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.
The odds in this drill favor the offense, but Croyle showed the rustiness of not having played and practice since last October. His first pass was intercepted by LB Monty Beisel. Croyle connected with FB Mike Cox on his second throw, but held the ball too long, drawing a loud verbal warning from the head coach. His third pass was incomplete, Croyle had to pull the ball down with nobody open on his fourth snap and WR Terrance Copper dropped his fifth throw. Croyle over threw WR Quinten Lawrence on his sixth toss, but then hit WR Jeff Webb and RB Jamaal Charles before overthrowing Webb again. That’s nine passes, only three completed with an interception.
In the same drill, Matt Cassell hit seven of nine, but did throw an interception when FS Jarrad Page picked off the pass. The QB who looked the best in the drill was Tyler Thigpen, who went five of six and the only miss was a drop by WR Taurus Johnson.
Some other notes and observations from the afternoon session:
- There were 11 players out of the practice work. That’s the nine who missed the morning session and then ILB Derrick Johnson and G Edwin Harrison. Both Johnson (hamstring) and Harrison (knee) were injured in the A.M. practice. Johnson worked on the field with the rehab team, but Harrison was in the training room receiving treatment. During the practice G Darryl Harris went out with a right leg problem of some type and DE Alex Magee had his upper right leg re-wrapped during the workout and was limited from that point forward.
- The RBs worked on picking up blitzing linebackers and things did not go well, as they lost most of the battles. It started with the first snap when OLB Mike Vrabel blew past RB Larry Johnson. From that point forward, the defense won nearly every snap. FB Mike Cox did a good job with a late rep against Vrabel, but the Chiefs backs had some problems in the drill.
- On special teams the Chiefs worked hard on the punting game. They had WRs Lawrence and Rodney Wright back handling the returns.
- CB Brandon Flowers had a nice day. On the first play of the team work portion of practice, he came fast on a blitz off the corner and forced Cassesl to pull the ball down. Several players later, Flowers broke up a pass from Cassel to WR Mark Bradley.
- The Chiefs first-team receivers are lining up with Dwayne Bowe and Devard Darling, and Brad Cottam at tight end. When they got to three receivers, Bobby Engram comes in and replaces the fullback in the offensive set.
Real Rin ® daddy-o sez -
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“The QB who looked the best in the drill was Tyler Thigpen”
- yea-yeah! Tyler “The Little Big Man From Coastal Carolina” Thigpen - Chiefs #1 QB!
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“Haley was unhappy with . . . unhappy that . . . and unhappy that . . . ”
- sounds like he was unhappy; what a sour dour fellow he appears to be. Time to lose some more weight, huh - “22 LAPS FOR EVERYONE!!!”
A sure fire solution. Right. ‘check’
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Time ‘check’ 8:20 p.m. CST & still no sign(ing) of #1 draft choice Tyson Jackson. Day 2 in the books, Day 3 the holdout comin’ right up…
close your mouth ’search’…
I love the updates Bob! If They go off of practice, then brodie better worry a bit, he cant stay healthy, and he cant complete passes in practice? Yeesh, bad combo.
I will say though that Practice is where the same Casey Printers fans that are now TT fans were touting him the same way.
I believe great coaches are NEVER HAPPY with the performance of their unit, especially day one of active camp.
Bob, if you know if Dorsey has the shin injury, or if he just is out of shape..or both, let us know, I read he was 30 Lb’s overweight this offseason from an article today via foxsports….yet this is news to me since Albert and Bowe were considered the weight issues.
Good thing it’s only rust Croyle is having problems with.
Those same fans who now doubt Brodie will be sadly disappointed in the 1 year wonder Cassell come the regular season.
At any rate Thigpen looks like the best QB so far, hands down.
Come on people. This was the FIRST PRACTICE. I’d be careful making too much out of what went on in one day. Relax.
Things certainly aren’t looking good so far other than Thigpen. I think Rin Tin Tin may be right.
