Arrowheadlines: The Chiefs didn’t get the bye, but they got the next best thing

Chiefs headlines for Tuesday, January 11.

The Latest

2022 Giants GM search: Giants request interview with Chiefs’ Ryan Poles | Big Blue View

Poles, 36 of Canandaigua, N.Y., is a former offensive lineman for Boston College who has rocketed to the top of GM searches in recent years.

Poles has been with the Chiefs organization for the past 12 years, working his way up the ladder as a scouting assistant in 2009.

Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride tells Big Blue View that, Poles served as Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach’s “right-hand man” during the 2020 all-virtual draft and was reportedly a vital go-between in the lines of communication among the Chiefs’ brass. “The people around here [the Kansas City Chiefs organization] speak very highly of him,” Sweeney says.

Former Chief Boomer Grigsby Selected As Member Of 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class | Illinois State

Illinois State football legend Boomer Grigsby has earned a spot among college football’s all-time greats, as the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced Monday that he will be a member of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

“I am completely overwhelmed by this honor and cannot thank the National Football Foundation voters enough for selecting me to be a part of this amazing 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class,” Grigsby said. “This award is so much more than only me. This is for my family, my hometown of Canton, Illinois, my alma mater Illinois State, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, and all the people who helped me along the way. This never would have been possible without all of them. They helped me earn this; We earned this.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid, staff enraptured as Chargers-Raiders nearly tied | KSHB 41 News

Both teams could have kneeled out the 10-minute overtime period and advanced to the postseason, but instead they traded field goals in the first 5 1/2 minutes.

“I figured they wouldn’t take a knee,” Reid said. “That would be hard on the quads man to take that many knees. I felt like the guys were going to play and then just go about their business that way.”

Powered by Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas managed to reach Los Angeles territory on the third drive in overtime, but seemed prepared to take a knee and settle for a tie before Chargers coach Brandon Staley’s timeout with 38 seconds left.

The Chiefs Didn’t Get a Bye, but They Got the Next Best Thing | Arrowhead Report

With the Las Vegas Raiders’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday — a game that nearly ended in a tie and came oh-so-close to knocking the Pittsburgh Steelers out of the playoffs — the Steelers are locked into the AFC’s seventh and final seed.

Their reward for taking care of business and getting some help on the final day of the regular season? A wild-card weekend matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated them by a final score of 36-10 just a few weeks ago.

Report: Broncos request to interview Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy | Mile High Report

Bieniemy has been a hot candidate these past few years because of his work with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Add in Andy Reid’s history of developing solid Head Coaches and you have the makings of an exciting coaching candidate. However, he has yet to be hired which is a bit of a red flag, but Paton can make that determination himself.

The Broncos’ last two Head Coaches have been defensive first and the offense has suffered because of this. None of the offensive coordinator choices really hit, so, having a coach who brings his own high-powered offense and concepts with him would be exciting. Also, quarterback development will be key with these coaches as well. If they do not swing a big trade for a veteran quarterback, the new staff will be tasked with developing a quarterback. So, Bieniemy will have to present his plan on the offensive side of the ball and prove that he can handle the leadership role that Paton is looking for.

Andy Reid anticipating Tyreek Hill will be OK to play Sunday | Pro Football Talk

“We’re anticipating he’s going to be OK to go,” Reid said in his Monday press conference, via Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star.

Reid had a similar update on running back Darrel Williams, who was limited to 31 offensive snaps in the contest and didn’t take a carry in the second half with a toe injury.

“It’s still a little tender, but he’s working through that and we’ll see how it goes this week,” Reid said, via Matt McMullen of the team’s website. “I’d anticipate him going.”

There’s more uncertainty when it comes to starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who did not play on Saturday with a shoulder injury.

Around the NFL

2022 NFL coaching carousel tracker: Nagy, Zimmer, Flores out; updates, latest news and rumors on firings | NFL.com

The NFL coaching carousel is upon us with the conclusion of the regular season, as plenty of teams will begin to make decisions on the future of their franchise. The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars began the process of searching for their next coach during the season with the in-season firings of Jon Gruden and Urban Meyer. (Jacksonville has already begun the process of searching for their next head coach.)

The Denver Broncos didn’t waste any time in firing Vic Fangio, making them the third team that will be looking for a new head coach in 2022. The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago bears are two other teams that made a decision on their coaches, moving on from Mike Zimmer and Matt Nagy, respectively.

With all the coaches on the move around the NFL, we’ll be tracking every single firing around the league (and the coaches who are going to be retained). To keep you up to date on the latest firings, rumors and hirings, make sure to keep tabs on the coaching tracker below.

From butt of jokes to playoffs, no one is laughing at Sirianni anymore | NBC Sports

There have been moments over the last year when Nick Sirianni has been the butt of jokes. It happened when he flubbed his introductory press conference. It happened when he played rock paper scissors with draft prospects. It happened when he talked about flower roots.

No one is laughing at Sirianni anymore.

There were seven head coaches hired last January and there’s just one of them who has his team in the playoffs a year later.

“I don’t think about that,” Sirianni said on Monday. “All I care about is that our team is successful, our team is ready to play each week. So, I haven’t really thought too much about that.”

NFL players react to Georgia winning CFP National Championship against Alabama | NFL.com

In a Southeastern Conference rematch for all the marbles, familiar foes No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia took center stage on Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

More than 40 years in the making, Georgia brought home its first national title since the 1980 season as the Bulldogs conquered the Crimson Tide, 33-18, in the latter’s quest to repeat.

It was a monumental win for head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia over Nick Saban and Alabama that had alums from both schools and players from around the NFL abuzz as the Bulldogs knocked off ‘Bama.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

5 things we learned as the Chiefs got an ugly win over the Broncos

The Chiefs came away with a win on Saturday — but almost everything that transpired between kickoff and the end of the game reminded us of the importance of a first-round bye. A week after miscues on both sides of the ball were partially to blame for the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chiefs failed to put forth a clean four quarters of football. Kansas City’s offense and defense both had highlights, but neither was able to dominate a depleted Denver team — and inspire confidence heading into the playoffs.

As a result, Kansas City’s starters went the distance on Saturday. They needed four quarters to secure the AFC’s second seed, keep their hopes for the first seed alive and establish some semblance of momentum ahead of the postseason. Given those circumstances, the decision to keep the team’s starters in the game was a no-brainer — but it came at the expense of fresh legs. Heading into Week 18, we knew a first-round bye was a long shot — but we hoped the starters would at least be able to sit out the second half against the Broncos. After a hard-fought win, fatigue has to be a concern.

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