Waiting For a Championship

You are a Kansas City Chiefs fan. You are familiar with the word: patience.

Whether you jumped the red and gold bandwagon in the 1960s, or were transformed into an Arrowhead maniac in the 1990s, you have waited for the moment to hold that index finger a loft and scream “we’re No. 1.” In a never ending belief that ultimate victory was possible, you have lived through rebuilding after rebuilding – Paul Wiggin to Marv Levy to John Mackovic and on and on, to now year No. 2 of Pioli/Haley.

Still, no Lombardi Trophy has moved into Arrowhead Stadium since January 11, 1970. The Super Bowl IV champion Chiefs raised the trophy that day after their victory over the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans.

Since then, the team has played 40 seasons of football without another league title. Your frustration makes you think nobody has waited as long for a return to a championship season as Chiefs fans.

You would be wrong, very wrong. When it comes to waiting for a title, there’s a lot of company in the misery. In fact, when it comes to the longest wait for a championship, fans of the Chiefs aren’t even in the discussion. Among the four major professional sports leagues that play in North America – Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA and NHL – there are 19 other franchises that have waited longer than the 40 seasons that Chiefs fans have been without a title.

There are 122 total franchises in the four sports leagues. That means 16 percent of the teams have waited longer than the Chiefs. (Here’s a complete list of the teams and how long they have waited for a championship.)

That group is led by the so-called “Loveable Losers” from the North Side of Chicago: the Cubs. They’ve played a remarkable 101 seasons since they won the World Series. After the Cubs, there are four other baseball teams, eight NFL clubs, four in the NHL and two in the NBA that have waited 41 years or more.

That number could drop to 18 with this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. The last time the Chicago Blackhawks raised Lord Stanley’s hardware was in 1961. But they have a chance to end the drought at 48 seasons if they can beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the final round that started this weekend.

Those eight NFL teams that have waited longer than the Chiefs for a title are Detroit (52 years), Philadelphia (49), Minnesota (49), San Diego (46), Atlanta (44), Buffalo (44), Cincinnati (43) and the New York Jets (41). The Vikings, Falcons and Bengals have never won a league championship. …Read More!

A Holiday Grab Bag … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

From America’s highways and byways

It’s a busy Memorial Day weekend for your intrepid scribe. We busted out of the Chiefs locker room Thursday afternoon, jumped in the family truckster and headed on down the highway.

But a lot happened before we put K.C. in our rearview mirror, and thus a lot to write about. Here goes a potpourri of thoughts and information, starting with the man who always seems to be weaving in and out of trouble like the old man I passed on I-70 outside out of St. Charles.

IT’S ALWAYS THE SECOND ONE THAT HURTS MOST

Every year the F.A.A. puts together a report on every airplane/helicopter accidents in the world. This ranges from passenger jets that crash and kill hundreds, to some guy who is flying is Piper Cub, runs out of gas and has to land on an interstate highway.

Over the years, what the FAA’s investigations have shown is this – the accident or crash is seldom caused by the first mistake made by the pilot. It comes from the second mistake, generally made in the tense moments when problems have shown themselves.

If the F.A.A. would investigate the Dwayne Bowe matter involving ESPN the Magazine and comments about his teammates importing female companionship on a 2007 road trip, they would find one big mistake, followed by another one, maybe even bigger. That’s from Bowe’s statement on Thursday that he was misquoted from an interview he doesn’t remember giving.

How you can claim being misquoted or taken out of context from an interview that you can’t recall having done? That is beyond funny. It’s sad. When that discrepancy was pointed out to Bowe, he was smart enough at that time to realize his plane had crashed and he went ahead and got out as fast as he could by changing the subject.

“I’m just not going to go back into that,” Bowe said. “I’m all football now. If you want to talk about football, I’m open to any football questions. You can’t look back to yesterday.”

The folks at ESPN the Magazine say they have a tape of Bowe’s conversation with their reporter and that he was quoted accurately in the story that appears in the latest issue about athletes on the road. Seldom these days does anyone have less credibility than the media in general, but in this case it’s far easier to believe the magazine than it is Bowe. …Read More!

OTA #6 Practice Report

From the Truman Sports Complex

It’s the type of play that Todd Haley and Charlie Weis dreamed of when they were evaluating and then selecting RB/WR Dexter McCluster in the second round of last month’s NFL Draft.

Working in the two-minute offense at the end of Thursday’s OTA practice, QB Matt Cassel threw a short pass – less than 10 yards – to McCluster on a slant from the right side. The quick and speedy rookie then took off down the field and ran 60 yards for a touchdown.

Although it wasn’t ruled a touchdown by the game official, who just happened to be Haley and he got an earful from his starting quarterback for his ruling of a healthy gain, but no score.

“He’s an excitable guy,” Haley said of Cassel. “You like that about him. You love the enthusiasm. At the same time, he’s got to keep control. He was yelling at the official, and the official happened to be me. He thought I made a bad call.

“It was a very productive day as we got into some red zone stuff and had a couple sessions of the two minute. It was very competitive out there.”

Whether the game official for this practice credited Cassel and McCluster with a touchdown, it was the type of play that the Chiefs are looking for from the combination.

“No doubt,” said Haley. “All those young guys have been making steady progress.” …Read More!

D-Bowe Says “I Was Misquoted”

From the Truman Sports Complex

Saying he doesn’t even remember doing the interview with ESPN the Magazine, Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe said Thursday that he was misquoted by the writer in comments he made about teammates importing female companionship on a road trip in 2007.

“My words were taken out of context,” Bowe said after an OTA practice. “The subject isn’t something that I would even be talking about. My words were distorted.

‘I was definitely misquoted.”

However, an editor at ESPN the Magazine has told the Pitch newspaper that they have Bowe’s comments on tape and would be willing to play the tape for anybody with a vested interest in the situation.

“We didn’t cut out anything that was significant or that changed the nature of the comments,” ESPN editor
Gary Belsky told the Pitch. “We have no reason not to believe it.”

According to the magazine Bowe said on a Chiefs trip to San Diego in September 2007, teammates had gotten on social networking sites on the internet and arranged for women to meet them at the team’s hotel in La Jolla. He was quoted as saying the there were women in every room and that they had taken over the entire top floor of the Hyatt.