I wonder if Dorsey has shin splints. If thats the case thats really really bad news. I got that one year running cross country in HS. It takes months to fully recover from. It is NOT a fun or easy injury to work through. The pain is intense.
Agreed Scott first practice to early to make assumptions alot can change between now and pre-season. And even pre-season and regular season. Good stuff Bob you’re the best.
I can’t see how Thigpen is “hand down” better…or that “things aren’t looking good other than Thigpen”. Maybe I should re-read the articles…because I must have missed something?
And just for the record…It’s kind of amusing that the post here, and the one a few above are the first ones I’ve made today. But as I read back through the other articles…there are about half a dozen with my name on them. Good God…grow the hell up. What are you…12 years old?
“Cassell hit seven of nine, but did throw an interception…”
All it takes is one. Don’t count Thigpen out just yet if the trend continues. The one way that Thigpen can nail down the starting QB slot is for MC to play his way out of a job.
Real Rin ® daddy-o sez -
Uh…appears that bugaboo of being on different pages more so planets is rearing its head again.
Yesterday Mr. Niswanger touted “our attitude is about competition and excitement” while Mr. Page pronounced “I don’t really get into competition. I just go out and see what happens.”
Uh-hah? AFLAC!
And today? Second day verse same as the first…
River Falls website / the morning’s practice:
‘Todd Haley said from what he saw the players dropped too many balls today.’
“That has got to get better. Guys got to start showing they are ready.”
River Falls website / this afternoon’s practice:
“Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe had the first dropped ball of the day in an 11-0 drill. It turned out to be a trend for the remainder of practice.
Tight end Brad Cottam had two drops in a row when running routes against air about 20 minutes later.
Rookie wide receiver Quinten Lawerence had a drop in one-on-one drills.
[[ *** By the way alex k, if Lawrence keeps dropping passes at his current pace he'll fit right in nee WILL make the Chiefs...by default (not his own fault rather the lack anyone less bad than he.) ]]
Wide receiver Mark Bradley had a drop in the 7-on-7 drills.
As ‘check’ commented earlier in the day he had seen too many drops he was forced to resort to his old standby - i.e. when in doubt (a common malady his) lose more weight; so then, una vez mas: - “MORE LAPS - MORE LAPS FOR EVERYONE!!!”
Translation: be in a tizzy.
YET, after the PM practice Dwayne Bowe stated the offense was making great improvements in practice.
uh-hah? AF-LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC!!!
heh heh heh
It’s going to be a GREAT season alright Chiefs fans… huh.
What are you looking so shocked about ’search’? Rin told you how it was going to be…
“It started with the first snap when OLB Mike Vrabel blew past RB Larry Johnson.”
Hey Scott - guess we got our answer about if this guy would show up for work or not once camp started.
Thanks Bob, can’t wait for the season to start! Glad to hear Brandon Flowers is continuing his DB dominance! He was a great player at VT.
That is true, SG. Vrabel is a pro, though. I was glad we got him, at first. Then pissed because he appeared not to want to be a Chief (whether true or not…or made up by the media, I’m not sure). But if the guy can kick some ass for us this year, then I’ll give him credit where due.
Although I have to say…blowing past an LJ block might not be as impressive as it sounds. LMAO!
Hey Rin could ya be a pal and share the link to the River Falls website you referenced above, it’s hard following training camp over here in NY.
Don’t know about the other link…but here is the one to Bob’s “Rapid Reports” on CBS. Enjoy.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/KC
Thanks for the link Scott!
Beavis-
https://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/prev_updates.php
[...] Chiefs News Chiefs Update | Chiefs Football at BobGretz.com [...]
You’re welcome, Beavis. And thanks to you, ILChiefsFan, for that link.
I especially liked this quote from Zach Thomas… “With the new coaching staff and general manager, I am seeing a lot of respect from both the coaches for the players and the players for the coaches, and that is really important in making a difference in a team.”
