SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Matt Verderame

KC Chiefs training camp battle to watch: What's your flavor?

2013-06-17T18:00:09Z

June is the dead period in NFL scheduling, with the OTAs and minicamps over and yet training camp over a month away. Not only does it make for a boring summer if your baseball team stinks, but it makes writing about football hard. Thus, I'm not happy about June.

So a football fan has to think ahead, leading me to training camp. Nothing is better in that time period than a good ole fashioned battle for a starting spot.

Most of those are locked up for the Kansas City Chiefs, but a few remain unsettled. Then there are a few battles to be the second-string player behind an entrenched starter, which can also be fun to take in.

The few that come to mind are Geoff Schwartz vs. Jeff Allen, Dunta Robinson vs. Sean Smith, Kendrick Lewis vs. Husain Abdullah and Sanders Commings, and Akeem Jordan vs. Nico Johnson.

In every one of those cases, you could make a compelling argument either way. My personal favorite is Jordan vs. Johnson. You're talking about the best position group on the team. If one of these two guys steps up, it could make the Chiefs defense jump to the next level.

I've got my money on Johnson, considering his potential. Jordan won't make the competition easy, but if things are equal expect to see Johnson in the lineup more often than not.

How about you? Give me your favorite camp battle and tell us, who wins it and why?

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Perry Fewell thinks defenses will stop read-option in 2013

2013-06-15T12:43:52Z

New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell isn't worried about Chip Kelly and the idea he will be running his college offense, the read-option, with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to NJ.com.

Fewell has been studying plenty of Oregon Ducks film to prepare for Michael Vick and the funky offense, but says he and his defense will shut it down when faced with it this season:

I look at that offense kind of like the wildcat. The wildcat took us by storm and then until you can see it, understand it; then you can defend it.

I think we’re seeing it. I think we’re trying to understand it. In the fall, we’ll be able to defend it.

Of course, this won't be the first time a team is running the option in the NFL. The wildcat took the NFL by storm a few years ago when the Miami Dolphins stunned the world with it, and it led many to believe the formation would revolutionize the game. While still a part of some attacks, the wildcat is merely a change-of-pace.

More: Extended coverage of the Giants at Big Blue View

It will be interesting to see what Kelly can do against tough defenses such as New York with the combination of Vick and LeSean McCoy in his backfield.

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Rob Gronkowski injury: Patriots TE schedules back surgery

2013-06-15T12:31:20Z

The New England Patriots have to be getting a bit concerned about tight end Rob Gronkowski, who now has to have back surgery on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter,

The timetable for recovery is believed to be three months, putting opening day into jeopardy.

More: Extended coverage of the Patriots at Pats Pulpit

Gronkowski has been injured for quite some time now, starting with a broken forearm which he suffered in November against the Indianapolis Colts. Gronkowski made it back in time for the AFC Divisional playoffs, only to re-break the arm in the first quarter.

Since then, Gronkowski has dealt with infection issues in the arm, requiring multiple surgeries to fix the issue. Now, the hulking superstar will go under the knife for his back, the same part of his body that scared many teams off from drafting him out of Arizona.

He missed all of his senior season after having back surgery, although this procedure isn't considered to be nearly as serious.

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HBO Hard Knocks 2013: Bengals set to announce appearance, per report

2013-06-15T12:21:52Z

The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to be the featured franchise on the 2013 version of HBO's Hard Knocks, according to Joe Reedy.

In recent years, HBO has had a tougher time getting teams to come on the show, with nobody agreeing to take on the extra cameras in 2011. Last season, it was the Miami Dolphins who let HBO into their headquarters, catching the memorable release of Chad Johnson.

More: Extended Bengals coverage at Cincy Jungle

Hard Knocks was originally aired in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens, who were defending their Super Bowl championship at the time. The Dallas Cowboys were then featured the next year before the show took a five year hiatus.

The Bengals were the team shown in 2009, bringing in the highest ratings of any team to that point. It was unclear whether HBO was going to be able to get a team on air this season, but the problem now seems to be averted.

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Which Kansas City Chiefs game would you attend?

2013-06-13T20:11:51Z

I won't lie, I had no idea what to write about in my column this week. The minicamp and OTAs are over, training camp is still far in the distance, and I'm left to crave football without any hope of being quenched.

More stories you're likely to read in June: Andy Reid's reaction to T.O. Breaking down John Dorsey at the Chicago airport

So I got to thinking about all the great games I've seen over the years and how I hope to add to that memory bank this season. Then it hit me, like Derrick Johnson on the goal line.

If you could pick one game from Chiefs history to attend, which would it be?

Would you take the obvious choice to be in Tulane Stadium that overcast January day in 1970, watching the Chiefs win their only Super Bowl title against the Minnesota Vikings as decided underdogs?

Are you someone who would have rather seen a triumph at home? Maybe the day Joe Montana led Kansas City back over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1993 AFC playoffs.

Perhaps you would take in a game in enemy territory. You would have a few epic choices to pick from, whether you chose the 1969 AFL championship, the last AFL game ever played, when the Chiefs beat the Oakland Raiders. Of course, you could go with Montana Magic again in 1994, watching him defeat John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Mile High Stadium on a Monday night.

