Yardbarker: Mark Bradley

So, what do you suppose is playing in Robbie Gould's iPOD?

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:24:14 -0500

Ah, Robbie Gould. Just hearing his name evokes feelings of rainbows, puppies, and movies in which Richard Gere and Diane Lane finally get out of their own way long enough to realize true love has been right under their noses all along. It is really no surprise that the fun-loving kicker likes to frequent soft-listening, country [...]

7 Things that Need to Happen

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:17:04 -0500

Going into the season everybody knew there was a chance this season could get ugly, but nobody anticipates getting beat 34-0, not even in the middle of a rebuilding project. If you take out the Denver game this team has got progressively worse every single week, offensively and defensively. At 1-4 the Chiefs now know they are not a threat for the playoffs. The Chiefs also had a lot of questions heading into the season most of which are still not answered. This team cannot afford to exit the season with those questions still lingering. There are a lot of draft picks that are playing but there are too many that are not playing. At 1-4 it is time to call up players from triple A and see what you really have in your farm system.. 1.Move Donnie Edwards to MLB once he is healthy : This move has less to do with the youth movement and more to do to with the fact that the Chiefs rank 31st in the league in rush defense. Donnie Edwards has made it to the Pro Bowl playing middle linebacker, Pat Thomas the current starter is not the only problem on the defense but when you are second to last in rush defense you have to shake things up. This move would also give the Chiefs more speed in their line backing unit as they could continue to start Demorrio Williams at OLB. Granted, Williams did not play well in the loss to Carolina but nobody on the roster played well in that game. 2. Keep starting Brandon Carr: Coverage cornerback is one of the most important positions on the field, right behind QB and LT. CB Patrick Surtain should be ready to come back from his injury against the Titans after the bye week. The worst mistake the Chiefs can make is to insert Surtain back into the lineup, Brandon Carr has given up yardage against the receivers he has faced but has shown a knack for the ball being involved in two turnovers in the Broncos game. The Chiefs have to know for sure heading into the off season that they hit on Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr so they can focus on scouting and improving other positions. 3. Bench Damion Mcintosh: Damion has been put into a tough position being asked to switch from the left side of the line, where he had played for 9 seasons to switching to the right side. If the Chiefs were not rebuilding I would like to see him get a longer look at RT, but Mcintosh is not part of the future for the Chiefs. That means the more he plays the more it stunts the growth of a developing player like Herb Taylor who has filled in nicely for Branden Albert on two separate occasions. Herm Edwards has been saying he wants "cohesion" on the offensive line but since there has been no real progress made on the right side of the line, making some substitutions should not disrupt their development it should only help. 4.Start anybody but Devard Darling at receiver: Devard Darling has been ineffective at best, Everybody remembers his break away catch against the Patriots. Darling's stat line in the next four games of the season was two catches. That is inexcusable for a number two wide out, To say the Chiefs don't have the best receivers in the league would be a understatement but there has to be a better option than Darling. Will Franklin the fourth round draft pick from Missouri would be the logical answer but he has struggled to find a groove since his preseason knee injury. Maybe Jeff Webb is the answer maybe it is newly signed Mark Bradley but the Chiefs will not find out until they send somebody new out there to catch passes opposite D-Bowe. 5. Play Brodie the rest of the year: All the Chiefs can do on this one is hope, Hope Brodie stays healthy long enough the remainder of the season to show the Chiefs he is their quarterback of the future or that he is not. The Chiefs have to know what Brodie is by the end of the season or it was a wasted season. The Chiefs have to know Brodie is the real deal at QB or find out if he is the long term answer at backup QB maybe being someone who could replace the aging Damon Huard. The Chiefs can ill afford to pull Croyle at any point the rest of the season no matter how much he struggles. Because he will either turn it around and keep his job, or the Chiefs will know for certain to go as hard as they can at the next big college QB. Chiefs Nation will be highly upset if they address the QB situation by throwing just another third round pick they took a flyer on out there. 6. Open the competition at right guard: Adrian Jones has not played up to expectations this season making the switch from tackle to guard. It has been apparent since the training camp he was struggling with the position switch. The bottom line is Brodie will not stay healthy or develop unless the Chiefs can stop the bleeding on the right side of the line. The Chiefs do not have many solid options available at their disposal either. The best option would be to fill in with Wade Smith a six year veteran who is listed as the backup center but played guard in the preseason and played well, not to say Smith is the answer, but over the bye week the Chiefs need to see if Adrian Jones is really the best option at guard before trotting him out on the field again. 7.Move Brian Johnston up in the rotation: Right now Johnston is the second defensive end on the rotation behind Alphonso Boone. Both players are tied for the team lead with one sack, but only one fits into the youth movement. Johnston has played efficiently since seeing a increase in his playing time with Tamba Hali's injury concerns. Johnston may just be a rotation guy or he may end up being a elite pass rusher, but the Chiefs will never know if they don't get him on the field more. The Chiefs are gaining nothing for the future by playing Boone ahead of Johnston. Even if Johnston struggles and he turns out not to be a player at least the Chiefs won't be wondering what they have in him at this time next year.