Until Thursday, Bowe had kept a low profile and was unavailable for comment on the story. He said that he talked to a number of his teammates and former teammates in the last week.

“My teammates know that is not me,” Bowe said. “They’ve got my back.”

Bowe did not deal in depth with his answers saying several times that he had put the controversy behind him.

He said he was misquoted in an interview he can’t remember doing. If that’s the case, how does he know he was misquoted? “I’m just not going to go back into that,” Bowe said. “I’m all football now. If you want to talk about football, I’m open to any football questions. You can’t look back to yesterday.”

Don’t Judge Tyson Yet … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

“Maybe night and day. I can’t think of any two things more different.”

That was the answer from Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson when he was asked to compare last spring to this one when it comes to preparing for the NFL season.

Jackson’s statement came with a dose of confidence that was palatable in the room. That’s a good sign for the Chiefs because there are a lot of people with their fingers crossed that year two of Jackson’s career will far surpass that of his rookie season.

Last year, Jackson was not very productive in his first taste of pro football. He had 31 tackles and no sacks in 16 games. He did not force a fumble or recover a fumble. He had two passes defended (knocked down) and four quarterback pressures. It was not a very good year.

He says there will not be a repeat in his sophomore pro season.

“I can tell from just the first few OTAs; I understand the game more,” said Jackson. “The fundamentals are stronger. Everything is starting to slow down for me. I should be a very productive player this year.”

The Chiefs hope productive and consistent. …Read More!

Chiefs Spend Time With Real Flyboys

From Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, Missouri

Led by head coach Todd Haley and 10 players, the Chiefs put aside their OTA practice sessions and meetings on Wednesday morning to say thank you to the men, women and families that protect our country.

Haley and the team’s quarterbacks and running backs made the one-hour drive down Highway 50 to Whiteman Air Force Base where they had a meet and great with everyone from the base vice-commander to little kids wearing Chiefs t-shirts.

All of this was done on the base tarmac, with the B-2 Stealth Bomber serving as the backdrop for fans and the Chiefs.

“There are a lot of Chiefs fans here at Whiteman,” said Colonel Rickey Rodgers, the base’s vice-commander. “We have personnel from all around the country and we have a lot of football teams that people are interested in. But the biggest group of fans cheer for the Chiefs.”

The Chiefs have long been associated with the folks at Whiteman AFB, but their visit on Wednesday was coordinated with the Veteran of Foreign Wars and that group’s “Return the Favor” program. Officials from the VFW headquarters in Kansas City were also on hand for the event. …Read More!

Will They Wildcat? … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Nothing gets taken out of context more quickly than football in May. Throw 80-plus bodies on the practice field in the spring sunshine and assumptions are made by those on the outside looking in.

The starting quarterback has a bad day throwing the ball, and suddenly he’s a bum. The team’s top receiver bobbles a few passes and he’s Mr. Butterfingers. A cornerback bites on a fake, gets beat deep and he can’t cover a soul.

The same holds true for what coaches do with the offense or defense. These spring football practices are a time to experiment, test and evaluate. There are coaches that will spend a week working on a certain package of plays or defenses and then never return to that page of the playbook during the season.

Much was made after the Chiefs OTA practice on Monday about the Chiefs running Wildcat plays on offense. For the most part, the calls had rookie RB/WR Dexter McCluster taking direct snaps from center. He threw a couple of passes, ran what looked like the veer-option, handed off on an end-around run by a wide receiver and several times took the snap and took off running.

OK, so we should assume that the Chiefs will be one of those teams throwing Wildcat-type plays into every game plan, right?

Wrong. …Read More!

Shivering at Super Bowl 48 … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Dream Chiefs fans, dream. A trip to the Super Bowl this coming February at the Jerry World Stadium in Arlington, Texas is farfetched at this point. The 2012 title game could be more doable, and that game goes down at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. If it all falls together the next year, the Chiefs and their fans could reprise their trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl IV, by heading off to Super Bowl 47 at the Louisiana Superdome.

On Tuesday, the NFL will decide where they will hold Super Bowl 48 in February of 2014. As the NFL owners gathered on Monday at the Las Colinas resort in Dallas it sounded more and more likely that that game will be played in the new stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands (above), the soon to open building that does not have a roof.

That’s right folks, a real cold weather Super Bowl, played outside in the elements whatever they may be for that early February day in the swamps of Jersey … only 17 votes among the 32 teams is required to make this happen.

The folks in New Jersey/New York can’t figure out why anybody wouldn’t think it’s a good idea.

“On a personal level there would be something very special about playing a game of this magnitude in this area, nearly 90 years after we started playing games in the Polo Grounds,” Giants co-owner John Mara told the New York Daily News. “It’s the most-anticipated sporting event of the year in this country. Let’s play it on the biggest stage in the world.” …Read More!

OTA #4 Report

From the Truman Sports Complex

Guess who the first player off the practice field was on Monday after the Chiefs had completed their fourth OTA session of the off-season?

Showing the same speed he normally reserves for trying to get past defensive backs, WR Dwayne Bowe came scampering down the steps from the team’s practice fields several moments ahead of any teammates.

About 20 minutes later when the media had finished listening to head coach Todd Haley and entered the locker room, Bowe was nowhere to be found. His locker held only workout clothing and went untouched during the time frame when the media was allowed to loiter in the room.

If Bowe can get away from defensive coverage this season as well as he cleared the media coverage, it could be a big season. That left others to speak to his words that appeared in ESPN the Magazine claiming that during a trip to San Diego in 2007 some of his teammates imported women to the team’s hotel for companionship.

But the others were saying very little. “No comment,” answered DE Tyson Jackson when asked about Bowe. “Nothing really needs to be said,” was how FB Mike Cox addressed the situation.

Todd Haley spoke of the matter in his meeting with the media, but as could have been predicted, he talked that the situation was being “handled internally.”

“It was discussed and handled internally and we are moving forward,” Haley said. “We are worrying about the progress we are making as a team as we go forward and that is really what’s important to me right now.”

From the football side of things, here’s what went down in the OTA session: …Read More!

