KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have announced the signing of two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, two days after he was released by Buffalo. The Chiefs signed Carlos Hyde in the offseason with the hope he could provide a veteran presence in a young backfield. But he was unproductive in the preseason and was traded to Houston, and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach moved quickly to sign McCoy to a $4 million contract for this season.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are under no preconceptions that the LeSean McCoy they officially signed Monday is the same running back that was a two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. They don’t need him to be, either. The Chiefs have a clear-cut starter in Damien Williams and two young, capable backups in second-year pro Darrel Williams and rookie Darwin Thompson. So whatever McCoy can provide after his release by Buffalo is gravy, whether that is on-field production or locker-room leadership. “There were a lot of teams that called in and I thought this was the best fit,” McCoy said. “You see this offense, I’m just trying to fit in a small part. These guys are rolling.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was responsible for drafting McCoy in Philadelphia, and the six-time Pro Bowl pick wound up playing his first four seasons for him. McCoy played two more with the Eagles after Reid was fired and landed in Kansas City, then spent the past four seasons in Buffalo. But he was released over the weekend in a surprise move, and several teams immediately expressed interest, including the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers. But the relationship McCoy had with Reid and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach — and McCoy’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus — made for a relatively quick negotiation, and McCoy was in the Chiefs’ practice facility to sign his contract Monday.

Now, the trick will be to get up to speed in time to offer some help Sunday in Jacksonville. “We’ll see what he can pick up in a short period of time, how comfortable he is with it,” Reid said. “He’s a pretty sharp kid. He’s been practicing and playing, so conditioning is not an issue.” McCoy should have some familiarity with the offense from his days with Reid in Philadelphia, but the coach acknowledged some elements have changed dramatically the past few years. The Chiefs run more run-pass options, play at a quicker pace and cater to MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “I’ve been in the playbook all day,” McCoy said. “Some of the terminology is different but a lot of the concepts are the same. Coach has a lot more wrinkles than before.”

Reid said he wouldn’t put McCoy “out there in a bad situation without knowing the plays,” so his package may be limited Sunday. Besides, Reid said, “we have other guys who can play, too.” That is where McCoy might just be the most valuable. The Chiefs signed Carlos Hyde in the offseason with the hope he could provide a veteran presence in the backfield. But he was unproductive in the preseason and was traded to Houston, leaving a major experience void among the four running backs the Chiefs kept on the roster. Damien Williams has the most, but that is still just 74 games over parts of five seasons and a total of 733 yards rushing. Darrel Williams has appeared in six games. Thompson and second-year pro Tremon Smith have never appeared in a game at running back — Smith is a converted cornerback.

In other words, McCoy alone has played in 67 more games than the rest of the Chiefs’ running back group. Eight times McCoy has run for more yards in a single season than the other four running backs have in their entire careers combined. He’s reached the end zone 69 times on the ground, 10 times the number of touchdowns that the rest of the Chiefs’ backfield has scored. “I think that’s a great fit for him,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “He is going in to a team that they’ve got a lot of high expectations and I’m sure he will be a great addition to what they’re doing. We truly wish him the best, unless we play him.”

Reid is cognizant of the stress it could bring to a tight locker room to add a running back just before the season that wasn’t around for training camp. But he was heartened by the way the rest the Chiefs embraced McCoy, and he made sure to discuss the signing with Damien Williams specifically. “It’s a great situation to be in, and really for both of them and the team,” Reid said. “They don’t know each other, but they’ll get to know each other, and I know they’ll work well together.” For good reason. While the Bills are still in the midst of a vast rebuild, the Chiefs have won three straight AFC West titles, and many have pegged them as Super Bowl favorites this season. “You got to put the work in. Nothing is given in this league. You have to earn it,” McCoy said. “But just look at the players, the success they had, the focus, and something about just being here, the players are all just good friends. Sometimes you have superstars — ‘This guy has a routine and off to the side’ — but here they’re all on the same page. It’s special.”

Notes: The Chiefs’ roster stood at 52 players, so adding McCoy did not require any additional moves. … McCoy will wear his familiar No. 25 and Thompson will switch to No. 34. … Backup TE Deon Yelder (ankle) is healthy for Week 1 after missing most of the preseason, Reid said.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s quail population took the biggest hit of any of the game birds from the tough winter conditions. The annual roadside survey found their populations were down 36 percent from last year. D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz says impact was greatest on quail because their range is only across the southern three tiers of counties.

