deal.

On the same day word spread that Winston had agreed to terms, the Chiefs announced that they had signed former first-round draft pick Brady Quinn to back up Matt Cassel at quarterback.

Winston will take over at right tackle for Barry Richardson, who struggled mightily last year and became a free agent. Winston helped Houston become the NFL’s second-leading rushing team.

“We are very happy to add a quality right tackle like Eric to our team,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. “He is a smart lineman who is going to bring passion, intelligence and toughness to our offense.”

Winston was in the fourth year of a $30 million, five-year deal when he was cut by the Texans to save salary cap space. He also visited the Miami Dolphins.

Turned out that Kansas City was the most aggressive.

“They did so much more than any other organization,” Winston said. “Most organizations the GM calls and says, ‘Hey, we’re excited to have you,’ or the coach calls and says, ‘We’re excited.’”

Instead, Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel logged multiple calls, along with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The Chiefs may have ultimately sealed the deal when they took Winston to an upscale barbecue joint, which left such an impression that Winston tweeted about it.

Winston said he was not very familiar with the Chiefs. He’s bumped into Cassel a couple times, and he knows running back Jamaal Charles by reputation.

“To be honest, Kansas City wasn’t somewhere that if I had to pick off the top of my head, ‘Where would you want to go?’ Kansas City wasn’t that place,” Winston said.

“It was just choosing the right situation for me and my family,” he said. “Tell you the truth, I thought it was more of a rust-belt city, but when you get there, it’s far from it.”

Quinn started 12 games over three seasons with Cleveland, where Crennel once served as the head coach and Daboll was the offensive coordinator.

The former Notre Dame star completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,902 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions in Cleveland. He spent last season as a backup in Denver.

“I’m just looking forward to getting back to playing under Romeo,” Quinn said of why he chose the Chiefs. “I think he’s a smart choice. I think he definitely knows how to take care of players and put us in the best possible position to win.”

That familiarity is the biggest reason Quinn said he turned down a more lucrative offer from the Broncos to sign with the Chiefs. He also alluded to Denver’s courtship of quarterback Peyton Manning.

“If you look at the Denver situation, there’s a lot of unknowns,” he said. “It’s a great organization, having been a part of it for two years and all that, but I felt like for me personally, it was a better situation to go to Kansas City.”

Quinn said that he’d been told Cassel was the starting quarterback, but Pioli and Crennel have both said they want the incumbent to experience a challenge in training camp.

“Obviously there is going to be competition, like there should be on every team in every room,” Quinn said. “Competition makes everyone better. That’s just how the league is.”

Eric Winston usually gets about 50 mentions on his Twitter feed after a game. When he visited the Kansas City Chiefs during the start of free agency, the veteran right tackle got hundreds of them from random fans trying to court him.
     “I loved it. I thought it was really cool,” Winston said. “I thought it was great they were so into it. They knew everything was going on; they knew who I was. They knew what I could do. It was just another piece of the puzzle.”
     All the pieces added up to a $22 million, four-year deal.
     On the same day word spread that Winston had agreed to terms, the Chiefs announced that they had signed former first-round draft pick Brady Quinn to back up Matt Cassel at quarterback.
     Winston will take over at right tackle for Barry Richardson, who struggled mightily last year and became a free agent. Winston helped Houston become the NFL’s second-leading rushing team.
     “We are very happy to add a quality right tackle like Eric to our team,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. “He is a smart lineman who is going to bring passion, intelligence and toughness to our offense.”
     Winston was in the fourth year of a $30 million, five-year deal when he was cut by the Texans to save salary cap space. He also visited the Miami Dolphins.
     Turned out that Kansas City was the most aggressive.
     “They did so much more than any other organization,” Winston said. “Most organizations the GM calls and says, ‘Hey, we’re excited to have you,’ or the coach calls and says, ‘We’re excited.’”
     Instead, Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel logged multiple calls, along with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The Chiefs may have ultimately sealed the deal when they took Winston to an upscale barbecue joint, which left such an impression that Winston tweeted about it.
     Winston said he was not very familiar with the Chiefs. He’s bumped into Cassel a couple times, and he knows running back Jamaal Charles by reputation.
     “To be honest, Kansas City wasn’t somewhere that if I had to pick off the top of my head, ‘Where would you want to go?’ Kansas City wasn’t that place,” Winston said.
     “It was just choosing the right situation for me and my family,” he said. “Tell you the truth, I thought it was more of a rust-belt city, but when you get there, it’s far from it.”
     Quinn started 12 games over three seasons with Cleveland, where Crennel once served as the head coach and Daboll was the offensive coordinator.
     The former Notre Dame star completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,902 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions in Cleveland. He spent last season as a backup in Denver.
     “I’m just looking forward to getting back to playing under Romeo,” Quinn said of why he chose the Chiefs. “I think he’s a smart choice. I think he definitely knows how to take care of players and put us in the best possible position to win.”
     That familiarity is the biggest reason Quinn said he turned down a more lucrative offer from the Broncos to sign with the Chiefs. He also alluded to Denver’s courtship of Peyton Manning.
     “If you look at the Denver situation, there’s a lot of unknowns,” he said. “It’s a great organization, having been a part of it for two years and all that, but I felt like for me personally, it was a better situation to go to Kansas City.”
     Quinn said that he’d been told Cassel was the starting quarterback, but Pioli and Crennel have both said they want the incumbent to experience a challenge in training camp.
     “Obviously there is going to be competition, like there should be on every team in every room,” Quinn said. “Competition makes everyone better. That’s just how the league is.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Eric Winston usually gets about 50 mentions on his Twitter feed after a game. When he visited the Kansas City Chiefs during the start of free agency, the veteran right tackle got hundreds of them from random fans trying to court him.

