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SEEING WHATCHA GOT
January 1st – 12:55 PM

At this time of year, most teams out of playoff contention turn to youngsters. This is a time to see what some of the players who haven’t seen the field this season have got.

This isn’t exactly the case in Kansas City as a lot of those youngsters have already been given an opportunity in one way or another to perform.

“We’ll do what gives us the best chance to win,” head coach Todd Haley said. “We’ve been forced to (play some reserves) by circumstances. A lot of these guys play time and practice time has been accelerated because of the situation.

“There are negatives surrounding that in the fact that we lost some guys,” Haley continued. “But the positive is that guys are getting a lot of quality practice time and play time in a lot of cases.“

With the exception S Reshard Langford, who was signed from Philadelphia’s practice squad last Friday, every player on the Chiefs roster has appeared in a game this year.

“Some of it has been by necessity and some of it by them forcing us to get them up and active (with their practice habits),” Haley said. “I feel like we now have 15.5 weeks under our belt and that the guys know what’s expected and what they need to do to have a chance.”

THROWING DARTS
January 1st – 12:39 PM

The news around WR Brandon Marshall’s hamstring injury has been anything but consistent throughout the week. First he was reported as seriously hurt and next he was reported as expected to play.

Here are the facts.

Marshall injured his hamstring at practice on Wednesday and left the workout session early. He then missed practice yesterday. Today, Denver head coach Josh McDaniels officially scratched Marshall for Sunday’s game.

Marshall, a Pro Bowler this year, leads Denver with 101 catches for 1,120 yards and 10 TDs this season. Denver’s other speedster, WR Eddie Royal, missed last week’s game in Philadelphia with a head/neck injury. Royal was upgraded to a limited practice participant yesterday meaning he will likely be listed as questionable for Sunday.

ALLEMAN RULED OUT
January 1st – 12:31 PM

The final practice of the season…The first practice of the decade…Call it whatever you may…back-up G Andy Alleman (back) was the only player not participating at practice today. Head coach Todd Haley has ruled Alleman out for Sunday.

All other Chiefs are either probable to play or not listed on the injury report.

ANATOMY OF A PLAY
January 1st – 6:56 AM

One of the most anonymous “skill” players on the Chiefs roster came up with one of the most clutch plays of the season last Sunday in Cincinnati. Facing a third-and-ten from the Cincinnati 20-yard line, the Chiefs aligned in an odd formation. The play emerged out of the strange set wasn’t head coach Todd Haley’s choice…at first.

“The formation is actually three backs and two receivers, a little different formation than we are normally in,” Haley said.

Fans would normally refer to this formation as a “wishbone” set, except the Chiefs went with two receivers instead of tight ends. Lining up in a run formation on third-and-long is strange enough, but the fact that Kansas City went to a rare formation on a critical down was even more surprising.

Everyone likely knows the details of the play by now. The Chiefs began in shotgun and motioned late into the three-back set, two wide receiver set. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel ran a play-fake to RB Jamaal Charles and looked downfield. One of the two lead blockers for Charles’ fake, FB Tim Castille, ran through the hole and kept charging between the hashes.

Castille ran past the second level, where FB Mike Cox ran an underneath route to occupy the linebackers and kept going. He didn’t stop until he hit the ground with the football in the orange and black end zone between three defenders. The pass was perfect, just over the head of LB Dhani Jones’ coverage and in front of the two closing safeties – Chinedum Ndukwe and Tom Nelson.

An instant later and Castille wouldn’t have split the safeties. He also wouldn’t have dodged the kill-shot either. A perfect play.

The improbable had happened. Castille, who had just 18 touches over three years in the NFL came up with arguably the catch of the year for Kansas City. It was his first TD of any kind as a pro. Highlight reels picked up the play and NFL.com nominated it for play of the week honors.

We now know how the play turned out, but what most don’t know is how the play was brought to the table. In a critical juncture of the game, it was backup QB Brodie Croyle who suggested the odd formation and play-call.

“Brodie Croyle, who I keep next to me during the game, actually had the thought,” Haley revealed on The Kingdom Show hosted by “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus. “I thought it was a good outside the box thought.”

Outside the box thought? That’s an understatement. Even Castille himself wasn’t sure the play would work.

“I didn’t know if they’d bite on the play-action on a third-and-10,” Castille said. “Matt just gave me a chance in the end zone and it ended up working out.

“It was a play we had in the last couple of weeks,” Castille continued. “I didn’t know Matt would actually throw it, but he did, and I was able to go up and get it to make the play. It was fun.”

Cassel himself wasn’t even sure of the play-call at first.

“Matt didn’t think it was a good play at the time,” Croyle laughed. “Then he came off the field saying that he loved it.”

Suggesting plays isn’t something new for Croyle, but this is the first time (as far as we know) that such an odd call was submitted and used. It’s all about taking an advantage of a cerebral quarterback who is always in the game whether he’s actually on the field or not. Thus far, Croyle’s publicized red zone calls are hitting at a 100% clip.

“I’m always chatting plays in coach’s ear throughout the course of the game,” Croyle said. “If I think that something has the chance of being there I’ll make sure that I say something.”

Maybe Croyle has a natural offensive mind and will become a coach when his playing career is complete. Then again, maybe he was just giving some love to a fellow Alabama teammate in Castille. The two played together for three seasons in the same collegiate backfield.

“Tim really gave me $50 for calling it, you just don’t know it,” Croyle joked.

Well…we do now. Of course, Cassel and Haley might be chipping into the Croyle fund as well after that play.

“I ran over to the sidelines after the score and Brodie said ‘he man, I called that play for you.’” Castille explained. “I appreciate him and my Alabama connections in getting me a touchdown.”

Croyle put skin in the game, but we’ve come to find out he wouldn’t be an anonymous donor. His insight and thought would have come to light regardless of the play’s final outcome.

“It came through, so Brodie didn’t have to be the goat,” Haley joked. “Otherwise I’d be calling him out right now.”