Head coach Romeo Crennel of the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new look on his coaching staff in 2012. The team’s official website announced Jan. 30 that Tom McMahon will serve as the special teams coach of the Chiefs next season. He comes to Kansas City after three years down I-70 with the St. Louis Rams. In 2010, the Rams had the third-best punting average. They also led the league with 12 punt returns of 20 yards are more from 2009 and 2010 combined.

McMahon has also served as assistant special teams coaches with the Atlanta Falcons. Before that, he was coaching with the University of Louisville and Utah State. McMahon replaces Steve Hoffman who was not retained by the team after Todd Haley was fired. Two other coaches, both on the offensive side of the ball, were also let go.

Special teams, although not horrible in 2011, need improvement. The kick return game was stagnant in 2011 as there were no special teams touchdowns scored whatsoever. Two field goals were blocked in a game Dec. 24 against the Oakland Raiders, an overtime loss that haunted the team. Had the Chiefs won that game, they would have made the playoffs.

Placekicker Ryan Succop was a bright spot on special teams. ESPN reports he tied Pete Stoyanovich’s franchise record of 22 makes in a row. As such, the team signed him to a five-year, $14 million contract for his hard work.

There is still no word on a new offensive coordinator.

Whoever gets hired to run the offense will have an interesting job in 2012. Key players will be back from injuries. The defense, run by Crennel in 2011, came up big and bailed out the offense several times. The offense was sorely lacking in scoring. The Chiefs’ red zone offense was horrible. They would move the ball just fine until the team got down inside the five with a first a goal situation. Succop had eight field goals from less than 29 yards, meaning the ball was spotted at the 12-yard-line or closer to the end zone.

The Chiefs will likely draft an offensive lineman high in the draft as they need players to replace aging veterans that can open up holes for running backs and who can protect quarterback Matt Cassel.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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ESPN reports the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of hiring Romeo Crennel as the team’s next head coach. He has been in that position as an interim capacity ever since Todd Haley was relieved of coaching duties in mid-December after a disappointing loss to the New York Jets. Despite interviewing other candidates such as Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio, the Chiefs may have already had their man in-house.

Crennel would come into the job with previous head coaching experience. He helmed the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008. He amassed 24-40 record in Cleveland, earning a 10-6 record in 2007, but Crennel failed to lead Cleveland to the playoffs.

He formerly held the job of defensive coordinator with the Chiefs. The defense was the cornerstone of Kansas City’s play this year as the offense sputtered. The unit held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just 13 points back on Nov. 27. They also kept the Green Bay Packers to just 14 points in their only loss of the season to this point.

Crennel is also well-liked. Players joked with him and were all smiles after the victory against the Packers. Had Kansas City won their game against the Oakland Raiders late in the season, they would be hosting the Steelers as opposed to the Denver Broncos.

Two other things helped. Both sides of the ball improved under Crennel’s leadership, not just the defense. The on-field intensity and enjoyment of playing the game of football was apparent when Kansas City took the field for Crennel. His 2-1 record also speaks volumes to general manager Scott Pioli. Positive attitudes are great, but when that translates to victories then the people that write paychecks take notice in professional sports.

Hiring Crennel is an excellent choice. He’s already familiar with the players and upper management. Clearly the defense liked playing with him as players stepped up to fill voids left by injuries.

Crennel’s time as head coach won’t be easy to start the season. He will have a potential quarterback controversy on his hands when Matt Cassel returns from his hand injury. Kyle Orton started the last three games of the year. He had a game of 299 yards passing and 300 yards passing, both of which were season-highs for the club.

Nothing is official as of yet. The Chiefs’ website states when the team is ready to announce a new head coach, a press conference will be scheduled. That press briefing will be broadcast live on the website.

Bring on the Crennel era. It should have happened a lot sooner.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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The calendar year of 2011 wasn’t too kind to the Kansas City Chiefs. Things didn’t start well and then they ended just as abruptly at the end of the 2011 regular season. Here’s a review of what the Kansas City Chiefs did in 2011 from January to December.