“The got that kind of transition — the got freezing rain, they go sleet, ice several times — and that’s just brutal on quail. Because they are not big enough to get through it and they don’t venture as far as pheasants,” according to Bogenschtuz. “We kind of fully expected that they would take a hit. I was hoping maybe not as much as they did.” He says the number of quail taken last year increased by 45 percent from the previous year. Bogenschutz says the harvest would have been much higher if more hunters had been out.

“We had about 10-thousand quail hunters last year and they shot about 50-thousand quail — which was the highest we’d seen in more than a decade,” Bogenschutz says. “So quail numbers have been good the last four or five years just like pheasants — the highest we’ve seen since the late 90s.” Bogenschutz projects the take would have been as high as a quarter million quail if the hunter numbers had been comparable to the 90’s.

He says there were around 20-thousand quail hunters back then, so there weren’t as many hunters chasing quail last year. Bogenschutz says hunter numbers for pheasant and quail had dropped off during the period when bad weather hurt their populations. And he says they are working to get younger hunters more involved in all types of hunting.

(Radio Iowa) — The popularity of a sport called “pickleball” is spreading in Iowa. Rick Kramer, director of parks and recreation in New Hampton, heard about pickleball at a recent conference. “It is so new to us that I really don’t know what it is,” Kramer says. “It is table tennis on a floor, or on the ground.” The sport combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes. Enthusiasts can play indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court, hitting the balls over a 36-inch high net.  “Sometimes you just have to change things up a little bit,” Kramer says. “It’s for people that don’t want to do the tennis and the racketball…Another way to get (people) out in the parks, getting them enjoying the fresh air and a little exercise.”

Photo from USA Pickleball Association.org.

Kramer used social media to announce a pickleball court was available in New Hampton and six people soon showed up to play. “And then we put a picture on Facebook and got a lot of comments that people have been waiting for it,” Kramer says. The Enhance Iowa Board recently awarded nearly 22-thousand dollars in a CAT grant to a project for the construction of six pickleball courts on a currently underutilized tennis court located on the Mount Pleasant Middle School property. Iowa Economic Development Authority spokesperson, Jessica O’Riley, says it’s not the first time they’ve helped build the courts. She says they also have given an award to Keokuk for pickleball courts. “This one is sort of spearheaded by the school. They started a pickleball club that sort of caught on and they have community pickleball.”

O’Riley says it has created some unique pairings in Mt. Pleasant.  “They mentioned that the senior citizens are playing with the high schoolers and it has really brought a sense of community across the courts there,” according to O’Riley. She says the latest project has found a solution to a problem. “It was a tennis court that wasn’t getting used, but now the pickleball court is getting use and is an asset to the community instead of an eyesore,” she says.

The U-S-A Pickleball Association says the game was invented by three fathers trying to keep their kids busy on a beach in Washington state — but it soon became an adult activity. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, more than three-point-three MILLION Americans played pickleball at least once last year — making it one of the lastest-growing sports in America.

In addition to the new court in New Hampton, the U-S-A Pickleball Association has a list of 31 other Iowa cities and towns with pickleball courts. Among them, is Atlantic, Glenwood, Neola, and Red Oak. For information about Pickleball in Atlantic, contact the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Sports Director Chris Parks.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and LeSean McCoy have agreed to a $4 million, 1-year deal to reunite the two-time All-Pro running back with coach Andy Reid, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because McCoy still must pass a physical. That could be done as early as Sunday, allowing McCoy a full week to prepare for the season opener in Jacksonville. McCoy spent his first six seasons in Philadelphia, four of them under Reid.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nick Senzel and Phillip Ervin hit solo home runs, Luis Castillo pitched six effective innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 to end a four-game losing streak and salvage a split of their doubleheader. With the 4-3 win in the first game and the Chicago Cubs’ 4-0 loss to Milwaukee, the Cardinals gained a half game in the NL Central to increase their division lead to three games.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez left the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals after being hit by a pitch. Daniel Ponce de Leon plunked Suarez on the left hand with his first pitch of the at-bat in the fifth inning. He hit his 40th home run in the first game.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adalberto Mondesi matched a career high with four hits and stole three bases in his return from the injured list, leading the Kansas City Royals past the Baltimore Orioles 6-4. Meibrys Viloria drove in the go-ahead run for the Royals with a two-out single in the seventh inning.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader hit a game-ending single to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in the first game of a day-night double-header. St. Louis, which has won nine of 10, pushed its lead over the Chicago Cubs to three games in the NL Central. Eugenio Suarez homered for the Reds, who have dropped four in a row.

