Tag: Mike Danna

Mike Danna on re-signing with Chiefs: ‘I prioritize winning’

Mike Danna told reporters that the #Chiefs’ winning culture was a key factor in his decision to re-sign with Kansas City.

The offseason has seen plenty of player movement around the NFL. The opportunities to start new with different teams are enticing, but in the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, maintaining personnel with a focus on a three-peat is just as crucial.

A significant part of the Chiefs’ defensive improvement over the last few seasons has been the emergence of Mike Danna. The former Michigan Wolverine re-signed with Kansas City late last week and detailed his reasons for not exploring other teams during a Zoom press conference on Wednesday.

“I prioritize winning, the family I built here, [and] my brotherhood,” Danna explained. “Being here, I look forward to going to work every day, man. So it’s just like when you got that feeling… You don’t really want to let it go. There’s always elsewhere, but I had a lot of stuff invested here, a lot of work, a lot of grind, sweat, and tears.”

Danna was a starter last season for the Chiefs on their productive defensive line, starting all 16 games he played and finishing with 6.5 sacks.

“Why not go for the three-peat? Why not? Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this journey? I prioritize winning, man,” said Danna. “There’s no organization right now that’s like this. That was my biggest thing. Prioritize winning my brotherhood I built here, and you know, it feels so good to be back.”

Danna’s decision was influenced by several factors, including the team’s dedication to growth and happiness in the culture. The talk of a three-peat immediately after Super Bowl LVIII has this year’s team motivated to make history in 2024.

Chiefs re-sign DE Mike Danna to three-year deal

The Kansas City #Chiefs are expected to re-sign veteran defensive end Mike Danna to a three-year contract.

The Kansas City Chiefs are keeping their core players on the defensive line intact for next season. The latest re-signing is defensive end Mike Danna, keeping him in Kansas City for next season and beyond.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Danna has agreed to stay with Kansas City on a three-year deal. The 26-year-old has spent his entire NFL career with the Chiefs, starting all 16 games he played in 2023 and finishing with 6.5 sacks.

Since being selected in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Danna took advantage of his first opportunity to be a consistent starter in 2023. He’s accumulated 128 tackles, 17 sacks, and four forced fumbles. He’s emerged as a trusted option for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who praised his work ethic.

Updated look at Chiefs’ pending free agents for 2024

Take a look at which #Chiefs players will be free agents in the 2024 offseason after Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII victory.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially defended their championship title after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night.

While their work for the 2023 season is over, the team’s focus will now turn toward securing a third consecutive title next year to further cement Kansas City’s status as the NFL’s newest dynasty.

General manager Brett Veach may prefer that the team return all of its players next season, but history will show that players from Super Bowl squads don’t last long on the free agent market in the offseason.

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Isiah Pacheco are all under contract for 2024, but other key contributors on Kansas City’s roster will have their chance to test the market to secure themselves huge paydays from teams vying for their services over the next few months.

Check out this list of all the Chiefs’ pending free agents ahead of the 2024 offseason:

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is the real star of Super Bowl LVIII

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is a schematic wizard, but his real superpower is getting his players to buy in without fail.

It was February 3, 2008. Super Bowl XLII, in which the New England Patriots were supposed to complete the second undefeated season in pro football history. Instead, the underdog New York Giants put Tom Brady in a special section of hell with pass-rush concepts that had their defensive linemen moving around gap to gap, and often standing up in NASCAR fronts for which the Patriots seemed to have no answers. Brady was sacked five times, and hit nine more times, completing 29 of 48 passes for 266 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 82.5 in a 17-14 Giants win.

Not what anybody expected from a quarterback — and an offense — that had set the NFL ablaze all season long, but Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had the perfect plan for Brady and the Patriots, and that bore out. Spagnuolo threw the entire buffet at Brady with advanced blitzes, moving linemen, and NASCAR fronts in which as many as all four defensive linemen were standing up pre-snap.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=My0ahKLvxzs

“I remember that game, and watching what they were doing, and I’ve watched it again since,” Super Bowl XLII Most Valuable Player Eli Manning told me on Friday. “He had Antonio Pierce, middle linebacker, and obviously now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. They were flip-flopping blitzes, and I’d never seen that before, where they had a WILL [linebacker]-free safety blitz, and they’d see Brady read it and change protections to pick up that blitz, and they would flip-flop  and roll it to bring a SAM [linebacker] and strong safety. You had free guys hitting Brady, so just mixing in and having that capability and communication and the trust in the defense to do that. To execute it, that’s the first time I’d ever seen that.

“I have great respect for Coach Spagnuolo and all he’s done in his career, his opportunity to win his fourth Super Bowl is impressive, and he always has the threat of blitz. That’s what he brings — exotic blitzes and exotic coverages. It’s a lot of work to get ready to play one of his defenses.”