”I loved it. I thought it was really cool,” Winston said. ”I thought it was great they were so into it. They knew everything was going on; they knew who I was. They knew what I could do. It was just another piece of the puzzle.”

All the pieces added up to a $22 million, four-year deal.

On the same day word spread that Winston had agreed to terms, the Chiefs announced that they had signed former first-round draft pick Brady Quinn to back up Matt Cassel at quarterback.

Winston will take over at right tackle for Barry Richardson, who struggled mightily last year and became a free agent. Winston helped Houston become the NFL’s second-leading rushing team.

”We are very happy to add a quality right tackle like Eric to our team,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. ”He is a smart lineman who is going to bring passion, intelligence and toughness to our offense.”

Winston was in the fourth year of a $30 million, five-year deal when he was cut by the Texans to save salary cap space. He also visited the Miami Dolphins.

Turned out that Kansas City was the most aggressive.

”They did so much more than any other organization,” Winston said. ”Most organizations the GM calls and says, ‘Hey, we’re excited to have you,’ or the coach calls and says, ‘We’re excited.”’

Instead, Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel logged multiple calls, along with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The Chiefs may have ultimately sealed the deal when they took Winston to an upscale barbecue joint, which left such an impression that Winston tweeted about it.

Winston said he was not very familiar with the Chiefs. He’s bumped into Cassel a couple times, and he knows running back Jamaal Charles by reputation.

”To be honest, Kansas City wasn’t somewhere that if I had to pick off the top of my head, ‘Where would you want to go?’ Kansas City wasn’t that place,” Winston said.

”It was just choosing the right situation for me and my family,” he said. ”Tell you the truth, I thought it was more of a rust-belt city, but when you get there, it’s far from it.”

Quinn started 12 games over three seasons with Cleveland, where Crennel once served as the head coach and Daboll was the offensive coordinator.

The former Notre Dame star completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,902 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions in Cleveland. He spent last season as a backup in Denver.

”I’m just looking forward to getting back to playing under Romeo,” Quinn said of why he chose the Chiefs. ”I think he’s a smart choice. I think he definitely knows how to take care of players and put us in the best possible position to win.”

That familiarity is the biggest reason Quinn said he turned down a more lucrative offer from the Broncos to sign with the Chiefs. He also alluded to Denver’s courtship of Peyton Manning.

”If you look at the Denver situation, there’s a lot of unknowns,” he said. ”It’s a great organization, having been a part of it for two years and all that, but I felt like for me personally, it was a better situation to go to Kansas City.”

Quinn said that he’d been told Cassel was the starting quarterback, but Pioli and Crennel have both said they want the incumbent to experience a challenge in training camp.

”Obviously there is going to be competition, like there should be on every team in every room,” Quinn said. ”Competition makes everyone better. That’s just how the league is.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eric Winston usually gets about 50 mentions on his Twitter feed after a game. When he visited the Kansas City Chiefs during the start of free agency, the veteran right tackle got hundreds of them from random fans trying to court him.

