What’s Up With Zach?

On Tuesday, Zach Thomas will celebrate his 36th birthday.

Will he still be a member of the Chiefs when he cuts his cake?

Adam Schefter of ESPN says no, he’s gone. Thomas’ agent Drew Rosenhaus says that’s wrong, that he plans to play this year with the Chiefs.

Unknown in this story are the words and thoughts of Pioli/Haley, because they do not talk about injured players. And Thomas has been injured. He has not practiced with the team since August 6th. That as the Chiefs ninth practice of training camp, and Thomas had missed two earlier workouts.

His injury appears to be either a hamstring or a quad muscle; the Chiefs will not confirm anything. Thomas disappeared last week from the rehab team, but he was back during Monday’s practice. He was running and taking part in exercises and drills with the strength and conditioning staff and seemed to have no problems moving about. …Read More!

What Happened With Chan Gailey?

From the Truman Sports Complex

There are two ways to look at what went down Monday morning with the dismissal of Chan Gailey as the Chiefs offensive coordinator:

1. The Chiefs are in total disarray and the firing of the offensive coordinator just 13 days before the regular season opener is the tip of the iceberg to the Chiefs troubles.
2. Todd Haley went ahead and pulled off the band-aid, unwilling to soldier on with a situation that he knew wasn’t going to work.

No matter whether Gailey’s firing comes from one of those reasons or possibly another, it sure seems like we now have a better understanding of why the Chiefs offense has struggled so much. In fact, there has not been a time the Chiefs have been on the field in 2009, whether OTAs, mini-camps, training camp or three pre-season games, where the offense has been efficient and productive.

How much of the blame for that should fall on Gailey and how much should fall on the talent level of the offensive players is a point that can be debated. Last year, Gailey did a remarkable job of making something out of nothing with the Chiefs offense when both Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard went down. The new personnel folks led by GM Scott Pioli did not add a single playmaker to the roster at wide receiver, running back or tight end. In fact, Pioli traded away the team’s leading receiver in TE Tony Gonzalez. It’s essentially the same cast of characters that the now former offensive coordinator had to deal with last year. …Read More!

“Can’t Have Two Roosters In The Hen House”

From the Truman Sports Complex

Leave it to Larry Johnson to put into perspective what  happened with Chan Gailey’s dismissal as the Chiefs offensive coordinator by head coach Todd Haley.

“You can’t have two roosters in the hen house,” Johnson said. “It’s common sense that two guys who have been successful in this league would eventually have a disagreement … they are two successful guys who want things to go there way and sooner or later, somebody was going to have to bow out of the race.

“There are not too many offensive coordinators who are willing to change what they do. It’s understandable why he (Haley) would make that decision.”

So the move did not come as a surprise to Johnson? Less so than the decision by Haley to keep Gailey in the first place.

“When Todd came, I thought Chan was going to have to find somewhere else,” said Johnson. “What I heard was that Todd liked to take control and do things his way.”

Although last year was not a good one for Johnson, he thinks Gailey did a good  job in 2008 of making the offense go given the circumstances.

“It was tough last year; we went through three different quarterbacks and we had the change almost the whole offense to fit the quarterback’s strengths and gifts, ” said Johnson. “He (Gailey) did well, considering he had to mix and match and change so many things. “

Practice Update 8/31 A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

It was another day, another adventure around the Chiefs during their Monday morning practice session.

Generally, we show up for these workouts and do a roll call of the players. Monday, it was the coaching staff where the roll call was needed, as Chan Gailey was not on the field when the media arrived. A few minutes later the team made the announcement that Gailey had been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator.

But practice went on, with head coach Todd Haley handling the play calling and working with the quarterbacks. He got help from offensive quality control assistant Nick Sirianni.

Then came the roll call of the players. Missing from the field were QB Matt Cassel and WR Devard Darling. Both suffered injuries to their left legs during Saturday night’s game against Seattle. Both are thought to be knee injuries, with Cassel spraining his MCL and Darling tearing his ACL.

Haley refused to discuss any injured players after the practice.

He also said that a starting quarterback for Thursday night’s pre-season finale in St. Louis against the Rams had not been determined, although Tyler Thigpen took almost all of the snaps with the first team offense in the practice.

Here’s some other tidbits and news from the practice: …Read More!

Gailey relieved of his duties!

History has repeated itself with the Chiefs as offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was fired Monday morning by head coach Todd Haley. It was 25 years ago that then head coach John Mackovic fired defensive coordinator Bud Carson in the 1984 pre-season. We will have more on this surprising development with Gailey later this afternoon. Chiefs are currently on the practice field.

A Quarterback Curse? … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

Just when this curse began, we don’t know.

But there seems little doubt that being the Chiefs starting quarterback is a dangerous proposition these days.

For awhile, it seemed the QB injury curse was something that followed Herm Edwards around, leading to speculation that it was some sort of cosmic football karma for all the torment he put passers through during his career as an NFL cornerback.

But after Saturday night, we know that the origin is not Herm; he can’t be blamed for Matt Cassel going down and out this summer (right).

As of late Sunday night there was no definitive word on the seriousness of the left leg injury suffered by Cassel against the Seattle Seahawks. But there’s little doubt that this is more than a tweak. On internet site reported the injury is a MCL sprain in his right knee and that Cassel will be out two to four weeks. …Read More!

Sunday Night Injury Update

Sometime Monday afternoon we should get a clearer picture on the status of injuries suffered by QB Matt Cassel, CB Brandon Flowers and WR Devard Darling.

Coaches and players were unavailable to the media on Sunday as they begin a very short week in preparation of Thursdsay’s pre-season finale in St. Louis. The team will practice Monday morning; afterwards Todd Haley will speak to the media. Details will  more than likely remain scarce.

Yahoo.com reported Sunday evening that Cassell could miss two to four weeks with a strained medial collateral ligament. However, the web report said it was Cassel’s right knee, when the injury was to his left leg. The information came supposedly from “a source within the Chiefs organization.” The injury is not expected to require surgery.

Various media outlets reported other details about Cassel and Darling’s injuries without providing attribution. If you want that information then we’ll let you do the search. Both players suffered injuries to their left legs in Saturday night’s game against Seattle. There’s been no speculation on Flowers’ left shoulder that he injured in the first quarter.

Special Teams Struggles & Other Notes

From Arrowhead Stadium

The bloom fell off the Ryan Succop rose Saturday night.

Of the Chiefs 2009 Draft class, it was the last man taken who was performing. Succop, the final pick in the entire NFL Draft, had been solid all through training camp and the pre-season.

That ended against Seattle, and was just part of what was a poor special teams evening for the Chiefs.

Succop missed his first FGs as a pro against the Seahawks. He was wide left on a 28-yard attempt and then his 53-yard try was directionally perfect. Problem was it traveled only 52 ½ yards, hitting the cross bar and bouncing into the end zone.

He did come back and hit a 35-yard FG in the fourth quarter.

“Ryan has been a positive throughout camp and the preseason,” Haley said. “Tonight, he lined drive a kickoff which is something we don’t want, and he missed a FG that he should have made. He did bounce back and hit one. The one that hit the crossbar was not a negative at all.

“I’m not going to beat him up too bad.” …Read More!

Thigpen Takes A Step Backwards

From Arrowhead Stadium

If Tyler Thigpen is truly on the trading block, what happened Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium is not going to convince any team to up its offer for him.

With Matt Cassel bounced from the game with a left leg injury just one minute, 59 seconds into the action, Thigpen was thrust into the game far earlier than he or anyone on the Chiefs sideline expected. And much as he has during practice sessions in this pre-season, Thigpen struggled to get anything going. Thus, the Chiefs offense struggled as well.

By the time he was lifted near the end of the third quarter, Thigpen had directed the Chiefs for eight possessions that produced no points. Three times the Kansas City offense reached Seattle territory, just once inside the 20-yard line. Half of those possessions saw the Chiefs go three plays and punt.

“I don’t think I played up to my ability,” Thigpen said. “I feel like I did some good things and some bad things and those bad things I have to correct.” …Read More!

Banged Up Chiefs Fall Again, 14-10

From Arrowhead Stadium

The Chiefs needed a victory Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks. It didn’t happen.

They needed to at least see their first units perform with efficiency and productivity. It didn’t happen.

What they didn’t need was to have any players suffer injuries. That didn’t happen either.

QB Matt Cassel, CB Brandon Flowers and WR Devard Darling limped off, the Chiefs defense scored the team’s only touchdown and Todd Haley is now 0-3 as the head coach after Seattle grabbed a 14-10 victory. The Chiefs announced paid attendance as 66, 553.

The Chiefs faithful did not have much to see other than more disappointing and frustrating play from their favorite team. Thankfully, it will go down as one of the shortest games of the year, needing just two hours and 44 minutes.

“Disappointing across the board tonight as a team,” said Haley. “After making some progress in game No. 2, I thought we went backwards tonight. Offensively it was a real struggle out there. Defensively there were some good things and too many breakdowns that cost us. Really disappointing.”

It doesn’t get much worse for fans or the team than seeing the franchise quarterback limp off the field less than two minutes into the game. Cassel was trying to get away from Seattle pass rush pressure on the Chiefs third offensive play when he was grabbed around the legs and pulled down by DT Brandon Mebane.

The injury was to Cassel’s left leg, but Haley would not talk about details involving any of his injured players afterwards.

“All injured guys are being evaluated and I don’t have any real information on those guys I know you want to talk about,” said Haley. “We’ll talk about them at a later date.” …Read More!

AFL 50-Year Memories: The NFL Strikes Back

It was National Football League Commissioner Bert Bell who first let the sports world know that another league was forming on the American football landscape.

At the time, Bell told a Senate sub-committee that the established NFL welcomed the new league, which later became known as the American Football League.

That proved to be wishful thinking on Bell’s part, because it didn’t take long for the NFL to answer back against the new league and kickoff a football war that was probably inevitable.

The date was August 29, 1959 and the cannon shot came in Houston, Texas. That’s where the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers were playing a pre-season game. Speaking with reporters, Bears owner and the most powerful man in the NFL at the time George Halas and Steelers owners Art Rooney announced that the league would expand to Dallas and Houston in 1961.

Halas was the head of the NFL’s expansion committee, and just a few months before he’d told Lamar Hunt that the NFL was not going to expand at any time soon. NFL types had told Bud Adams the same thing when the Houston oilman was interested in having an NFL team.

(That’s Halas on the left, Rooney on the right, with Dick Gallagher, of the Hall of Fame between them.)

Then, less than a month after the official announcement of the AFL and its first six teams, the NFL was announcing an expansion.

Hunt was less than pleased, telling the Dallas Morning News that the move was “sabotage.” …Read More!

Playing The Numbers Game … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

The number right now is 80.

On Tuesday that number falls to 75.

Next Saturday the number will be 53.

That’s the math for about half the players who will wear the red jersey of the Chiefs on Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks in pre-season game No. 3 at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

As a generalization, every team has 40 roster spots that baring injury are pretty much claimed. The Chiefs are no different. It’s those last dozen to 15 spots that still must be decided.

“You spend a lot of down time looking at the depth chart and just sorting through those numbers,” said Todd Haley. “That will be a big job for all of us here in the next couple of weeks. It’s tough but it’s tough for everyone; every team has the same problems. I don’t think there’s any team that wishes they had less spots, who wishes the number were 48 or 45.

“You generally have to let go of a few guys you don’t want to.” …Read More!

Opponent: Seattle Seahawks

Last year: 4-12, third in the NFC West.

Head coach: Jim Mora Jr., in his first season as Seahawks head coach. He spent two years on Mike Holmgren’s staff as a defensive assistant. Previously was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons (2004-06), with a 26-22 regular season record.

Last appearance in playoffs: in 2007, when they won the NFC West. They won a first-round game against Washington and lost in the divisional playoffs to Green Bay.

Starting quarterback: Matt Hasselbeck, who has battled back problems for the last several years. He saw limited time last year, throwing for just 1,216 yards with five TDs and 10 INTs. Hasselbeck has hit 19 of 28 passes for 198 yards and two TDs in the pre-season. …Read More!

Hear The Boss On Saturday

Not that Boss! It’s just me. That’s right, the boss of me.

I will be on the Kansas City Sports & Fitness Radio Hour on Saturday morning, beginning at 8 o’clock on 1510 KCTE-AM.

My appearance has more to do with “sports” than with “fitness” as my friends would attest. I will join the show’s hosts Steve Fisch and Jim Potoski for one hour and I would expect the Chiefs to dominate the discussion.

So if you are up and about Saturday morning, tune in at 8 a.m. on 1510 AM.

Defense Needs A Nose … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

If a team is going to play the 3-4 defensive scheme, one position must be solid: nose tackle.

Without a guy playing heads up on the center and disturbing the offensive line blocking assignments, the rest of the defense just doesn’t work right. It’s like lining up the dominos; if the nose tackle can hold his ground inside and force two blockers to work him over, he starts a chain reaction that rolls like a wave all the way out to the secondary.

With pre-season game No. 3 just a day away, the Chiefs are still searching for the right combination at nose tackle in their new 3-4 defense. Ron Edwards (left), Tank Tyler and Derek Lokey have played the position and so far; their consistency and their production has been found wanting.

And that comes from the head coach.

“We are still searching,” said Todd Haley. “That’s why we were rotating last game and we’ll probably be in a similar mode this week in trying to get one or a couple of those guys to step up and show they want the job.”

Good nose tackles tend to be nasty sorts. The position was basically created for guys like Curley Culp when he was with the Chiefs. His teammates used to call him Surly Culp, but never to his face. The position requires a big and strong man, with a mean disposition

“That’s a man’s position, especially as much of the 3-4 that we’re playing,” said Haley. “When you’re the nose and you’re in there a lot of that is just want-to. You’re fighting, scratching, clawing and it’s not for everyone.