D.J. Needs To Start … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

“I could have been a douche bag and caused a lot of trouble and distractions. I’m not that kind of guy. But I do need to get on the field this year.”

That’s Derrick Johnson talking about his situation with the Chiefs — his hard to explain, hard to understand 2009 season when one of the most physically gifted players on the Kansas City defense could barely get on the grass.

It was a confusing, frustrating, angry time for the former No. 1 draft choice. After four seasons of full-time playing, he was suddenly a role player and there was no explanation from the head coach or his staff. But he did not act like a “douche bag” as he said. There was no explosion publicly or privately. He went about his business, getting on the field in the nickel defense and expressing only confusion with his inactivity.

Johnson was also right when he said the other day “I do need to get on the field this year.” There’s no doubt about that and given time, hopefully new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel realizes that and finds a way to make better use of the physical skills Johnson can bring to his 3-4 defense. If Crennel can get that done, it will be a better coaching job than his predecessor last year in Clancy Pendergast.

If he does not, it doesn’t sound like Johnson is going to keep his mouth shut this time.

“When it’s training camp, and I’m working my butt off and staying healthy and I’m not out there with the first team, then we might have some problems,” Johnson said. “Right now, I’m a man on a mission.”

When a team goes 4-12 on a season, the mistakes are many. Some get charged off to the ledger of the players, others to the coaching staff and still others to the head coach. Last year’s mistake of not getting Johnson on the field more falls to head coach Todd Haley and Pendergast. …Read More!

The NFL Waiting List

* – The Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988. In 68 previous season in Chicago and St. Louis the Cardinals won the NFL title in 1947.

** – The Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997 season. In 37 seasons as the Houston Oilers, the franchise won AFL titles in 1960 and 1961.

*** – The expansion Browns began play in 1999. The previous version of the Browns left after the 1995 season and won NFL championships in 1950-54-55-64.

Little & Light Chiefs

LITTLE CHIEFS (This ranking is based on height listed by Chiefs in programs and media guides and in other AFL and NFL publications. We can’t speak to the complete accuracy of all the numbers. If there were significantly differing numbers those are mentioned.)

 

LIGHT CHIEFS (This ranking is based on weight listed by Chiefs in programs and media guides and in other AFL and NFL publications. Again, we can’t speak to the complete accuracy of all the numbers. If there were significantly differing numbers those are mentioned. Weight with some players, both tall and short, could fluctuate quite a bit over a career.)

D-Bowe’s No No … Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

Me thinks it’s going to be a long weekend for Dwayne Bowe.

I’m sure his phone has blown up with calls, texts and messages from teammates, both former and current. Not sure if D-Bowe does e-mail. If he does, then that mail box figures to be full. Some folks who play and played with him might seek him out for a little face-to-face.

All because he fumbled twice on the same play, or in Bowe’s case he dropped the same ball twice. He broke the age old “code-of-the-road” and the long-time axiom about what is said and done in the locker room, stays in the locker room.

Let’s make sure we understand what’s important in this little soap opera, because some fans and the pundit class have lost perspective on this matter. What Bowe said and what he says his teammates did on a road trip during the 2007 season did not break any laws and may not have actually broken any team rules.

The NFL is not going to investigate this matter and the Chiefs are not going to take any overt disciplinary action against Bowe. This is not about anything more than a young man unable to control his mouth, speaking out of turn and possibly exposing locker room secrets. This happened three years ago, and the people in charge of the Chiefs were elsewhere when it supposedly went down.

We know only what Bowe told ESPN the Magazine. It’s on page No. 94 of the edition dated May 31, 2010. In a fluffy three-page story about athletes and their road trip stories, the writer Eddie Matz quotes Bowe as saying this: …Read More!

The Waiting List

 Here are the 122 franchises currently playing in the four major sports and how long they’ve waited for a championship. As noted in blue, there are four teams still involved in the NBA and NHL playoffs, so three of those teams will have an additional year of waiting added to their total.

a – Baseball Giants were in New York before moving west in 1958. Last title was 1954 – franchise wait is 56 years.

b – Astros were Houston Colt .45s from 1962-64.

c – Hawks won NBA title in 1958 as St. Louis Hawks – franchise wait is 52 years.

d – Brewers began as Seattle Pilots in 1969 – franchise wait is 41 years.

e – Rangers played 11 seasons as Washington Senators – franchise wait is 49 years.

f – Clippers first 9 seasons were as Buffalo Braves – franchise wait is 41 years.

g – Wizards were the Washington Bullets in ’78; became Wizards in ’97.

h – Jazz played first 6 seasons in New Orleans – franchise wait is 37 years.

i – Franchise won NBA title in 1951 as Rochester Royals – franchise wait is 59 years.

j – Cardinals won NFL titles in Chicago in 1925, 1947 – franchise wait is 62 years.

k – Athletics won four titles in Oakland, 5 in Philadelphia.

l – Franchise won World Series in 1924 as Washington Senators.

m – Franchise played 1972-96 as Winnipeg Jets – franchise wait is 39 years.

n – Franchise won 1960-61 AFL titles as Houston Oilers – franchise wait is 49 years.

o – Browns won 8 titles in Cleveland before becoming Baltimore Ravens.

p – Won NFL titles in 1945 as Cleveland Rams and 1951 as Los Angeles Rams.

q – Grizzlies played 7 seasons in Vancouver – franchise wait is 16 years.

r – Hornets played 5 seasons in Charlotte – franchise wait is 13 years.

s – Pistons won 2 titles in Ft. Wayne in 1944-45.

t – Nationals played 35 years as Montreal Expos – franchise wait is 40 years.

u – Colts won four NFL titles as Baltimore Colts.

v – Franchise played 41 years as Seattle Super Sonics, won ’79 NBA title – franchise wait is 30 years.

w – Lakers won 6 titles while playing in Minnesota from 1948 to 1954.

Does Dorsey Know Nose? … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

From the Truman Sports Complex

No one involved with the Chiefs has ever said that Glenn Dorsey was going to become a nose tackle.

Yet that subject has great legs among the media and fans who love to dissect all things red and gold, even if the imagines might be a mirage.

Dorsey has heard the talk; he’s not one of those players that says he doesn’t read the papers, or the internet or watch television.