“I loved it. I thought it was really cool,” Winston said. “I thought it was great they were so into it. They knew everything was going on; they knew who I was. They knew what I could do. It was just another piece of the puzzle.”

All the pieces added up to a $22 million, four-year deal.

On the same day word spread that Winston had agreed to terms, the Chiefs announced that they had signed former first-round draft pick Brady Quinn to back up Matt Cassel at quarterback.

Winston will take over at right tackle for Barry Richardson, who struggled mightily last year and became a free agent. Winston helped Houston become the NFL’s second-leading rushing team.

“We are very happy to add a quality right tackle like Eric to our team,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. “He is a smart lineman who is going to bring passion, intelligence and toughness to our offence.”

Winston was in the fourth year of a $30 million, five-year deal when he was cut by the Texans to save salary cap space. He also visited the Miami Dolphins.

Turned out that Kansas City was the most aggressive.

“They did so much more than any other organization,” Winston said. “Most organizations the GM calls and says, ‘Hey, we’re excited to have you,’ or the coach calls and says, ‘We’re excited.’”

Instead, Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel logged multiple calls, along with new offensive co-ordinator Brian Daboll. The Chiefs may have ultimately sealed the deal when they took Winston to an upscale barbecue joint, which left such an impression that Winston tweeted about it.

Winston said he was not very familiar with the Chiefs. He’s bumped into Cassel a couple times, and he knows running back Jamaal Charles by reputation.

“To be honest, Kansas City wasn’t somewhere that if I had to pick off the top of my head, ‘Where would you want to go?’ Kansas City wasn’t that place,” Winston said.

“It was just choosing the right situation for me and my family,” he said. “Tell you the truth, I thought it was more of a rust-belt city, but when you get there, it’s far from it.”

Quinn started 12 games over three seasons with Cleveland, where Crennel once served as the head coach and Daboll was the offensive co-ordinator.

The former Notre Dame star completed 52 per cent of his passes for 1,902 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions in Cleveland. He spent last season as a backup in Denver.

“I’m just looking forward to getting back to playing under Romeo,” Quinn said of why he chose the Chiefs. “I think he’s a smart choice. I think he definitely knows how to take care of players and put us in the best possible position to win.”

That familiarity is the biggest reason Quinn said he turned down a more lucrative offer from the Broncos to sign with the Chiefs. He also alluded to Denver’s courtship of Peyton Manning.

“If you look at the Denver situation, there’s a lot of unknowns,” he said. “It’s a great organization, having been a part of it for two years and all that, but I felt like for me personally, it was a better situation to go to Kansas City.”

Quinn said that he’d been told Cassel was the starting quarterback, but Pioli and Crennel have both said they want the incumbent to experience a challenge in training camp.

“Obviously there is going to be competition, like there should be on every team in every room,” Quinn said. “Competition makes everyone better. That’s just how the league is.”

By
Erik Matuszewski
-

Thu Mar 15 14:50:40 GMT 2012

The Kansas City Chiefs signed
former Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, seeking to
improve an offense that scored the second-fewest points in the
National Football League last season.

The signing reunites Hillis with Chiefs offensive
coordinator Brian Daboll, who held the same role in Cleveland in
2010, when the 250-pound Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards and 11
touchdowns while catching 61 passes out of the backfield.

Hillis’s breakout season led him to be selected by fans as
the cover athlete for Electronic Arts Inc.’s Madden NFL 12 video
game, beating Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles in fan
balloting. Hillis was limited to 10 games because of injuries
last season, finishing with 587 rushing yards and three
touchdowns as the Browns went 4-12.

“Peyton is a big, strong, physical back with a lot of
talent and he should fit into our system well,” Chiefs coach
Romeo Crennel said in a statement.

Terms weren’t disclosed.

A former seventh-round draft pick, Hillis joins a backfield
that includes Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 1,467 yards in 2010
before missing 14 games last season with torn knee ligaments.
Charles might not be ready for the start of the season, the
Kansas City Star said.

The Chiefs had a 7-9 record last season and their 212
points scored was more than only the 2-14 St. Louis Rams.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed former Miami Dolphins
quarterback Chad Henne, the Florida Times-Union reported. Henne,
26, was a second-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 2008 and
had a 13-18 record as a starter, losing all four of his starts
last season before being replaced by Matt Moore.