“I think all three of the guys have the ability to do it, it’s just a matter of getting it done on a consistent basis.” …Read More!

Texans Memories: Pre-Season Game No. 5

The Dallas Texans trip around America continued in the fifth weekend of pre-season games in the first year of the American Football League.

After playing in Oakland, Tulsa, Boston and Abilene, the Texans landed in Little Rock, Arkansas. They practiced there for a week and then on Saturday evening, August 27, 1960, they beat the Denver Broncos 48-0 in front of an announced crowd of 5,500 at War Memorial Stadium (below.)

The Texans rolled up 501 yards in offense, compared to 301 yards for the Broncos and Dallas led 20-0 at half-time. That allowed Hank Stram to clear his bench and give everybody plenty of playing time.

“We were able to look at some boys who haven’t played much and some of them really impressed us,” Stram said after the game, speaking specifically of David Webster, Clem Daniels, Hunter Enis and Bo Dickinson.

“When we opened training we knew we could count on players like Johnny Robinson, Jim Swink, Jack Spikes, Abner Haynes and Cotton Davidson, but we weren’t sure what to expect from a lot of others. Some of these fellows really have been pleasant surprises.”

Webster was a quarterback at Prairie View who was moved to safety. Daniel, also from Prairie View, was a fullback moved to the secondary. Both would go on to play several years in the AFL. …Read More!

Practice Update 8/27 A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

The focus was the Seattle Seahawks as the Chiefs went through their Thursday A.M. practice outside on the grass at their facility.

More than either of the two previous pre-season games, Todd Haley and his staff put a bit more prep time into the Seahawks before Saturday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Looks like ILB Derrick  Johnson will not be part of the game on Saturday. For the second straight practice, Johnson was working in the rehab area. There’s no apparent injury, as he did cardio as well as weight work. In the practice, Demorrio Williams took Johnson’s spot with the first team defense. On Wednesday, Monty Beisel was working there.

Just who will play on Saturday and how much remains unknown. Haley said he and his staff would meet Thursday afternoon to make those decisions. The first teamers will play into the first part of the third quarter; how long they stay in after half-time is what must be decided. No news on quarterback rotation from Haley either,  although Tyler Thigpen continued to take almost all of the second-team offensive plays.

Other items from the morning workout: …Read More!

WR Improvement Needed … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Todd Haley really can’t help it.

He coached the wide receivers for so long that he’s naturally drawn to whatever end of the field where the guys are catching balls.

That’s led to a lot of frustration for the Chiefs head coach since the start of training camp. The Chiefs receivers have not been very efficient or productive. Haley and his staff are demanding of them, requiring them to run routes in a correct way, to control their body and most definitely catch the ball.

It’s been a struggle from top to bottom. At the top has been the soap opera with Dwayne Bowe (right) and his time in the Haley doghouse condo. At the bottom have been rookies like Taurus Johnson and Quinten Lawrence, who have struggled in every area.

But Haley says there’s finally been improvement from this group over the last week.

“I think they’re getting better; I think that the receiver group is improving,” said Haley. “I said early on I was pretty frustrated with that position but I think there is definite progress made across the board which keeps practice going.

“Now, hopefully, we take it to the game and make plays in the game. But I would say they’re making strides.” …Read More!

Practice Update 8/26 P.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

With rumors swirling around the NFL that the Chiefs are  trying to trade QB Tyler Thigpen, it was interesting to note that GM Scott Pioli was not on the field for the team’s Wednesday afternoon practice.  Pioli has seldom missed the team’s workouts in the pre-season.

And Thigpen threw the ball like he had something on his mind, although he says that’s not true. After the morning practice, Thigpen was asked about the rumors and said various times in various forms “I’m just out there playing and trying to get better and I’m not worried about anything else.”

It didn’t look that way during a seven-on-seven passing drill when Thigpen was zero for three on his passes with one interception as CB Travis Daniels grabbed the pass. Earlier in the same drill QB Matt Cassel looked sharp, hitting six straight passes.

NFL.com reported Wednesday that the Chiefs and Jaguars have talked about a deal that would involve Thigpen. As expected, Todd Haley and the Chiefs would  not confirm or deny the story.

Other notes and tidbits from the afternoon practice: …Read More!

Practice Update 8/26 A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

For 15 minutes, Todd Haley sneered at the downpour that was falling on his team during its Wednesday morning practice. But ultimately the rain turned torrential and Haley took  his team inside for the last half of the workout.

“I wanted to stay out there  long enough to get everybody nice and wet and  miserable,” Haley quipped afterwards.

He was successful in that, as players, coaches and the media were all toweling off after the practice that started dry, but about one hour into the work the skies opened up.

No matter the weather, it was a better practice for the offense on Wednesday, as QB Matt Cassel and the first unit seemed to be more efficient and productive. That was especially visible in a blitz period, where Cassel was six of seven throwing the ball. The only incompletion was a drop by TE Sean Ryan down the middle.

The QB was quick and decisive with his throws, something Haley noted afterwards.

“He was sharp and the ball was coming out quick,” said the head coach. “It’s a critical, critical drill for us and with the quarterback the ball has to come out quick. Today it was zipping around and going to the right spots.”

Other news, notes and observations from the soggy workout: …Read More!

Hall of Fame Talk … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Now that Derrick Thomas is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the question I hear most often from long-time Chiefs fans is why is Otis Taylor not in the Hall of Fame?

Or, why is Johnny Robinson not in the Hall of Fame? Ed Budde and Jim Tyrer … why do they not have busts in Canton?

I’m sure these questions will come again after the news on Tuesday that the seniors committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors has voted and placed the names of Dick LeBeau (top) and Floyd Little (bottom) into the group of finalists for election with the Class of 2010.

This vote was not induction into the Hall. It means that LeBeau and Little will get the chance to be considered and voted on when the entire Board of Selectors gets together on the day before the next Super Bowl.

Since the Hall added a second seniors slot in 2005, eight of the 10 nominees have been voted in. Since the seniors position was created in 1972, there have been 41 men chosen, including four who have been named twice. That total of 41 includes LeBeau and Little.

First, let me hit some points of reference involving the Hall of Fame and the senior candidates. It will make everything easier to understand: …Read More!

Practice Update 8/25 A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

It was a hot, steamy morning for the Chiefs practice session Tuesday. And there were times during the two-hour session when the attitudes were hot and steamy as well.

At one point, LB Monty Beisel carried on an animated conversation with one of the coaches that got heated. Head coach Todd Haley jumped  in and added  his two cents as well. It was that kind of day.

But there was a lot of work that got done, although it was another tough day at times for the offense.

QB Matt Cassel led the first-team offense to a FG in the two-minute drill, orchestrating the drive perfectly as he hit four of six passes, including a big catch by WR Dwayne Bowe on the sideline against a blitz. Earlier in a blitz period, Cassel and the other Chiefs quarterbacks struggled going seven of 13 with several dropped interceptions. Things weren’t much better in the seven-on-seven drill in the scoring zone. The offense did have some success running the ball against the No. 1 defense.

New offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe were part of the practice session. Alleman worked at right guard with the backups, while Ndukwe was playing at right tackle. Haley said he expects both to play on Saturday against Seattle.

Some other stuff from the practice: …Read More!

LeBeau/Little For Hall of Fame

The Seniors Committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors met this week in Canton,  Ohio and have nominated Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little as seniors candidates for induction with the class of 2010.

Former Chiefs WR Otis Taylor made the final five in the voting by the five-person committee.

More details on the Hall of Fame seniors tomorrow.

Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Understand that Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe are not Pro Bowlers. They do not arrive on the Chiefs roster riding white horses and promising better times are ahead.

These two offensive linemen acquired from the Miami Dolphins on Monday for an undisclosed draft choice in 2010 are journeymen. The Chiefs are Alleman’s third team and Kansas City is the fifth stop for Ndukwe.

But they are also an example that when things are not going well, Pioli/Haley is not going to sit back and shrug their shoulders. They are going to get some players to help fill in the shallow areas on the roster.

To make room for them, the Chiefs released C/G Brian De La Puente and OLB Vince Redd. Scout.com reported Monday night that Redd has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season by the NFL. No reason was given for the suspension. Generally a punishment of that length involves using substances the league considers performance enhancing.

Ndukwe (left) reportedly is going to get his first shot at playing right tackle, a position he hasn’t played since college. Alleman (right) will get a chance to compete at center and right guard. It’s that right half of the offensive line that has struggled in two pre-season games, especially last Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

There are a lot of offensive lines that will struggle with the Vikings, but Minnesota was without two of its best defensive linemen for that game: Jared Allen and Pat Williams. Still, QB Matt Cassel had to run for his passing life and with the exception on an 18-yard run by Larry Johnson, there was no running room created by the Kansas City blockers.

This is not a blockbuster trade. …Read More!

Practice Update 8/24 P.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

The two newest members of the Chiefs did not take part in the team’s afternoon practice session, as Todd  Haley put his team through its second workout of the day.

C/G Andy Alleman and G Kkechuku Ndukwe were on the way to Kansas City from Miami and should be with the team for their Tuesday morning practice. They were aquired Monday morning in a trade with the Dolphins for an undisclosed 2010 draft choice.

Larry Johnson sat out Monday afternoon’s practice with an unspecified injury, as the Chiefs put in their second workout under sunny skies, warm temperatures and a nice breeze blowing across the practice fields.

Johnson was  moving around without any sort of problem and it appeared there was extra time spent working on his neck and shoulder area. In Monday morning’s live session of goal line offense/defense, Johnson took two pretty good blows on his two carries. On one, he was yanked down around the shoulder  pads by SS Bernard Pollard. On the other, he leaped over the middle of the pile and ended up landing on his head and shoulders.

The only other player in the rehab area with Johnson was RB Kolby Smith. ILB Zach Thomas was not on the practice field.

Here’s some of what happened on the field Monday afternoon: …Read More!

Practice Update 8/24 A.M. & Trade News

From the Truman Sports Complex

Todd Haley told his team last week that leaving Wisconsin did not mean the end of training camp. It was just a change of venue.

If they doubted the coach’s words, the players found out Monday morning what Haley was talking about. In the first of two practices on the day, the Chiefs were in full pads. They wrapped up the session with three plays of live goal line action.

That proved a not so good moment for the offense. From the location where the media is allowed to watch practice, it was hard to decipher whether the ball crossed the goal line; even if it did, the offense had a rough go. On the first play, RB Larry Johnson ran wide left and was suddenly brought down by a speading missle wearing No. 49, SS Bernard Pollard.  On the second play, Johnson leaped over the middle of the pile and somewhere in going up or coming down, he lost the football. Pollard ended up with it and took  off running in the other direction.

On the third play, Jackie Battle ran behind left tackle, but he too coughed up the football at some point. It was recovered by the defense.

“It was a little bit of a slow start, but we picked  it up as we went and it ended up being a fairly competitive, productive practice,” said Haley. “We can’t have practice start like that ever, if we expect to be any good.”

The Chiefs are in the process of finalizing  announced a trade with the Miami Dolphins that will bring offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe to the team. If they pass physicals they will join the roster on Monday. Both players passed Chiefs physicals and should be on the field for the afternoon practice. Alleman is a third-year player who entered the league in 2007 with New Orleans out of the University of Akron. He started five games for the Dolphins at guard last season. Ndukwe started 15 games at guard for the Dolphins last season. He’s out of Northwestern and the Chiefs will be the fifth team of his NFL career. He entered the league in 2005 as a undrafted college free agent with New Orleans. Both Alleman and Ndukwe played their high school football in Ohio.

To open roster spots for the new linemen, the Chiefs released OLB Vince Redd and C/G Brian De La Puente.

Other moments, details and stuff from the morning workout: …Read More!

Back To Work … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

The boxes and suitcases are unpacked, friends and family have been hugged and kissed … and the football goes on.

Chiefs training camp has never been limited to the northwoods of Wisconsin for the last 19 years. Every head coach since Marty Schottenheimer has brought the team back home from River Falls and jacked up the intensity of practices.

But whether they were Schottenheimer-Cunningham-Vermeil-Edwards, they did it with one practice a day.

Todd Haley is raising the stakes. The Chiefs will continue their schedule of three practices every two days, starting on Monday at their Truman Sports Complex facility with two practices. They’ll have one workout on Tuesday, then another pair on Wednesday, and one on Thursday, before they hold a walkthrough practice on Friday to get ready for this Saturday night’s pre-season game against Seattle.

Haley made it very plain to the media that he and his staff made it very plain to the players that it was not yet time to get out of the training camp mentality.

“Yeah, I think you hear, ‘break camp’ and it’s like the last day of school where you throw the papers out the bus window,” said Haley. “I think we’re all stressing it to them that we’re still in training camp, just not in River Falls.

“I think that will be an important stretch for us – this transition to home with the distractions involved that we can’t let affect us. Once there, it’ll probably be a little hotter which I think we’ll be good for us.” …Read More!

Adios River Falls, We Will Miss You

From somewhere south of the St. Croix River

There is tinge of sadness as River Falls vanishes in the rear-view mirror.

For 19 years the Chiefs have been coming to this little college town in the northwoods to hold training camp. For 19 years I’ve followed along.

And I say with honor that I’m just one of five in the “Club 19″ of River Falls lifers: people with or around the Chiefs who made every one of those 19 camps. Equipment guys Mike Davidson and Allen Wright, groundskeeper Andre Bruce, PR maven Bob Moore and me. Chiefs President Denny Thum had a chance to join the club, but he spent only the first week of camp here before his new duties forced him to return and stay in Kansas City.

