- I was in Europe for a month and the internet over there is not quite what it is here in America. Also, I spent too much money on the trip not to take in all the sights London and Paris had to offer.
- I live in Joplin, Missouri, so my mind was a little preoccupied on life back home when I was in Europe. I learned about the devastation of the tornado and was shocked. Luckily, I didn't personally know any of the victims of the tornado, but I did know many, many people who lost their homes and all of their belongings. My house was about a mile from the carnage, so I consider myself very lucky. Joplin looks like a war-zone here and portions were impossible to recognize when I returned home (which leads me to thank anyone who has donated any sort of aid or volunteered to clean up Joplin. And I was especially happy to learn that the Chiefs, and several other NFL teams, were donating money and supplies. Joplin needs all the help it can get, but because of these donations of time and money, it makes the job a little bit easier).
- Finally, another reason why I haven't posted anything is because, well, there wasn't really anything to report on.
With my excuses out of the way, I want to get to the point of this post: my impressions of the Chiefs from over the past month. Besides the fact that our tight-end Leonard Pope rescued a boy from drowning recently, I want to talk about the development of our team during this locked-out offseason.
Say what you want about certain players on our team (I know I have in previous posts), but we have some pretty good leaders on our squad.
Matt Cassel has recently organized a team practice, and has been out their with the team scrimmaging on a high school football field for the last couple of days. Every spectator there said that Cassel was clearly in charge. It is clear that Cassel wants the best for his Chiefs, and organizing these practices is symbolic of how passionately he takes his job and how seriously he wants to win.
Earlier on in the offseason, Cassel was letting receivers stay (and basically live) in his house so that they could play catch during the day. Cassel got rookies Ricky Stanzi and Jon Baldwin to come out and practice with him, even though they haven't even been signed yet.
If some of you had doubted Cassel's leadership ability prior to this offseason, I say you have no reason to doubt anymore.
And it's not just been Cassel. Players of all ages, from rookie to veteran, seem invested in the Chiefs will to win next year. These players have had a taste of success, and they don't want to lose it. They are a young team, and they know that; they know that if they don't work hard now, and as a team, then it will be hard for them to have the same kind of success that they did last season.
These players want victory, they want another playoff appearance. They are not just going to sit back and relax as the NFL and NFLPA negotiations drag on. They want football, and they want to be good at it. They have bought in to the plan, and with the Chargers breathing down their neck, they know they have no room for error.
This offseason has shown why it is great to be a Chiefs fan.
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