Here we go​

​It’s time to start making predictions for the upcoming Chiefs season.  Vegas has total wins for the season at 9 and a half, which may sound as if we were slighted considering we won eleven games in a row before falling to the Patriots in the playoffs.  When you look at the fact that Vegas has only 5 teams above us at 10 and half wins, it actually feels pretty good.  Those teams are the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
There’s many reasons why many believe the Chiefs will do well this year.  Here are 4:

1.  Great defense:  The Chiefs D finished tied for second in fewest points given up two years ago and third in fewest points given up last year.  If Justin Houston can come back early in the year and be as effective as his usual self, this defense will continue to terrorize opposing offenses.

2.  Improved offensive line:  Mitchell Schwartz was signed, Eric Fisher is getting better, Mitch Morse is a solid NFL center, Parker Ehinger and Laurent Duvarnay-Tardif have both looked good in training camp.

3.  Big time offensive potential:  Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles and the rest of the three headed monster, Travis Kelce, and Jeremy Maclin are the core of an offense that has shown they can be big producers.  Tyreek Hill, Ross Travis, Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, and Demetrius Harris can all make plays as well.

4.  Talent:  Nine Chiefs were selected to the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 (Justin Houston, Eric Berry, Marcus Peters, Jamaal Charles, Derrick Johnson, Alex Smith, Tamba Hali, Travis Kelce, and Jeremy Maclin), the most of out any team.

The biggest question I have is when will Justin Houston be back.  I’m most excited to see what Marcus Peters can do in his sophomore year after tying an NFL high for interceptions with 8 last year.  That’s nothing short of incredible if you look at his season, most famously recognized when he tweeted “lies” in response to a tweet surrounding Josh Norman’s season, and realize that Marcus Peters had one of the best seasons for any defensive back in the past fifteen years as a rookie. 

Combine all of that with the fact that Andy Reid has been to the playoffs eleven out the past seventeen seasons, and I've decided to go with the over.  Winning ten games in the NFL isn't easy, but I think this team can do it.

Chris Conley, Dontari Poe, and Ron Parker after setting a franchise record with ten wins in a row

Ron Parker, Mike DeVito, and Mitch Morse after beating Cleveland and clinching a playoff spot

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Proud of Bobby Voelker for getting the win by knockout in Shamrock FC's main event after returning from the UFC to continue his run as the greatest mma fighter to ever come out of Kansas City.  Thanks Alpha Pawn for sponsoring the event.  Go visit Kansas City's premier pawn company  alphapawn.com

Here's how I feel about the Royals winning the 2015 World Series 

I’ve had close to two months to reflect on the Royals World Series victory and it still seems unreal.  The way we came back from being down late in eight of the games has been well documented, but it’s always worth mentioning when discussing the 2015 World Series champs.   The best game, in my opinion, was the game against Houston where we, once again if you remember back to the Wild Card game in 2014, came back from four down going into the eighth.  As one fan said to me at the bar a few nights ago, lightning struck twice.  That game and the game the season before defined our team and the magic associated with the Royals.
 
When you look at what the Royals accomplished with the way baseball is set up, you look to the owner, gm, and coach and have to tip your hat.  It wasn’t long ago that a disgruntled fan, in Joseph Accurso published a letter in the Kansas City Star to David Glass imploring him to make some moves to help the Royals or sell the team.  When we advanced in the playoffs last year, Ned Yost said in a postgame interview they have been planning this for five years.  With all due respect, it almost sounded like a joke when he made that statement, but it was true.  This is what David Glass and co. had set out to do.  Build a team for the most part from within, bringing up players through their minor league system they had drafted or through their baseball academy, and occasionally signing key free agents.  Props to ownership and management.
 
As for the players, you guys are the ones that are most responsible for this epic World Series win.  Guys not only played as well as they did last year when we went to the World Series, but actually improved.  Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and others lifted themselves to a new level.  It would have been easy to get complacent after the run we had last year.  Thank you for never giving up, sticking together, and playing your hardest all the time.  It’s special that most of these guys have been with each other for a while, so there are relationships that go beyond the club house.  When it came time to name the MVP of the World Series, it was tough to pick who deserved it most.  Salvadore Perez came away with the award after batting .364 in the series, controlling the game, and playing incredible defense.  My only hope is that we can keep you all together for as long as possible.  I’m so proud of Edison Volquez for pitching two great games with his dad passing right before his first start of the series.  Both of those performances where he gave up just three runs and two runs were special outings and played a huge part in helping us win the World Series.  I’m also proud of Mike Moustakas who lost his mom earlier in the year.  He played great for us through a tough time in his life.  Chris Young played through losing his dad recently as well.  That was a guy who kind of came out of nowhere to play an important role in the postseason.  I’m proud of you Chris and I’m proud of all the other players on the Royals.  No matter what happens for the rest of your lives, no one can take this away and the fact that you all are the 2015 World Series Champions.  
 
And then you have the fans.  Wow.  The people in Kansas City put us on the map and supported the Royals in a big way, but it’s not just what the fans did this year.  It’s also the way they stuck with the team in previous years when the Royal’s weren’t rolling.  Thank you to the fans for supporting the Royals and stepping up in a big way when they needed you most.  My dad, a big baseball fan, put it best when we first talked after the Royals won the World Series when he said “I’m glad we won, but I don’t want this to stop, I want to keep having fun watching the Royals play great baseball.”  I think that’s the way a lot of people feel and why everyone is looking forward to 2016.  The support the fans have given this team really is unbelievable.  You saw it at the parade.  It was incredible to see the amount of people that converged upon downtown Kansas City for the day.  That’s what people do in Kansas City.  We are all friends and support our teams to the max and I honestly think and know that support and spirit helped this team battle and win the 2015 World Series.  Thank you Royals fans.