Glenn, have you heard you are supposed to be moving to nose tackle?

“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” he said. “People have told me they heard that.”

Has anyone in the organization talked to you at any time about moving to nose tackle?

“No, not a word,” said Dorsey. “Nobody has said anything about that.”

Would you be surprised if they asked you to move there?

“I’ll do whatever they ask me to do,” Dorsey said.

So how does all this get started? Well, the guy who opened the door on this story was GM Scott Pioli. …Read More!

OTA #3 Practice Report/Wednesday

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs closed out their first week of OTAs on Wednesday morning by tip-toeing through the rain drops on the outdoor fields at their facility.

“Though we have an extremely long way to go, I think we had a very good week and definitely made progress in areas where we need to make progress,” said head coach Todd Haley.

After the first week of practices, Haley said the physical condition of the players compared to last year at this time is a night and day difference.

“It’s not even close,” said Haley. “There are guys that may be at similar weights as they were at this time last year, but they are in so much better condition. We’ve really had a good off-season to this point. The guys are excited and energized and it’s fun to be around them. There’s a great overall energy to the group. This is a good time.”

Roll call was similar to the first session on Monday that was open to the media. The Chiefs newest player LB Cory Greenwood was on the field working on the inside and wearing No. 93.

Among the 86 players on the roster, the only one missing was veteran S Jarrad Page. There were seven players out of the action and working on injuries. Joining the group that was out all week was WR David Grimes, who pulled a hamstring during Tuesday’s session.

Also watching were RB Jamaal Charles, CB Brandon Flowers, TE Brad Cottam, WR Quinten Lawrence, WR Lance Long and rookie TE Tony Moeaki.

Charles said after practice that the team has given him no idea when he’ll be allowed to practice. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery back in January. “I’m not worried about it right now,” Charles said. “I’m doing what I can to get myself into shape and ready for the season.

“What matters is that I’m ready to go for training camp. I guess they are going to be careful.”

Here’s some of what went down on the field in the third session: …Read More!

Safety Surprise … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Heaven knows it’s a fun Chiefs fact that will likely be forgotten days from now, let alone remembered down the road:

Name the accomplished Southeastern Conference safety that was the starting strong safety for the Chiefs in the team’s first practice of 2010?

No, it wasn’t first-round draft choice Eric Berry out of Tennessee. Ultimately, the job likely belongs to Berry and maybe as soon as tomorrow. But on this Monday in May, he was running with the third team. The starting strong safety was Reshard Nelson Langford, a four-year starter at Vanderbilt, who is with his second NFL team.

Reshard Langford? Who he? He’s the Alabama native who is determined to make Berry fight for playing time at safety, because he wants the opportunity to play.

“Anybody that plays the game and loves being part of the game does it so they can play in the games,” Langford said this week as the Chiefs began their OTA practice sessions. “That’s all I’m trying to do every day, make another step to being able to play in the games.”

The 6-1, 213-pound Langford talks in the language that is music to the ears of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. He’s been a determined, consistent and improving player since he walked in the door late last season. Had veteran safety Jarrad Page shown up for the start of OTAs, it was going to be Langford who joined Jon McGraw as the starting safeties.

Starters in May do not rack up equity in the position. But for Langford, the honor was recognition of the hard work he’s put in for the past two months.

“He’s at the top of the list of guys working as hard as they can to put themselves in a position to succeed,” Haley said of Langford. “All these guys know that they all have great opportunity because anything they learned from last year (is) the guy that gives us the best chance to win will play. When guys hear that and know that, they’re excited and it gives them hope and then it’s just up to them to take advantage of the opportunity given.” …Read More!

Everybody On Board … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Say this for the guys in the Chiefs locker room – they’ve bought in lock, stock and barrel. He may drive them crazy sometimes, ruffle their feathers and bruise their feelings, but Todd Haley has won over his roster, and won it over in a big way.

With one exception, the Chiefs were present and accounted for on Monday with the first OTA practice session. That pretty much matches the attendance numbers that Haley has seen from the team’s strength and conditioning program that began in the last days of March.

That’s 85 players on the roster and 84 in the house. Thanks to the TI-1795 calculator, I can tell you that’s 98.82352 percent of the team.

Remember, these are voluntary practices. Players attend only if they want to keep their spot on the Chiefs roster for the coming season. That’s right – 84 men want to be part of a team that went 4-12 last year and has gone 10-38 in the last three years.

Why? Because of what Haley has established in his first 16 months on the job. Through all the histrionics of last season, the tantrums by the head coach and some of the players and the sideline shouting matches, Haley has connected with his players.

We saw that late in the season when the Chiefs continued to play hard, despite the growing number of defeats. They didn’t always play smart or their best, but there was never a question about effort with the ’09 Chiefs – they played hard every Sunday. They all want to win; many are desperate for the chance to achieve success in pro football. They listen to what Haley says, see what he and the organization have done, and they believe in the future.

That’s grown in this off-season. …Read More!

OTA #1 Report: Only One Player Missing

From the Truman Sports Complex

On Monday morning, the Chiefs had 85 signed and unsigned players on their roster. When they took the field for their first OTA practice session of the off-season, 84 were on the indoor field at the team’s facility.

The only man missing was S Jarrad Page. As a restricted free agent, Page has not yet signed his tender offer and thus can’t take part in the workout without signing an injury waiver. Head coach Todd Haley declined to talk about Page and his absence, preferring to “talk about the guys that are here.”

Two of those guys that “were here” came as a surprise: veteran LG Brian Waters and OLB Mike Vrabel. Two of the oldest and most experienced players on the roster, Waters and Vrabel did not attend any of the OTA work last year. The only time their shadows cross the door at the team’s facilities came for the mandatory mini-camp.

But there was No. 50 lining up with the first defense and No. 54 was at his normal spot with the No. 1 offensive line.

“With both of those guys, I was in a good place,” Haley said of the veterans. “We were on the same page. This whole off-season has been a good sign of commitment by everybody involved. This isn’t just about today; it’s about the last few months. These guys are really working, and working together. Now we have the chance to take another step towards the goals that we want to reach.” …Read More!

’10 Offense Unveiled … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

The Chiefs will hit the practice field for the first of their OTA sessions on Monday.