Now I'm only 24 years old, but I love the old stuff. I would want to be at the Super Bowl against Minnesota. I know it's the obvious choice, but sometimes you can't over-think these things.

It would have been amazing, going into that stadium in 1970 as such a longshot in the minds of many and then smoking the NFL's Vikings for four quarters.

I can only imagine the feeling, watching Otis Taylor jaunt down the right sideline with a championship racing closer with every step.

Without question, it would have been beautiful to watch all those Hall of Fame players on the field clad in red. From Willie Lanier, Bobby Bell and Buck Buchanan to Emmitt Thomas, Len Dawson and Jan Stenerud, the enormity of seeing all of them on the field at once is an overwhelming thought.

Truthfully, I would love to have chosen a home game, but there isn't one that's truly an incredible moment. The Chiefs have never won more than a Wild Card game in Arrowhead or Municipal Stadium, so it's tough to put any of the home contests ahead of something as significant as Super Bowl IV.

Hopefully one day, Kansas City will win an AFC Championship at home so Clark Hunt can raise the trophy bearing his dad's name in the stadium he built. Arrowhead would never be louder than that moment.

So, what do you think? Give me a game you would pay top dollar to be at from the past? If you were at one of the glorious moments from the past, please tell the story.

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Matt Stafford not focused on new contract with Lions

2013-06-12T15:58:57Z

After the 2014 season, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has a contract that expires. However, the signal-caller says he isn't concerned about the status of his deal, but is solely focused on winning for Detroit this year, according to the team's official website.

The Georgia product says the contract won't be a distraction, per the piece:

"I don't think it will be either way, whether it gets done or doesn't," Stafford said. "I don't play this game to get contracts. I play this game to win games. That's the way I've always felt about it. Whether it gets done or doesn't, it's no distraction."

Stafford is still on his six-year rookie contract, one that has paid him handsomely but also is subject of an extension. In recent times, quarterbacks such as Joe Flacco and Tony Romo have gotten contracts guaranteeing them more than $50 million, giving Stafford something to think about.

Stafford has enjoyed plenty of success personally for the Lions in recent seasons. Last year, the former overall top pick threw for 4,967 yards, but he only had 20 touchdowns compared to 17 interceptions.

In 2011, Stafford was tremendous in leading Detroit to its first playoff appearance since 1999 with a 10-6 record, all while throwing for 5,038 yards. Stafford is only one of three quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season along with Dan Marino and Drew Brees.

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What can Knile Davis do for the Kansas City Chiefs?

2013-06-12T15:41:50Z

Take a good look at the picture above, it is living proof that Knile Davis, running back/returner of the Kansas City Chiefs, can indeed hold onto the football. Davis, one of two third round picks for the Chiefs in April, has some major ability but also handles the football as if it were a grenade without a pin. This is what we call a problem.

There has been much said and written about the man, mostly because he's intriguing. Can Davis help Kansas City? Can he get his fumbling issues and health problems behind him once and for all and become the steal of this past draft, or just another washout like Dajuan Morgan and Brad Cottam?

This week, Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star wrote a piece about the co-existence of Jamaal Charles and Davis, something which has the potential to be insanely fun to watch. It could also be the Charles Show (also very fun to watch) with Davis holding a clipboard.

At Arkansas, Davis showed he can be a dynamic game-changer. He also showed he's unreliable, whether it was because of injuries or fumbling.

Can Andy Reid get the most out of him and if so, where on the field? Does he make the biggest difference as a returner or a sidekick to Charles? Davis could prove to be a chance taken by general manager John Dorsey which didn't pan out, or a gutsy decision proven correct.

Of course, once upon a time, the Chiefs took another back in the third round who had a serious case of fumblitis. It ended up working out.

So what say you? Will Davis ever become a name to remember or another forgotten draft pick?

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Adam 'Pacman' Jones arrest: 911 call released in assault case

2013-06-12T15:33:24Z

Adam "Pacman" Jones has dealt with a number of legal issues throughout his NFL career, and the latest is an assault charge that stems from the Bengals cornerback allegedly punching a 34-year-old woman. Shannon Wesley is the reported victim, and she says that Jones had a dispute with her and her friend.

Jones was quick to defend himself on Twitter in the altercation. The official call to 911 has been released, so now Wesley can share her side of the story, courtesy of cincinnati.com.

Wesley clearly states Jones was making comments to her friend, then punched Wesley in the head and took off in his vehicle. From the transcript:

Wesley: It just happened, I'm a little shaken up ... it happened really fast. He was harassing my friend and saying derogatory things towards my friend and I stood up for them and he called me a "b****" and he punched me in my head.

More: Extended Bengals coverage at Cincy Jungle

In his past, Jones has been involved in some other shady incidents. In 2006, Jones spit on a woman he claimed stole his wallet in a club. In February 2007, Jones was accused of grabbing a stripper by the head and slamming her into the stage for daring to take money he threw at her without his permission.

He was finally suspended in 2007 for a season by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the NFL player conduct policy.