The Kansas City Chiefs announced the signing of free agent center, Casey Wiegmann, on Friday continuing a terrific off-season with strategic player signings that could propel this team into the playoff hunt next season.
Wiegmann, 36, will rejoin the Chiefs after two superlative years with the Denver Broncos, especially 2008 when he went to the Pro Bowl. Wiegmann was the unsung rock in the middle of one of the greatest offensive lines for the Chiefs during their incredible offensive juggernaut years from 2001-2007.
At 6-2 and 285 pounds, Wiegmann is a fluid blocker that excels at pulling out and leading running backs downfield. A little undersized, Wiegmann sometimes struggles against some of the huge nose tackles in the league, but his technique is outstanding.
Dating back to 2001, Wiegmann has started 143 consecutive games at center and has taken 9,078 consecutive snaps at that position. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Indianapolis in ’96.
The Wiegmann signing comes one day after the team signed free agent wide receiver, Jerheme Urban (pronounced Jeremy), formerly an Arizona Cardinal under Chiefs head coach, Todd Haley.
Urban (6-3, 207) has played in 47 games (six starts) with Seattle (2003-05) and Arizona (2007-09), catching 87 passes for 1,231 yards with seven TDs. He has also recorded 13 special teams tackles and completed one pass for 18 yards. Urban owns six games of postseason experience with Arizona, including Super Bowl XLIII. Under Haley’s tutorage, Urban recorded a career-high 34 receptions for 448 yards with four TDs with the Cardinals in 2008.
After three long and frustrating years at the bottom of the league, this off-season is showing the Chiefs fan base that the Pioli/Haley brain trust is playing the free agent game like a couple of pros. Instead of tying up huge amounts of money to a single free agent like a Julius Peppers, the Chiefs are paying much less money for several players, giving the team necessary depth at key positions.
One player wasn’t going to transform the 2009 Chiefs into a playoff contender, but all these moves, combined with a good 2010 draft in April, could very well boost the Chiefs dramatically upwards in a weak AFC West.
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Comments
I agree...it is sweet indeed!!Casey Wiegmann is back with the Chiefs. I'm happy for him. He has completed 9,078 consecutive snaps, covering a period of 143 games. Way to go Chiefs!!
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