Good morning Arrowhead Pride,

It’s been a long road.

A little less than 12 months ago, I left my full-time job at the Kansas City Chiefs and came here. I wrote this. I created some things that worked. I also created some things that didn’t work.

And that has been the fun of it. This website has offered me the freedom to try things, and as I write you this morning for the first time as the Arrowhead Pride Editor in Chief, I think it is best to dig deep into where we’re at and where we’re going.

Now, before you get too alarmed, I’m sure you’re thinking, so where is Joel going?

The answer is nowhere.

Joel, in addition to his duties as SB Nation’s NFL league manager, will still contribute occasionally here, especially on game days and when I am unavailable (like, for instance, when Missouri calls me into jury duty later this month—thanks Missouri for your wonderful timing).

While I take over the day-to-day operations and brand direction, no big-picture Arrowhead Pride decision will be made without the involvement of Joel, and that is important to me, as it is important to him.

The next announcement: masthead changes.

We have an outstanding team at Arrowhead Pride and we have updated the masthead here to reflect our roles.

Kent Swanson will run the film and analysis department and will again head up draft coverage once that season begins (ideally after the February parade down at Union Station). Matt Lane, the artist formerly known as KelcesKrazies, will work closely and in unison with Kent.

Craig Stout will head up defensive analysis and any beer-related items, and Gary McKenzie and Matt Stagner will continue as they always have, giving you highly creative articles you won’t find anywhere else.

Shawn Barber is our predictive analyst, providing the most positive Chiefs coverage in town while giving you a good idea of who might win Sunday’s game.

I will continue covering day-to-day Chiefs news and feature articles, along with daily Arrowheadlines, at least for the time being.

This is probably my favorite part of today’s letter, as I am happy to announce that beginning on June 14, Arrowhead Pride will have its own one-hour radio show, aired live on 610 Sports in Kansas City.

The show will air from 6-7 p.m. Arrowhead Time every Thursday night this offseason, and once the preseason and regular season begin, I will co-host the Arrowhead Pride 610 Sports Chiefs pregame, halftime and post-game shows.

The Arrowhead Pride programming on 610 Sports will allow you to hear from each and every writer on our great site. As an example, if Matt Lane opts to write another Eric Fisher banger, we’ll have him on the program for a segment to talk about it.

When the show is over, that programming will be uploaded to our podcast network, which we have plans to continue to grow.

Finally, Arrowhead Pride personalities will now exclusively appear on 610 Sports programming, as requested.

Later this year (and right now, don’t quote me on a date), we will also have Arrowhead Pride merchandise for sale.

And there is a lot more where that came from, so stay tuned.

I can’t stress the word community enough. There have been so many great contributors that have come from the fan posts, and I strongly encourage that to continue.

We’re not done hiring. Our upcoming available roles, of this writing, are largely undefined, but I will be looking for more creative and social contributors in the upcoming months. If that interests you, the best way to catch our eye is through fan posts.

We will also announce new roles we are looking to fill, as they become available, right here on the homepage.

If you have any ideas, my email inbox is open. Contact me any time. Please use the subject line, “AP Inquiry” and we’ll discuss.

I wrote at the beginning of this letter it has been a long road. And it’s not only for me, but also for this website.

So many great scribes have written here and used this site as a launch pad into outstanding careers. You could reasonably make an argument that the Joel Thorman tree is as impressive as Big Red’s. I saw that firsthand from a distance about a year and a half ago, and that’s when I knew I needed to be involved.

But it is time to get it straight.

Though this site has been looked at as a stepping-stone in the past, I’m here to tell you that we intend to build it into a destination.

I am grateful Joel has chosen me to lead that charge.

Now let’s have some fun.

Pete Sweeney

Editor in Chief, Arrowhead Pride