As I reminded you in these pages about a month ago [url=http

As I reminded you in these pages about a month ago Daniel Sorensen Jersey , Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford has had a career full of ups and downs in Kansas City.Ford, 27, was an unexpected selection for the Chiefs in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.But with Justin Houston and Tamba Hali entrenched as starters, Ford was seen as a developmental player and got little playing time in his rookie season.In 2015 — thanks to an injury to Justin Houston — he got a chance to start five games.But outside of an explosive game against the San Diego Chargers, Ford didn’t do much to impress Chiefs fans and was still considered by most to be a player who had not justified his first-round selection.That would change in 2016, when Ford would collect 10 sacks Harrison Butker Jersey , 17 quarterback hits and a dozen tackles for loss in 13 starts.He appeared to finally be on track to be the player Chiefs hoped he would be when they drafted him two seasons before.But that expectation would change again in 2017, when Ford made a strong start to the season but landed on injured reserve after six games.Once again, he became a question mark in the minds of Chiefs fans.Back in August at Hawaiian Shirt Day at Chiefs training camp, AP founder Joel Thorman got a laugh out of all of us when he said, “I’m predicting a career year from Dee Ford.But I always predict a career year from Dee Ford.”This time, the Blogfather was right.An article by Evan McPhillips published Monday by Pro Football Focus makes a strong case that Ford is indeed having that elusive career year.As Pete Sweeney noted after the Chiefs win against the Jacksonville Jaguars Demarcus Robinson Jersey , in PFF’s estimation, Ford led the NFL in quarterback pressures after Week 5, and Monday’s PFF article says that after six weeks, Ford is indeed among the NFL’s elite edge rushers.It was not news to us that Ford is finally living up to expectations the Chiefs had for him in 2014.But on Tuesday, a tweet about the PFF article from former sports agent Joel Corry caught our attention: Corry is speaking of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Demarcus Lawrence, who is playing 2018 under the franchise tag Sammy Watkins Jersey , earning $17 million this season on the basis of his performance in his 2017 contract year. A quick analysis reveals a lot of similarities in the career trajectories of these two players.Lawrence was picked only 11 spots after Ford in the 2014 draft.Nether had much playing time in their rookie seasons.Both have lost most of a season due to an injury — although Lawrence’s was in his third season, rather than his fourth.In addition, because Ford’s occurred in his fourth season, the Chiefs were forced to pick up his fifth-year option, which moved his contract year to this season rather than last season.Dee Ford - Kansas City ChiefsDemarcus Lawrence - Dallas CowboysThese base stats from Pro-Football-Reference would suggest that Lawrence — an edge rusher listed as a defensive end instead of an outside linebacker — could be considered a better player than Ford at this point, but the season is still young.And so far Anthony Hitchens Jersey , Dallas’ decision has paid off: Lawrence continues to play well.Lawrence fought for a five-year deal with the Cowboys, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, and Lawrence ultimately accepted the Cowboys’ franchise tender.Should Ford continue to play at a high level through this season, will the Chiefs be able to sign him to a long-term contract?Or will they — like the Cowboys — be forced to use the franchise tag to keep Ford on the roster? Corry notes that Ford will cost the Chiefs around $16.325 million to franchise tag. What would you do? Former Chiefs head coach and longtime NFL assistant coach Gunther Cunningham has died.Cunningham died on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 72 years old and is survived by his wife, children and grandson among other family members and loved ones.Cunningham was born in Germany and grew up in California before going to the University of Oregon to play football. He moved into coaching at the school in 1969 and took his first NFL job with the Colts in 1982. He worked for the Chargers and Raiders before becoming the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 1995.He would stay in that job for four years before succeeding Marty Schottenheimer as the head coach for the 1999 season. Cunningham went 16-16 over two years before being fired.Cunningham would return to Kansas City as the defensive coordinator from 2004-2008 and had the same job with the Lions from 2009-2013. He last coached as a senior assistant in Detroit from 2014-2016.Our condolences to Cunningham’s family and loved ones on their loss.