Mitchell signed to replace Hakim

[lazarus]

CHIEFS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FREE AGENT WR FREDDIE MITCHELL
Jun 18, 2005, 3:01:14 PM



Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Saturday that the club has agreed to terms of a one-year contract with free agent WR Freddie Mitchell. As per Chiefs policy, no further terms of the agreement were made available.



Mitchell (5-11, 185) played in 63 games (16 starts) in four seasons with Philadelphia. He recorded 90 receptions for 1,263 yards (14.0 avg.) with five touchdowns. Mitchell saw action in 10 playoff games (three starts) for the Eagles, catching 17 passes for 187 yards (11.0 avg.) with a touchdown. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round selection (25th overall) of the Eagles in 2001.

The Lakeland, Florida native was a three-year letterwinner at UCLA, playing in 26 games. Mitchell concluded his collegiate career ranked seventh in school history with 119 receptions for 2,135 yards (17.9 avg.) with 10 TDs. He recorded 77 catches for a Bruins single-season record 1,494 yards with nine touchdowns as a junior. He earned first-team All-America honors from Walter Camp and The Sporting News that season. Mitchell was an All-America and all-state selection at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida.

[theultimatekcchiefsfan]

The only thing good about this is it is a one year deal. He will have to play really hard so he can get a big contract somewhere next year.

[lazarus]

Posted on Sun, Jun. 19, 2005
Mitchell joins Chiefs — and he wants to stay

KC quick in filling Hakim’s spot

By ADAM TEICHER

The Kansas City Star


For a guy with a reputation as a loudmouth, Freddie Mitchell was decidedly low-key on his first day with the Chiefs.

No outrageous proclamations or predictions. Those presumably will come in time.

But on Saturday, after agreeing to terms on a one-year contract, he just made the customary promise about working hard to win one of the Chiefs’ wide-receiving jobs.

Mitchell fills the spot vacated by Az-Zahir Hakim when he walked out on the Chiefs last week. Technically, Mitchell can still do the same because the Chiefs indicated they won’t turn over the paperwork to the NFL until Monday.

Mitchell left no doubt he wouldn’t do that.

“I’m happy to be here,” Mitchell said after watching the Chiefs’ practice at Arrowhead Stadium. “Unfortunately, Az Hakim couldn’t come for whatever reason. I’m going to make the best out of what happened.

“I’ve got a lot of learning to do. I’ve got to learn the playbook. So the (other) guys have an edge. There’s a lot of good competition. We’ve got a lot of good young guys out here that are fighting for starting jobs, too. It’s not given to me. I’ll have to earn it. This is the NFL. Every year there’s a young guy trying to take your spot.”

Mitchell wasn’t even outwardly ruffled about being the Chiefs’ second choice behind Hakim, who once played for Vermeil with St. Louis.

“He knows the offense,” Mitchell said. “I would have chosen Az, too. He can come right in. He’s been with Vermeil. So it’s not really second-fiddle. It’s two different offenses.”

Mitchell may join the Chiefs for today’s final minicamp practice. The Chiefs will give him every opportunity to stabilize a position group that includes only one proven player, Eddie Kennison.

At worst, Mitchell, a former first-round draft pick out of UCLA and a four-year veteran with Philadelphia, figures to be the fourth receiver behind Kennison, Sammy Parker and Dante Hall. At best, he could join Kennison as a starter.

“We know that he’s tough,” coach thingy Vermeil said. “We know that he can catch the ball in a crowd, we know that he’s smart, and we know he’ll knock your helmet off blocking. He’s got all those attributes that we like in a receiver.”

Mitchell, 26, never played like a first-round pick with the Eagles. He never was a full-time starter and caught only 35 passes and two touchdowns in his best season in 2003.

The Eagles released him in May, and he attracted little interest from other teams as a free agent.

He is best known for his self-promotion. He gained much attention for his disparaging comments about the Patriots, Philadelphia’s opponent in last season’s Super Bowl.

After a big catch, such as his fourth-and-26 reception that allowed the Eagles to beat the Packers in the 2003 playoffs, Mitchell motions his hands around his waist as if he’s donning a championship belt. He refers to himself as “The People’s Champ.”

He has the nickname of FredEx — because he always delivers, get it? — but it was given by a Philadelphia radio station and not by Mitchell himself.

His loudmouth reputation is well-deserved, according to Chiefs offensive lineman John Welbourn, who played with Mitchell on the Eagles.

“Freddie definitely likes to hear himself talk,” Welbourn said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We are entertainers, and he’s entertaining. When I was there, it was never distracting. I always got amusement out of it. There was always some funny angle he was working.”

His showman’s veneer can mask the fact Mitchell is a tough blocker and gives an honest effort.

“He’ll put his face in there,” Welbourn said. “He has no qualms about hitting people and playing hard. That’s why guys like playing with him. That’s why I liked playing with him.”

Mitchell often complained publicly in Philadelphia that he wasn’t getting the ball enough from quarterback Donovan McNabb. That led to some friction between the two and eventually was a factor in his release.

“Me and the quarterback really didn’t get along like you all thought we did,” he said. “A lot of stuff happened under the table, and unfortunately we couldn’t make it into a better situation. But I love the team, and I love the organization.

“You go ask any of my teammates on the Eagles if they have different thoughts about it. They know me as a team player who would make that long block to free up Brian Westbrook. It’s just that I wanted to feel more a part of the win. I wanted more catches so I could say I helped to win.”

Vermeil, a believer in positive locker-room chemistry, doesn’t appear concerned he’s getting a player who might poison the Chiefs.

“I think anytime you get a fresh start, it’s good and he’ll start fresh,” Vermeil said. “I’m sure as a young receiver he made some mistakes in Philadelphia like they all do, like we all do. I think he’s matured and will do a good job in competing.

“He really only had problems in Philadelphia with one guy, not the team. That happens from time to time. (Eagles coach) Andy Reid assured me he’s a good guy, and we thought he was a good guy when he came out and he’ll fit in nicely.”


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To reach Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call [phone] or send e-mail to