Playoff Loss

The Baltimore Ravens came into Arrowhead Stadium and defeated the Chiefs 30-7 back on Jan. 9. The first AFC West title in years was short-lived. The Chiefs were actually ahead 7-3 after a 41-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles. Then the Ravens scored 27 unanswered points to leave the home fans wishing for next year.

First Draft Pick

Jonathan Baldwin out of Pittsburgh was the first round draft choice of the Chiefs in April. He is seen as another big-play receiver to give some help to Dwayne Bowe downfield. ESPN reported in mid-August that Baldwin hurt his fist in a locker room fight with running back Thomas Jones. Baldwin would sit out a month while his fist healed. Kansas City got nine draft picks overall. Outside linebacker Justin Houston came around later in the season to have an impact on defense.

Clocks Cleaned

The Chiefs got their clocks cleaned on opening day at Arrowhead Stadium. The Buffalo Bills defeated Kansas City by a score of 41-7. The Chiefs didn’t score until the first half was almost over. The Bills had a 20-7 lead at halftime.

Todd Haley Fired

Head coach Todd Haley was fired Dec. 12 after a disappointing 5-8 start to the season. The Chiefs started out 0-3 and then improved to 4-3 before enduring a four-game losing streak. The inconsistency in the season was enough for general manager Scott Pioli to fire Haley and promote defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to interim head coach.

Spoiled Perfection

A week after Haley’s last game against the Jets, Crennel’s squad defeated the Green Bay Packers. The win ended the Packers’ 19-game winning streak dating back to last season. The 19-14 win gave fans hope that the Chiefs’ slim playoff hopes would come to pass. The next week, a 16-13 loss to the Oakland Raiders meant Kansas City would miss the playoffs just a year after being crowned the champions of the AFC West.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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The Kansas City Chiefs close out the 2011 NFL season with a trip to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos. Here are five things to watch for as the Chiefs battle the Broncos.

Kyle Orton Versus Old Team

Kyle Orton was let go by the Broncos in late November. The Chiefs picked him up to stand in for injured Matt Cassel. Orton had two decent games against the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. If he has the same type of game against his old mates, it will be a long day for Denver. It will help that Orton should have some kind of working knowledge of the Broncos’ defense.

Tim Tebow Versus Chiefs’ Defense

In the first game between the Chiefs and Broncos back on Nov. 13, quarterback Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. He completed just two passes all game long and had 43 yards rushing. Surely the Chiefs would know how to handle the offense by now. Shut down the running game of Denver and then let the vaunted secondary take over after that and the Chiefs will win.

Head Coaches

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel is trying to prove he’s head coaching material. John Fox is trying to avoid another late-season disappointment for the Broncos. Despite not making the playoffs just a year after winning the AFC West, the Chiefs can spoil the postseason hopes of Denver.

Ryan Succop

Placekicker Ryan Succop had a miserable game against the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24. He had two kicks blocked that could have won the game. In the thinner air of Denver, a kicker’s dream exists. Earlier in the season, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders tied an NFL record with a 63-yard kick way back on Sept. 12 in Denver. Succop needs to have a good game in the thinner air to regain his confidence.

Momentum

A win for the Chiefs will give them momentum going into the offseason and a positive vibe with the draft and in the front office. With all of the major players coming back next year from their injuries, a season-ending victory may help nudge the team along as they start workouts for next season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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After the December 24 match-up, on paper, the Kansas City Chiefs had a slightly better game than the Oakland Raiders. But the only stat that matters is the final score, and the Raiders emerged victorious, winning the game 16-13 and keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders left the game 8-7-0, the Chiefs fell to 6-9-0. The Raiders have one more regular season game against the San Diego Chargers, at home, on January 1, 2012.

Surface of an American football ball.
Wikimedia Commons

I think the Raiders have been playing strong football, but they’ve had some issues when facing really strong teams like the Green Bay Packers. I think they can beat the Chargers (who are already eliminated from the playoffs) and continue to Super Bowl XLVI. The Chiefs game was close, tied at the end of regulation. It was Raiders’ kicker Sebastian Janikowski who again came through in the clutch to kick the game-winning field goal.