It will be then that the offensive players get their first real indications on what the new Chiefs offense will look like.

New offense? Yes, it’s going to be new, although it won’t be quite the change that the players experienced at the end of the 2009 pre-season when head coach Todd Haley fired coordinator Chan Gailey and installed himself as the play caller and man in charge of the offense.

However, there will be noticeable differences when they crack the books this week and get a look at the scheme. Is it Haley’s offense? Is it the playbook of new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis? Will it be a combination of the two?

No, the father of the Chiefs 2010 offensive scheme will not even be on the field Monday. He’ll be somewhere in Florida, more than likely on a golf course. The man behind the Chiefs offense is Ron Erhardt. It is an approach that he developed from his time as a head coach at New England, seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator with the Giants-Patriots-Steelers and Jets and even a bit back to his own days as a college head coach at North Dakota State.

The Erhardt philosophy does not establish any sort of new agenda in the sport. It’s a tried and true formula.

“Its run the ball and then throwing play-action passes off of those runs,” Haley said when asked last week to describe the offensive philosophy for the 2010 Chiefs. …Read More!

OTAs Are Coming … Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

It’s Article XXXV of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players.

Section 1 is very plain in its language:

Voluntary Workouts: No player shall be required to attend or participate in any off-season workout program or classroom instruction of a Club other than as provided in Article XXXVI (minicamps). Any other Club off-season workout programs and classroom instruction sessions shall be strictly voluntary …”

That’s what the CBA says. But there’s really nothing voluntary about off-season work for players that hope to have a long and fruitful career in the NFL. The reality is this: Article 35, Section 1 is meaningless to 95 percent of the roster.

That’s why the NFL Players Association asked for addition language that appears at two different places in the CBA:

“No club official shall indicate to a player that the Club’s off-season workout program or classroom instruction is not voluntary or that a player’s failure to participate in a workout program or classroom instruction will result in the player’s failure to make the Club.)

That’s how it is written, but it’s ignored by 95 percent of the roster; the fight for jobs and a career are too intense to stay away. Players can figure that out themselves, without any club official or coach telling them.

This weekend will be the last free time for most members of the Chiefs until they start their summer vacations in the middle of June. …Read More!

Pickin’ On The Nose … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

We don’t mean to keep beating on a dead horse. Okay, maybe we do mean to harp on the Chiefs remarkably bad defense against the run during the 2009 season.

And our focus is not so much on what happened last year, but what the Chiefs have and more appropriately haven’t done to fix what was an obvious problem. Teams cannot expect to win enough games to be a contender when they can’t stop the other team’s running game.

There is little under the category of “obvious moves” that Pioli/Haley have done to address the run defense. They’ve put their defensive eggs in the basket of new coordinator Romeo Crennel and a big jump in production and performance from the players that were on the roster during the ’09 season.

Two days ago the focus was on DE Tyson Jackson, one of those returning performers who simply must get better in the ’10 season. If he’s not a factor in shutting down his side of the field on the run, the Chiefs will have badly misjudged his potential and wasted the third choice of the 2009 NFL Draft.

But Jackson and the team’s other starting DE Glenn Dorsey can’t do it alone. They need help from the man between them. The Chiefs need more from their nose tackles like Ron Edwards, who is hitting Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger above.

They need a lot more.

Here’s what the 13 teams that played the 3-4 defensive scheme last season got in the way of production from their primary nose tackles: …Read More!

End Of An Era … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

This is a story about a professional football player who was not arrested. He was not fined and handed a suspension by the NFL Commissioner. He did not embarrass himself, family or his team’s fans with bad behavior.

He just went out and played pro football and acted like a gentleman for one season, two seasons, three … in the end it was 22 seasons.

Lost in the muddy ramifications of Big Ben’s trip to a dirty bathroom in a Georgia bar about two weeks ago was this story: New York Giants punter Jeff Feagles announced his retirement.

After 22 seasons and 352 games in the NFL, Feagles’ body had enough. A sore back and a swollen knee from the start of his off-season workout program was a message he could not ignore. So as the month of April came to end, so did his career as the NFL’s most prolific punter.

Most fans around the country that even bothered to know who Feagles was generally considered him just another one of those faceless legs that handle the punts and kicks in the pro game. But among other punters and those in the know when it comes to NFL special teams, Feagles was a rock star.

“I remember the first season I was here, we played the Giants and I remember running out on the field before the game and making a bee-line for Jeff,” said Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt. “I was so excited to get to speak with him. I went running up to him and told him I had worked with Steve Hoffman after I was drafted when the Chiefs brought him in to work on some stuff and clean me up. It was Hoff who was his coach at the University of Miami and found the guy (in an Arizona junior college.)

“I told him I used to play him on the Tecmo Super Bowl (video) game.” …Read More!

Expectations For Tyson … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

The Chiefs were next to last in run defense during the 2009 season.

With that kind of hole in their defense, Pioli/Haley apparently decided there were two answers to fixing the problem. First was the hiring of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Second was improvement from within.

The Chiefs are obviously counting on significant improvement from within since they’ve added just two players in the front seven: draft choice OLB Cameron Sheffield and free agent NT Shaun Smith.

Haley wouldn’t name names when it came to what players already on the roster must provide more production, but one of them is obvious: last year’s No. 1 draft choice DE Tyson Jackson.

Most fans and observers of the ’09 Chiefs called Jackson’s rookie season performance a disappointment. He played all 16 games, started 14 times and finished the year with 31 tackles, no sacks, no fumbles caused, no fumbles recovered, no interceptions, knocked down two passes and put pressure on the quarterback four times.

There’s no question that Jackson struggled with the transition to the NFL. He had a five-game stretch early in the season where he contributed a total of two tackles. There was another three-game stretch in November where he had two tackles. But he had seven tackles against Jacksonville, including two quarterback pressures. Against Buffalo, he had six tackles.

Every week was a learning experience for Jackson. Now, the Chiefs are expecting him to put those lessons into use in season No. 2. But what can the Chiefs reasonably expect from their second-year defensive end? …Read More!

