NFL kansas city Chiefs

It's fair to blame the Steelers defense for Sunday's shocking loss 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs -- Kansas City simply shouldn't be able to drive the length of the field in overtime to beat Pittsburgh. It's also fair to point fingers at a Pittsburgh offense that piled up over 515 yards of offense, but squandered all of it with two interceptions, a fumble and three costly sacks.

But as the Steelers' fans try to figure out what happened in one of the more embarrassing losses in recent Steelers history, the group that once again is most to blame is Pittsburgh's kick coverage unit -- easily one of the worst group of special-teamers in NFL history.

In fact, only one of the Steelers' four losses -- their first loss to the Bengals -- can not be blamed, at least in large part, on poor special teams play.

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Pittsburgh has several easy games on the schedule over the final seven weeks of the season, but it's hard to think of a better week for strong safety Troy Polamalu to miss than this week's game against the Chiefs.

Polamalu will miss the game with a knee injury, although the Steelers are saying he should be back before too long. But even without Polamalu, the Steelers' secondary should be able to handle the Chiefs.

Kansas City is without wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who was suspended four games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug rules. Without Bowe, Kansas City lacks a viable No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. Chris Chambers, who becomes the team's No. 1 receiver, has only been a Chief for three weeks--he was picked up off the waiver wire when San Diego waived him. No. 2 receiver Lance Long was promoted to the active roster until three weeks ago as well. Tight end Sean Ryan is a true journeyman--he's playing for his fourth team in the past two years.

Dwayne Bowe has been suspended four games by the NFL for violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to the Kansas City Star's Kent Babb.

The suspension was announced by NFL spokesperson Corry Rush and then confirmed by the Chiefs, although they have yet (and may not) comment further on the matter.

Larry Johnson is available to any team that wants him. Now the question is whether any team wants him.

Johnson, the former Kansas City Chiefs running back who was waived by the team this week, passed through the NFL's waiver wire without a single team placing a claim on him. That makes him an unrestricted free agent, available to sign with any team.

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Bernard Pollard led the Kansas City Chiefs with 98 tackles in 2008, 13 more than his nearest competition. He also had the dubious distinction of being the player that ended Tom Brady's season before it really got started. But the defensive MVP of the Chiefs was a roster casualty in early September as Kansas City trimmed down to meet the 53-man requirement. Now Pollard is claiming that the Chiefs tried to blackball him from signing with any other NFL team.

The Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery was dedicated during Hall of Fame weekend last August in Canton, Ohio. Hunt -- the Kansas City Chiefs owner, a 1982 Hall of Fame inductee, and the man who coined the name "Super Bowl'' -- died at age 74 in 2006.

His family attended the ceremony, including his wife of 42 years, Norma. She had many remembrances of her husband, including this one she shared with me: "Lamar always stood for what was right and honorable. I think his friends knew that. Some things he just wouldn't stand for.''

And that goes for Norma Hunt. And that goes for Hunt's children, including his son, Clark, who is now Chiefs chairman.

Thus, look no further than Chiefs ownership to understand why Larry Johnson was booted from the franchise on Monday morning. Sure, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli had his say and Chiefs coach Todd Haley contributed his views but this was a decision fueled by ownership, two sources within the Chiefs organization said.

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Larry Johnson had been a free agent for all of a few hours Monday when it was reported that the Washington Redskins might have some interest in signing the ex-Chief.

Which, really, shouldn't come as a surprise -- mainly because Clinton Portis is injured with a concussion and considered questionable for Sunday's game ... actually, you know what? Check that -- the Redskins are interested in Johnson because he's a big name, he's available on the market and signing him would generate some "buzz," which is something that Dan Snyder is quite fond of.

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Larry Johnson's time in Kansas City is apparently over as the Chiefs announced Monday that they have released the oft-troubled running back into the ether of NFL free agency.

Johnson was, of course, fresh off a suspension based on his recent social media activity and attitude towards reporters, although the official release from the Chiefs doesn't really indicate why he's gone (though it should be obvious):

The Chiefs fans who want Larry Johnson off their team aren't your typical angry fans, lashing out over something as unpleasantly common as another losing season. The online petition they started, which was barreling toward 20,000 signatures Thursday afternoon amid a surprising run of national publicity, says nothing about wanting a coach fired or demanding that an owner sell. It is a petition from the heart, whose roots lie not in anger over the team's record or current stretch of on-field futility, but rather in a deep and abiding love of the team and its history.

"People in Kansas City, we don't mind losing," Dan Cataldi said. "We get used to it, actually. But it just gets frustrating when we don't like the team. That's what we can't stand."

Hence, this petition, which is addressed to new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and makes the simple plea to remove Johnson from the field and/or the team before he collects 80 more yards and surpasses Priest Holmes as the team's all time leading rusher.

Running back Larry Johnson will not be in uniform Sunday at Jacksonville when the Kansas City Chiefs return from their bye and attempt to reverse the damage of a 1-6 start. That in itself is a small victory for a rebuilding Chiefs organization, which did its level best to severely punish a longtime problem player who crossed a line most agree constitutes conduct detrimental to the NFL.

And that disciplinary action -- a two-week suspension without pay imposed by Chiefs management, that was later arbitrated by the NFL Management Council, the NFL Players Association, Johnson and the Chiefs to return a week's salary to Johnson -- was neither endorsed nor encouraged by the league office, multiple NFL sources said.

Rather, the NFL told the Chiefs they should avoid issuing a suspension (and encountering the subsequent hearing, NFLPA involvement, settlement, etc.), and simply fine Johnson $10,000.

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