Passing

The Chiefs led the Raiders in total yards with 435, compared to 308 for the Raiders. Raiders’ QB Carson Palmer was 16 for 26, a 61.5% completion percentage for a total of 237 yards. Chiefs’ QB Kyle Orton went 21 for 36, a 58% completion percentage for 300 yards. Each had one TD and two interceptions.

Rushing

The Raiders were held to just 71 yards rushing from Marcel Reece and Michael Bush. The Chiefs dominated them with only 135 yards, from Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster, Le’Ron McClain and Kyle Orton too.

Kickers

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski hit three field goals for 28, 31 and 36 yards. Chiefs’ kicker Ryan Succop had a 23 and a 20-yarder. It was Janikowski’s field goal in overtime that clinched the game for the Raiders.

Penalties and time of possession

These were more stats where the teams were almost equal. The Raiders had the ball for 29:34, the Chiefs had it for 32:39. The Raiders had 15 penalties for 92 yards and the Chiefs had 11 penalties for 88 yards.

Conclusion

A win is a win, no matter what the score. The team struggled against the Chiefs and the stats show the problems the Raiders have been having. You can’t expect to win games with two interceptions and only 71 yards in rushing.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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Despite the home loss to the Oakland Raiders on Saturday that knocked them officially out of playoff contention, interim head coach Romeo Crennel says that the Chiefs are going to focused in the right way for the last game of the season. For those fans who think they might mail it in for the sake of a lack of motivation, Crennel says the Chiefs can only focus on what’s ahead and play for the pride of finishing strong. Even if they can’t make the postseason, finishing out with two of three wins over the Packers and Broncos, this week’s foe, would do wonders for momentum heading into the off-season.

“Our guys fought and they hung in there, went into overtime and it took some guts to do that. We didn’t play well enough today in all phases. We made mistakes that cost us,” said Crennel. “We had an opportunity to put points on the board at the half and we weren’t where we needed to be. We had a couple of field goals blocked, we got a couple balls thrown over our head, we turned the ball over a couple of times.

“In the NFL it’s hard to win when you do those kinds of things and that’s basically what I told them inside. We still have another game to go, a division game, and we have to take all the energy we’ve got and win that game. That’s going to be important. I just found out the outcome of the Buffalo game. It’s just unfortunate that we weren’t able to win this one but we didn’t do enough to win. That’s all I need to say about that. We’re going to work, we’re going to try to go forward and we’re going to try to do the best we can. That’s what I tell them every week and that’s what we try to do every week. Today wasn’t good enough.”

Should quarterback Kyle Orton pull off a second straight week of smart passing, the Kansas City Chiefs will keep their playoff hopes alive. The Chiefs host the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24 in a game featuring two teams that have mimicked each other since last they met.

The Chiefs beat the Raiders 28-0 in Oakland after Jason Campbell went down with a season-ending collarbone break. Carson Palmer took over but hadn’t figured out the offense yet. Since that game, Kansas City should have improved but instead endured a four-game losing streak and a 3-5 record. Oakland has had similar woes. Palmer got better but the Raiders are currently in the middle of a three game losing streak and have gone 3-4 since the shutout loss.

Orton was picked up on waivers from the Denver Broncos after Matt Cassel’s hand injury ended his season. He played one game and knocked the Green Bay Packers from the ranks of the unbeaten. Orton’s efficiency was remarkable. He completed 23 of 31 passes for 299 yards for the Chiefs. Ironically, he had near-similar numbers on Oct. 2 when the Broncos lost to Green Bay when he was 22-for-32.

In 2010, Orton had six games with nearly the same efficiency in Denver. Of those, only two were victories. The difference with the Chiefs is the defense. Denver’s defense kept opposing offenses on the field too long and Orton wasn’t able to work to his potential in 2010. Kansas City’s vaunted secondary is another matter.