Bader, facing five infielders with no one out, lofted a fly ball off Michael Lorenzen (0-4) to deep right field to bring in pinch-runner Tyler O’Neill. Jose Martinez began the rally with a walk. Yadier Molina followed with a ground rule double to set the stage for Bader’s first career walkoff hit.

St. Louis scored single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth for its second consecutive walkoff win following a 3-2 triumph on Saturday. Carlos Martinez (4-2) picked up the victory by striking out the side in the ninth. Cincinnati starter Tyler Mahle, who was added to the roster from Triple-A Louisville earlier in the day, gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. He was making his first appearance since July 19.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas gave up three runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out five, did not walk a batter and retired the last 10 hitters he faced. Suarez broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run shot in the third, his 40th homer of the season. Bader cut the deficit to 3-2 with a run-scoring single in the seventh. Paul DeJong’s sacrifice fly tied the game in the eighth. Joey Votto added a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the third for the Reds.
BACK-TO BACK
The Cardinals are playing back-to-back doubleheaders for the first time since Aug. 20-21, 1998 at the New York Mets. St. Louis won both games on Saturday. Cincinnati is playing back-to-back doubleheaders for the first time since Sept 10-11, 1968.
TEMPER, TEMPER
Cincinnati INF Freddy Galvis drew the ire of Mikolas after Galvis jogged over the pitcher’s mound after flying out to center in the fourth inning. Mikolas appeared to yell at Galvis. Players from both dugouts came on the field and words were exchanged, but no punches were thrown. Molina served as peacemaker.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Cardinals: C Matt Wieters suffered a calf injury on Saturday. He is listed as day-to-day. C Joe Hudson was added to the roster from Triple-A Memphis.
UP NEXT:
Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (9-7, 4.05) will face Philadelphia LHP Drew Smyly (2-6, 6.95) on Monday in the first of a four-game series in Cincinnati. DeSclafani has given up two earned in his last 18 innings over three starts.
Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (9-9, 4.52) will face San Francisco RHP Tyler Beede (3-8, 5.56) in the first of a four-game set against the Giants in St. Louis. Wainwright is 6-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 career appearances against San Francisco

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, Mekhi Sargent ran for 91 yards and a score, and No. 20 Iowa beat Miami (Ohio) 38-14 in their season opener on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start, but that was erased by the consistent ground game and some big plays from Stanley, who finished 21 of 30 in Iowa’s sixth straight season-opening win.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Sheldon Croney Jr. scored from a yard out in triple overtime and 21st-ranked Iowa State rallied to stave off Northern Iowa 29-26. La’Michael Pettway had a pair of touchdown catches for the Cyclones (1-0), who barely survived the season’s first major upset after entering the season ranked for the first time in 41 years.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska scored two defensive touchdowns and one on special teams, bailing out a sluggish offense and leading the No. 24 Cornhuskers to a 35-21 victory over South Alabama. The five-touchdown favorite Huskers led only 14-7 at half and totaled just 66 yards in the second half. But their defense had five takeaways. The Huskers had three non-offensive touchdowns for the first time since 2005.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader hit run-scoring singles during St. Louis’ two-run ninth inning, and the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 for a sweep of their day-night doubleheader. St. Louis improved to 8-1 in its last nine games and moved 2½ games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning after Kansas City loaded the bases on three bunts, and the Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5. Bubba Starling hit his first homer at Kauffman Stadium after growing up about 30 miles away, and Hunter Dozier connected for the 24th time this season for Kansas City. Anthony Santander went deep twice for the Orioles, who fell apart defensively in the eighth when Kansas City tried to play small ball.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas was suspended for the season opener for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, and the club made a pair of trades on what became a busy cut day. The Chiefs sent backup running back Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans for Martinas Rankin, who is expected to provide depth along the offensive line. They also sent defensive back Mark Fields to the Minnesota Vikings for a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, Mekhi Sargent ran for 91 yards and a score, and No. 20 Iowa beat Miami (Ohio) 38-14 in their season opener on Saturday night.