An NFL Grab Bag … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

It has been a mad scramble over the weekend as we celebrated the graduation of our youngest with her Masters of Science in Speech Pathology from the University of Tulsa. As a parent, you always hope your children are smarter than you; that was not too hard for Liz, but she went above and beyond to get it done. Congratulations sweetie!

Now back to work as we catch up on a number of items from around the world of pro football.

WHERE IS JOHN HENDERSON?

He is not at Arrowhead Stadium. He’s not going through the off-season program with the New York Giants. John Henderson remains unemployed several weeks after his release by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Why? There could be several factors at work here, but likely the biggest reason is an over-estimation of his value to his next team. Simply: he wants too much money. This happens a lot when long-time veterans are cut loose by their old team and they view it as a chance to cash in at the pay window.

If that’s the case, it sends a message about what this player thinks is important. If that’s the case, it would seem to diminish the chances of Henderson landing with the Chiefs. Pioli/Haley are not looking for guys seeking a pay day. They are looking for players “that fit” their mold.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR SUSPENDED

Houston Texans LB Brian Cushing, the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year last season, got slapped for a four-game suspension by the league under the performance enhancing drugs category.

Rumors of PED use by Cushing go back to his days at Southern Cal and it was a charge that the linebacker denied, saying he never tested positive. Even after the NFL suspension, Cushing denies using PEDs, saying in a statement released by his agent that the suspension was due to a “non-steroidal banned substance.” …Read More!

And the Loser Is … Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

There’s no surprise that maybe a Chiefs fan or two, or two thousand, enjoyed the sad news that came out of Oakland on Thursday with the Raiders release of QB JaMarcus Russell.

The move ended what has been an NFL soap opera for the last three years and established a new standard for failure in the NFL Draft. Russell is the poster child for the decline of the storied Raiders franchise, one that has made football proudest man a laughingstock among those that once feared him.

More than anything else, I would bet Al Davis is sad, upset and angry not with the wasted draft choice, or the $39 million Russell collected over three years. I’d wager that what just destroys Davis is that Russell remains a remarkable athlete, capable of doing memorable things on the football field. For any number of reasons, the Raiders were not able to get cultivate those talents so that Russell was a winning and productive quarterback.

Instead, he’s now the second man in the debate on who is the biggest bust in NFL Draft history, joining former San Diego’s selection Ryan Leaf. Russell was the first man selected in 2007, while Leaf was No. 2 in 1998. There are others that would be in the running with them, say the first choice of the 1999 NFL Draft QB Tim Couch who failed miserably in Cleveland. But the gold and silver medals are reserved for Russell and Leaf.

Any recent first-round draft failure in the Chiefs dossier does not come close to matching the sad results of Russell’s career. …Read More!

A Free Agent Find? … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

If Todd Haley has said it once, he’s said it a hundred times in the 16 months that he’s been the head coach of the Chiefs:

“It doesn’t matter how a player got here. It’s what we see once he’s here.”

All coaches like to say things like that, and sometimes it’s believable. Other times it’s just something a coach thinks he has to say. We all know that no matter how bad say Eric Berry may look before the start of the regular season, he’s not going to be released. No chance. The early draft choices will always get more chances than the undrafted college free agents.

But bad teams provide a greater opportunity for players on the fringe to make the roster. When a team doesn’t have enough talent, it’s really not going to matter to the decision makers where a player comes from; if he can play, he has a job.

Last year, Haley and GM Scott Pioli started the season with eight rookies on the 53-man roster. Two of those players were undrafted – LBs Jovan Belcher and Pierre Walters. Both spent the entire ’09 season on the active roster and they were joined at one point last year by S Rickey Price, G Daryl Harris and DL Dion Gales.

This season the Chiefs have signed 11 college free agents who will return on May 17th and work with the team in the OTAs and June’s full-team mini-camp. Most will go to training camp in St. Joe and take their shot at one of the most difficult tasks in the pro game – making the roster after all 32 teams passed you by in the NFL Draft multiple times.

As we’ve dug through the list of Chiefs signees, one player in that group stands out – OLB Justin Cole out of San Jose State (above).

Checking around the league in the 10 days since the Draft, we found that Cole was on most team’s boards as a draftable player. Some had him rated as high as a fifth-round choice. Others had him in the sixth or seventh-round. At least one time labeled him a “desirable signee” as an undrafted free agent. …Read More!

A Chiefs Grab Bag … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Cleaning up the notebook on a few matters Chiefs related around the NFL in the first week of May.

CHIEFS SIGN WR DAVID GRIMES

What should we make of this signing? Is this strictly a Charlie Weis deal? Or did Grimes really show enough as a tryout player during a three-day rookie camp to warrant a chance to continue on with his NFL dream?

Grimes played four seasons for Weis at Notre Dame, where he was an OK possession receiver, working a lot out of the slot. He did not put up big numbers, finishing his career with 90 catches for 900 yards and seven touchdowns. He also did some kick returning, averaging 23.7 yards on 36 returns, but no touchdowns. During his senior season in ’08, he was one of Notre Dame’s three captains and he was a leader on the field and locker room who helped the transition to the Irish program for Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. All that is good stuff.

Now here’s the not so good stuff. Grimes is 5-9 7/8, 173 pounds. He posted 40-yard dash times of 4.58 and 4.62 in the last few months. So while he’s small, he’s not really fast. He signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent back on April 27, 2009 and was released by the Broncos on July 23, 2009 without even going to training camp. Part of his problem was surgery on his back that happened after the ’08 Notre Dame season.

Here’s how one talent evaluator described him before the ’09 NFL Draft: …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #3

Here’s the last batch of questions from the weekend. Again, thanks to everybody who submitted something.

GeorgeT said: OK, Bob I just got finished reading Jason Whitlock’s latest diatribe against the Chiefs and Pioli and I don’t get it. This guy campaigned for change and to get rid of King Carl and now less than 18 months after the change, he’s bashing the new guys, calling him Fidel Castro (left)? Is it really as bad as he portrays things? Does the media really have to ask to use the bathroom?

Bob says: Yes, the media has to ask for access to a restroom. That’s true. Big deal.