Given enough time on the field, Orton has shown he can perform just fine and keep an NFL team in the game. Plus he’s done better than both of his predecessors at quarterback this year.

Another thing to consider is the gaping hole in the Raiders’ defense. They are 29th in the NFL in points given up with 27.3 points per game. They also allow around 235 yards per game passing. Yet Orton’s passing number should eclipse that total if history serves. Only five games in 2010 did Orton have fewer than 235 yards passing.

Palmer has had good outings in 2011. Only twice has the thrown for under 200 yards (once against the Chiefs in his first game back). Yet the secondary, as well as pass rushing, has improved markedly for Kansas City in the past three games. Palmer will be under fire the entire game.

All things being equal, Orton’s performance on Christmas Eve may once again save the playoff chances for the Chiefs.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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The Green Bay Packers (13-0) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (5-8) at Kansas City on December 18th, 2011. These two teams are headed in opposite directions. Green Bay has clinched not only the NFC North title, but also a first round bye in the playoffs. The Chiefs are in last place in the AFC West and have lost five of their last six.

Part of the reason the Chiefs are in last place is their inability to score. They have scored just 173 points in 13 games, last in the AFC and second worst in the NFL. Some of this can be attributed to key injuries. Running back Jamaal Charles rushed for nearly 1500 yards in 2010 but went out for the season with a torn ACL back in September. Starting quarterback Matt Cassel went on injured reserve in November. Green Bay is the highest scoring team in the NFL with 466 points, so Kansas City will have to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers and company off the field to have any chance of winning.

The Chiefs do have a fairly good pass defense, allowing 209.3 yards per game, tenth best in the NFL. They’ll need to bring their A game, as Rodgers is the league’s top rated quarterback with a QB rating of 123.3. He has 39 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. Back on November 21st the league’s second rated quarterback, New England’s Tom Brady, threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs in the Patriots’ 34-3 victory. Kansas City can’t allow a similar performance from Rodgers.

The Packers will be without the services of Greg Jennings (949 receiving yards, nine touchdowns) until the playoffs, but they have so many capable receivers it just means more chances for everybody else. Jordy Nelson has 10 touchdown receptions and 957 yards, James Jones has five TD’s, and the venerable Donald Driver has four, including two in the Packers’ victory over the New York Giants on December 4th. With Jennings out, I would expect to see more of KR/WR Randall Cobb on passing downs. Rodgers also has thrown eight TD passes to tight ends, including six to Jermichael Finley. Again, with Jennings out , I would expect Rodgers to utilize the tight ends even more.

There is more bad news for Kansas City’s defense. Green Bay rediscovered the running game in their 46-16 rout of the Oakland Raiders on December 11th. Ryan Grant rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and Green Bay had a total of 136 rushing yards for the game.

The Packers simply have too much offense for the Chiefs to overcome. Green Bay will improve to 14-0, and in doing so, secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Mark Hudziak is a Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He has been a fan of the Green Bay Packers since the Vince Lombardi Era.

Sources:

Yahoo! Sports Green Bay Packers team site

Yahoo! Sports Kansas City Chiefs team site

Statistics from Yahoo! Sports NFL

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The Kansas City Chiefs take on the New York Jets Dec. 11. The game is considered a must-win for both teams as the Chiefs are still in the hunt for an AFC West title with four games left and two games behind the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos. The Jets need a victory to keep pace with the New England Patriots.

Here are five keys to victory for the Chiefs as they fight for their playoff lives.

Red Zone Defense

The Chiefs played fantastic defense in the red zone against the Chicago Bears Dec. 4. They limited Caleb Hanie and the Bears to just three points. Kansas City got an interception in the end zone after the Bears drove to the 13-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Field Position

Field position was another reason reason the Chiefs beat the Bears. Chicago started many of their drives inside their own 30. Dustin Colquitt got some good punt coverage and returner Devin Hester was contained all game long.

Sustained Drives

In what was perhaps the best drive of the 2011 season, backup-turned-starter Tyler Palko started on his own 11 early in the second half after a special teams penalty. A 15-play, 86-yard drive stalled on the three yard line and Ryan Succop kicked a field goal for a 10-3 lead. Although the Chiefs should have gotten a touchdown instead of a field goal, that one particular drive proved Kansas City can move the ball on offense.

