MVN: Most Valuable Network

When news first broke earlier today that the Chiefs only had to give up their 2nd round pick (#34 overall) to the Patriots for the rights to Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel, I was momentarily stunned:

A second round pick for a franchise quarterback and a solid if not spectacular at times linebacker? From the Patriots? Yeah right... not even the Lions under Matt Millen would be so foolish.

But after a bit of reflection (and a lot of reading), I think both parties got what the wanted out of this deal. Yes I know that sounds strange, but seriously, did you really expect the Pats to be comfortable with Cassel making $14.5 million while he rides the pine this fall?

And while I understand how dear Vrabel must be, given Boston's never ending love for the underdog, he was a throwaway in this deal; a cap casualty for a team in desperate need of some relief in that department with a growing group of aging veterans that must be replaced sometime soon.

For the Chiefs, this was a no brainer. Proven young quarterbacks don't exactly grow on trees and adding a capable leader for their young defense won't hurt either. Especially at the cost of just one second round pick. That's child's play.

The 34th overall selection is definitely nice to have, but the player selected there could end up being a bust, so when a team dangles the kind of package the Patriots offered today, you don't ask questions. You simply nod your head as fast as you can and run away with your prize firmly in hand.

That's why this deal was one that had to be made, on both sides of the aisle. The Patriots get major assistance in the form of salary cap space along with a highly coveted draft pick (Julius Peppers anyone?), while the Chiefs now have a legitimate franchise QB for the first time since Len Dawson was slinging the rock in Super Bowl IV, along with a warrior to show the rest of the defense that tackling really is allowed in the NFL.

As a lifelong Chiefs fan, I can't begin to describe how excited I am to see my team in hands of competent professionals once again. With this trade, Pioli and his right hand man, Todd Haley, have erased years of frustration with the annual Carl Peterson free agency vacation in one fell swoop.

Peterson would never have had the cojones to pull off the deal this good, nor would any team let him, especially after seeing how much he was willing to give up when recruiting washed up coaches to manage his squad. Instead we would have been relegated to watching while he signed Jerry Porter or Dan Orlovsky to a $50 million deal only to see him play like crap every Sunday for the next three seasons.

KC's newest firm Pioli, Haley, and Hunt have put all those horrible memories to rest with this move. We finally have a quarterback we can count on when the going gets rough. That alone is cause for celebration, but the job is far from complete. There's still more work to be done.

One day though, we'll be able to look back and say this was where it all began, with the Lombardi trophy in one hand and a cigar in another. And that is what it's all about.

Today is a day that I will remember for a very long time. The late, great Derrick Thomas has finally been given the honor he deserved long ago, and was selected to be a part of the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. All I can say is it's about damn time... Thomas will join Rod Woodson (Steelers), Bruce Smith (Bills), Ralph Wilson (Bills), Randle McDaniel (Vikings), and Bob Hayes (Cowboys). I don't want this to be about me, so I'll skip the run down of my childhood adoration, and let this outstanding highlight film do the talking instead. Enjoy!!... Read more

Well, it's been a long while in the making, but I'm finally back, ready to break out all the content you love here at KC Chiefs Fanatic.I apologize for the sporadic posts over the past month or so. Things have been absolutely crazy on the home front, not to mention all the work I've been putting in with my new site, NFL News & Rumors, which by the way is blowing up into a beautiful new blog as we speak.But all that aside, my true love still resides here at the Fanatic, and as such I'll be doing my best to devote as much time as possible to writing up as much content as I can over the next few days. ... Read more

Hello again....Man, every time I take some time to myself the Chiefs come out of left field and through me for a loop by doing something I didn't expect to be done... or in this case, didn't expect to be done this fastA few days back I wrote about how the silence coming from Arrowhead as of late was a very good sign, as it showed that our young owner, Clark Hunt, had learned the most important of traits in professional sports.The news out of Arrowhead yesterday cemented that view, as the Chiefs announced the hiring of Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli as the team's new general manager. Not only is Pioli from the same school of thought that I talked about, but he's a winner through and through, with the results to prove it. It's been a long time since we as Chiefs fans have had the... Read more

This past week in Kansas City has brought us a pile of rumors and speculation so thick an eagle wouldn't be able to see through it. Little if any of it though, has been founded in fact, and while some would say that is a bad thing, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt clearly has a plan in place. The Chiefs are in the middle of an intense search for Carl Peterson's replacement in the front office, and unlike the majority of their competitors, Hunt has realized the value of maintaining operational silence. As a result, the Chiefs have been able to quietly woo their top candidate away from other potential landing spots, and seem likely to finalize a deal very soon. That man is New England VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli, who many say is responsible for much of the Patriots success this decade with his outstanding track record of... Read more

Ah... it's good to be back.I hope all of you are having a wonderful New Year thus far, watching as much college football as humanly possible, and taking care of all those resolutions.Which brings me to my two of my own resolutions: 1. Start a new site to cover all the news and rumors in the NFL Got that one done on day one with my new site - NFL News & Rumors 2. Finish the transition from my stand alone version of KC Chiefs Fanatic to the standout site currently being built for me at the Most Valuable Network Not quite but we're almost there Yep... you heard right. We're on our way to becoming a sponsored site at the Most Valuable Network, which has become one of the top rated sports blog teams in the country. We'll still be the awesome site you know and love, unafraid to... Read more