Mike remembers his first visit to River Falls. That came in the winter of ’91 when Chiefs officials visited the campus. It had the look of Ice Station RF, with snow piled up everywhere and the wind blowing constantly. The group included head coach Marty Schottenheimer. They checked into the Best Western Motel, one of those old school places where you parked your car right outside your room. Marty asked for a wakeup call and the desk clerk handed him an alarm clock.

The next day the group went to the UW-River Falls campus and toured the facilities. Mike remembers looking out of the back door of the ice rink at the practice fields, which were covered with 18 inches of snow. “Marty looked at the snow and I remember him saying, ‘It’s going to be gone by July, isn’t it?’ ” Davidson said.

Six months later the snow was gone and the Chiefs found their summer home. …Read More!

AFL Memories: First League Meeting

In the early days of the American Football League, the new league just couldn’t get away from the older National Football League.

It was on Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23, 1959 in the Statler Hilton Hotel in Dallas (pictured below) that the AFL held its first league meeting. And it just so happened that also in Dallas that same weekend were the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants for an NFL pre-season exhibition game at the Cotton Bowl.

In fact, Lamar Hunt met with Giants co-owner Wellington Mara and Don Kellett the executive vice-president of the Colts. The guys from the older league actually requested the meeting; they wanted to eyeball this new guy from the new league.

“Hunt has got the money,” Mara told the Dallas Morning News, “and he is going into this for the thrill of achievement. If he sees it isn’t going to go, he’ll drop it. So it all depends on who they get to run it.”

Said Kellett: “It is tough to build one club. We know about that because we started out with the old Dallas Texans, which had a few top football players, but wasn’t really a team. Try to build six clubs and the problem is six times as tough. If we can give you (Hunt) any advice or help you, don’t hesitate to call on us.”

Hunt called the first meeting to order at 10 o’clock that Saturday morning. Along with him in that meeting room were K.S. Bud Adams of Houston, Harry Wismer of New York, Barron Hilton of Los Angeles and from the Minneapolis-St. Paul franchise were Max Winter, Bill Boyer, H.P. Skoglund and Sydney Goff. …Read More!

Chiefs Liked the Favre Frenzy

From Minneapolis, Minnesota

The mood inside the Metrodome on Friday night was electric. It seemed like anything other than the second pre-season game on the schedule for both the Vikings and the Chiefs.

That was due to No. 4, Brett Favre. The crowd is always loud inside the dome, but it was even louder for this game and that was OK with the Chiefs.

“It was great being out there,” said ILB Derrick  Johnson. “It really had the feel of a regular season game and that can only help us.”

Said ILB Corey Mays: “It was great. This i s what we train for and it was a great atmosphere.”

But a tough one for Favre after so many years of being booed in this stadium. …Read More!

Search For Identity Continues

From Minneapolis, Minnesota

One of the items on the to-do list for the Chiefs coaching staff when they jumped the plane to fly to the northwoods back on July 30th was this:

Find our identity on offense, defense and special teams.

Training camp in Wisconsin is now over, and two pre-season games are in the books after Friday night’s 17-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Opening day in Baltimore is now just three weekends away.

Are the Chiefs any closer to finding out just what kind of team they are going to become?

The locker room consensus from the Metrodome was no on offense, closer on defense and still looking in the kicking game, although rookie kicker Ryan Succop has established that he could be the real deal when it comes to putting boot to ball.

Let’s start with the defense.

“I think we showed more tonight the things that we can do on defense,” said ILB Derrick Johnson. “We got after some things, we got after the quarterback. We did a good job on the run and that’s something we’ve been working on. We forced some things and that’s what we want to be. ” …Read More!

The Other Guy Beats the Chiefs, 17-13

From Minneapolis, Minnesota

On a night when the most famous quarterback from Mississippi was making a debut in his new home, it was a quarterback from Alabama that was the best passer on the field.

And in the end that helped the Vikings beat the Chiefs as Minnesota grabbed a 17-13 victory in front of a full house announced as 62,782 fans at the Metrodome.

The game’s outcome was in doubt until the final play, as QB Matt Gutierrez drove the Chiefs down to the Vikings one-yard line where the Chiefs had four plays to score. They couldn’t get it done, as Gutierrez and WR Ashley Lelie could not hook up on a fade pattern in the back corner of the end zone as time ran out.

Now 0-2 in the pre-season, the Chiefs play on both offense and defense lacked consistency. While still experimenting on offense, they were able to move the ball at times but lacked a real killer punch. They also turned the ball over twice on fumbles. Defensively, they made Brett Favre’s first game in a purple uniform miserable, but after that they had trouble stopping the Vikings offense.

“I wanted to start faster offensive, which I think we did, even though we put the ball on the ground a couple of times,” said Todd Haley. “We got on the board and got a lead, which I thought was critical after last week. We hurt ourselves with penalties and turnovers.

“Defensively, big plays on third down were killers for us.” …Read More!

Favre Mania Fizzles

From Minneapolis, Minnesota

A pack of television cameramen and photographers had their backs to the playing field inside the Metrodome at 6 p.m. Their attention was not on the few players from the Chiefs and Vikings warming up on the field.

They were looking for No. 4, and we don’t mean Tyler Thigpen.

At 6:20 p.m., Brett Favre ran out of the southeast tunnel in the Dome and into the lives of the purple clad fans of the Minnesota Vikings. The cheer barely caused a ripple because the stadium was only about 20 percent full at that point. The guys with the horns are thrilled that Favre is wearing purple, but not excited enough to show up early to see him run onto the field.

They eventually made their way into the Hump and while every seat was not filled, it was a pretty big crowd for a pre-season game against a team that finished last season 2-14. …Read More!

Opponent: Minnesota Vikings

Last year: 10-6 and finished in first-place in NFC North. Lost in the first-round of playoffs

Head coach: Brad Childress in his fourth season. Vikings record under Childress is 24-25.

Last appearance in playoffs: Last season, when they lost 26-14 at home to Philadelphia in the first round.

Starting Quarterback: Some fellow named Favre, first name Brett. Played 16 games last year for the New York Jets and threw for 3,472 yards, with 22 TDs and 22 INTs. He holds every major passing mark in the NFL record book.

Offensive Threat: RB Adrian Peterson is one of the NFL’s biggest offensive weapons. Last year, he ran for 1,760 yards on 363 carries, or 4.8 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns. Peterson has not been much of a receiver, catching just 21 passes for 125 yards last year. WR Bernard Berrian catches most of the passes with 48 for 964 yards and seven TDs last year. …Read More!

Favre & Barry Show … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The track for Barry Richardson is all clear.

There’s nothing but green lights and go signals between him and the job as the Chiefs starting right tackle. All he has to do is move his now much lighter caboose down the track with as few problems as possible.

That begins Friday night at the Metrodome when the Chiefs have pre-season game No. 2 against the Minnesota Vikings (7 p.m. kickoff.)

On the purple side of the game the attention falls on 34-year old quarterback who is out to push his career to 19 years. Brett Favre reportedly will start for the Vikings. How long he plays is unknown, but he’s not expected to be out there very long.

On the red side of the field are dozens of stories like that of Barry Richardson – guys just trying to make a place for themselves in the NFL. In his rookie season last year, Richardson got just special teams duty in six games. He did not play a down on offense.

Todd Haley wasn’t naming any starters on Thursday as the Chiefs started packing before breaking camp. But this week, Richardson was moved into the starting lineup at right tackle ahead of Damion McIntosh and Herb Taylor. To stay there, he must make tonight’s performance a good one.

“I try to get a little bit better every day,” Richardson said. “That’s what I want to do Friday night, just get better.”

Richardson’s opportunity is a bit of a surprise, but it comes due to his willingness to dive in head first to Haley’s off-season program. …Read More!

NFL Kickoff ’09: Biggest Turnarounds

So Chiefs fan, you want to dream?

Can your team pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history? To make that happen, the Chiefs would have to go 13-3 this season, for a victory increase of plus-11.

That would top out what the Miami Dolphins did last year, going from 1-15 to 11-5. The Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 season went from 3-13 to 13-3. Those were the two biggest one season turnarounds over the 86-year history of the NFL. The odds are not good.

Here are the biggest improvements in league history in victories from one season to the next:

*-made playoffs, **-best NFL record, ***-won Super Bowl.

Cassel Says Offense Seeks Identity

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Rain has put a damper on the last days of 2009 Chiefs training camp here in the northwoods. Luckily, most of the heavy lifting for the week was already done and all that was left to do was final preparations for Friday night’s pre-season game against the Vikings over in Minneapolis.

The Chiefs will leave Wisconsin with questions about their offense, which has been unproductive and inefficient to date. On Thursday, QB Matt Cassel said that one of the things slowing down the development on his side of the ball is the search for just what the Chiefs approach will be on offense

“They are throwing a lot at us as a team, trying to see what we can handle offensively,” Cassel said. “We are trying to see what we are going to be. Are we going to be a running team? Or are we going to be a passing team? … We are still trying to find our identity.”

Cassel’s performance has been up and down as well, but he said he feels like progress  has been made. …Read More!

Texans Memories: Pre-Season Game No. 4

The Texans finally got a chance to play in Texas on Friday night, August 20, 1960.

But the game did not go down in Dallas.

Instead, the first-year Texans faced the New York Titans in Abilene, playing at the Public Schools Stadium (below) before a crowd of 8,000. Before the game it was predicted that 12,000 fans would show up.

Unfazed by the small turnout, the Texans continued their perfect pre-season no matter what state they played in, grabbing a 38-14 victory and moving their record to 4-0.

The star of this game was QB Cotton Davidson. In the first three pre-season games, Davidson had been a scattershot in the pocket. The veteran passer completed half of his 68 passes going into game No. 4, but he had missed several wide open receivers, especially down the field.

“I think we’ve got that corrected,” Texans head coach Hank Stram said before the game. “Cotton was making up his mind who he was going to throw to before he looked at what was going on. He would look one way, fake and throw too quickly in another direction. We saw it in the game films. I think we’ve got him aware of it now.”

Davidson was part of three touchdowns in the game, running for two and throwing for another one. That scoring toss was a 42-yard strike to RB Johnny Robinson in the third quarter that gave the Texans a 17-7 lead. In the game, Davidson hit 14 of 23 passes for 205 yards. Overall, the Texans had 478 yards on offense. …Read More!

A Quiet Camp … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs are getting ready to break camp here in the northwoods.

Pause with me for a moment and think about the last three weeks. Can you remember a single thing that any of the 80 bodies wearing Chiefs uniforms has said during the team’s stay here?

I’m still pondering. Except for a brief trip to Canton, I’ve been here for every practice, every press conference and have seen and heard most everything that the players have uttered for public consumption.

I can’t think of a thing that caused a headline or a stir. First-round pick Tyson Jackson had the quietest contract negotiations in Chiefs history. Players who didn’t pass their conditioning test were not allowed to practice. There was grumbling among the veterans, but it was done under their breath.

No off-field incidents have reached the media. Doesn’t mean there haven’t been any, or that there have been any. There just haven’t been any headlines.

It’s been very quiet … and that’s just what Pioli/Haley wanted in their first camp. The only voice that’s been heard here in the Falls is that of the head coach. Of course, he has met almost daily with the media since the team landed here on July 30th, so his exposure the scribes, throats and hairdos has been far greater than anyone else. …Read More!

NFL Kickoff ’09: Travel Miles

Not sure it will matter this season, but the Chiefs have one advantage over their AFC West competitors: they will have less travel time than the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos.

This year, the Chiefs will travel 16,896 miles, which ranks 18th this season in most miles to reach 10 road games.

Seattle has the most travel miles with 29,054. San Francisco is also over 29,000. Ranking No. 3 is San Diego, Oakland is No. 5 and with the eighth most miles is Denver.

A trip around the world is 25,000 miles, so there are five teams that will fly that much this season.

The Cleveland Browns will travel the least, moving just 7,554 for their 10 road games. The defending Super Bowl champion Steelers are the only other team under 10,000 miles, as they will travel 9,688 miles out and back to Pittsburgh.

All totaled the league teams will travel a combined 578,912 miles.

Here’s how it breaks down: …Read More!

Tornado Warning Ends Meetings

From River Falls, Wisconsin

In the 19 years that the Chiefs have been coming north for training camp the best weather conditions have come this year, their final summer in the northwoods.

Until Wednesday afternoon, that is.

Heavy thunderstorms, including a big, dark wall cloud rolled up from the south and dropped a large amount of rain on the UW-River Falls campus starting at lunch time. A tornado warning right around 2:50 p.m. CDT ended the team’s meetings in the University Center and players and staff were sent to stairwells and enclosed rooms.

The all-clear came about 10 minutes later as the fast moving storm cleared the campus. The players and coaches however, remained in the building waiting for a more definitive statement that it was OK to head  outside. At 3:40 p.m. they were still waiting for that word. Head coach Todd Haley was working the phones, trying to get some official word that the storm was over.

Winds remained high, but the only damage appeared to be a few bicycles knocked over and tree limbs down. There was some minor street flooding on campus.

The foul weather was expected to clear River Falls by 4:30 p.m.  That just happens to be when the Chiefs second practice of the day is scheduled. It’s hard to believe Haley will take his team outside on fields that have been hit with more than a half-inch of rain, but they worked in the rain earlier in camp. It just wasn’t a storm with as much water as what’s gone down Wednesday afternoon.

Haley said he would wait to get weather and field reports before making a decision on the afternoon practice.