The drive to end the second quarter was equally as impressive. The Chiefs started on their own 13 and ran 16 plays in just over four minutes. That’s the kind of offense Kansas City needs against the Jets.

Running Game

The Jets give up nearly 113 yards rushing per game. Jackie Battle and company need to take it to the Jets linebackers and run early and often. Combining a sustained drive with lots of runs to put New York on its heels quickly.

Stifle the Offense

New York is the perfect team for the Chiefs to play on the road. They only have 310 yards of offense every game. Scoring 20 points is the key for both teams. The Jets are 7-5. Three of those losses had New York score under 20 points. The Chiefs are the same way. When they score more than 20 points, Kansas City wins. Only the victory against the Bears had the Chiefs win when scoring less than 20 in a game this season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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By Eddie Maisonet

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Dec 5, 2011 – With a miraculous and somewhat lucky victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with four games to play. At 5-7, Todd Haley’s Chiefs have their backs against the wall, but their destiny may lay in their own hands as three of the four teams ahead of them in the playoff race are on their schedule.

The Jets, Raiders and Broncos all await the wrath of the Chiefs. All are 7-5, and all are still jockeying for position in the playoff race. Conceivably, if the Chiefs could beat all three then the playoff picture could get quite murky for everyone involved. Of course, the Chiefs could potentially make their case iron-clad if they could beat the 12-0 Green Bay Packers in two weeks…

….but lets just take this one week at a time.

Here are the playoff standings for the AFC heading into week 14:

1. New England Patriots 9-3 AFC East Champ
2. Baltimore Ravens 9-3 AFC North Champ
3. Houston Texans 9-3 AFC South Champ
4. Denver Broncos 7-5 AFC West Champ
5. Pittsburgh Steelers  9-3
6. Cincinnati Bengals 7-5  Wins tie break over Titans, Raiders and Jets based on best conference win pct.

7. Tennessee Titans 7-5 Wins tie break over Raiders and Jets based on best conference win pct.
8. Oakland Raiders 7-5 Wins tie break over Jets based on best conference win pct.
9. New York Jets 7-5

11. Kansas City Chiefs 5-7

For more insights and analysis on the Chiefs, check out SB Nation blog Arrowhead Pride.

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The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t stated whether or not backup quarterback Kyle Orton(notes) will be ready to play Dec. 11 against the New York Jets. Orton injured his finger when he was in the game for just one play against the Chicago Bears Dec. 4, a game that was a 10-3 victory.

The Kansas City Star reports Orton was in the locker room during practice when it was open to the media. The index finger on his right hand was wrapped but not in a cast. Head coach Todd Haley hasn’t commented on the injury.

Orton’s appearance last Sunday was supposedly scripted as he took the first snap of the second quarter. The play was a flee flicker that got the ball downfield in a hurry as Orton has a stronger arm than starting quarterback Tyler Palko(notes). Orton was supposedly splitting snaps with Palko who is subbing in for the injured Matt Cassel(notes).

Palko will likely the start against the Jets. What that means is the Chiefs will have a short passing game without many passes going beyond 20-30 yards. The Jets can focus their defense within those parameters if head coach Rex Ryan is smart.

The former backup’s performance wasn’t overwhelming against the Bears, but at least Palko reduced the number of interceptions. He was only picked off once the entire game. He also threw his first touchdown pass, a Hail Mary score as time expired in the first half. Palko can throw the ball downfield as it was a 38-yard reception. It’s just that his accuracy diminishes the further away the ball gets from the line of scrimmage.

Palko’s arm strength and accuracy will develop with time. That’s why the Chiefs have Jim Zorn as the quarterbacks coach. Hopefully Orton can come in and play when the Chiefs need an extra boost on offense. If running backs such as Dexter McCluster(notes) and Jackie Battle(notes) can perform well enough in the next few weeks, Orton’s services may never be needed.

