Arrowhead Pride

Good morning! Willie Roaf to the Hall of Fame, and reaction to the Daboll (almost?) hire. Today's Kansas City Chiefs news: something to help delay watching the pre-game marathon.

Kansas City gave Willie Roaf the boost he needed to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame...

"...The Kansas City years were more important (for the Hall of Fame) than the New Orleans years, even though I went to seven Pro Bowls in New Orleans," Roaf said by phone while en route to Indianapolis, where he will be introduced with the rest of the Class of 2012 before tonight's Super Bowl.

"I went to Kansas City and played with that great offensive line ... I needed Kansas City more than Kansas City needed me, and I'm thankful to (them) for giving me a chance to play."

Former Chief Willie Roaf Elected To Pro Bowl Hall Of Fame from KC Star

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel doesn't make a habit of studying the offenses of opposing teams. But he admits to paying some attention when he's watching the offenses of Brian Daboll, who was the Patriots' receivers coach for a couple of seasons while Cassel played in New England.

"There were a lot of instances throughout the year with Miami last year where he would do a good job of mixing and matching personnel to create some mismatches," Cassel said. "That's the thing I noticed. He's really good at doing that."

Cassel Is Familiar With Chiefs' Target For Offensive Coordinator from KC Star

Personal and career highlights in the life of former Chiefs and Saints tackle Willie Roaf, 41, who on Saturday was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Roaf's Road To Canton from KC Star

Brian Daboll, recently replaced by the Dolphins, is the Chiefs' new offensive coordinator. To get here, to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs are trusting a man whose best offense in three years as a coordinator ranked 22nd.

I'll pause so you can contain your excitement.

Turns out the hire Chiefs fans have waited on for a month spent seven seasons with the Patriots. I'll pause again so you can contain your surprise.

Honest question: Would you be more excited for Daboll or Josh McDaniels?

Hiring Daboll Just Another Pat Move By The Chiefs from KC Star

Willie Roaf, a standout member of one of the greatest offensive lines in both Kansas City Chiefs history as well as NFL history, was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame, the league announced on Saturday. His teammate, guard Will Shields, fell just short of making it in.

Former KC Chief Willie Roaf Elected To NFL Hall OF Fame, Shields Falls Short from Examiner.com

Quick, how many years have the Kansas City Chiefs gone without playing in the Super Bowl?

Unfortunately for die-hard fan Ron Hermann, he knows the answer all too well: 42 years. Wait. Scratch that. Make that 42 long, painful, frustrating - feel free to add your own descriptions - years that have driven him almost nuts.

He's still scratching his head over the 1980s decisions to make first-round picks of quarterback Todd Blackledge (when future Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino were still available) and running back Paul Palmer of Temple (that school being, eh-hem, a football factory); still wincing over quarterback Joe Montana's third-quarter concussion in the 1994 AFC Championship game; and still heartbroken over, well, it's the Chiefs - what isn't there to be heartbroken over?

Waiting On The Chiefs from The Springfield News-Leader

There were reports last month that the Chiefs were looking for a dynamic offensive coordinator and Schefter reported that former Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman, who ended up as the Dolphins' offensive coordinator, was on the Chiefs' radar. While Daboll is considered a promising young coach, it would be inaccurate to describe his previous experience as an NFL offensive coordinator as dynamic.

Daboll Takes Over Promising Chiefs Offense from ESPN

35 homes. Seven teams. One mission.

That was the message Gov. Jay Nixon shared in Columbia today as he launched the 2012 Governor's Joplin Habitat Challenge. The challenge, in partnership with Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and Missouri's major athletic organizations, aims to build 35 new homes in the heart of Joplin during 2012 to provide continued aid to the city's recovery.

The Governor launched the Challenge during the Missouri-Kansas basketball game at Mizzou Arena, where he was joined by University of Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden; former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes; St. Louis Rams wide receiver and Mizzou Tiger alumnus Danario Alexander; St. Louis Blues CEO Mike McCarthy; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel;Kansas City Royals pitcher and Mizzou Tiger alumnus Aaron Crow; and Patrick Warren, president of the Kansas Speedway, who will represent the speedway, NASCAR and the NASCAR foundation.

2012 Governor's Joplin Habitat Challenge Unveiled from KY3.com

Like tens of millions of Americans, Bill Walsh will be watching theGiants-Patriots matchup in Super Bowl XLVI on television.

But unlike most others, he'll have a flood of memories from the very first Super Bowl. Walsh, a Phillipsburg native, was the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl 45 years ago, in January 1967.

Super Bowl Memories Of Bill Walsh Of Phillipsburg from The Allentown Morning Call

JOHN LEHR (actor, comedian, also played the Geico Caveman): "I'm picking the Giants in a close one. As a diehard Chiefs fan, it is my duty to dislike any and all Mannings for what Peyton has done to us in the playoffs over the years. He's a dream smasher. But in this case I will make an exception just because I want to see what happens to the Hoodie when his Pats fall to the Giants - again. I also predict whichever Giants receiver catches the winning pass will also shoot himself in the leg at a night club." GIANTS 24, PATRIOTS 21.

Rocket Science? Celebrities Pick Their Super Bowl Winners from The Fall River Herald News

After it all shook down, this left a six-member class of excellent players - running back Curtis Martin, defensive back Jack Butler, defensive linemen Chris Doleman and Cortez Kennedy and offensive linemen Willie Roaf and Dermontti Dawson.

Yet for all that excellence, you can stare at those names for an hour and fail to get a metaphoric sunburn. Translation: No major star power.

Some fans certainly went out and bought Roaf jerseys when he played for the Kansas City Chiefs.But the total couldn't have been in four digits. Could it? For Bay Area fans, Doleman technically qualifies as a "49er" because he played 48 games with the team. But that was 48 games in a 232-game career, which means Doleman was with the 49ers for barely 20 percent of his NFL life.

DeBartolo's Hall Of Fame Snub Is Baffling from The Sacramento Bee