The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that the club has signed free agent defensive tackle Cory Grissom.

Grissom (6-2, 316) originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots on May 3, 2013. He was released by the Patriots on March 10, 2014 after spending the 2013 season on the club’s injured reserve list.

Grissom appeared in 46 games (40 starts) as a member of the University of South Florida football team. His collegiate career numbers include 105 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The LaGrange, Ga., native prepped at Troup County High School.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced on Saturday that Priest Holmes will be the 2014 inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. Holmes is the 44th player to earn this coveted honor which will be celebrated this evening at the 44th annual 101 Awards banquet in downtown Kansas City. The official enshrinement ceremony to the Chiefs Hall of Fame will be held during Chiefs Alumni Weekend at Arrowhead Stadium this fall.

“It is an honor to announce the induction of Priest Holmes into the Chiefs Hall of Fame,” Hunt said. “On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization I would like to congratulate Priest on a remarkable career. As the Chiefs franchise all-time leader in rushing yards, total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns, Priest set a standard for excellence on and off the field during his time in Kansas City. We are grateful for his contributions to the team and the community.”

Holmes spent seven years on Kansas City’s roster (2001-07), after a four-year stint in Baltimore (1997-2000), where he originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Throughout his tenure with the Chiefs, Holmes was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2001-03 and named All-Pro for those three years by numerous national media outlets. He was also presented with the club’s MVP award following the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

While with the Chiefs, Holmes recorded 6,070 rushing yards with 76 touchdowns, and tallied 83 total touchdowns, breaking franchise records in all three categories. During the 2003 season, Holmes scored two or more touchdowns in 10 games, which is tied for the NFL’s best mark with former running back LaDanian Tomlinson.

Maybe more impressive was Holmes’ ability to put up these statistics while entering the league as an undrafted free agent. In 2001, his first season with the Chiefs, Holmes was the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,555 yards, the only undrafted player to do so, until running back Arian Foster accomplished the feat in 2010.

Other accolades Holmes was bestowed with include NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2002), Phil Simms All-Iron Team (2001-02), Ed Block Courage Award (2004), as well as being a part of Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV championship team (2000).

A San Antonio, Texas, native, Holmes played collegiately at Texas, where he rushed for a career total of 1,276 yards with 20 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He is a member of the University of Texas Hall of Honor, the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. He prepped at Marshall High School in San Antonio, where he currently resides and heads the Priest Holmes Foundation.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday that the club has signed wide receiver Weston Dressler and released defensive back Dunta Robinson.

Dressler (5-7, 179) joins the Chiefs after six seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2008-13. He registered 442 receptions for 6,531 yards (14.8 avg.) with 43 touchdowns. He added 48 carries for 286 yards (6.0 avg.) with two rushing touchdowns. Dressler tallied 92 punt returns for 907 yards (9.9 avg.) with one touchdown and 31 kickoff returns for 634 yards (20.5 avg.). In 2013, he caught 70 passes for 1,011 yards with nine touchdowns to help the Roughriders to a Grey Cup title. He has recorded 1,000 or more yards in five of six CFL seasons and set career highs in receptions (94), yards (1,206) and touchdowns (13) in the 2012 season.

The Bismarck, N.D., native played collegiately at the University of North Dakota, playing in 39 games (22 starts), recording 167 receptions for 2,110 yards (12.6 avg.) with 25 touchdowns. He prepped at Bismarck High School where he was a three-time all-state and all-conference selection and was named the 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year.

Robinson (5-10, 183) has played in 139 games (128 starts) in 10 NFL seasons with the Houston Texans (2004-09), Atlanta Falcons (2010-12) and Kansas City Chiefs (2013). His career numbers include 593 tackles (503 solo), 5.5 sacks (-36.5 yards), 17 interceptions for 194 yards with one touchdown and 91 pass breakups. Robinson played in eight games (two starts) with the Chiefs in 2013. He tallied 13 solo tackles, four passes defensed, and one fumble recovery.

The Athens, Ga., native originally entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick (10th overall) of the Houston Texans in the 2004 NFL Draft. Robinson played collegiately at South Carolina. He prepped at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Ga.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that the club has hired former University of Missouri and NFL running back Brock Olivo to serve as the club’s Assistant Special Teams Coach.

Olivo joins the Chiefs after two seasons (2012-13) as an assistant coach with Coastal Carolina where he coached the running backs and assisted on special teams. Under Olivo’s tutelage at Coastal Carolina, senior RB Lorenzo Taliaferro shattered a number of Chanticleer single-season rushing records, including yards (1,729), attempts (276), touchdowns (27), yards per game (115.3), all-purpose yards (1,882), 100-yard rushing games (nine), multi-rushing touchdown games (eight), points scored (174) and most total touchdowns scored (29). In 2012, the Chanticleers averaged 199.2 rushing yards per game to rank 25th in the Football Championship Subdivision and in 2013, Coastal Carolina ranked eighth among FCS teams, averaging 252.1 rushing yards per game. Prior to joining Coastal Carolina in 2012, Olivo spent the 2011 season as running backs coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL).