Fast-forward 15 years, and “Coach Spags” is still doing it his way — perhaps at a higher level than ever before, and he’s now winning Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs. Moreover, he’s doing it now with the NFL’s youngest defense. There are a lot of deep football reasons why the Chiefs’ defense has carried the team to Super Bowl LVIII as the offense has been up and down (to say the least), but there are also personal dynamics between Spagnuolo and his players that mean a lot.

Let’s dive into why Steve Spagnuolo is the real star of Super Bowl LVIII.

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The Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVIII

From Jauan Jennings to L’Jarius Sneed, here are 10 underrated players for the 49ers and Chiefs who could make all the difference in Super Bowl LVIII.

For every Super Bowl star you’d expect, there’s a player who comes out of nowhere in a relative sense to take over the biggest game of his life. That was just as true for Green Bay Packers receiver Max McGee in Super Bowl I as it was for Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco in Super Bowl LVII.

For the upcoming matchup between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, we’d like to present 10 players — five from each team — whose deeds on the field have gone relatively unnoticed, but every one of them could be the one to take his team’s fortunes over the top.

Here are the Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVIII.

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7 Saints free agents targets to watch in Ravens vs. Chiefs

There are plenty of Saints free agents targets to watch in Ravens vs. Chiefs. Which of these players could come to New Orleans in 2024?

There are a handful of former Kansas City Chiefs players playing key roles for the New Orleans Saints — starting safety Tyrann Mathieu, of course, but also his former Chiefs teammates Khalen Saunders and Tanoh Kpassagnon along the defensive line. Could more of them be wearing black and gold in 2024?

Saints fans should tune into Sunday’s AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens to get an early look at the upcoming free agent class. Both teams could lose players in the spring, and opportunistic squads like the Saints could pounce. Here are some pending free agents from both sides who may fit what the Saints are looking for this offseason:

4 soon-to-be free agents to watch in Chiefs vs. Dolphins

4 soon-to-be free agents for New Orleans Saints fans to watch in Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins, including former Ragin’ Cajuns OL Robert Hunt:

The Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs boast two of the strongest rosters you’ll find around the NFL, and both teams have some pending free agents who could be of interest to the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints looking to get faster and more athletic defensively while improving their run game on offense, here are some players we’re watching closely during Saturday night’s wild-card round playoff game:

WATCH: Chiefs players predict College Football Playoff National Championship

#Chiefs players weighed in on which team they think will win the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one week away from the NFL playoffs, but in a short video that hit social media platforms this morning, the team’s players gave their take on another postseason event: the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Stars like Travis Kelce, Drue Tranquill, and Jawaan Taylor all weighed in on the upcoming matchup between the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.

Only two players on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster attended the universities competing for college football supremacy on Monday, January 8. Veteran defensive lineman Mike Danna was a University of Michigan Wolverine, and defensive back Trent McDuffie was a Husky at the University of Washington.

McDuffie’s running mate in Kansas City’s defensive backfield, practice squad member Keith Taylor, also attended the University of Washington.

While the highly anticipated matchup between college football’s top football programs is sure to be the topic of endless discussion in the team’s locker room over the next few days, the Chiefs are set to lock in and finish their regular season strong against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18.

8 studs from Chiefs’ loss to Packers in Week 13

These eight players stood out as top performers for the #Chiefs during Kansas City’s Week 13 loss to the #Packers.

The Kansas City Chiefs saw victory slip through their hands during their Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, plenty of players put together admirable performances that set a good tone for the team, despite the loss.

Injuries played a key factor in the matchup’s outcome, and several Chiefs stepped up in a tight spot to give Kansas City a chance to make a late-game comeback. If not for a few questionable calls on the final drive of the Sunday Night Football showdown, the Chiefs may have been able to overcome the severe adversity they faced in the game to complete a come-from-behind win at Lambeau Field.

Though some pundits will choose to focus on what Kansas City didn’t do in this tilt, the intrigue in watching the Chiefs’ backups compete was worth tuning in for, even if they were behind the eight-ball in all four quarters.

Check out which players were Kansas City’s studs in Week 13:

WATCH: Chiefs DL Mike Danna sacks Jordan Love, forces late-game field goal vs. Packers

#Chiefs DL Mike Danna took down #Packers QB Jordan Love to keep Kansas City in the game late in the fourth quarter

The Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes of victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 are still alive late in the fourth quarter after defensive lineman Mike Danna sacked quarterback Jordan Love to force a field goal attempt.

By holding Green Bay to just three points, Kansas City needed a touchdown to take a late lead and could have hypothetically completed an improbable comeback after losing several key players to injury.

On the ensuing drive, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception in Packers territory to give Green Bay the ball with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

This didn’t put the Chiefs completely out of contention, but certainly shifted momentum back in the Packers’ favor after Danna’s sack seemed to give Kansas City a wind at its back.

If the Chiefs intend to make something special happen to earn their ninth win of the season, it will need to come on their next offensive drive.