Chiefs vs. Panthers Post Game Gab

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:55:45 -0500

Whatever momentum the Chiefs had in their corner after the Broncos victory was just wiped away by the Carolina Panthers as they defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 34-0. The scoreboard does not really give the game justice it was not even that close, the Chiefs were dominated at every position on the field. If the Panthers would not have let up in the fourth quarter they could have covered a forty point spread. The Chiefs came out flat and could not match the Panthers energy level throughout the game, the Panthers seemingly got the Chiefs to roll over and die. The Panthers took the lead with 8:30 left in the fist quarter on a 10 yard DeAnglo Williams touchdown run. On the ensuing Carolina drive they would once again get inside the Chiefs 20 yard line only to fumble on a Jonathon Stewart carry that was stripped away by Rookie DT Glen Dorsey. The turnover would go for not as the Chiefs struggled to move the ball all day, losing the time of possession battle 38:54 to 21:06 and was out gained in total offensive yards 127 to 441. The Chiefs gave up 200 yards rushing for the third time in five games and are on pace to give up 2900 yards rushing to opposing defenses for the season. After another Chiefs 3 and out Jake Delhomme would take the Panthers down the field on a 7 play drive, capitalizing with another DeAnglo Williams touchdown this time on a 25 yard reception. The Panthers would score one more time before halftime to put them up 21-0. After the opening kickoff of the second half Damon Huard would fumble on the first play from scrimmage, after being stripped by all-pro Julius Peppers. With the benefit of great field position the Panthers would once again turn the ball over in the red zone. Jake Delhomme was picked off by Jarrod Page from the five yard line on a pass intended for Steve Smith. On the very next play QB Damon Huard would give the ball right back, being picked off by MLB Jon Beason. Making 2 plays for Huard, 2 turnovers. Despite the good field position the Panthers could not advance the football and settled for a 32 yard Jon Kasay field goal to put the score at 24-0. The Chiefs and Panthers would trade punts until the 4 minute mark of the third quarter, When Jake Delhomme hit receiver Mushin Muhammad with a 47 yard touchdown strike increasing the lead to a unattainable 31-0. Carolina would add one more field goal early in the fourth quarter to finish their onslaught against the Chiefs at 34-0. Tyler Thigpen would takeover quarterbacking duties for the Chiefs in the fourth quarter, leading the Chiefs on 3 drives managing to get 2 first downs. The Chiefs as a whole had only 8 first downs. The Chiefs will be hard pressed to find any positives to take out of this game, they lost at every aspect of the game time of possession, turnover battle, rushing yards, total yards, field position, third down conversion. The Chiefs simply were not ready to play football on Sunday it does not get any easier for the Chiefs as they enter a six game stretch in which they face likely playoff contenders. Grading the Keys to the Game Find a third receiver: The Chiefs are no where closer to finding a third option in the passing game after this game than they were before this game. The stat line for receivers not named Gonzalez or Bowe was 2 catches for 22 yards. Somebody has to emerge from this group whether it be Will Franklin or Jeff Webb or newly signed receiver Mark Bradley. Defenses know the Chiefs only have so many options to look for in the passing game and are double covering the Chiefs main targets. With this young receiving core not being able to get separation the quarterback has nowhere to go with the ball, often leading to coverage sacks or interceptions. Grade: F- Keep L.J. angry: After having a couple of hot games that positioned him into the top five in rushing yards in the AFC Johnson was a complete non factor against Carolina. Johnson?s stat line for the game was 7 carries for 2 yards, it is hard to put this performance on Johnson with only seven carries the Chiefs did not give him a shot to be a factor in the game. With the Chiefs down multiple scores for a majority of the game the Chiefs were forced to pass a lot, but seven carries even in that situation is low for a running back of L.J.?s stature. Jamal Charles and Dontrell Savage combined for five carries why didn?t those carries go to L.J.? Grade: F Get a lead early: The Chiefs did hold the Panthers on their opening possession and put their selves in a position to have the first lead of the game but faulty offensive play derailed any hopes the Chiefs had of ever getting the lead. The Chiefs paid dearly for not taking the early lead as the Chiefs were forced into obvious passing situations and could only get Larry Johnson 7 carries on the ground. The Panthers took advantage of the passing situations and the Chiefs under matched offensive line to the tune of 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and a forced fumble on Damon Huard. Grade: F