Before joining the Omaha Nighthawks, Olivo served as head coach and offensive coordinator of the Italian National Football Team. He was also the head coach, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator of the S.S. Lazio Marines, a Serie A1 team which competes in Italy’s IFL, the country highest level of American football.

He spent four seasons (1998-01) with the Detroit Lions, serving as a running back as well as a captain of the Lions special teams units. During his NFL career, he appeared in 44 games, registering two carries and seven receptions, and added 15 kickoff returns for 263 yards (17.5 avg.). He also recorded two career special teams fumble recoveries. After his final season in Detroit, he played one season for the S.S. Lazio Marines.

A product of the University of Missouri, Olivo set the then-school career record for rushing yards with 3,026 from 1994-97 and led the team in scoring in three straight seasons from 1994-96. Olivo was also the nation’s first recipient of the Mosi Tatupu Award, an honor bestowed on college football’s top special teams player. He became just the seventh player in Missouri football history to have his number (27) retired. A 1998 graduate, he received his degree in English. While at Missouri, Olivo played for a Tigers coaching staff that included Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who held the title of strength and conditioning coach and defensive line coach for more than a decade (1989-00). Following his NFL career, Olivo worked three years at the National Italian American Foundation.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chuck Pagano couldn’t believe his eyes. Andrew Luck couldn’t believe his ears. Colts fans couldn’t believe the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t believe their incredibly bad luck.

It seemed unfathomable.

On a day Luck appeared to be pressing and, at times, as bad as he ever has while putting Indianapolis in a 28-point deficit, the Colts quarterback somehow turned things around. He threw three of his four touchdowns in the second half, scored on a fumble return and connected with a wide-open T.Y. Hilton on a 64-yard TD pass to give the Colts an improbable 45-44 wild-card victory Saturday.

”One for the ages,” said Pagano, Indianapolis’ coach. ”I think somebody said that it was the second-largest comeback or whatever in the history of whatever. I guess 21 wasn’t large enough at half, so we thought we’ve give them another seven, you know, just to make it interesting.”

Actually, rallying from 28 down made the latest of Luck’s amazing comebacks one to remember.

Indianapolis (12-5) became only the second playoff team to rally from that big a deficit, according to STATS. Buffalo rallied from 32 points to beat Houston 41-38 in January 1993, though that one required overtime.

The teams’ 1,049 combined total yards set an NFL postseason record, and their 89 combined points is third on the all-time list.

The Colts, winners of four straight, travel to either Denver or New England next weekend for the divisional round.

Luck was an incredible mix of good and bad, finishing 29 of 45 for 443 yards, the second-highest yardage total in franchise history for a playoff game. He also matched his career high with three interceptions. Hilton broke franchise playoff records with 13 catches and 224 yards, and also caught two TDs.

But it was the way Indy won that made it stunning.

Luck played angry and frantic, turning a steady stream of halftime boos into a chorus of cheers.

”I don’t know if it ever crossed my mind on how it would be remembered,” Luck said after winning his first playoff game four seasons quicker than it took his predecessor, Peyton Manning. ”When I took a knee, and you feel the buzz and the energy of the crowd and see your teammates’ faces, that makes it special.”

For Kansas City, it was another brief, miserable postseason appearance.

The Chiefs (11-6) finished their remarkable turnaround season with three straight losses and an eighth straight postseason defeat – none more shocking than this one. The eight consecutive losses broke a tie with the Detroit Lions for the longest playoff skid.

And they were beaten up, too.

Starting running back Jamaal Charles left with a concussion on the opening possession. Knile Davis, Charles’ backup, left in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a left knee injury. Receiver Donnie Avery and cornerback Brandon Flowers were knocked out with second-half concussions, and linebacker Justin Houston was out with a knee injury when Hilton caught the winning pass.

That put even more pressure on Alex Smith, who was 30 of 46 for 378 yards with four TDs and no interceptions but lost a fumble that led to a touchdown for Indy. Just about everyone other than the Colts figured Smith sealed the win with a 10-yard TD pass to Davis less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Instead, he tried to rally the Chiefs after Hilton’s score and wound up throwing to Dwayne Bowe – who caught the ball but was out of bounds – on fourth-and-11 with 1:55 to play from the Indy 43.

”Anytime you’re leading like that and then have them battle back and then take it, and you end up losing by a point, it’s tough, a tough pill to swallow,” Smith said.

Things appeared bleak with Indy trailing 31-10 at halftime, and they got worse when Luck’s first pass of the second half was picked off and returned to the Indy 18. Three plays later, Smith made it 38-10.

But Luck had plenty of time to make the jaw-dropping rally.