Access to players and coaches is very limited. That’s true as well and it’s a bit bigger of a deal. For a team trying to sell tickets, suites and sponsorships, it shows us that different parts of the franchise are operating with very different agendas. Any publicity the Chiefs can help foster right now would be helpful for sales and generating more attention. Instead the Chiefs have gone in the opposite direction and made it tougher for those types of stories to appear by shielding the rookies with a closed locker room during the mini-camp and making the coaching staff off limits for interviews at this time. All of that comes down from the very top of the organization.

And all that being said, is it like Fidel Castro’s Cuba? I’ve never been to Havana, although I’d love to see the place and smoke a stogie or three. I doubt Whitlock’s been anywhere near Cuba, so how he would know is beyond me. I will tell you that it’s very interesting that Whitlock decided to write his piece on the day Todd Haley allowed the media to watch the entire afternoon practice at mini-camp; at the other workouts we got about 25 minutes. It’s also interesting that Whitlock complained about the rookies and what they had to say in front of the media when he did not even attend the sessions; he stayed in the press room. It’s typical Whitlock: lazy reporting, lazy writing, the entire process wrapped around his insecurities that he projects on others. …Read More!

It’s A Crowded Weight Room … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

The rookie mini-camp was in his rearview mirror and his beloved Pittsburgh Penguins were on the tube skating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But Sunday afternoon, Todd Haley had no trouble turning his attention to talking about his team’s strength and conditioning program. That’s the one involving returning veterans and recently acquired players with NFL experience.

That group got back to work on Monday morning as the rookies cleared out of the building and the program that began on March 29th continued on its way to a June conclusion after 10 weeks and 40 workouts.

“I am excited about the guys that have been here working out,” Haley said. “I can’t stress that enough, I know I go over the top on this off-season (program), but it is so critical to success and you must be pushing towards the top in that area to have a chance to sustain and be a good team over the long haul. I am really excited about what these guys are doing here on a daily basis.”

Here’s what is so exciting about the off-season program for Haley: with the exception of veterans Brian Waters and Mike Vrabel, every other player on the roster has been in the program.

“That’s everyone, 100 percent?” Haley was asked.

“Everyone,” he said. …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #2

More questions, more attempted answers on all things Chiefs and NFL.

vincent belt said: I have been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. One comment caught my attention. There are three things that all great teams must have: 1.) the desire to win must permeate the entire organization-Winning is the only thing must almost be in the DNA of every worker. 2.) There must be a clear vision of the type of player the team wants. The scouts must have specific criteria they are looking for and the personnel people should use this to create a cohesive team. 3.) Players must be developed! Great teams take players and develop them to fit into their scheme. This should happen within 2-3 years. What players do you believe are going to develop this year? (especially emphasis on players that played little or no, to becoming regular contributors. Are you able to watch the rookie camp to get a sense of what players are going to contribute this year? (Outside of the top 3 picks) Thanks, Bob you do a GREAT JOB!!!

Bob says: Vincent, good points and good questions. Developing players is huge. I know the fans and media get excited about the new faces from free agency and the draft, but most improvement on a team in a given season will come from within. With the Chiefs, that’s a big group of players that must improve, largely because they remain such a young team. All the draft picks from ’09 have to get better, some have to get much better – guys like Donald Washington, Colin Brown and Quinten Lawrence. Same holds true for all the draft picks from ’08 that are still around, especially Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Carr, DaJuan Morgan and Barry Richardson. Then there are other young players like Andy Studebaker, Jovan Belcher, Pierre Walters, Daryl Harris, Wallace Gilberry and Ricky Price.

From the rookie camp beyond the top three picks, I think they will get contributions from Moeaki and Lewis, and possibly Asamoah, if injuries pop up and he can get on the field. …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #1

As always, I asked for your questions and they came by the dozens.

And as always, they were well thought out queries and a pleasure to read and answer. There were so many questions that it’s been broken into three parts. Here’s the first batch.

—–

Mark said: Why do you think the national media was so far off in thinking we needed and were going to draft an OT at #5? Why didn’t they do their jobs a little more diligently and realize we already invested a #1 draft choice two years ago on a LT that has shown enormous promise. It was probably the least area of need on the entire team.

Bob says: Not sure about least area of need, but it wasn’t the priority that media nationally and locally thought it would be in this year’s Draft. The template was passed around that Branden Albert was a complete bust last year, and that’s simply not true. He started poorly, but came around in the second half of the season. He’ll be fine. Albert can play the position; whether he can play to a Pro Bowl-type level, I don’t know. But RT is a bigger question mark in my mind than LT; but the Chiefs don’t see it that way.

—–

Gump said: Do you think the lack of OL drafting is an endorsement of Barry Richardson and Colin Brown?

Bob says: No, I think it was an endorsement of Branden Albert and Ryan O’Callaghan. They’ve moved Brown to guard and if Richardson doesn’t show marked improvement going into the ’10 season, I’m not sure he makes the club. Yes, depth is a problem at tackle for the Chiefs. …Read More!

Wrapping Up Rookie Camp … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

From the Truman Sports Complex

The draft choices that were part of the Chiefs rookie camp were all singing the same tune over the weekend.

And it was music to the ears of head coach Todd Haley:

“Wherever Coach Haley needs me to be, that’s where I’m going to be … wherever he puts me, you’re going to get the same guy … whatever I’m told to do is what I am going to do …. Do whatever I can to make the team better and make the team at this point … I’m just trying to make the team and learn the playbook … whatever the coaches want me to do, I will do.”

All seven of the Chiefs draft choices spoke to the media for a few moments during the rookie camp, and all of them repeatedly used words like compete, opportunity, willing to contribute, do anything I’m asked. It almost made you think they were scripted.

They weren’t. Certainly they said things they knew the head coach and organization would like to hear. But that would be the cynical outlook on their words. Those that prefer a bit more optimism and hope should consider this: they were seven players from seven different college football programs but they all have the same goals and desires, and it would seem personalities.

They all took to heart one thing that Haley told them during their first meeting of the camp: you don’t know what you don’t know. As Bill Parcells would say – and maybe Haley did too – you are rookies, act like it.

And they won over their head coach. …Read More!

Practice Report 5/2 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

The final practice of the Chiefs rookie camp was outside Sunday morning as Todd Haley and his coaching staff put 32 players through the workout, wrapping up the three-day session.

