Market2008 Kansas City Chiefs season
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2008 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 2008 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 39th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall, and their third and final season under head coach Herm Edwards at the helm. The Chiefs failed to improve on their 4–12 record from 2007 with the youngest team in the NFL as part of their "youth movement". The season turned out to be the worst in the franchise's history at the time, by tallying 13 losses for the first time ever. The Chiefs' record tied with the St. Louis Rams where they stood 2–14.

Offseason
Beginning with the 2008 season, the team's Lamar Hunt/American Football League tribute patch which was introduced in the 2007 season became a permanent part of the Chiefs' uniform. Coaching and roster changes Following the Chiefs loss to the New York Jets in the 2007 season finale, general manager Carl Peterson announced that both he and head coach Herman Edwards would return to the Chiefs in 2008. Hunt spoke out weeks later and stated that the Chiefs were his "No. 1 priority" Hunt wanted to avoid having a new general manager come in with a new head coach, and starting from scratch again. On January 1, the Chiefs fired offensive coordinator Mike Solari after two unproductive seasons. Offensive line coach John Matsko, receivers coach Charlie Joiner and running backs coach James Saxon were fired as well after a season in which the Chiefs were among the worst offensive teams in the NFL. Gailey was hired on January 16. In addition to Gailey, the Chiefs added Bob Bicknell as their offensive line coach, and Joe D'Alessandris assistant offensive line coach. Curtis Modkins, from Gailey's staff at Georgia Tech, was added as the team's running backs coach. By releasing several veteran players, the Chiefs began their youth movement. Additions In February, Kansas City claimed OT Anthony Alabi off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. Kansas City also agreed to two-year contracts with K Nick Novak, S Erick Harris, DT T.J. Jackson, CB Chad Johnson, OT Joe Lobdell, and G Rob Smith. In March, Kansas City claimed FB Oliver Hoyte off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys. The team also signed free agent LB Demorrio Williams, and WR Devard Darling. In April, Kansas City signed KR B.J. Sams, TE John Paul Foschi and C Wade Smith. In May, the Chiefs signed a total of 23 undrafted free agents. and cornerbacks Will Poole and Jason Horton. In August, the Chiefs signed K Jay Feely but released him the following day. In September, the Chiefs signed QB Ingle Martin following an injury to Brodie Croyle. In October, the Chiefs re-signed K Connor Barth, who was released at the beginning of the season at the 53-man roster deadline. Kansas City also signed QB Quinn Gray following a season-ending injury to starting QB Brodie Croyle. A slew of injuries to the Chiefs' starting lineup in October and November made the team sign several players in order to fill holes. Departures In February, the Chiefs released WR Eddie Kennison, OT John Welbourn, LB Kendrell Bell, After attempting to trade him for the second consecutive year, the Chiefs released FS Greg Wesley in July. In October, Kansas City released LB Napoleon Harris, and K Nick Novak. NFL rules prohibit teams from contacting prospective free agents or their agents until free agency begins. Following the season-ending injury to QB Croyle, the Chiefs contacted recently retired QB Daunte Culpepper and free agent QB Bruce Gradkowski. Culpepper agreed to meet with the Chiefs on October 28 for a physical and face-to-face negotiations but canceled the meeting in favor of other opportunities with the NFL. Other teams that had contacted Allen's agent include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Philadelphia Eagles also proposed a trade with Kansas City. Allen was not tagged as an exclusive rights franchise player and had the right to visit and negotiate with other teams. Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson's relationship with Allen had been strained ever since Peterson, in the wake of Allen's DUI convictions, described him as "a young man at risk." Sources said the Vikings included a second third-round pick (No. 73) in the 2008 draft to get the deal done. They had been offering a No. 1 pick (17th in the first round) and a No. 3 (No. 82). The teams also swapped spots in the sixth round with the Vikings getting a better spot in the sixth round, sources said. A coin flip held at the NFL Scouting Combine determined the tie-breaker between the Chiefs, Falcons, and Raiders. The Chiefs had a league-high 13 selections heading into the draft. Kansas City was interested in defensive end Chris Long following the departure of Jared Allen, but ended up with Glenn Dorsey after he slipped to #5 overall. Kansas City had Dorsey rated higher than Long, despite not having an immediate need at the position. Regardless of concern from NFL scouts about a previous leg injury to Dorsey which may cause him to get surgery in the near future, Kansas City selected Dorsey fifth overall. Kansas City also received the largest rookie pool to pay their 12 rookies, with a sum of $8,221,790, due in part to their two selections in the top 15 of the NFL Draft. Roster Staff ==Preseason==
Preseason
Schedule Game summaries Week 1: at Chicago Bears Week 2: vs. Arizona Cardinals Week 3: at Miami Dolphins Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams ==Regular season==
Regular season