The New Orleans Saints signed former Baltimore Ravens guard
Ben Grubbs to a five-year, $36 million contract, ESPN said, one
day after losing All-Pro guard Carl Nicks to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers as a free agent.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that 12-time Pro Bowl guard Will Shields is the newest inductee into the team’s hall of fame.

The Chiefs selected Shields’ out of Nebraska with their third round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.

He played in 224 regular-season games during a team-record 14-year career. His 224 games played with the Chiefs ranks first in team

Shields was elected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls, earning his first trip to the NFL’s annual all-star game following the 1995 season. His 12 career Pro Bowls stand tied for sixth all-time in NFL history for most career Pro Bowl appearances by an NFL player.

The Fort Riley, Kan., native helped pave the way for five individual 1,000-yard rushers during his time with the Chiefs.

Shields was recognized for his extensive work off the field when he was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2003.

Shield will become the 42 ^nd member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.

He will be enshrined into the Chiefs Hall of Fame during the Chiefs Alumni Weekend this fall and will be honored in a ceremony at halftime of that weekend’s game, which has not been announced.

Shields was a candidate to be inducted into the 2012 class of the NFL’s Hall of Fame, but was not selected.

Associated PressPOSTED: 6:17 pm CST March 3, 2012

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Kansas City endured a season with numerous injuries and the firing of their head coach, but the Chiefs have plenty of talent and could compete for a spot in the NFL playoffs with just a couple of key moves this off-season.

The latest rumor from Bleacher Report has the team adding some much-needed depth at running back as one of the teams that could sign former San Diego Chargers back Mike Tolbert.

Tolbert entered the league as an undrafted free agent and went from a special teams player to a back that scored 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Kansas City was hit with injuries to their backfield last year and adding a big back would give the team some added insurance for the 2012-13 season.

At 5’9″ and 243 pounds, Tolbert has the size the Chiefs need and would give the team an added weapon down at the goal line. The 26-year-old has averaged over 4 yards per carry in his four-year career, but he also is a good pass catcher with 79 receptions for nearly 650 yards over the past two years.

The upcoming NFL free agency signing period is closing in and Kansas City could use some help at running back, and signing a proven veteran is most likely the best option for the Chiefs and that way they can use the draft to fill other needs on the team’s roster.

The Peyton Manning saga will surely be the story of the NFL offseason. The question in the AFC West is, will the Kansas City Chiefs be the story along with the legendary Indianapolis Colts quarterback?

As of now, we have to think it is a real possibility that the Chiefs will heavily pursue Manning — who may be cut by the Colts as soon as next week — if he becomes a free agent. Manning, who will turn 36 on March 24, missed all of last season with a neck injury and there is no certain date when he will be 100 percent, although there have been reports he will be ready to play in 2012.

If the Chiefs end up signing Manning, it won’t be the first time the organization brought in a living legend at the end of his career after he suffered a serious injury. The Chiefs traded for San Francisco’s Joe Montana in 1993.

The Chiefs have been connected to Manning in recent weeks. A Kansas City radio station has even reported that the team has had multiple conversations with Manning’s agent about finances and that the Chiefs feel comfortable about what Manning may want. That would constitute tampering and it is highly unlikely any team would talk finances with Manning before giving him a physical and knowing more about his recovery timetable. Still, the Chiefs have a load of salary-cap room and they can easily construct a deal for Manning in addition to making other improvements.

Of course, Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel did nothing to take the scent off a potential Chiefs-Manning pairing when he said this at the NFL combine last Saturday: “With a talent like that, I would be crazy not to consider it if he’s available. I’ll leave it at that.”

The Chiefs are not necessarily looking for a new starting quarterback. At the combine, Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli wouldn’t say the job is open. He said the starter is Matt Cassel. However, there will be competition at every position. The translation is the Chiefs expect Cassel to be the starter, but if a better option comes along, they will consider it. There’s no doubt a healthy Manning would be a better option.

If the Chiefs do want to go deep into the Manning sweepstakes, they will have competition, likely beginning with Miami and Washington. There will surely be other teams that show interest in the player who many consider one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

In addition to their interest and financial means, here’s another reason the Chiefs could be favorites to land Manning: They may be the best team interested in him. That would surely appeal to Manning when he is making his choice. I’m not sure many of the interested teams can offer Manning a better supporting cast.