“It was very, very productive,” Haley said afterwards. “I’m excited about these guys. I feel comfortable that they understand how important the next couple weeks are so they keep
working.”

Under NFL rules, the rookies can’t return to the Chiefs facility until May 16th or the day their college holds graduation. All seven draft choices and 11 college free agents will be back and on the field for the team’s first OTA session on Monday, May 17th.

There was plenty of teaching and learning going down at the camp, and not just by the players.

“There was a lot of learning on both sides,” Haley said. “We are chomping at the bit as a staff … we now have a couple weeks to get prepared and get our ducks in a row and be ready when OTAs start.”

First-round S Eric Berry and second-round CB Javier Arenas were both active  in this practice after sitting out Saturday afternoon. The Chiefs do not talk about injuries until the regular season, but Haley allowed that there were no major problems for either player.

“”There were some existing situations; it’s nothing serious,” said Haley. “It was done as a precautionary measure. We wanted to be smart. They’re fine.” …Read More!

Coach Karm Passes

Bob Karmelowicz, a nine-year assistant coach with the Chiefs passed away on Saturday night at a hospice in the Detroit area.

Karmelowicz was part of the coaching staffs of Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham and Dick Vermeil from 1997 through 2005. It was the longest stint with one team in his 18 years in the NFL.

It was in 2000 that Karm was diagnosed with a rare cancer in his sinus area. At the time, he said only two out of every million Americans got that type of cancer, but it was the most frequently diagnosed cancer in China.

“Old ladies leaning over woks for 50 or 60 years inhaling the smoke and the oils get it all the time,” Karmelowicz said in ’00. “There’s only two things you can do with this, either you give up or you fight.”

Karm fought for a decade, working with the Houston Texans for three years and then last year with the Lions as part of the defensive staff under head coach Jim Schwartz and Cunningham, Detroit’s defensive coordinator.

“I’ve  had the privilege of coaching with and against Karm for a long time and he was one tough guy,” Cunningham said in a statement released by the Lions. “Though his coaching success on the field speaks for itself, I will always remember him for how much he loved kids, his compassion for helping kids and how much he cared for his grandkids.  That will always be his lasting impression on me.”

Karm left the Lions back in February and entered a Detroit hospital where he spent many days in intensive care.

A native of Connecticut, Karm was 60 years old. He is survived by his wife Olga and children Liz, Marissa and David. Visitation and a funeral mass will be held Friday morning at the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, MI.

Top 2011 Draft Prospects-Defense

Here’s a look at the preliminary list of the top defensive players for the 2011 NFL Draft.

This list of players includes several who will be juniors this fall, but are expected to declare for draft consideration.

DEFENSIVE END

Adrian Clayborn/Iowa (right), 6-3, 282 pounds. The St. Louis native exploded last year for Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes defense, and Clayborn ended up being named the MVP of Iowa’s Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech with nine tackles and two sacks.

Over his career in Iowa City, he’s taken part of 140 total tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. Last season, he started all 13 games at defensive end, with 70 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He also blocked a punt against Penn State that turned into a touchdown for Iowa. His performance earned him first-team All-Big 10 honors.

In February he pleaded guilty to an assault charge involving an altercation with a taxi driver. Clayborn played at Webster Groves High School. …Read More!

Tryout Players At Chiefs Rookie Camp

The Truman Sports Complex

There are a handful of tryout players taking part in the Chiefs rookie camp this weekend.

We have been able to identify the following: Kansas State DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh QB Bill Stull, Notre Dame WR David Grimes, Troy ILB Boris Lee, Vanderbilt DE Steven Stone, Virgina Tech LS Matt Tuttle and Eastern Michigan P Zach Johnson.

Berry, Arenas Out Of Rookie P.M. Practice

The Truman Sports Complex

Two of the Chiefs first three draft choices were watching practice Saturday afternoon at the team’s rookie camp. The other pick was very busy.

1st-rounder S Eric Berry and 2nd-rounder Javier Arenas were dressed but did not participate in most of the workout. Both Berry and Arenas were dressed and worked in some of the defensive back drills. But when it came time for team work, both were on the sidelines with secondary coach Emmitt Thomas. There was no obvious physical problem with either player.

Second-round WR/RB Dexter McCluster was practicing … boy was he practicing! The diminutive target was moved all over the offense by coordinator Charlie Weis. McCluster lined up at the left and right slot, the left and right wing and in the backfield as a running back. All this in just the third practice of the season. The only problem for McCluster was staying on his feet; the Chiefs moved outside for the P.M. practice and the turf was still wet from recent rains.

Third-round TE Tony Moeaki showed some of the receiving skills that caught the attention of the Chiefs in their evaluation of him. Several times he got free down the hashmarks and made very nice catches away from his body and with his hands.

The Chiefs worked briefly on the return game and with Arenas out, those catching balls off the jugs machine were McCluster, S Ricky Price and CB Jackie Bates.

Also sitting out the practice was first-year  WR Chandler Williams, who was in the rehab area riding the stationary bike.

Saturday/Rookie Mini-Camp Practice #1

From the Truman Sports Complex

Day 2 of the Chiefs 2010 rookie mini-camp started with a morning practice inside the team’s facility because of wet conditions on the outside f ields.

All 33 that took part on Friday were back for Saturday morning’s session. One change was 2nd-round draft choice Dexter McCluster working with the running backs. He worked with the wide receivers the day before.

For some totally meaningless information on May 1st, here was the starting offensive line for the workout: C-Andrew Lewis, G-Lemuel Jeanpierre and Jon Asamoah and T- Jermail Porter and Tyler Eastman.

A totally meaningless No. 1 front seven on defense was: DE-Bobby Greenwood and unknown tryout player, NT-Garrett Brown; OLB-Cameron Sheffield and Justin Cole; ILB-Michael Johnson and tryout LB Boris Lee.

Two more tryout guys were identified in the workout: Lee, a teammate and linebacker-mate with Sheffield at Troy. He’s 6-0, 245 and is a native of Georgia. At WR is David Grimes, who played at Notre Dame. He’s 5-10, 177 pounds and signed last year with Denver after the draft but did not stick.  

More updates to come.