From the Kansas City, Mo., police report, as obtained by the ironically-titled blog Arrowhead Pride:

full story...

With Brodie Croyle out for the season and Damon Huard wearing a bandage on his throwing hand, the Chiefs are down to a third-teamer who ranks 34th among 34 NFL quarterbacks and a fourth-teamer who hasn't played all season.

Tyler Thigpen, who closed out Sunday's 34-10 blowout loss to Tennessee, will start at the New York Jets on Sunday if Huard's injured right thumb does not heal.

Behind Thigpen is Ingle Martin, who hasn't been activated all season.

"We might bring some (quarterbacks) in," coach Herm Edwards said. "We're still putting together the list."

Continuing quarterback woes that have haunted Kansas City (1-5) all season came to a boil on Sunday in the young Chiefs' third blowout loss. Croyle, making his first start since hurting his shoulder in the season opener, hobbled to the sideline in the first half with an MCL injury in the left knee.

He's out for the season and the Chiefs are almost certain to give up on the injury-prone Alabama player and make finding a young quarterback prospect a top priority in the offseason.

But the more immediate challenge is finding someone this week, and for the next 10 games to help stave off what's shaping up as possibly the sorriest season in team history.

Huard, a career backup, hurt his right thumb on his throwing hand when he slammed it against a helmet or shoulder pad. He may not be ready on Sunday.

"We're kind of looking at that right now," Edwards said.

full story...

Just 14 plays into his return from a separated shoulder, Croyle suffered yet another injury, this time a sprained right knee that sent him off the field in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The oft-injured Chiefs quarterback is likely done for the season with ligament damage and may have lost his already-tenuous hold on the job for good.

"He's been hurt, there's no doubt about that," Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. "This is the worst one he's had. This is a tough one here. This is the rest of the year, so it's tough on everybody; tough for him, tough for this football team."

Croyle missed the previous four games after injuring his throwing shoulder against the New England Patriots in the season opener. The Chiefs had hoped the third-year player from Alabama could provide a lift to an offense that had just 127 total yards in its previous game, a 34-0 loss to Carolina on Oct. 5.

Instead, Croyle's disappointing history of injuries added a new chapter when two onrushing Titans defenders hit him on a pass attempt early in the second quarter, twisting his knee. He completed the 17-yard pass to Dwayne Bowe, but had trouble getting up and couldn't put any weight on his right leg as his hopped toward the sideline.

full story...

Coach Herm Edwards refused to specify what team rules the two-time Pro Bowler broke. But Edwards did say his decision had nothing to do with the charge of simple assault filed against Johnson this week.

A league source told ESPN's Michael Smith that the discipline was in response to a pattern of behavior by Johnson, who is considered to be a high-maintenance headache by some in the organization. Most recently, according to the source, he missed a team meeting during the Chiefs' bye week.

The team's hope is that this serves as a wake-up call for Johnson and that going forward he approaches his job with more professionalism.

Johnson, 28, has rushed for 417 yards and three touchdowns as the rookie-laden Chiefs try to find their way through the first year of a top-to-bottom rebuilding project. Against Denver on Sept. 28, the only victory the Chiefs (1-4) have, he gained 198 yards. The Titans (5-0) come in with a defense ranked fifth overall and are giving up only 95.8 yards rushing.

"Any time you're missing a good player ... I think it always hurts you," Edwards said. "But you see other players elevate their game, too."

Johnson was not in the locker room Thursday when reporters were admitted.

full story...

The Chiefs, who didn't trade tight end Tony Gonzalez at the trade deadline, did part ways with linebacker Napoleon Harris, who signed a six-year, $23.175 million contract in 2007 to help the linebacking corps.

His release shouldn't have been a surprise. Harris has not been active for a game in 2008. Last year, he started 13 of 16 games and had 116 tackles. A former first-round choice of the Oakland Raiders in 2002, Harris played three seasons with the Raiders before being traded to the Vikings in 2005 as part of the Randy Moss deal. He left the Vikings after two seasons to join the Chiefs.

Harris, 29, is 6-foot-3, 253 pounds.

source...

The reality is that something extremely big had happened over the weekend and it will play a major role in how the first season of the Chiefs' rebuilding process is defined. After 12 years in Kansas City -- the most recent of which has featured a painful 1-4 start -- Gonzalez asked the team to trade him to a contender. It was his first public admission that he wanted no part of a franchise that might be lucky to win three or four games this season. It also was the first major test for a Chiefs team hoping to create faith for its future.

The problem here is apparent. Gonzalez is the face of the Chiefs franchise, a nine-time Pro Bowler who holds every major NFL receiving record for tight ends and also happened to be unavailable for comment Monday. If he's not dealt before Tuesday's NFL trading deadline (4 p.m. ET), then you have to wonder how that plays in a locker room filled with players coping with a difficult season.

"We're tough-skinned people in here," said Chiefs guard Brian Waters. "We realize Tony Gonzalez is a great player and if he's still here, we're going to need him. But the idea that there will be some resentment in here is something that is brought up by [the media]. This is a business and we all understand that."

As much as the NFL is a business, it's impossible to think the Chiefs weren't rocked when news of Gonzalez's demands and the team's willingness to deal him broke Saturday night. The Chiefs need to find as many positives as they can in the face of their weekly struggles and Gonzalez is one of the few players on that roster who can be a difference-maker on game days. If he's gone -- and Cottam moves into a starting role -- the offense will take another step back in a season in which there hasn't been much to smile about in the first place.

full story...