RMN: Casey Wiegmann

[Coach]

Not sure if this was posted, but if it has, oh well.

Wiegmann is Broncos' insurance policy with Nalen out for year

By Lee Rasizer

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

There were plenty of reasons Casey Wiegmann could have justified calling it quits this offseason.

He was coming off a glum year emotionally in Kansas City. The Chiefs had become NFL bottom feeders and things weren't looking particularly bright for a quick turnaround. And he'd already played a dozen seasons, a solid career by anyone's standards.

"I was close to retiring," Wiegmann said during a recent interview with the Rocky. "But my wife even said, 'You're not going out 4-12. You play this game to win the Super Bowl.' And there's a chance here that we can do that."

"Here" is Denver, Wiegmann's new home. And during the Broncos' surprising offensive onslaught to open the season, he literally has been right in the middle. Wiegmann has filled in for the injured Tom Nalen at center and arguably has been the Broncos' best offensive lineman through three games.

The job became permanent Tuesday with the news Nalen's balky left knee landed him on injured reserve.

Wiegmann also has done something else perhaps even more unexpected during the past month - relax.

"The guys laugh at me that I'm smiling and everything," Wiegmann said. "But it's fun here."

Wiegmann, 35, will be downright giddy if he can beat the 0-3 Chiefs on Sunday (11 a.m. MDT, CBS 4) in his return to Arrowhead Stadium, where he forged the majority of his current 114-game starting streak.

Ruffled feathers

For all the good memories he has in Kansas City, and there are many, Wiegmann still harbors some animosity about how his departure was handled.

Wiegmann maintained the Chiefs told him the day after the season that he'd be back, only to turn around and release him in March as part of the team's youth movement.

Kansas City was undergoing a change in philosophy to bigger-bodied linemen, and Wiegmann, at 6-foot-2, 285 pounds, was deemed too small. The Chiefs liked Rudy Niswanger, a 2006 undrafted free agent, and wanted to give him a look.

The reversal was stunning but somewhat understandable considering that backdrop. But the manner in which he was informed was unacceptable to Wiegmann.

"They called me and left a voicemail on my cell phone," he said. "It's amazing. When you give them all your hard work and all your blood, sweat and tears, they give you a phone call and leave a voicemail. It's not really the right way to do things."

In hindsight, though, a change probably was necessary.

At various points, Wiegmann had seen some of his fellow Chiefs linemen retire, perhaps prematurely, in part because of full-pad, midweek practices that beat down veteran players. He'd felt underpaid, having played seven straight years without missing a snap for a group that in the early 2000s was the NFL's standard among offensive lines. And he claimed, in vague terms, promises had been made but not kept by the Chiefs organization.

Also, Kansas City's once-powerful offense had, according to Wiegmann, become so predictable that, during the 2007 season finale in New York, Jets defensive players at the line of scrimmage called out the exact play the Chiefs were about to run three straight times.

All of it made retirement thoughts inevitable, once Wiegmann got his voicemail pink slip.

"I was just so miserable last year," he said candidly. "I went to work. I did my work and I left right after work. It was just a miserable atmosphere. I don't know what it was. . . . Things just spiraled downhill."

Job search begins

Wiegmann believed he played "average" in 2007 but still ranked among the top half of NFL centers. And once he decided to come back, he knew he still could compete. But he needed to find the right situation.

Denver was familiar and close to home. The offensive scheme fit his abilities, as did his body type. And with Nalen coming off a season-ending injury and entering his 15th year, there was a chance Wiegmann would get to play at some point this season, even if he was likely destined to be a full-time backup.

"Everything just seemed to fit," he said.

Nalen developed left knee problems in training camp, and Wiegmann again became a starter.

The team now believes it might have gotten the bargain find of free agency. That feeling is only heightened with Nalen's future in doubt.

"Having Tom go down usually would be a big hit, and he is a great player," right guard Chris Kuper said. "But having a guy like Casey, with his experience, there's no falloff there."

'Fun to be around'

Wiegmann has fit in well with his new teammates quickly and become someone from whom the younger players can seek advice.

"He takes part in the O-line jokes and things like that and is fun to be around," said Ryan Harris, a second-year right tackle. "And he somehow never seems to choose a side in the daily jokes or whatnot."

It's a veteran move, as surely as the one in which he changed AFC West locales. Wiegmann intends to fulfill his current two-year contract, then reassess his future.

"I feel great," he said.

As for the past, the nature of this week will allow the center time to put the totality of his Chiefs days into perspective.

He'll reminisce about playing alongside such Pro Bowl fixtures as Will Shields, Willie Roaf, John Tait and Brian Waters, the latter the only remaining veteran up front for Kansas City from the league's top-scoring offense in 2002 and 2003.

Wiegmann will think about how he paved the way to Priest Holmes' then-record 27 touchdowns in 2003 and Larry Johnson's back-to-back 1,700-yard performances in 2005 and 2006.

And it was in Kansas City that former teammate Eddie Kennison introduced him to his wife, one-time Survivor contestant Danni Boatwright, and Wiegmann made lifetime friends.

"I'm glad I played there," he said, adding the good outweighed the bad.

