Former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, who helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to a 13-3 record and the NFC championship game last season, was selected as the 2013 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Gonzalez, the ninth Good Guy Award winner, is the first non-quarterback to be selected for the award since 2007. The Good Guy Award is given to an NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs.
I nominated Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson, who was always available and accountable during the Chiefs’ miserable 2-14 season, but not many national writers were around the team to appreciate Johnson’s cooperation.
Seeing former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli latch onto a plum television job with NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” coverage got me thinking how many former Chiefs personnel have made it to the big time in broadcasting.
We must have prepared them pretty well.
Below is a list of ex-Chiefs in the booth or doing studio work. If I’ve forgotten someone, we can update the list. I do not include Dick Vermeil, because he was a successful college football analyst before returning to coaching the St. Louis Rams.
Former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli is staying in the television business.
Pioli, who was fired by the Chiefs after the 2012 season, has been hired by NBC Sports to serve as an analyst on its “Sunday Night Football” coverage this season, Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch reported Monday. Pioli will also appear Mondays on NBC Sports Network’s “Pro Football Talk” show.
After leaving the Chiefs, Pioli, who still lives in Kansas City, made appearances on NFL Network, NBC Sports and Sirius XM Radio earlier this year.
The Chiefs have claimed defensive end Austen Lane off waivers from Jacksonville and released defensive tackle Daniel Muir, the team announced Friday.
Lane, 6 feet 6 and 265 pounds, played in 28 games, including 17 starts, in three seasons with the Jaguars, making three sacks. He was a fifth-round selection by Jacksonville in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Muir, 6 feet 2 and 322 pounds, joined the Chiefs in January as a free agent after playing for the Jets in 2012. He came into the NFL an undrafted free agent with Green Bay in 2007.
NBC affiliate KSHB-TV, Channel 41, has acquired the over-the-air broadcast rights to televise the Chiefs’ game at Philadelphia on Thursday night Sept. 19.
The game, which will be produced and carried nationally by NFL Network, will mark the return of new Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who spent 14 seasons as the Eagles head coach.
Channel 41 will produce a pregame show leading up to the 7:25 p.m. kickoff, as well as a postgame show.
Washed-up wide receiver Terrell Owens may be fishing for job, but he won’t find it in Kansas City.
The last time we saw Owens, he was trying to crack the Seattle Seahawks roster last summer, and he dropped a pass while wide open in a preseason game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Owens, 39, hasn’t played since he wore out his welcome with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2010 season.
Terrell Owens ... remember him? The flamboyant wide receiver is seeking to make another comeback, and on Wednesday he listed the Chiefs as one of two teams that could use his services this fall. How would you feel about seeing T.O. in Chiefs Red? Vote in our poll.
Terrell Owens, the loquacious wide receiver known as much for his flamboyant antics as he was for turning out thousand-yard seasons, is seeking another comeback.
Wait — there’s more.
Now 39, Owens said on an NFL radio interview today that he still feels he has something to offer an NFL team — perhaps even the Chiefs.
Beat writers Adam Teicher and Randy Covitz share nearly half a century of experience covering pro football in Kansas City and beyond. Look to Red Zone for the latest news and analysis on the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL.