Schedule Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at New England Patriots The Chiefs played the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots, and were 16 ½-point underdogs entering the game. With 7:20 left in the first quarter, safety Bernard Pollard hit quarterback Tom Brady in his left leg. Brady went down, clutching his left knee and would not return to play in the game. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel entered the game, and his first pass of the game went 51 yards to wide receiver Randy Moss. Cassel continued to excel as he was 5–6 on the drive. It ended on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Moss, giving the heavily favored Patriots the early lead in the second quarter. Five drives later the Chiefs got on the scoreboard after a 13-play drive that ended on a 40-yard field goal from kicker Nick Novak. However, New England replied with their second touchdown of the day, this time a 5-yard run by running back Sammy Morris. Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle was hurt when he was sacked and slammed to the turf on his shoulder. With around 50 seconds on the clock and down by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had the ball near the Patriots goal line. Kansas City had a chance to score but Dwayne Bowe dropped a pass in the end zone on fourth down, resulting in a Patriots victory. The loss also gave them a franchise-worst 10-straight losses, dating back to last season. Croyle tried to throw on the sideline, but immediately indicated he was through for the day. Huard was in for Kansas City's first two series, but didn't return after throwing an interception late in the second quarter. Under Thigpen, the Chiefs' offense struggled to move the ball down the field. In using three quarterbacks, the Chiefs had only 65 net yards at halftime. JaMarcus Russell completed only 6 of 17 passes for 55 yards and led the Raiders to a 15-point victory. Following the game, Chiefs RB Larry Johnson voiced his displeasure with the Chiefs' offense and his role with the team. With the loss, the Chiefs fell to an 0–2 record for the third consecutive year. In the first quarter, Kansas City's struggled as Falcons RB Michael Turner got a 4-yard TD run, along with QB Matt Ryan completing a 70-yard TD pass to WR Roddy White. In the second quarter, Atlanta increased its lead with kicker Jason Elam getting a 27-yard field goal, along with Turner's 1-yard TD run. The Chiefs' offense, averaging fewer than 11 points a game, turned early touchdown opportunities into short field goals. In the first quarter, Kansas City trailed as RB DeAngelo Williams got a 10-yard TD run. Gonzalez, who had always said he would like to end his career with the Chiefs, RB Larry Johnson was charged with simple assault for allegedly pushing a woman at a Kansas City nightclub in February, the third time he has faced assault charges against a woman. Johnson was also reportedly offered by the Chiefs for a trade. Days later, coach Herm Edwards ruled Johnson out of the Chiefs' upcoming game against Tennessee as a result of a violation of team rules. Edwards stated that it was not in response to Johnson's legal troubles, but instead of insubordination. Days later, reports surfaced that Johnson was under investigation for allegedly telling a woman that he was going to kill her boyfriend then spat in her face at Kansas City's Club Blonde on October 10, just four days prior to his court hearing for a separate incident. Johnson's pattern of behavior could lead to a possible suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy. As a result of his October 10 incident, Johnson was de-activated for the Chiefs' game against the New York Jets. As a result, Johnson was charged with simple assault for the second time in two weeks. The Chiefs indicated that Johnson would meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and would not play "for the foreseeable future." Week 7: vs. Tennessee Titans Coming off their bye week, the Chiefs went home for a Week 7 duel with the undefeated Tennessee Titans. In the first quarter, Kansas City trailed early as Titans kicker Rob Bironas got a 49-yard field goal, along with RB LenDale White getting a 6-yard TD run. Against the Saints, RB Larry Johnson lines up as the quarterback. To help Tyler Thigpen prepare for the game against the Jets, the Chiefs implemented the spread offense to help Thigpen and the rest of the younger players play to the best of their abilities, and also following the absence of RB Larry Johnson due to suspension. The Chiefs made a huge gamble by doing so, as most in the NFL believe that a spread offense cannot work in professional football, and also head coach Herman Edwards was traditionally in favor of more conservative, run-oriented game plans. The game began with both teams exchanging field goals to tie the game at 3. Temperatures which hovered in the low 60s when early-arriving fans first showed up plunged into the 20s by the end of the game. The official press release stated that Peterson resigned, but Hunt had said the conversation had been on-going throughout the season. It was the coldest game that Miami had ever played in. Entering the game, the Bengals had a 3–11–1 record and the Chiefs had a 2–13 record. While there was speculation over the job status of Herm Edwards as head coach entering the off-season, RB Larry Johnson voiced his intention to seek a trade. Cincinnati completely dominated the game. They outrushed the Chiefs 204 yards to 31 yards. Kansas City could only manage two first downs in the first half. The Chiefs did not get closer than the Bengals' 37-yard line until their final drive, which ended with TE Tony Gonzalez's 5-yard touchdown catch from QB Tyler Thigpen with 2:20 left in the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Bengals effectively held the lead for the remainder of the game. The Chiefs' defense had one sack in the game to finish the season with 10–the fewest in the NFL since the league started recording team sacks in 1960. The team surpassed the 1982 Baltimore Colts' record of 11 sacks. With the loss, the Chiefs would finish with a franchise worst 2-14 record and dead last in the AFC. Standings ==Season statistics==
Season statistics
All statistics through the completion of the 2008 NFL season (December 28, 2008). Offense Yards per game: 314.6 (#22 in NFL) Total yards in season: 4,719 (#22 in NFL) Rushing yards in season: 1,779 (#11 in NFL) Rushing yards allowed per game: 155.9 (#30 in NFL) Passing yards allowed per game: 241.5 (#30 in NFL) Points allowed in season: 424 (#30 in NFL) Points allowed per game: 28.3 (#30 in NFL) Fewest quarterback sacks, team: 10 (#32 in NFL–all-time record) ==References==
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