Still, he can't help it if he wants to not only help Denver improve to 4-0 in his old stomping grounds but also gain some closure.

"It is just another game, of course. But last year we were out in the parking lot after the game. We played Tennessee and they ended up beating us and one of their linebackers had played for us for awhile. He came up and said right away, 'I can't stress enough how good this feels to come here and beat these guys,' " Wiegmann said.

"I'm sure that's the way I'm going to feel, too, just because of the way they handled everything."

Or, to put it another way, it would send his own message.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...cy-with-nalen/

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Coach

during the 2007 season finale in New York, Jets defensive players at the line of scrimmage called out the exact play the Chiefs were about to run three straight times.

TonyG said the same exact thing

[Deberg_1990]

HAHAHAHA

You go Wiegmann.

Your in a better place now..

[sedated]

as someone else said in the other weigmann thread: "have fun scoring points"

[StcChief]

glad he called Carl/Herm out.....it's just stupid, how stupid our Offense playing calling was
with Solari.... and now Chan seems handcuffed

[Hoover]

he's just bitter


lol

[Hammock Parties]

He's definitely bitter. One thing you should all know about Wiegmann is that the guy walks around like he's king shit.

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Claythan

He's definitely bitter. One thing you should all know about Wiegmann is that the guy walks around like he's king shit.

One thing you should know is that you don't have to ****ing defend Herm every chance you get.

Is Gonzalez bitter? He said the same thing about the playcalling.

Calling and leaving a message on a cellphone is garbage considering how much he contributed.

You are such a ****ing kool-aid drinker it makes me sick.

[FringeNC]

When Herm Edwards is finally gone, and the players can speak freely, this is going to be one of the more positive statements about Herm's Chiefs. What Herm Edwards has to done to this franchise is just ****ing obscene.

[FAX]

"Also, Kansas City's once-powerful offense had, according to Wiegmann, become so predictable that, during the 2007 season finale in New York, Jets defensive players at the line of scrimmage called out the exact play the Chiefs were about to run three straight times."

Jesus in a walker.

Why in the hell doesn't Herm get it? What is it going to take for that dumbass to understand what's going on? I'm bookmarking this quote for those who continue to claim that our problems haven't been related to our lame-ass playcalling. Lack of talent. Bah and bottlenosed dolphin peckers. This is about pure, unadulterated stupidity.

FAX

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by FAX

"Also, Kansas City's once-powerful offense had, according to Wiegmann, become so predictable that, during the 2007 season finale in New York, Jets defensive players at the line of scrimmage called out the exact play the Chiefs were about to run three straight times."

Jesus in a walker.

Why in the hell doesn't Herm get it? What is it going to take for that dumbass to understand what's going on? I'm bookmarking this quote for those who continue to claim that our problems haven't been related to our lame-ass playcalling. Lack of talent. Bah and bottlenosed dolphin peckers. This is about pure, unadulterated stupidity.

FAX

As eloquent as you are Mr. FAX, unfortunately words cannot describe the level of ass Herm has made our beloved Kansas City Chiefs.

[TrickyNicky]

Wiegmann is married to that chick from Survivor?

[Hammock Parties]

Gretz:

OPPONENT NEXT/DENVER BRONCOS

Here’s Casey Wiegmann talking about his departure from the Chiefs and playing the role of the aggrieved spouse in this football divorce. Casey did some wonderful things during his time with the Chiefs, but he if you want to know why he’s no longer in the Chiefs locker room, simply read this quote in the story: “I was just so miserable last year … I went to work. I did my work and I left right after work. It was just a miserable atmosphere. I don’t know what it was. . . . Things just spiraled downhill.”

That’s one reason Wiegmann is no longer around; when things went bad last year, rather than step up in the locker room and try to stop what was going on, he was in a hurry to get out and get away. It was that type of veteran non-leadership that convinced Herm Edwards that changes had to be sweeping if this youth movement was going to work.

I’m not sure why Wiegmann would be anything but thankful to the Chiefs. He’s now with a 3-0 team, rather than an 0-3 team.

[FAX]

Even though Gretz has always been complicit in throwing ex-players and coaches under the bus du jour, I'm sure that's probably right, Mr. GoChiefs. Wiegmann probably couldn't wait to escape the locker room. And, I'm certain that Herm only wants guys around who buy into his approach 100%. Of course, he has every right to feel that way. I wonder, though, how much time Herm really invested in trying to convince the veterans that "The Plan" was the right path.

I mean, Trent wasn't buying it. LJ is, apparently, pretty unhappy with events. Even Gonzo has expressed his doubts. Regardless of the enterprise, if you want your people to support your objectives and approach, you have to make the effort to sell them on the idea. Did Herm do that?

FAX

[orange]

"rather than step up in the locker room and try to stop what was going on, he was in a hurry to get out and get away"

This is idiotic. The "WHAT WAS GOING ON" that Gretz seems to think
Wiegmann was supposed to stop WAS THE STUPID COACHING.

Was Wiegmann supposed to lead a rebellion? ... or just a players walkout.
When your BOSSES are stupid, your options are really rather limited.