UPDATE @ 3:49 p.m. – Haley has moved practice indoors to the Knowles Building which is not designed or laid out for indoor football. Essentially, it will be a walkthrough practice.

UPDATE @ 4:15 p.m. – Tornado sires sounding throughout River Falls as another group of fast-moving black clouds is coming from the south and heading towards the northeast. The Chiefs are all inside the Knowles Building getting ready for practice.

Camp Practice Update 8/19 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Todd Haley made it very plain Wednesday morning that something he said on Tuesday should not have been taken as unhappiness with QB Matt Cassel.

Haley was asked if Cassel had been the best quarterback in camp. The head coach responded with “I’ll hold out on answering that right now.”

That was translated as a slam at the man the Chiefs have made their franchise quarterback.

“This is a full-time evaluation,” Haley said. “You’ve got game situations and one quarterback’s game situation may have been different than another’s. There are a lot of things that go into the equation that I don’t think it’s fair for any of those guys to answer that question.

“Matt is working hard. He’s into it. He cares about it. This is training camp and we are evaluating a lot of different guys, a lot of receivers, a lot of running backs, tight ends, the whole deal. ”

Wednesday’s morning practice was a mixed bag, as the Chiefs got their first look at some of Minnesota’s offense and defense during the drill. They face the Vikings on Friday night in Minneapolis.

“We have a game tape to watch of them, but we really haven’t done a lot more than we did last week,” Haley said. “There are some specific things they do that we’ll cover but it won’t be a full game plan.”

Here are some notes, quotes and tidbits from the morning session: …Read More!

No Favre Mania In The Falls … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Some 45 miles away, a football drama was playing out in the Twin Cities.

After so many reports, rumors, exclusives and false starts, Brett Favre landed in Minnesota on Tuesday. He signed a two-year contract, took a physical and then went out to practice for the Vikings at their facility in Eden Prairie.

That’s Favre signing the paperwork on the right, with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf standing to Favre’s left, while other team officials check out the contract. (Photo from the Vikings)

And get this, he is expected to start on Friday night when the Chiefs travel to the Metrodome to face the Vikings in pre-season game No. 2.

So what was the reaction just a few miles away, here in woods of Wisconsin? How about a yawn, a shrug, and a “who gives a bleep” look.

Vikings fans were storming the team’s offices and dialing incessantly for tickets and the Chiefs were just trying to get through another day of training camp work.

“Really? That’s nice,” said OLB Tamba Hali when told Favre was joining the Vikings and had practiced with them on Tuesday. When he was told Favre was likely to start against the Chiefs, Hali said “Really? Huh.” Then he shrugged and walked away. …Read More!

NFL Kickoff ‘09: Close Games

During the 2008 NFL season, 14 percent of the games were decided in the last two minutes or overtime.

In 32 percent of those games, a potential game-winning/tying drive or actual game-winning drive took place within the 20-yard line with two minutes to go.

Nearly half were decided by one score:

There were 256 games played during the ’08 regular season:

Camp Practice Update 8/18 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Mike Vrabel says that Brett Favre’s routine of missing training camp and then showing up to play quarterback wouldn’t fly with the regime of Pioli/Haley with the Chiefs.

Would Todd Haley agree?

“I’m just worried about this house; it’s on fire and I’m just trying to keep it from burning down,” Haley said after the Chiefs Tuesday afternoon practice here in the northwoods.

What’s been smoldering for the Chiefs has been the offense, and there was some improvement on Tuesday, but it seemed to come more from the running game than the passing game.

After practice Haley was asked about the play of his starting QB Matt Cassel and the state of the offense.

“I think in general, across the board, for us to have a chance we are going to have to play pretty good football,” said Haley. “We are not going to be able to beat ourselves, whether it’s poor throws, penalties, turnovers, whatever it is.

“I’m always concerned with the quarterback. I thought today we threw the ball around a little bit. I think there were some positives in the passing game.”

Not enough positives in the case of QB Brodie Croyle, however. During a drill, Croyle fumbled a snap from center and then there was confusion on a play whether it was a run or pass. Haley yanked Croyle from the drill, replacing him with Matt Gutierrez. In the next portions of practice, Gutierrez worked and Croyle did not. But towards the end of practice, Croyle was back with the No. 2 offense.

Haley was also unhappy and expressed his point to rookie WR Quinten Lawrence who less than enthusiastically went after a couple of passes in the middle of the field.

“Most everybody is afraid; that comes with the territory of being an NFL receiver,” said Haley. “But you have to go places that aren’t too comfortable. You’ve just got to get the job done.”

More from the afternoon workout: …Read More!

Will Chiefs See Favre?

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It sounds like our long national sporting nightmare is about to make a comeback.

WCCO-TV in Minneapolis is reporting Tuesday morning that Brett Favre is on the way to the Twin Cities and will sign a contract today with the Vikings. Sportscaster Mark Rosen is the source of this report and he’s about as clued in when it comes to what’s happening sportswise in the cities as anyone.

If true, Favre would be on the roster Friday night when the Vikings host the Chiefs at the Metrodome. Hard to believe No. 4 would play in the game, but with this story, it’s hard to say anything concrete.

It was back in late July that Favre told the Vikings he was going to stay retired. If he’s changed his mind, it may have something to do with the fact the team broke training camp down in Mankato last week. Head coach Brad Childress has his team working out of their facility now and veteran players are allowed to stay at home.

It’s not hard to believe that Favre would want to miss the dorm room part of camp.

The Situation With Situations … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It’s been part of the Bill Belichick approach to coaching for years. The Patriots coach learned it from Bill Parcells.

That’s the same source of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley’s interest and devotion to schooling his team on specific football situations.

“The game is made up of a lot of situations and in order to be a smart team you have to know what’s going on, you have to understand the situation and you almost have to do it without coaching,” Haley said.

That’s why practice periods where the drill is defined by the score, field position or time on the clock have become an every practice thing for the Chiefs in this training camp. That emphasis will continue into the regular season practices as well.

“I want a mentally and physically tough team that’s smart, specifically situation smart and the game these days is almost all situations,” Haley said. “You’re either coming out (of the end zone), you’re in the Red Zone, it’s two-minute (situation), it’s the end of the half, it’s short yardage, it’s goal line, it’s four-minute.”

Haley says he’s coached for teams that spent little or no time practicing for game situations. He said his father Dick Haley, one of the player personnel gurus of those great Steelers teams of the 1970s, always bemoaned the fact that Chuck Noll never practiced the two-minute drill.

“Just since I’ve been in the league, practices have gotten shorter and shorter,” Haley said. “A lot of times working on situations gets cut out of the schedule. But with Parcells, it was always something that was important to us as a coaching staff. We made time for it. We adapted practices to make sure we got everything covered. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/17 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Todd Haley was all over his offense in the Chiefs Monday afternoon practice here in the northwoods.

He kept  up a constant chatter throughout the workout of encouragement, criticism and frustration as he asked his offense to be productive and start fast.

There were mixed results. At the end of practice, the Chiefs went into a situation period. The No. 1 offense had two minutes and 80 yards to score a TD with no timeouts. On seven plays, QB Matt Cassel had led  the offense to the defense’s 43-yard line, but on the eighth play, his pass was picked off by CB Maurice Leggett.

The No. 2 offense had this situation: 50 seconds to play, one timeout and they needed a FG to win, with the ball starting ata their 40-yard line. Basically, the offense needed to get to the defense’s 25-yard line to set up a kick. QB Brodie Croyle completed two short passes and was forced to use his timeout. A third-and-2 play became a third-and-7 play when TE Brad Cottam jumped early and was penalized for a false start.

But on that play, Croyle found WR Mark Bradley wide open about 20 yards down the field and hit him in stride. Bradley then ran untouched through the No. 2 defense for a touchdown.

Other notes and highlights from the afternoon practice: …Read More!

What Does Lelie Bring To The Chiefs?

From River Falls, Wisconsin

If there were any doubts that the Chiefs have reached a desperate stage in improving their wide receiver group, the signing on Monday of Ashley Lelie should end those.

Pioli/Haley are doing anything and everything they can to increase the talent level, and that includes signing a guy that has played for four different teams in seven seasons. Lelie has been one of the great first-round draft choice under-achievers in this decade. He came out of the University of Hawaii with speed, speed, speed, supposedly running the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds.

Seven years later, what does the 29-year old Lelie bring the Chiefs? Does he still have his speed? Why will he succeed in Kansas City when he was inconsistent in Denver and failed in Atlanta, San Francisco and Oakland? Since he was traded away by the Broncos during a pre-season contract holdout, Lelie has played in 43 games and caught a total of 49 passes for 742 yards and three TDs for three different teams. (That’s him getting crunched last year by Brandon Carr and Bernard Pollard in a Chiefs-Raiders game.)

Not exactly the recent resume of a difference maker.

“I think he’s healthy and he’s a little different (style) than anything we have,” said Haley. “He’s a long, lean guy with some speed, with some potential top end speed. I thought it was a chance to get somebody in here that’s a little different than what we had.” …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/17 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs got back to work Monday morning here in the northwoods with a full pads practice and an energy level that was pleasing to the head coach.

“They were competitive out there and that was good,” said Todd Haley.

Free safety Jarrad Page said more: “We had a lot of energy and that was good to see because we could have come off that game (16-10 loss to Houston) with our heads down and dragging. But everybody was working hard and with enthusiasm. We know Coach Haley isn’t going to cut us any slack., so we responded.”

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe did not play his way completely out of coach Haley’s doghouse with his five-catch, 70-yard performance in the preseason opener against the Texans. He was still running with the second and third team receivers in Monday AM practice.  “We are still a work in progress,” said Haley of Bowe. “I was encouraged with what Dwayne did in the game. There were some highlights and a couple of things Dwayne did that proably weren’t noticed that need to be better.”

There was another new face in the receivers huddle during this practice, as the Chiefs signed journeymen Ashley Lelie. A former first-round choice of the Broncos, he’s played for four teams over his career, the most recent last year with the Raiders. To make room for Lelie, the Chiefs waived WR Jeff Webb.

It looked like the Chiefs got through the Houston game without much in the way of big injuries. QB Tyler Thigpen did not practice, although he was moving around without much problem. SS Bernard Pollard has a right ankle/foot injury that he suffered in the game. Pollard started in practice,  but eventually left. Also OLB Andy Studebaker had his right arm wrapped with what looked like a possible elbow injury. But he took part in practice.

Here’s other nuggets and info from the morning session: …Read More!

Keeping Bowe On The Leash … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

If I’ve used this story before, then excuse me. But I think it’s very illustrative in explaining WR Dwayne Bowe’s situation with the Chiefs.

Years ago the late defensive coordinator/NFL head coach Bud Carson was talking about players. He said something I’ve never forgotten. Bud said the players on a team fall into three categories: those that know what it takes to win, those that don’t know, and those that don’t know that they don’t know.

“It’s that third group that will get you killed as a coach,” the crusty Carson said. “I’d rather have a guy without a clue, than a guy that thinks he has all the answers but doesn’t know squat.”

So on a rainy Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium, Bowe fights his way out of the head coach’s doghouse, has a nice game and now everybody wants Todd Haley to take his mercurial wide receiver off the choke chain and let him run free again in the neighborhood.

Whether Bowe is back running with the first-team offense this coming Friday night against the Vikings over in Minneapolis remains to be seen. But it wouldn’t make much sense for Haley to suddenly stop what has obviously begun to produce some results.

Bowe definitely falls in the category of players who “don’t know what they don’t know.” There have been a lot of those guys on the Chiefs roster in this decade. They believed they had the plan and answers to create a winning team, but it’s turned out over 10 years that they didn’t even have the right questions, let alone the correct answers. In two seasons, Bowe has caught 156 passes for 2,017 yards and he believes that gives him credibility. Of course, those catches and yards came for a team that finished 6-26.

Bowe and many other young veterans on this Chiefs team have no idea what it takes to be a consistent winner in pro football. …Read More!

Monsoon Leftovers From Arrowhead

On the way to River Falls, Wisconsin

All the way up I-35 through Iowa there was evidence that Arrowhead Stadium was not the only place that got some rain Saturday night. Puddles and giant pools of water dotted the corn and soybean fields of Iowa.

That kind of moisture may be good for the crops, but it’s not so good for a football game and it made a difficult evening for the Chiefs more so as they fell to the Houston Texans 16-10.

It’s not so much the score or even the game’s outcome that furrowed the brow of the Chiefs fans who bothered to show up to watch the game, or saw it on the telly. It was the fact that despite massive changes in the organization – a change in culture according to GM Scott Pioli – the results on the field looked just like last year’s Chiefs.

Not enough offense, not enough defense and after Dustin Colquitt, very little from the kicking game. Yet, there the Chiefs were, late in the game, with a chance to win. …Read More!

Seems DBowe Was Paying Attention

From Arrowhead Stadium

Maybe the most encouraging news to come out of the Chiefs loss in the pre-season opener Saturday night was the play of Dwayne Bowe.

Fighting his way out of Todd Haley’s doghouse, Bowe was the top individual performer in the Houston Texans 16-10 victory. He caught five passes for 70 yards when he finally got in the game midway through the second quarter with the No. 2 offense led by QB Brodie Croyle.

“I think it was good for him to get out there and make some plays and kind of get his confidence going and get him rolling,” said Croyle. “He was sharp. He was sharp on his routes. I signaled a couple of things to him that he picked up. He really had a good game.”

After the game, Bowe continued his practice of keeping his mouth shut. If that’s what it takes, Bowe should keep doing it. …Read More!

An Ugly Start For The New Regime

From Arrowhead Stadium

This was not the start that Scott Pioli, Todd Haley or Matt Cassel envisioned for the new era of Chiefs football.