The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start, but that was erased by the consistent ground game and some big plays from Stanley, who finished 21 of 30 in Iowa’s sixth straight season-opening win.

Iowa opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal by Keith Duncan, but trailed in the second quarter after RedHawks quarterback Brett Gabbert — brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert — picked apart the Iowa secondary on a 77-yard scoring drive. Gabbert finished 17 of 27 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Hawkeyes used a combination of Sargent and Toren Young on the ground and Stanley finding 10 different receivers to counter and slowly pull away. Sargent had 14 carries and Young finished with nine for 48 yards and one touchdown.

Two moments stood out in particular for Iowa, for different reasons. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson left the game in the first quarter with an apparent right knee injury. Conversely, Michigan transfer Oliver Martin caught his first pass with the Hawkeyes, a nine-yard touchdown from Stanley. He finished with two catches for 14 yards and the score.

UP NEXT
Iowa stays home next week, opening Big Ten play by hosting Rutgers on Saturday.
Miami (OH) returns hosts Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

(2-0) AHSTW 21-21, CAM 11-13
(2-0) AHSTW 21-21, Essex 9-12
(2-0) Ankeny 25-25, Lewis Central 20-18
(2-0) Ankeny Centennial 21-22, Lewis Central 16-10
(2-1) Atlantic 16-22-15, Earlham 21-20-4
(2-0) Atlantic 21-21, Riverside 18-16
(2-1) Baxter 16-21-15, Nodaway Valley 21-19-10
(2-0) CAM 21-21, Essex 15-11
(2-0) CAM 21-21, Riverside 17-16
(2-0) Carroll 21-21, Burlington Notre Dame 19-13
(2-0) Carroll 21-21, North Polk 16-17
(2-0) 23-21, Gilbert 21-18
(2-0) Coon Rapids-Bayard 21-21, Colfax-Mingo 14-13
(2-0) Coon Rapids-Bayard 29-21, Baxter 27-7
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 16-21-15, Atlantic 21-16-11
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 19-21-15, Riverside 21-13-6
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 21-19-15, AHSTW 19-21-11
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, East Sac County 7-9
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, Logan-Magnolia 6-7
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, St. Albert 11-10
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, Underwood 8-15
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-23, Glenwood 18-21
(2-1) Denison-Schleswig 21-12-15, AHSTW 12-21-11
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, Atlantic 18-9
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, CAM 17-10
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, Essex 12-18
(2-0) Harlan 21-21, Treynor 13-17
(2-0) Holy Trinity Catholic 21-21, Carroll 15-16
(2-1) Kuemper Catholic 15-25-15, Humboldt 21-23-11
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Emmetsburg 15-3
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Fort Dodge 17-18
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Grand View Christian 17-12
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, South Central Calhoun 12-12
(2-0) Lewis Central 21-21, Waukee 17-15
(2-1) Central 21-21-20, Nevada 17-23-18
(2-1) Logan-Magnolia 21-14-15, Treynor 16-21-11
(2-0) Nodaway Valley 21-21, Colfax-Mingo 8-9
(2-0) Nodaway Valley 21-21, Coon Rapids-Bayard 10-16
(2-1) Red Oak 21-15-15, Des Moines Roosevelt 12-21-11
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Ames 15-14
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Bondurant-Farrar 14-17
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Gilbert 10-16
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Williamsburg 10-16
(2-0) Riverside 21-21, Earlham 17-8
(2-0) Riverside 21-21, Essex 9-9
(2-1) Sidney 19-21-15, Tri-Center 21-13-11
(2-1) Sidney 21-12-15, Treynor 19-21-11
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, Harlan 11-7
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, Indianola 17-16
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, St. Albert 13-12
(2-0) Treynor 27-21, Tri-Center 25-14
(2-1) Underwood 17-21-15, Sidney 21-19-10
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Harlan 18-15
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Treynor 15-19
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Tri-Center 19-15
(2-1) Underwood 24-19-15, Indianola 22-21-13
(2-1) Waverly-Shell Rock 21-12-15, Red Oak 15-21-10
(2-0) Waverly-Shell Rock 21-22, Carroll 18-20