With Indy going no-huddle, Luck started throwing at will. He eventually caught the Chiefs defense off-guard when Donald Brown scored on a 10-yard run to start the rally. Then Luck capitalized on the fumble by hooking with Brown on a 3-yard TD pass to make it 38-24.

After Luck’s third interception turned into a 42-yard field goal, he answered with a 12-yard TD pass to cut the deficit to 41-31 after three quarters.

”He’s as advertised. He went out there and definitely avoided some pressure and made big plays down the field,” Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith said, referring to Luck.

Even when Eric Berry jarred the ball loose from Brown near the goal line, Luck had the answer. He scooped up the bouncing ball and squirted through the middle to make it 41-38. And after a Kansas City field, goal, Luck found Hilton to win it.

”It seemed surreal, being down like we were down and then you have that fourth-down stop and they had used their last timeout there at the 2-minute warning,” Pagano said. ”Thinking about how good tomorrow’s going to be, snow or no snow, I don’t really care.”

— Associated Press —

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Chargers must feel they’re living charmed lives these days.

How else to explain that everything they needed to have happen – and more – fell into place to allow them to sneak into the playoffs for the first time in four years?

”It feels like this season is meant to be special,” Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle said after another epic, heart-stopping win against the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24 in overtime on Sunday, gave the Chargers the AFC’s final postseason spot. ”Whether it happens or not, we’ll read that story at the end. But we’re in, and no one really thought that could happen.”

Nick Novak kicked a 36-yard field goal with 5:30 left in overtime to give San Diego its only lead of the day. The Chargers, who trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, then held the Chiefs on downs to win it after they got into San Diego territory.

”We didn’t play our best game, but teams that are playoff teams find a way to win when you don’t play your best and that’s what we did today,” quarterback Philip Rivers said after the Chargers (9-7) won their fourth straight and for the fifth time in six games.

They’ll play a wild-card game next Sunday at AFC North champion Cincinnati, the last team to beat them, 17-10 at San Diego on Dec. 1.

The Chargers have needed help from other teams for weeks. Everything worked out for them on Sunday, but not before the Chargers and their fans had to squirm a bit.

Miami and Baltimore both lost, meaning San Diego could clinch the No. 6 seed with a win or tie.

Surprisingly, the Chargers trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter against a Chiefs team that already had clinched the AFC’s No. 5 seed and rested 20 of 22 starters, including Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles and quarterback Alex Smith.

The Chargers kept getting new chances. After San Diego tied it by scoring 10 points on consecutive possessions, Kansas City’s Ryan Succop was wide right on a potential game-winning, 41-yard field goal try with 4 seconds left in regulation.

”It was just kind of like we got a new life,” Rivers said. ”It was like, all right, we just got a second chance, because it was over. We were maybe going to get a snap offensively.”

The Chiefs called heads during the overtime coin toss, and it came up tails. The Chargers got the ball first and elected to receive. The drive was kept alive by a 2-yard gain by Weddle on a fake punt on fourth-and-2 from the Chargers 28.

”I just felt we could get 2 yards as a punt team with me running the ball and if we are going to go down let’s go down doing what we do best and that is being aggressive and fighting to the end,” Weddle said. ”And we just got enough and I’m glad we got it.”

By having to settle for the field goal, the Chargers gave Kansas City an opportunity.

Chase Daniel, starting for Smith, moved the Chiefs to a first-and-10 on the Chargers 36. But Knile Davis lost 5 yards, Daniel threw three straight incomplete passes and the game was over.

”What a wild ride, all 16 games and it comes down to the last game,” Weddle said. ”A lot of people had us out but we stuck together in the locker room. It’s the best team, morale, togetherness, that I have ever been a part of.

”It didn’t look great at times in that game and now we are in the tournament. We can’t wait to go to Cincinnati.”

The Chiefs (11-5) go into the playoffs having lost five of seven. They play Saturday at AFC South champion Indianapolis, which won 23-7 in Kansas City last week.

”I look at the positive of it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of resting most of his starters. ”We got a lot of guys in to get practice with the game plan if we do meet up with San Diego again. And the guys came out and played. You get to see, from a depth perspective, that you’ve got some guys who can play and want to compete.”

Said Davis: ”We treated it just like any other game. It all comes down to us going out and doing our jobs. That was our mindset. We’re hungry now.”

San Diego also beat the Chiefs 41-38 at Kansas City on Nov. 24.

With the Chargers on the verge of an embarrassing collapse against a team with nothing to play for, Rivers threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal early in the fourth quarter and Novak kicked a 22-yard field goal to tie it with 3:21 left in regulation

The Chiefs led 21-14 at halftime, getting touchdown runs of 17 and 2 yards by Davis and a 2-yard pass from Daniel to Dexter McCluster following an interception by Rivers.

San Diego scored on Rivers’ passes of 22 yards to Ladarius Green and 4 yards to Antonio Gates.

— Associated Press —