NFL Punchlines: Is T.O. Ruining His Relationship With Another Quarterback?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:48:55 -0500

Monte Kiffin and Mike Shanahan sound off on the Al Davis press conference and the firing of Lane Kiffin. (Tampa Trib)

C'mon the guy was just trying to make money so he could support his kids. It was just a little cocaine right? What an idiot Travis Henry is. (Denver Post)

Tony Romo says his relationship with T.O. is fine. We are pretty sure Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb were saying the same about T.O. at one time as well. (Philly Inquirer)

For once the Seahawks will be coming east to play the Giants. For a while there it seemed the Giants would be playing out there twice a season. (Star Ledger)

Jason Taylor will likely be out for the second straight game as he recovers from calf surgery. (Miami Herald)

The Chiefs signed Mark Bradley yesterday who had a disappointing 2 plus years in Chicago. (KC Star)

Chiefs rookie Branden Albert will miss this week's game vs Carolina with a dislocated elbow. (KC Star)

Obviously hindsight is 20/20 in this case, but why didn't the Jags draft Big Ben? (Times Union)

Andre Johnson speaks out on his frustration with all of the losing that has gone on over the years in Houston. (Houston Chronicle)

Chris Henry is back! (Cincy Enquirer)

The Ravens will be without the following defensive starters this upcoming week: Dawan Landry, Samari Rolle, and Kelly Gregg. (Baltimore Sun)

Good news: Anquan Boldin only suffered a sinus fracture as a result of the hit by Eric Smith and will play again this year. (AZ Republic)

[Chiefs] Chiefs Sign WR Mark Bradley

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:46:57 -0500

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with wide receiver Mark Bradley, who was released by the Chicago Bears last week....

[Chiefs] Chiefs Sign WR Mark Bradley

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:46:57 -0500

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with wide receiver Mark Bradley, who was released by the Chicago Bears last week....

[Chiefs] Chiefs Release KR B.J. Sams

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:46:56 -0500

After signing Mark Bradley, the Kansas City Chiefs gave up on veteran KR B.J. Sams. Sams averaged 20 yards per kickoff return and 8.3 yards per punt...

[Chiefs] Chiefs Release KR B.J. Sams

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:42:41 -0500

After signing Mark Bradley, the Kansas City Chiefs gave up on veteran KR B.J. Sams. Sams averaged 20 yards per kickoff return and 8.3 yards per punt...