On a rainy Saturday night and in front of one of the smallest crowds that Arrowhead Stadium has seen in some time, the Chiefs dropped pre-season game No. 1 to the Houston Texans, 16-10.

Tape study may produce some positives from this game for Haley and his coaching staff, but they will be few and very hard to find.

OK, how about the best player wearing red on the field was P Dustin Colquitt, who averaged 48.2 yards on six punts. If that sounds familiar it should; that’s been part of the plot line for the Chiefs over the previous two seasons.

“I think we made too many mistakes to think we would have the chance to win the game,” Haley said.”You can’t expect to win games converting 23 percent of your third downs, which was a major problem for us. You can’t expect to win a game with the penalties we had and the situations we had them in (eight penalties walked off for 65 yards.)”

And you can’t expect to win when you go minus-three in the turnover ratio. …Read More!

Pre-Season Week One: Chiefs To Watch

From Arrowhead Stadium

As the Chiefs kickoff the 2009 pre-season Saturday evening at Arrowhead Stadium against the Houston Texans, there are a lot of nervous coaches and players. Openers do that to people, especially openers of a new era or regime.

On an 80-man roster where 75 players should be available to play, about half of that roster has real doubts and concerns about where they will be a month from now. This year under Scott Pioli and Todd Haley it may be more than half.

So there are a lot of players to watch in this Chiefs-Texans matchup. Here are five: …Read More!

Opponent: The Houston Texans

Last year: 8-8, third place in the AFC South.

Head coach: Gary Kubiak in his fourth season. Texans record under Kubiak is 22-26.

Last appearance in playoffs:  Never. Texans were born in 2002 and have not earned a post-season berth.

Starting Quarterback: Matt Schaub, sixth-year QB out of Virginia who came over from Atlanta in a 2007 trade. Last year he threw for 3,043 yards with 15 TDs and 10 INTs.

Offensive Threat: That’s WR Andre Johnson, one of the best in the NFL. The seven-year vet out of the University of Miami caught 115 passes last year for 1,575 yards and eight touchdowns. At 6-3, 228 pounds, Johnson is a prototype NFL receiver.

Defensive Threat: DE Mario Williams, the fourth-year pro out of North Carolina State. The Texans took heat for grabbing Williams rather than Reggie Bush or Vince Young in that ’06 NFL Draft. Last year, Williams had 12 sacks.

Draft Picks: Grabbed Southern Cal LB Brian Cushing with their first-round pick last April. Cushing is out now with a knee injury, but expected back in several weeks. In the second round they grabbed Cincinnati DE Connor Barwin and found big center Antoine Caldwell out of Alabama in the third round.

Familiar Names: Battling for a job at FB is former Chiefs LB-FB Boomer Grigsby. “Boomer has done some good things,” said Kubiak. “He has proved to us that he fits what we do and now it’s time for him to go prove it on the field.” … On Kubiak’s coaching staff are the father and son team of Alex and David Gibbs, who both coached with the Chiefs.  Alex carries the title assistant head coach/offense, while David is the team’s defensive backs coach, a role he filled for the previous three seasons with the Chiefs.

Other familiar names to NFL fans on the Texans roster are CB Deltha O’neal, QB Rex Grossman and LB Cato June.

Got To Start Sometime … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin; Kansas City and points in between

The Chiefs practice was winding down at UW-River Falls on Thursday with the offense and defense working through a goal line segment.

Over on another field, the specialists were standing around talking, pretty much like they do during games, just waiting for action. Newly re-signed long snapper Thomas Gafford, rookie kicker Ryan Succop and punter Dustin Colquitt were done for the day and killing time.

“What do we do down there Saturday night?” Succop asked Colquitt. “When do we go out to kick? Where do we go? What time should we be there?”

Colquitt patiently went through the details for the rookie kicker who like many others on the Chiefs roster and around the league are playing their first NFL game this weekend.

The Scott Pioli/Todd Haley/Matt Cassel/Tyson Jackson Era begins Saturday evening as the Chiefs open the 2009 pre-season schedule against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium. (Kickoff is just after 7 p.m.)

The Chiefs arrived back in Kansas City early Friday afternoon after two weeks in the northwoods of intense and physically demanding practices. And their first-time head coach is a feeling a little bit like his rookie kicker: not sure what to really expect when his team hits the field.

“Get through pre-game without incident, get lined up for stretch – those are things we’re going through right now as a staff that have me worried to start with,” Haley said. “Then, getting the ball kicked off with everybody … I mean every part of Saturday night is going to be a stepping stone for us and for me personally.

“The pre-game warm-up in the pre-season is one of the most chaotic things you’ll ever be a part of and just to get everybody organized because they’re nervous and we’re nervous. You’ve got to remember this is the first time we’ve aligned out coaches, where they’re going to be, who’s in the (coaching) box, who is on the field, there are a lot of things you’re trying to do on top of getting ready for practice out here and trying to get the team better. Then once you get into the game, it’s keeping guys back. It’s a chaotic situation.” …Read More!

Texans Memories: Pre-Season Game No. 3

The Dallas Texans got out of their Roswell, New Mexico training camp for a week and practiced in the Boston area before pre-season game No. 3 against the Patriots.

It must have been helpful because the Texans won 24-14 pushing their exhibition record to an AFL best 3-0. It was also Sherrill Headrick’s coming out party as a huge defensive force in the American Football League.

Boston Herald sportswriter Arthur Sampson called it “an enthusiastic crowd of 11,050 at Harvard Stadium” that watched the game. It was the Patriots first-ever home game.

Dallas scored on its first offensive play, set up with possession on one of six interceptions by the Texans defense.

“Dallas has a very strong team,” Boston coach Lou Saban said after the game. “It is big and fast and well-balanced. You can’t make many mistakes and beat such a team. We made the mistakes and they won but I am certainly looking forward to playing them again in the championship season.” …Read More!

AFL Memories: The Official Annoucement

The eyes of the football world were on Chicago the evening of Friday, August 14, 1959.

At Soldier Field, they were playing the annual Chicago Charities College All-Star Game, pitting the defending NFL champion against a team of college all-stars. The Baltimore Colts led by Johnny Unitas won the 26th edition of the game 29-0. Playing for the all-stars that night and wearing No. 22 was a halfback from the University of Pittsburgh named Dick Haley.

But there was another football story in town that night, one that would prove to be much bigger than the Colts victory.

The dateline was from Chicago, Illinois. The date was Friday, August 14th. Here was the report from United Press International:

“A second professional football league to be called the American Football League was formed tonight and franchises were announced for six cities. Lamar Hunt of Dallas said teams would be formed in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, New York and Los Angeles. Hunt said Barron Hilton, a son of the hotel owner Conrad N. Hilton would head the Los Angeles franchise. Hunt the founder of the league said it planned to begin play in 1960. Hunt said the league might expand to eight teams, with the other two coming from Seattle, Buffalo, San Francisco, Miami or Kansas City. It was also reported that New Orleans was a possibility.”

Thus, the world was introduced to the AFL. …Read More!

Work In Progress … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

“It’s a work in progress.”

Those were the words of Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel as he talked about the team’s offense, or more specifically the team’s passing game.

What was evident and visible in the team’s off-season workouts in Kansas City has continued here in the northwoods: the passing game is out of synch. Some days it’s pretty ugly and inefficient. Other days there’s a flicker of things coming together.

What Chiefs fans will see Saturday night in the pre-season opener at Arrowhead Stadium is anybody’s guess.

“We are making a lot of progress,” Cassel said. “There are a lot of things being thrown at us right now in the terms of concepts; we are trying to look at a bunch of different things. Overall, we are definitely making a lot of strides.

“It’s a work in progress. We are trying to build that rapport and chemistry every day. Every day that we spent out there together is another day that we get to build on that. You go into the pre-season games and hope to build that chemistry even more. You are under pressure, it’s not a controlled environment like practice and it’s good to see how people perform.”

There has been a lot of focus on the wide receivers as a group and their contributions to the struggling passing game. But the quarterbacks should not be kept out of the circle of blame. The top trio on the roster – Cassel, Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen – has not had great camps in any manner. Croyle was rusty coming out of the chute, which was expected given his inability to work with the offense during the off-season. Thigpen really seems to be pressing. The spread offense that was his comfort zone last year has not been seen in the off-season work or during training camp. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/13 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

For the first time in this 2009 training camp, the Chiefs had a practice day without pads. That was Todd Haley’s decision as they went through a practice geared towards special teams and preparation for Saturday’s pre-season opener against Houston.

Haley may have regretted his decision on the pads, because the pace and tempo of the work was not to his liking. “It was not perfect by any means, but we did get it under our belts,” was Haley’s evaluation of the session.

The Chiefs made a roster move Thursday morning, released long snapper Tanner Purdum and re-signing long snapper Thomas Gafford. It’s a search for more consistency at the position, as Purdum’s snaps have been trending a bit high in recent practices.

Here’s some info from the workout: …Read More!

Cassel: “Be Efficient, Run Offense And Do My Job”

From River Falls, Wisconsin

There are some butterflies building in Matt Cassel’s stomach.

They go along with his sore right arm.

That’s how the Chiefs starting quarterback will return on Friday to Kansas City and into Saturday’s pre-season opener against the Houston Texans.

The butterflies are natural as he’ll make his debut at Arrowhead Stadium as the franchise quarterback. So is the sore arm; as the No. 1 passer, he’s gotten a lot of more throws in two weeks of training camp than he’s seen in the past.

“I’m definitely a little antsy and excited about getting in front of the Arrowhead fans and to be there because Arrowhead is such a historical place,” Cassel said Thursday afternoon in the northwoods.

“My goal is to go out be efficient and run the offense and hopefully we have some success. My goal every time I go out there is be efficient, run the offense and do my job.” …Read More!

Northwoods Labor Talk … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

DeMaurice Smith is the new executive director of the NFL Players Association. He’s the guy the players elected to replace Gene Upshaw.

And he was a visitor here in the northwoods Wednesday morning, taking in a Chiefs practice session with three others from the union, including Raytown South and former Chiefs safety Jason Belser who works as a senior regional director for the association.

Smith is touring all the training camps this fall because looming on the horizon are hard negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners. Several preliminary sessions have already taken place, but there are many, many more sessions to come.

It’s a battle over billions of dollars, with ownership intent on keeping more of the money and the players trying to maintain status quo when it comes to what revenues roll into their pay checks.

Smith did not get a chance to address the team as a whole on the current situation, but he talked with several players as they came off the practice field.

“We’ve made the rounds of 26, 27 teams,” said Smith. “We’ve got a battle coming as it relates to our collective bargaining agreement.” …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/12 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs worked long and hard in their second practice of Wednesday and wrapped up a day where the offense got a little bit better.

One group that’s struggling on the offensive side is the quarterbacks. Whether it’s Matt Cassel, or Brodie Croyle, or Tyler Thigpen there is no consistency out of that position. I’ll leave Matt Gutierrez out because he doesn’t get enough snaps.

Here’s a perfect example from Wednesday’s P.M. practice. Thigpen was in and connected on a long pass play to WR Taurus Johnson that beat CB Ricardo Colclough. Johnson ran a nice route and Thigpen delivered the ball right on the button.

On the next play, Thigpen stood in against a heavy rush and ended up jumping up in the air to throw the ball over the defensive front. Only problem is there was no receiver he was throwing it too. It looked like he was trying to throw it away, but it was a dangerous pass, the type that get picked off on a regular basis.

Consistency is what the Chiefs lack right now on the offensive side of the ball and it starts with the triggermen at quarterback.

Other notes from the afternoon work: …Read More!

Haley on Arrowhead

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Since he was named head coach of the Chiefs back in February, Todd Haley has had plenty of chances to drive up the hill from the team’s training complex and visit Arrowhead Stadium.

But he’s purposefully stayed away.

“I’m saving that for Saturday,” Haley said on Wednesday morning.

He wants his first steps into the stadium as head coach to come Saturday night when the Chiefs open the pre-season schedule against the Houston Texans.

Haley has coached twice in Arrowhead while an assistant coach with other teams: 1998 with the New York jets and 2003 with the Chicago Bears. The Jets won, while the Bears lost. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/12 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Todd Haley threw his team a bone on Wednesday morning when he cut back on the practice time, putting the Chiefs through their shortest session of camp so far: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

“I thought it was crisp, I thought we got a lot done,” said Haley of the practice that went down in full pads under sunny and hot weather conditions here at UW-River Falls. “Overall I thought it was a pretty good morning, pretty competitive and I think the offense picked it up a bit. They made some tough plays from a couple different positions. It was a good start to the day.”

There were big name visitors watching the practice. NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith was there with three other union officials, including former Chiefs safety and Raytown South product Jason Belser. Also in camp for the rest of the week and working with the tight ends is former Giants TE Mark Bavaro.

“He’s a guy I’ve gotten to know over the years and he’s one of my favorite football players of all time,” said Haley. “I’m excited about having him in here to work with the tight ends. He can bring a lot to them.”

More from the morning workout: …Read More!

Who Are The Starters? …Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

There are times when football coaches are less than truthful.

One of those moments is when they say things like “nobody is guaranteed a job” or “we have competition at all 22 starting positions.”

Those are the types of things that Todd Haley has been saying for the last two weeks here in the northwoods.

And this is one case where we can almost believe the head coach. He’s in a position where he’s coaching a team that has won six of the last 32 games, and that kind of record tells us one thing: there wasn’t enough available talent. That means a coach is not going to walk in and find entrenched starters.