Palko’s next chance to shine comes in the Meadowlands against the Jets. Both teams will need a win to keep their division title hopes alive. Kansas City is two games behind the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders in the AFC West standings at 5-7.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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The Kansas City Chiefs only scored 10 points against the Chicago Bears, seven of them in the first half. It was that they needed in a hard-fought 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears Dec. 4.

The key play was a miracle Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half when Dexter McCluster(notes) caught a ball deflected by the Bears’ defense. The Chiefs’ defense held on after that, including getting an interception in the end zone as Chicago was looking to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Tyler Palko(notes) had his first good outing as he didn’t throw an interception. He only had 157 yards passing and was 17-for-30, but the Chiefs didn’t cough up the football like they normally do. The only time Kansas City made a huge mistake was touching the ball on a punt that gave the ball back to the Bears.

Chicago’s mistakes also helped Kansas City throughout the game. Chad Hanie, who was starting in place for the injured Jay Cutler(notes), was sacked seven times. The special teams missed a 41-yard field goal late in the third quarter after they got to the Kansas City seven yard line before giving up two sacks.

The Bears’ red zone offense only scored three points. The interception in the end zone occurred after the ball wasn’t caught by the Bears and deflected several times before coming down to Jon McGraw(notes).

The only touchdown of the game also could have been prevented. The defending Bears deflected the ball to McCluster who grabbed it before it touched the ground. McCluster had 61 yards rushing on nine carries, including a 32-yard run in the second half.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs got a much-needed victory. In all honesty, the win could have saved the season for Kansas City. The news wasn’t all good. The Denver Broncos got another miracle comeback when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the final play of the game thanks to an interception deep in Vikings territory.

Backup quarterback Kyle Orton(notes) was in the game against the Bears for one play and hurt his finger after he was thrown to the turf following an incomplete pass. Orton didn’t return and his status for any future games has yet to be determined.

Kansas City improved to 5-7 on the year, just two games behind the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders in the AFC West standings with four games left on the year. A division title is still within reach. Kansas City would need to win while needing two teams to lose at least twice between now and early January.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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Even though he spent just three relatively unremarkable seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Chester McGlockton was still a part of the Chiefs family. The former defensive lineman passed away early in the morning Nov. 30. He was only 42 and serving as a defensive assistant at Stanford.

McGlockton was a big, big man. He was 6’3″ but tipped the scales at a massive 334 pounds as a defensive tackle and defensive end. He spent 12 years in the NFL from 1992 to 2003. Half of his career was with the Oakland Raiders before coming over the Chiefs in 1998 for three years before finishing out his career with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

When he was in Kansas City, McGlockton had seven sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles to go along with 87 solo tackles. He made the Pro Bowl four seasons, all with the Raiders. His best year was 1994 when he recorded 9 ½ sacks. He had one touchdown in his career, a fumble return in 2002 when he played for the Broncos.

McGlockton wasn’t as well known as another defensive player on the Chiefs that played with him. The giant was a teammate of linebacker Derrick Thomas for two years from 1998 to 1999. Both players were key members of the defense that anchored Kansas City’s tough teams of the era.

As compared to his years in Oakland, McGlockton was still in his prime by the time he got to the Midwest. When he got to Kansas City, he was an important focus of offensive lineman. When the opposition keyed in on McGlockton, it freed up space for Thomas to move in on quarterbacks. The big man suffered injuries throughout his 2001 and 2002 seasons, according to Sports Illustrated.

The Chiefs website states McGlockton supposedly went over to the Chiefs’ sideline during a 30-0 rout at the hands of the Raiders. The purpose of the visit was to ask then-head coach Marty Schottenheimer to sign him after the end of the year. The team made good on his promise after McGlockton was feuding with team owner Al Davis of Oakland.

McGlockton’s presence on the Stanford sideline will be missed. The Cardinal came up just short as they bid for the inaugural Pac-12 championship game. The team has yet to find out its bowl destination but will certainly be invited to a BCS bowl game later in the season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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