Bears Dump 2005 Second-Round Pick Bradley, Claim Tampa CB

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:18:45 -0500

(Edited by Russ Loede) The Bears have dumped former Oklahoma Sooner second rounder Mark Bradley. The wide out was signed through '09 and was set to make $520,000 this year and $570,000 in '09. He's been rather invisible for the past of couple of years, as he started four games as a rookie [...]

Bears Dump 2005 Second-Round Pick Bradley, Claim Tampa CB

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:18:45 -0500

Bears Release WR Mark Bradley

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:15:12 -0500

The Chicago Bears have announced the release of former second-round pick WR Mark Bradley today. Bradley was injured in his first two years, from 2005-2006. He injured his knee, ankle, and ACL in the time span. Last season Bradley played in 15 games, catching just six passes for 71 yards and one touchdown. He primarily played on the special teams. I always thought Bradley had the big play ability, but I guess the Bears didn't see that. DT Tommie Harris, who is coming back from knee surgery, didn't agree with his former teammate's release. "I don't feel like he had a fair chance," Harris said. "I feel like he just had his job taken from him. You know how it goes: He had a knee surgery, then he lost his job." Bradley knew his release was coming; he thought during the preseason that he would be waived. He was surprised he even made the 53-man roster. Harris said he had a conversation with Bradley in the preseason, where Bradley indicated he asked the team for his release. "Mark understood that this was going to happen from the beginning," Harris said. "He asked for his release so he would have a fair chance to be on somebody else's roster. But I guess they wanted to wait until week four for whatever reason." Bradley was inactive for the opening game against the Colts, and he played on special team against the Panthers and Buccaneers. Bradley had 36 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns in his three seasons with the Bears. What's Next for Bradley? Harris believes Bradley's future is bright. "He's a great receiver, he'll get picked up by another team and do well," Harris said. Harris and Bradley were teammates at the University of Oklahoma and developed a good relationship in their time together in Chicago. What Now? Lovie Smith said in the preseason that Bradley would have the No. 1 WR spot to start the season, but then Bradley had knee surgery and he lost his spot. The Bears expected Bradley to take over for Muhsin Muhammad (released) and Bernard Berrian (signed with the Vikings). Expect the Bears to promote WR Brandon Rideau from the practice squad if Devin Hester stays out of the lineup for a while. So, Hamilton Played Against Us Four Days Ago and Now He Is on Our Team? Yes, after spending his entire rookie season on Tampa Bay's practice squad last year, Marcus Hamilton made his NFL debut Sunday against the Bears, recording one tackle and two pass breakups. The seventh-round draft pick from Virginia forced the Bears to punt on their first two possessions of the second half by breaking up third-down passes intended for Brandon Lloyd and Marty Booker. Hamilton was brought in to help a struggling secondary. Did You Know? Bradley's release leaves quarterback Kyle Orton as the lone member left from the Bears' 2005 draft class. Bradley is also the second second-round pick Jerry Angelo has cut in the last month, following Dan Bazuin out the Halas Hall door. Why Was Bradley Released? Obviously Bradley couldn't stay healthy and when he played he struggled to keep focus. Look for the Dolphins or Seahawks to pick him up.

Bears released Mark Bradley; Hester gets more snaps?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:09:01 -0500

On Tuesday the Chicago Bears released wide receiver Mark Bradley, after a huge game by Brandon Lloyd. Could this lead to an increased role on offense for Devin Hester?

Bears Dump Former Second-Round Pick WR Bradley

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:34:04 -0500

The Bears have dumped former second-round draft pick Mark Bradley. The wide out was signed through 09 and was set to make $520,000 this year and $570,000 in 09. He has been rather invisable for the last year or so, as he started four games as a rookie, but none since. He [...]

Bears Dump Former Second-Round Pick WR Bradley

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:34:04 -0500

A Look At The Opponent: Bears Offense

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:55:57 -0500

Over the next few days leading up to the big game, I will look a little into the opposing team and see what the fans think about their players. I'm starting with the Chicago Bears offense, which has hit a major rough patch recently. Quarterbacks Roster Kyle Orton Rex Grossman Caleb Hanie My Take: This