If Haley says there’s no starting job locked up at this point, that may actually be true of 21 of the 22 positions. The Chiefs aren’t paying Matt Cassel $28 million in guaranteed money to not be the starter. And while he may not be a starter, we know that a healthy Tyson Jackson makes the 53-man roster, because no team is going to cut a guy after they give him a contract with $31 million in guaranteed money.

But that still leaves 21 starting jobs and 51 roster spots open. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/11 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was a hot one Tuesday afternoon here in the northwoods, and it had nothing to do with the head coach’s demeanor or the hard hitting that’s been part of practice all through camp.

It was just hot outside, stinkin’ hot, the hottest practice day of this year’s camp, and maybe the last three or four years. Temperatures pushed into the high 80s and there was little or no breeze blowing through the UW-River Falls practice fields.

“This felt like training camp,” said head coach Todd Haley. “I thought this was an excellent day of work for us. I thought the guys pushed through well. Even after practice.”

LG Brian Waters had the offensive line as a group run extra gassers after practice as other players scattered over the three fields and worked on individual moves and the like. At one point, 10 minutes after the post-practice team huddle had broken up, there were still 29 players on the field doing something.

“Those are all things you like to see,” said Haley.

Here’s what else he saw and had to say about the 15th practice of the pre-season: …Read More!

Hurts So Good … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

His body hurts. His body aches. The bumps, bruises and stingers of training camp are an everyday issue for a 31-year old in his 10th season of professional football.

And Mike Brown loves every single ache, bump, bruise and stinger. He doesn’t really enjoy pain.

But it means he’s practicing football. He’s not rehabbing. He’s not watching from afar. Mike Brown is right in the middle of the mix of the Chiefs defense.

And, that feels good.

“I love playing football,” is Brown answer the question of why he’s putting his body through another training camp. “This is really the only place that wanted me to come in and try to find a role on this team.”

Brown has to love football to still be putting his body through another season of preparation. The second half of his career has been marked by injuries that wiped out three seasons in a four-year span. The man that was called the leader of the Bears defense by LB Brian Urlacher, couldn’t stay on the field. He hasn’t a full 16-game season since 2003. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/10 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs defense ruled the day during the team’s afternoon practice session at UW-River Falls.

Whether it was the seven-on-seven drill, the team work drill or the two-minute drill, the defense really stood up and played well. About the only spot portion of practice they lost to the offense was in the half-line run drill. There, the Chiefs running game was far more dominant than the run defense.

Rookie S Ricky Price had a pair of interceptions in the team work portion of practice, grabbing passes from Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen. Earlier in seven-on-seven, CB Ricardo Colclough grabbed an interception.

But the defense really stood up in the last 10 minutes in the two-minute drill. The Chiefs offense had 120 seconds, three timeouts and 80 yards to score a touchdown. QB Matt Cassel was able to get a pair of first downs, but the next four plays went like this: sack by LB Derrick Johnson, incomplete to WR Mark Bradley as CB Brandon Flowers broke up the play, completion to WR Devard Darling that just as easily could have been a sack for Mike Vrabel. On fourth down, Cassel found RB Javarris Williams short for what would have been a first down, but FS Jarrad Page leveled Williams with a big hit and the ball came out and was ruled incomplete.

With the second units, Brodie Croyle got five plays and produced one first down, hitting WR Dwayne Bowe on the first play for 12 yards. After that it was incomplete, a sack by CB Donald Washington on a blitz, an incompletion across the middle t o TE Jake O’Connell and then a sack on fourth down by DE Glenn Dorsey. Too bad to, because Croyle got the throw off and Bowe made a great catch on the sidelines, getting his toes in bounds.

Some other moments and nuggets from the practice, that went down in full pads under partly cloudy skies: …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/10 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was a mentally grinding practice for the Chiefs on Monday morning. Todd Haley put them through two hours plus of work and most of it dealt with special teams and situations.

The morning proved frustrating for the head coach.

“I want a mentally and physically tough team that is smart,” Haley said. “Specifically, situationally smart. The game these days is all situations. You are either coming out, you are in the red zone, you are in short yardage, you are in goal line, it’s end of the half, end of the game. The game is made up of a lot of situations and in order to be a smart team you have to know what’s going on. You have to understand the situations and you almost have to do it without coaches.

“Today was a lot less coaching to see what they know. There were a handful of them (players) who it was clear to me had not studied and stayed up on the situations. So yeah, I was upset about that.”

Haley’s verbal hammer fell on not only players but special teams coach Steve Hoffman. The head coach was especially upset when the team had what they call a “May Day” situation on a field goal. That’s where the game clock is running and the FG team has only seconds to line up and get off a kick. Haley explained the situation to the whole team,

But when it came time to kick, long snapper Tanner Purdum did not run on the field.

“I’d say that’s a problem,” Haley said afterwards. We won’t repeat what he said on the field because this is a family website.

Earlier, the Chiefs offense was in a situation where the clock was winding down and they needed a TD to win. They set up a hook and ladder type play, where a receiver catches the ball and then hands off to another receiver. Only the first time the offense ran the play, rookie RB Javarris Williams tried to hand off but WR Mark Bradley didn’t run the play and wasn’t there to take the handoff.

It was that kind of morning in the northwoods. Here’s more of what went down: …Read More!

A Final HOF Fling … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

From the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery opening to the long-overdue induction of Derrick Thomas there was a Kansas City feel everywhere in the middle of Ohio.

But the boys are still in the northwoods, pulling together the team for the 2009 season, and after this screed, we will return to giving you the best camp coverage around. Check us out late Monday morning with a practice update

Until then, we’ve got some other tidbits, stories and notes from a whirlwind weekend in Canton. …Read More!

Another Great D.T. Party … Sunday Cup O’Chiefs

From Canton, Ohio

The party roared late into the night in a big white tent just about 100 yards away from the Pro Football l Hall of Fame.

The bust of Derrick Thomas was not yet in its permanent position in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That will happen sometime on Sunday, when his bronze likeness joins the rest of the 2009 Class of HOF inductees in the circular room where all the busts of Hall of Famers, all 253 of them, sit in their place of honor.

But Saturday night, after an emotional induction evening, there was nothing but smiles and laughter inside the party tent where the Hunt Family staged a post-ceremony party. Music played, some people danced, the lives of lost friends and teammates were reviewed.

And in the corner of this tent sat D.T.’s bust. And just like it would have been if he were there in person, that bust was never alone. There was a parade of people who stood with it and had their picture taken. Some rubbed his head and others just stood and stared at what was obviously the face of Derrick Thomas.

Whoever casts these busts for the Hall of Fame does a remarkable job every year in capturing how a person really looks, or in the case of Derrick, how he looked. This image was spot on, a spitting image.

To see that all one had to do was see Derrion Thomas walking around, shaking hands and getting hugs from family and friends. With a profile view there is no doubt that Derrion is D.T.’s son. Derrion told the crowd that he will head off to junior college this fall and then hopefully onto the University of Missouri where he hopes to play football.

The rest of his brothers and sisters were there, along with his niece. That’s right, Derrick Thomas is a grandfather. …Read More!

Emotional Night For D.T.’s Party

From Canton, Ohio

It was like all the strings of Derrick Thomas’ life were tied together Saturday night inside a high school football stadium that is in the shadows of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Far from his native Miami, his college home in Alabama and his adopted hometown of Kansas City, all the pieces of Thomas’ life converged in an evening of celebration and emotion as Thomas entered the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2009.

He will now forever be a resident of Canton shrine that holds the greatest men to play the game of professional football.

“I know Derrick is smiling down now and is very happy that he’s now with some of the greatest players that ever played the game,” said his mother Edith Morgan. “He’d be so happy that this moment has come.”

While the Fawcett Stadium crowd of 12,695 was decidedly pro-Buffalo with the induction of Bills owner Ralph Wilson and the great pass rusher DE Bruce Smith, there was a big showing of Chiefs and D.T. fans wearing the red No. 58 throughout the stands and seats set up on the playing field. …Read More!

A Different D.T. Story

The good folks at the Arrowheadpride.com website asked me for a memory of Derrick Thomas to run on their site this weekend. Here’s what I sent them.

I saw every one of Derrick Thomas’ sacks, every one of his forced fumbles, every one of his safeties, recovered fumbles and touchdowns. D.T. was a remarkable defensive force in the game every time he stepped on the field. There have been very few defensive players who could change the course of a game. That was Derrick Thomas the player.

But there was so much more to Derrick than that and there are so many moments off the field were D.T. also left memories. One came in the 1992 off-season.

At the time, I was doing a morning radio show on KCFX with comedian/author/bon vivant David Naster. We booked an author for an in-studio appearance. Her name was Jean Hill and she had been the subject of a book JFK: The Last Dissenting Witness. She and the book’s author were scheduled to be in studio one morning.

Jean Hill had been in Dealey Plaza in Dallas on November 22, 1963. She was just 21 feet away from President John Kennedy when he was shot. Hill is visible in the Zapruder film as the woman wearing a red rain coat. That’s her wearing the red coat in this picture (right) taken from behind.

She said emphatically from the start that the shots at JFK came from the area that has become known as the “grassy knoll” not from the upper floors of the Texas Schoolbook Depository Building.

In the years after the assassination, Hill faded from public view. Many others in the Plaza that day died under unusual circumstances and her comments were in direct contradiction to the conclusions issued by the Warren Commission. She said she did not want the attention and feared for her life.

Eventually, she was convinced to tell her story. …Read More!

D.T. Goes Fifth

From Canton, Ohio

The 2009 class of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will officially enter the hallowed halls of Canton Saturday evening, starting at 6 p.m. CDT.  TV coverage is on ESPN and the NFL Network.

Chiefs LB Derrick Thomas will be the fifth of the six inductees who will be presented. Despite the best efforts of everyone to keep the ceremonies moving, expect about 30 minutes per inductee. That would put the portion of the ceremony for Thomas right around 8 o’clock.

He will be presented by former Chiefs president-GM Carl Peterson and his son Derrion will accept the honor for the Thomas family.

Here’s how the order of induction will go down:

1. Ralph Wilson Jr.
2. Randall McDaniel.
3. Bob Hayes.
4. Rod Woodson.
5. Derrick Thomas.
6. Bruce Smith.

The Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery

Cutting the ribbon on the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery were from the left Hall executive director Steve Perry, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Dan Hunt, Norma Hunt, Clark Hunt, Lamar Hunt Jr., Sharron Munson and Jan Stenerud.

From Canton, Ohio

The education, the experience and the celebration of America’s biggest sporting event all comes together in the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery that opened Saturday morning at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s named in honor of the man who created the American Football League, named the Super Bowl, came up with the Roman numbers for identification and named the Vince Lombardi Trophy that goes to the winner.

The Gallery is another reminder that the man who Chiefs fans know simply as Lamar was so much more over his life in professional football. A star studded crowd turned out to cut the ribbon on the newest addition to the Hall of Fame.

Among those welding scissors Saturday morning were Norma Hunt, Lamar Hunt’s four children, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Chiefs Hall of Fames Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Len Dawson, Jan Stenerud and Emmitt Thomas and other Hall of Fame members like Bart Starr and Troy Aikman.

“The American Football League, the Super Bowl, the name of the game, Lamar was an innovator and he never stopped innovating,” said Goodell. “I don’t think the NFL could express its gratefulness to Lamar Hunt in a better way than this Gallery.”

Norma Hunt is thought to be the only woman that’s seen all 43 Super Bowls played to date. …Read More!

Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

From Canton, Ohio

Derrick should have been there.

There are a lot of emotional moments over the Hall of Fame weekend for those about to take their spot with the other greats of the game.

There’s the Thursday night welcome event. There’s the Nitschke Luncheon on Friday afternoon and the Saturday morning parade through the streets of Canton. And of course, there’s the induction ceremonies themselves on Saturday evening in Fawcett Stadium. There’s the moment when they see the Hall of Fame murals like the one to the left.

But over the years I’ve seen enough of these weekends and talked with plenty of Hall of Famers to say maybe the most emotional moment comes with the Friday night dinner held at the Canton Civic Center. It’s a banquet to honor the Hall, those men in it, and those who are about to join.

And it was at last night’s dinner where Derrick Thomas was sorely missed. His son Derrion filled in for his father, but nobody, nobody would have enjoyed the pageantry of the evening more than D.T. …Read More!

It’s Signed, It’s a Deal

The Chiefs announced Friday afternoon that they have a signed agreement with No. 1 draft  choice DE Tyson Jackson.

Early indications are that the deal with Jackson is for five years, and somewhere just short of $60 million, with $31 million in guaranteed dollars. If accurate, the guaranteed money is the most any player has received in franchise history.

On top of the $28 million guarantee that went to QB Matt Cassel, that’s $59 million in Hunt Family money that GM Scott Pioli has committed for a pair of players that have never worn the Chiefs uniform in a game, and between them have only Cassel’s 15 NFL starts that came last year in New England. 

On Thursday evening both the National Football Post website and 610 Sports in Kansas City reported that an agreement had been reached with the young man out of Louisiana State. The details of the contract and Jackson’s signature went down Friday morning. He was on his way to River Falls, but it’s highly unlikely Jackson will see the practice field until Monday morning. That’s if he passes Todd Haley’s conditioning test.

And that might be tough to do with all that money in his wallet.

Hall of Fame Weekend … The Nitschke Luncheon

From North Canton, Ohio

OK, I’m no Hank Young, but there was the picture of the day standing right in front of me in living color.

So I pulled out the phone and snapped a shot of two remaining members of the American Football League’s Foolish Club as they talked on Friday.

That’s Ralph Wilson on the left, owner of the Buffalo Bills. That’s Bud Adams on the right, owner of the Houston Oilers now Tennessee Titans. The man who should have been standing with them was the late Lamar Hunt.