The Chiefs have a strong running game and Manning would have plenty of receiving options. No. 1 receiver Dwayne Bowe is expected to be franchised, 2011 first-round pick Jonathan Baldwin is a potential game-changing deep threat and Steve Breaston is a solid possession receiver. Tight end Tony Moeaki is expected to be healthy after missing the 2011 season with a knee injury. He was terrific as a rookie in 2010.

In addition to appealing offensive weapons, the Chiefs have the makings of a strong defense. A healthy Manning would immensely help any team. But Manning could be a difference-maker in Kansas City. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said adding Manning would make the Chiefs — who finished 7-9 in 2011 despite major injury issues — “the clear favorite to win the AFC West” in 2012.

Putting Manning in the Heartland would make many teams in the AFC nervous.

I would think Manning would also be fine with working with Crennel and Pioli. He is close with New England quarterback Tom Brady and Brady won Super Bowls with both men. I’m sure Brady would give Manning glowing reports on both of his potential bosses. And don’t think Manning would have trouble working with a defensive-minded coach like Crennel. Remember, the man Manning won his Super Bowl ring with, Tony Dungy, was a defensive-minded coach.

Cassel is also a factor in this scenario. Because Manning will be signed before there are any guarantees he’ll be ready to play, any team that signs him must have a good fallback plan. There are fewer better fallbacks than Cassel.

If Manning is signed and he has a setback, the Chiefs can rely on Cassel, who shined as Brady’s injury replacement in 2008. While Cassel wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea of backing up Manning, I’m sure he’d understand the Chiefs taking advantage of a rare opportunity to pick up a future Hall of Fame player.

There are a lot of reasons this pairing makes sense. If it happens, the Chiefs will be at the center of the NFL universe.

The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with plenty of storylines and angles in the offseason. They have among the largest salary cap space available of any team this winter and are looking towards free agency and the NFL Draft to rebuild for the 2012 season. But the latest wrinkle in the offseason for the Chiefs is that the team has won a workers’ comp claim that was filed by some ex-players in California.

James Dornbrook of the Kansas City Business Journal reports that there were 16 former Chiefs players who filed suit in California to receive workers’ comp. The lawsuit sought compensation based on California law that protects employees temporarily working in the state.

On Friday, arbitrator Michael Beck ruled in favor of the Chiefs, saying that none of the players provided specific information detailing injuries that occurred in California. Instead, the players argued that these were cumulative injuries happening in “various cities and states.”

Beck ruled that the players are in violation of their contracts and ordered them to stop their pursuit of workers’ compensation claims in California.

The 16 former players involved in the dispute with the Chiefs are: Taje Allen, Rocky Boiman, J.R. Niklos, Scott Connot, Donald Edwards Jr., Eric Warfield, Greg Wesley, R-Kal Truluck, Morten Anderson, Shaunard Harts, Patrick Surtain, Gary Stills, Jerome Woods, Damion McIntosh, William Bartee and Steve Williams.

A big win for the Chiefs, certainly. They can now focus their attention on other matters and the season ahead.

For all news and information regarding the Kansas City Chiefs, please visit Arrowhead Pride.

The Kansas City Chiefs will use their franchise tag on receiver Dwayne Bowe if they don’t strike an agreement with him on a long-term contract, according to ESPN, which cited a league source.

The franchise-tag value for receivers is expected to be $9.4 million this season.

Bowe and Chiefs cornerback Brandon Carr were considered Kansas City’s top two candidates for the franchise tag, as NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora has reported. The Chiefs signed free-agent cornerback Stanford Routt to a three-year, $19.6 million contract last week, although general manager Scott Pioli said that acquisition would not affect the team’s decision on Carr.

In five seasons with Kansas City, Bowe, 27, has 356 receptions for 4,927 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had 81 catches for 1,159 yards and five touchdowns last season.

INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning has been a consistent topic of conversation through the NFL Scouting Combine, with potential suitors quizzed on whether or not they would be interested in the Indianapolis Colts star — if he is healthy and available.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel was surprisingly forthcoming.

“I’m not supposed to talk about anybody else’s players,” Crennel said, referencing tampering rules. “He’s still a player with Indianapolis. But with a talent like that, I would be crazy not to consider it if he were available. All right? I’ll leave it at that.”

Crennel opened the door to a change at the quarterback position with a lukewarm endorsement of Matt Cassel, saying he’s the Chiefs’ quarterback — unless they get another guy. If Kansas City brought Kyle Orton back, he indicated Cassel and Orton would compete for the job.

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com; twitter.com/JennyVrentas