Wilson and Adams were attending the one of the highlights of the Hall of Fame weekend in Canton. It’s the Friday lunch where all returning members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame gather and welcome this year’s induction class.

Only Hall of Fame members, the Hall’s board of selectors, Hall officials and those people presenting inductees are allowed to attend. It’s called the Nitschke Luncheon because the late Packers LB Ray Nitschke used to run the lunch and serve as a master of ceremonies. These days, those duties usually fall to the great pass rusher Deacon Jones and others. …Read More!

Tight End Battle … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin … Canton, Ohio and points in between

If you called Central Casting and said “send me up an Irish guy” they would send Sean Ryan.

First, there’s his name: Sean Patrick Ryan.

There’s his pedigree: a native son of Buffalo, New York … went to St. Joseph’s High School … then Boston College … has his degree in history of all things.

There’s the red hair on top of his head and in his beard, flecked in spots with a few strands of gray that indicate experience and knowledge.

When the Chiefs were looking to find a guy to help replace Tony Gonzalez at the tight end position they certainly didn’t specifically go looking for an Irish guy. But they got one in Sean Ryan.

And as the Chiefs get ready to spend their second weekend in the northwoods, Ryan is the front runner to become the team’s starting tight end.

“I was with Sean in Dallas and so I knew a lot about Sean and knew he was a pretty tough guy and a physical-at-the-point (of-attack) blocker,” said head coach Todd Haley. “I knew he would prepare and knew how we want to work around here. There are a lot of things I liked about Sean.

“He needs to continue to improve as everybody does, but he’s a physical, on-the-line tight end, which is getting harder and harder to find in the league.” …Read More!

Report: Chiefs-Jackson Have A Deal

From River Falls, Wisconsin

So that’s why Scott Pioli kept leaving the practice field Thursday afternoon.

The National Football Post website and 610 Sports  in Kansas City are reporting that the Chiefs and No. 1 draft choice Tyson Jackson have agreed to terms.

No word from the Chiefs to make this official. At least three times during the Thursday practice, Pioli left the field and went inside the neighboring building. He seemed to be very busy on the phone.

Stay tuned for more details.

Camp Practice Update 8/6 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin and the MSP Airport

Sorry it’s taken a bit longer to get up this report … on the way to Canton for this weekend’s Hall of Fame festivities.

Well, it took a week.

But Todd Haley’s famous temper finally showed itself during the Chiefs Thursdsay afternoon practice here in the northwoods.

The victim was WR Devard Darling. Here is how it went down.

The Chiefs were working in a situation period, something that Haley is doing in every practice during camp. The goal is to have smarter players who understand how to handle different situations when they come up in a game.

In Thursday’s practice the situation was this: the offense had the ball and the lead with only a limited amount of time left in the game. The goal of the offense was to protect the ball and kill the clock. The goal of the defense was to save as much time as possible and see if they could force a turnover.

When the offense came out of the huddle, Darling lined up on the wrong side of the formation. By the time Darling was made aware of his mistake, the head coach saw the problem and was very unhappy.

“Are you kidding me!” Haley yelled. “Devard run to the building and stay there for all I care.”

Darling took off running to the UW-River Falls fieldhouse and ice arena that holds the Chiefs locker rooms.  Once he got there, he walked  inside.  Darling eventually came out of the building and took a seat in a cool tent set up next to the field and grabbed a Gatorade.

When Haley saw him sitting there he made a bee-line for the tent, yelling the whole way.

“Take it inside, take it inside,”Haley yelled. “You aren’t going to sit out here and watch. Get inside.”

Darling tried to say something, but Haley shouted him down and continued yelling at him to get out. The receiver finally turned and walked back into the building.

The head coach has been very vocal all through camp, but the tone has seldom been angry. Exasperated, unhappy, biting, but seldom angry. Not so on this day.

Afterwards the head coach didn’t have much to say about the incident. …Read More!

Texans Memories: Pre-season Game No. 2

The Kansas City Chiefs franchise is celebrating 50 seasons of football this year. Much of the early history of the club is unknown to Chiefs fans because the team was the Dallas Texans at the time. As this 50th season rolls on, we will open the door to the history of Lamar Hunt’s football baby.

On Saturday evening, August 6, 1960, the Dallas Texans won their second pre-season game of that inaugural year, beating the Houston Oilers 27 in front of 12,000 fans at Skelly Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It was an interesting evening before the game even started, when somebody broke into the Oilers locker room before the game and stole 11 game jerseys. Those players had to wear red practice tops loaned to them by the Texans. The Skelly Stadium PA system did not work until the second quarter.

The Texans were coming off a victory in their first exhibition game, when they topped the Oakland Raiders in San Francisco. Going into the game, the Oilers were getting a lot of the national publicity because they had George Blanda playing quarterback and signed the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon. It was Houston’s first game. …Read More!

A Parcellsian Camp … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The other day we wrote about the three major differences in Camp Pioli/Haley compared to previous Chiefs regimes. We mentioned the increased contact and conditioning and promised to address the third reason the next day.

Then Amani Toomer showed up and we got sidetracked with the old guys the Chiefs have added to the roster.

So now back to the third factor: the way the players are treated.

Understand that the biggest influence on Todd Haley’s coaching style was Bill Parcells. He worked on his staff with the Jets and then again with the Cowboys. This year’s Chiefs camp is very Parcellsian. The head coach is vocal and most of what he has to say is cutting and demanding. Injured players are made to work out by themselves, but close enough to the field to see their teammates. All the work is hard, long and physical.

And Haley isn’t worried about being anybody friend, or buddy, or father figure, or pal.

He wants workers, guys who show up each day and consistently work to get better. In what has now been a week in River Falls for his first camp, we have seen an organized, energized and motivated head coach. Haley has put his foot to the pedal for his team physically, mentally and emotionally. The players have no choice to get on the run, figuratively and physically. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/5 P.M.-QB Change

From River Falls,  Wisconsin

The Chiefs roster shuffling continued on Wednesday as they released No. 4 quarterback Ingle Martin.

And they claimed off the waiver wire QB Matt Gutierrez. He was recently released by the Patriots. Gutierrez was actually cut prior to the 2008 season by New England, but was resigned after Bernard Pollard made contact with Tom Brady’s knee.  Gutierrez spent time this season with the Raiders and when cut recently, he re-signed with the Patriots. But they released him again on Monday when they signed QB Andrew Walter who was released by the Raiders.

Gutierrez, 6-4, 230 pounds, is 25 years old and joined the Patriots in 2007 as a college free agent out of Idaho State. He spent his first three college seasons at the University of Michigan. He played at DeLaSalle High School in Concord, California, probably the top schoolboy program in the country.

In the 2007 season, Gutierrez played  in five games for the Patriots as a late fill in for Brady. He threw and completed one pass for 15 yards.

Martin joined the Chiefs last year, but never played in a game. He practiced Wednesday morning, but was not on the field for the afternoon workout.

Martin was not getting a lot of work during the practices, especially as Brodie Croyle has shown he’s completely recovered from his knee injury. Not sure how Gutierrez figures into the picture, other than the fact he’s a former member of the Patriots. That currently carries a lot of weight around the Chiefs for obvious reasons.

The Chiefs afternoon workout featured a lot of work on situations and on the punt team wiht the kicking game.

Again missing from the field was ILB Monty Beisel. He also did not  practice in the morning. Working on the rehab-bike  patrol were: OLB Mike Vrabel, ILB Demorrio Williams, RB Kolby Smith, G Wade Smith, ILB Wes Dacus and S DaJuan Morgan.

TE Brad Cottam returned to practice after missing three workouts because of a right ankle injury.

Observations and info from the afternoon work that went down under party sunny skies: …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/5 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Todd  Haley spent a lot of time paying attention to the team’s wide receivers during the Wednesday morning session and based on his commentary throughout the practice, he didn’t like what he saw.

“Come on Jake (O’Connell) you’ve got to know the whole picture.”

“Stay off the ground. I don’t want to see us get an interception because you are laying on the ground.”

“I’m tired of the picks and dropped balls.”

That was the tone of what was a spirited full pads practice under brillant sunshine here at UW-River Falls.

On back-to-back plays in one drill, WR Mark Bradley dropped an easy catch against air, and WR Amani Toomer made a difficult catch. WR Dwayne Bowe fell down several times while making his cuts, so did Toomer and WR Bobby Engram. CB Ricardo Colclough had an interception of QB Tyler Thigpen when WR Jeff Webb fell down. Later, CB Londen Fryar picked off a QB Matt Cassel pass intended for Engram.

The offense and defense got after it in drills for the running game, with some good contact during the session. The passing game remains hit and miss, no matter who is throwing the ball.

Here are some observations and nuggets of information from the workout: …Read More!

Another Old Guy On Campus … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

So why did the Chiefs go out and sign a 34-year old wide receiver when they already have a 36-year old receiver on the roster?

Why has Amani Toomer (right) been added to the Chiefs list of grizzled veterans that have been added to the club’s roster by Scott Pioli and Todd Haley? Toomer joins the 36-year old Bobby Engram, the soon to be 36-year old Zach Thomas, the soon to be 34-year old Mike Vrabel and a mere youngster in this group, 31-year old safety Mike Brown.

If Pioli/Haley keep signing these kinds of veterans, the Chiefs roster may go from the youngest in the league in 2008 to the oldest in the league in 2009.

Is this any way to rebuild? Some would say no, but the Chiefs duo in charge obviously disagrees. What appears to be at work here are two factors: the 2000 New England Patriots and the desire to win as many games as possible in the 2009 season.

When Bill Belichick was hired to take over the New England Patriots for the 2000 season, he and Pioli assessed the roster they inherited and then went out and signed a bus load of veteran free agents. They did not commit big dollars or lengthy contracts to those guys, but they raised the level of competition and also the chance to win games.

That didn’t happen with the 2000 Patriots, as they went 5-11 after finishing 8-8 the season before.

But the 2001 Patriots won the Super Bowl. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/4 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Obviously Pioli/Haley were not happy with what they saw in the first few days of training camp from their wide receivers.

What other reasons could there be for the signing 14-year veteran Amani Toomer. Wearing No. 13, Toomer was on the field for the Chiefs afternoon practice, their only session of Tuesday.

That was just a piece of a busy personnel day for the Chiefs. They signed Toomer, made official their claim on waivers of LB Vince Redd and said they had waived G Edwin Harrison and TE Tony Curtis. Both Harrison and Curtis had not been practicing because of injuries – Harrison his right knee and Curtis his left ankle.

But the big news was the addition of the 6-3, 203-pound, 34-year old Toomer, who played in 190 games for the New York Giants.

“We are actually down a receiver from the numbers we wanted,” Haley said. “As we’ve said we will do anything that we can to improve the competition. We worked him out and it looked like he still had something in his gas tank. I thought the rest of the receivers picked it up a little bit.”

When asked about his receiving group as a whole, Haley was not effusive with praise.

“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “We have to eliminate drops, w e have to do a better job mentally in some of the areas. But today was positive. From what I can tell there was a little more focus and any time you add somebody of Amani’s ability and what he’s done in the league, it can do nothing but help you. ”

Also on the field was LB Vince Redd, claimed on waivers Monday from New England. He was wearing No. 98 with the defense, working at outside linebacker.

On one play, Toomer showed he still has the ability to catch the ball. He went high to pull down a throw from QB Ingle Martin on the sidelines, getting both feet down and controlling the ball. It was one of the better catches of the Chiefs training camp so far this summer.

Here are some observations and nuggets from Tuesday’s session: …Read More!

DT And His Alabama Workout

This story will appear in the program for the Pro Football hall of Fame game and induction ceremonies this weekend in Canton, Ohio. It was my pleasure to write this piece and reminiscence with three key figures in Derrick Thomas life about that moment when they understood they had found someone special. The photos are all from Kansas City’s best, Hank Young.

It was a cloudy, muggy day, pretty much standard issue when it comes to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the month of March.

At the football complex on the campus of the University of Alabama, a handful of men gathered on the artificial turf practice field. Some wore shorts and t-shirts, prepared for physical activity and football drills. Others wore slacks and polo shirts, there to watch the workout.

They had come together at this time and place because of one man: Derrick Thomas.

By the time his career ended with his death in February 2000, Thomas left a lengthy highlight tape of sacks, tackles, turnovers, touchdowns and safeties. There was his rookie season when he had 10 sacks and his second year when he doubled that number, including a still-league record seven sacks in one game against the Seahawks. There were his six sacks against the Raiders in his 10^th season. There were the remarkable 45 fumbles he forced and 65 total takeaways.

All those accomplishments led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the class of 2009.

Unfortunately, there is no film or tape of that Tuscaloosa day in March 1989. But what went down that day was a Derrick Thomas highlight that Carl Peterson, Marty Schottenheimer and Bill Cowher will never forget.

Peterson was just months into what would be 20-year tenure as President/General Manager of the Chiefs. Schottenheimer had come on board two months before as the seventh head coach in team history, a job he would hold for a decade. Cowher was not yet 32 years old and preparing for his first season as a defensive coordinator. Within three years he would be head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The trio had come together in Kansas City where they inherited a 4-11-1 football team and a franchise that had made the playoffs just once in the previous 17 seasons. It was going to be one of the most extensive rebuilding projects in NFL history and the 1989 Draft was a big part of the plan. …Read More!

Contact & Conditioning … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

“I don’t want a yo-yo team and I don’t want yo-yo players. I really want to be the same every day. If we get fractionally better each day, or each week, then we’ll be OK.” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley

River Falls, Wisconsin

The question comes frequently in e-mails and phone messages, from Chiefs fans everywhere, from family, friends and acquaintances:

How is Chiefs training camp different this year than the past?

I’m not sure five nights in the northwoods is a big enough sample, but there are some very obvious differences with what’s going on around this team right now.

That there would be changes was a given considering the alterations at the top of the football operation with GM Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley. These guys share a foundation in how they look at football and those that play the game and that stone has the name Bill Parcels inscribed on it.

Thus, the practices in the current training camp are much more physical than anything that’s gone down with the team under Herm Edwards, Dick Vermeil or even Gunther Cunningham. The tone, tenor and length of Haley’s practices call to mind Marty Schottenheimer; it’s the closest comparison to what is taking place at UW-River Falls.

There is nobody still on the roster from the Marty days. There’s only one player on the roster from the Gunter days: LG Brian Waters. And amazingly, there are only three others besides Waters still around from the Vermeil Era: Larry Johnson, Monty Beisel and Dustin Colquitt.

That’s why it’s the NFL, the Not For Long league. …Read More!

AFL Memories: The Houston Oilers

This year, pro football is celebrating the creation of the American Football League some 50 seasons ago. Over the rest of the year, we will bring you some moments from the AFL’s history book

On August 3, 1959, Lamar Hunt announced he had a playmate for his new football league.

In Houston, Hunt was joined by K.S. “Bud” Adams for a Monday night announcement of the second franchise in the American Football League. The event was held in the board room of Adam’s Ada Oil Company.

In fact, it was at this announcement that the league was called the American Football League for the first time.

Adams was 36 years old but he was easily the oldest owner in the new league, since Hunt had just turned 27 the day before the Houston announcement. …Read More!

Chiefs Reportedly Claim LB

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Scout.com reported that the Chiefs have claimed on waivers LB Vince Redd, who was released over the weekend by the New England Patriots. Redd arrived on campus late Monday evening.

He is 6-6, 260 pounds, a second-year player out of Liberty. He signed with the Patriots last year as a college free agent. He spent the first part of the ’08 season on New England’s practice squad, but then played in five of the last six games. He had two tackles on defense and six on special teams.

He started his college career at the University of Virginia, where he played two seasons before transferring to Liberty.

The Chiefs also worked out a handful of players Monday afternoon on the grass inside Ramer Field. They did not acknowledge the workouts let alone provide names and would not allow the media to watch the session. One of those taking part was WR D.J. Hackett, who has played four seasons in the league with Seattle and Carolina. The KC Star reports that two other receivers were 34-year old Amani Toomer (Giants) and 30-year old David Terrell (Bears, Patriots, Broncos.)

Camp Practice Update 8/3 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Under sunny skies and warm temperatures with just a hint of a breeze blowing across the fields, the Chiefs got practice No. 5 in Monday afternoon.

Not surprisingly considering the five practices in three days the team also had its first fight. OT Herb Taylor tangled with an unidentified defensive lineman and ended up on his back with a pile ofplayers on top of him.

Todd Haley answered the fight by making the entire team run to the opposite end zone and back. “We are not going to beat ourselves,” Haley told his players.

There was plenty of extra running for jumpy defensive linemen who just can’t seem to understand they are going to be penalized now if they go offsides. During the practice, DE Alfonso Boone, DE Dion Gales and NT Derek Lokey all jumped and had a penalty run.

On the injury and participation front there were eight players not practicing. Rookie TE Jake O’Connell returned to work after missing the first four practices. Those not participating were: TE Brad Cottam (right ankle), TE Tony Curtis (left ankle), LB Derrick Johnson (right hamstring), RB Kolby Smith (right knee), DE Glenn Dorsey (left shin), LB Demorrio Williams (unknown leg injury), G Edwin Harrison (right knee) and S DaJuan Morgan (unknown injury).

During practice, ILB Wes Dacus left with a right foot or ankle injury. He was wearing a boot when he finally got to the cafeteria Monday night for dinner.

Here are some observations and nuggets from the afternoon work: …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/3 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was the fourth practice in three days for the Chiefs and Todd Haley was happy with how his team fought through the sore muscles.

“This is generally when everybody is a little bit sore and everybody is feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, but I thought we pushed through OK,” Haley said. “This afternoon will be very telling about how we are doing.”

The morning workout was in full pads and at times got very physical, especially in those segments where the Chiefs worked on the running game. The offensive coaching staff now has a guy who might be as loud as defensive line coach Tim Krumrie, and that’s offensive line coach Bill Muir.

RT Damion McIntosh returned to work and Muir had several barbs pointed in his direction. Same for rookie free agent LT Cameron Goldberg out of Duke.

Haley continued to be demanding of his players, jumping all over RB Jackie Battle when he allowed the ball to be knocked out of his hands. This came after the play was over and Battle was going back to the huddle. Haley didn’t care. “You’ve got to protect the ball all the way back to the huddle offensive guys,” the coach yelled.

McIntosh was back from the NFI List, leaving only LB Demorrio Williams still on that list. Haley would not address the absence of TEs Brad Cottam and Tony Curtis. “I’ll only talk about the players who are practicing,” Haley said. No word yet on why this duo was not on the field for the workout. They were not with the rehab team as well.

UPDATE: Cottam has his right ankle heavily taped as he heads to the dining hall for lunch.

More notes and observations from the morning practice:

…Read More!

Monday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Len Dawson was trying to see if he could get into the kid’s bank account, the one that increased not long ago by $28 million guaranteed dollars and the potential for $63 million over six years.

“Now that you have signed a contract,” Dawson asked Matt Cassel on Sunday, “what would you pay to wear number 16″

During his time with the New England Patriots, including his 15 starts last season, Cassel wore the No. 16. The number is retired with the Chiefs because Dawson wore it during his Hall of Fame career.

“Give me a number,” Cassel said with a smile. “That 16 jersey is special. It is in retirement for a reason. You have obviously done such great things in your career so I’m not touching that jersey. There is too much that goes along with it. Big, big shoes to fill if you wear that.” …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/2 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

There was only one practice Sunday in the northwoods, but it was a long one, as Todd Haley worked the team for over two hours under partly sunny skies and warm temperatures.

“When we have one practice they are going to be longer, it was all part of the thought process of having two a day and then come back with a longer practice,” Haley said. “It’s a little bit more of a conditioning drill, and that’s why we did some of that at the end. That’s the name of the game, as you get tired, you must be able to focus and concentrate to do your job. It’s something that we can’t stress enough and we must continue to educate the players that you cannot make mistakes when you are tired.”

A lot of the head coach’s time during individual position drills was with the wide receivers, as they went through the fundamentals of running pass routes and body control.

“We’ve had guys on the ground and the receiver is no good to anyone if he’s laying on the ground,” Haley said. “Whether it’s the right shoes, improper technique, whatever, a wide receiver cannot be on the ground and help you win in any way, shape or form.

“If they are slipping and falling out there, then we have to do something about it.” …Read More!

A Comfortable L.J. … Sunday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

He signed. He smiled. He posed for pictures. He signed. He laughed. He signed. He chatted. He signed. He smiled.

For nearly 30 minutes after the Chiefs morning practice session here in the northwoods, Larry Johnson entertained the fans who showed up at the UW-River Falls practice fields. The angry superstar RB went one-on-one with excited followers of the red and gold.

It’s just that L.J. isn’t angry anymore. His smile as captured by photographer David Eulitt of the Kansas City Star (left) was visible early and often. While sometimes invisible to his coaches and teammates, that smile has always been there for the fans.

All through his travails during his time with the Chiefs, Johnson has connected with the public. When the team had open mini-camp practices inside Arrowhead Stadium, it was Johnson who stayed and filled every last request for a signature or a picture. There were times when some of his teammates were already at home watching television before he stopped signing footballs and pictures and shirts and magazines and cards.

All of those items were put in front of him Saturday morning and L.J. signed. And, it wasn’t just head down, not looking up, grimly throwing his John Hancock around. He engaged fans in conversations. He posed for pictures. He smiled. …Read More!

Camp Practice Update 8/1 P.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs finished up their second practice of training camp with the head coach pushing the whole team through a series of gasers, sprints across the field and back. Run, run, run … that’s what the Chiefs did in the off-season and that hasn’t stopped in the northwoods.

When RB Jamaal Charles  fumbled the ball in the scoring zone in a running game segment, Haley had all the players take off on a full field  run down and back, 200 some yards. He was unhappy with the fumble, unhappy that the defense didn’t try to get up and score with the ball and unhappy that the offense did not react and make sure the fumble wasn’t returned.

It was also a tough afternoon for QB Brodie Croyle, especially in the team’s 7-on-7 passing drill. …Read More!

Countdown For DT & Canton

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It’s now a week until induction day for Derrick Thomas at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There are some tidbits we can tell you about the ceremonies in Canton, Ohio next Saturday night

Thomas will be the fifth of the six inductees to be honored on stage at Fawcett Stadium. The entire order remains unknown, but DT’s moment will come near the end of the ceremonies.

He will be presented by former Chiefs president-general manager Carl Peterson. There will then be a video presentation on Derrick created by the NFL Network. Finally, his son Derrion will step forward and accept the Hall of Fame bust for the Thomas family.

Just about every coach Thomas had during his 11 seasons with the Chiefs will attend. …Read More!

L.J.: “Hit Them Like A Bullet … Not A Tank”

From River Falls, Wisconsin

After spending nearly 30 minutes signing autographs for fans at the Chiefs first training camp practice, a smiling Larry Johnson took some time to talk.

L.J. is slim and trim and says he’s in the best football shape of his life. Todd Haley asked him to lose some weight and it’s obvious Johnson followed through. He said he was 223 Saturday morning and figures he’ll be at 220 by the time camp is over.  Over his career with the Chiefs, Johnson has played at 230 to 235 pounds.

“I’m going to hit them like a bullet with some speed and not a tank,” Johnson said. “I really feel good and I do feel faster.”

He certainly looks faster and showed that speed during the morning workout. In a goal-line drill, Johnson was forced to run outside and he was able to beat the defense to the corner of the end zone. “I don’t want to get caught from behind anymore,” Johnson said with a smile. Against the Broncos last year, L.J. had a 65-yard run where he was caught from behind before he got into the end zone.

It’s his torso and upper body where Johnson is slimmer and trimmer. From the waist down, he’s still got the big powerful legs. “Nothing I can do about those …  they came from my Dad,” Johnson said with a laugh.

More on L.J. coming tomorrow morning from River Falls.

Camp Practice Update 8/1 A.M.

From River Falls, Wisconsin

There were some butterflies for Todd Haley as he led the first training camp practice in his tenure as head coach.

“I forgot to blow the whistle a couple of times,” Haley said. “When you are an assistant, they don’t let you have a whistle. Only the head coach. I missed a couple, I’ve got to

“That’s one (practice) down, one day of semi-controlled chaos.”

Haley was having a little fun with the chaos comment. The workout was very much like any other first-day practice around NFL training camps. The Chiefs were in full pads and they actually had a live hitting session when they worked on goal line offense and defense. Haley liked the way the team practiced.

“We had to get on them a little bit about making sure they get from drill to drill quickly, but otherwise it was a good morning,” Haley said.

The head coach also proved to be intolerant of mental mistakes, as he made both DE Alex Magee and DT Derek  Lokey run 200 yards (up and down the length of the field once) as punishment for jumping offsides in a pass rush-pass protection drill.

There were two apparent injuries during the workout, as ILB Derrick Johnson left with what looked  like a pulled hamstring and G Edwin Harrison went down with an injury to his lower right leg. …Read More!

Chiefs Injury List Is 9

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs will hit the practice field this morning for the first full session of 2009 training camp apparently without nine players.

On Friday, the team placed the following players on the Non-Football Injury list: DT Ron Edwards, DE Dion Gales, RG Mike Goff, RT Damion McIntosh, LG Brian Waters and LB Demorrio Williams.

Placed on the PUP List were: DE Glenn Dorsey, TE Jake O”Connell and RB Kolby Smith.

None of those moves ends any of those players season, or even training camp.

No Job Yet For Succop … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The advice for Ryan Succop is very simple:

Keeping on renting; don’t buy anything yet.

When Connor Barth was released earlier this week, it left Succop (left) as the only kicker on the Chiefs roster as they came north to start training camp. It appeared the last player taken in the 2009 NFL Draft had a roster spot for the opener.

But on Friday as the Chiefs went through their first full day here in the land of beer and cheese, Todd Haley made it plain that the decision to waive Barth had less to do with Succop winning the job and more to do with the roster crunch that comes with being allowed to carry just 80 players for training camp.

“The competition has definitely not been eliminated,” Haley said. “I can pull out a list of veteran kickers that are probably on a field right now staying ready. With the roster number, it’s definitely a crunch to try to figure out what you want to do and who you can afford to lose.

“It was a move we felt we had to make right now … but even Connor isn’t out of the running.”

There was no celebration coming from Succop when he heard the news from Haley and special teams coach Steve Hoffman that the only other kicker on the roster was sent home. …Read More!

Thanks For Birthday Love

From River Falls,, Wisconsin

So bobgretz.com is now 53 weeks old!

No, we aren’t going to have a weekly birthday party, but I just wanted to thank all who passed along the kind words we’ve received over the last week. It wasn’t until I got here to training camp that I was able to read all of them and it nearly brought a tear to my eye. Or maybe that was from the extra beer last night down on Main Street.

No seriously, your support has me fired up. We are pondering many things right now for the site, so bear with us as we make some changes down the road. What won’t change is timely and fact-based Chiefs coverage, along with commentary and analysis that you can enjoy or argue with. Thanks for your suggestions; some of them may already be bearing fruit. All are appreciated. 

We will make this work … it’s too much fun to let it die.