A Vet like Zach wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t believe it. And I think it’s safe to say that he knows more about than we do…since he’s been there from Day 1 this year. Very encouraging, I think.
Can’t tell anything from the first few days of practice; so relax. Bob, why doesn’t the team have their depth chart on their website? Can you put one on here?
“…or made up by the media, I’m not sure”
Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!
JW has made some extra cash this summer…
Real Rin ® daddy-o sez, reply to Beavis -
“Hey Rin”
- yeah Beav, what is it you need from Master Rin now?
“could ya be a pal and share the link to the River Falls website you referenced above, it’s hard following training camp over here in NY.”
- Rin could but He’ll be damned if He- aw ‘check’ that - why soitenly Rin will! Here ’tis -
https://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/prev_updates.php
At the above link you get (quite a bit) more ‘realistic’ observations than via the vacuous chatter of the rose-colored spectacle wearing faction herein.
Just as with Rin’s honest takes, Bob G’s you can take to the bank; as for the rest, view them all with suspicion nee dubiosity - - in other words, consider the source.
Here’s a sample of “the new guy” as Herm referred to (who lost his poise yet again today; he must have thot he was back home at One Arrowhead patrolling the vestibule/verifying hall passes & appointments) -
“We don’t go through the motions! If you want to go through the motions you’ll be (f****ing) 2-14 again!”
And then, the players continued doing just that - going through the motions proving both Rin & Herm right - these players were solely responsible for the results last season, and NOT the coach(ing).
Can’t wait to see turn into a total basket case once the losing starts regular season - Rin fully expects the Chiefs will not win their first game until December, unless they luck out against the equally hapless Raiders in Kaycee game 2…
Thence, ‘check’ will once more resort to security blankey his, i.e.- “ALRIGHT! EVERYBODY DANCE- ER, I MEAN RUN LAPS!!!”
Players: “How many coach?”
“22!!!”
Players: “Oh…ok (then, under their breath ‘heh heh heh heh heh!’)”
Yup, things are sure going to be different this year…huh.
Right. ‘check’
rinn
what the hell is wrong with you!
god your annoying
Real Rin ® daddy-o sez -
Thanks, you’re not so pleasing yourself. Blogging is for folks to give opinions - whether you like them or not, so remember: this internet stretches just as far & wide in the other direction - knock yourself out…
Every year fans get worked up over PRACTICE. Like Iverson said, Practice??? Practice???? It’s just practice. Some guys look good, some don’t. Then next practice those same ones get better, and others get worse. If Offense shines, then D stinks, and vice versa. Doesn’t matter much. Only thing that matters is getting in game shape, and avoiding severe injuries, and so far, so good on both fronts.
August 2, 2009 - Rin Tin Tin says:
Real Rin ® daddy-o sez -
Please forgive my dumbassery. I was abused in prison and have a mental condition because of it.
I’m the little boy who cried wolf -
Please forgive my dumbassery. I was abused in prison and have a mental condition because of it.
amazing the hate on Lawrence/Cassel…
Watch the TD connection 2 or 3 times this year, and thoughts will change on this.
As for Croyle and it being too early to tell…its not, this is a QB who gets hurt without finishing a GAME, and now hes lousy in practice? Backup Qb’s have to be sharp in practice, we will see if it changes, first practice, yes, but Croyle is an injury waiting to happen.
Wrong. As usual you are so wrong alex k.
It is refreshing to here an objective eval of players performances. I want insight on the negatives as much as the positives
Give Croyle a break man. He is still a better QB than Thigpen could ever hope to be. Both Brodie and Cassel were better than thiggy yesterday morning, yet we seem to have already forgotten that. Brodie was tough at Alabama…not sure what happened to him once he got to the NFL.
All these folks that are pushing Thigpen’s great #’s and clear superiority are not only making the mistake of it being only one practice. They are also unaware of how the whole day’s practices went. This from the urwf site on the A.M. practice yesterday.
“Quarterback Matt Cassel completed his first six passes in the team’s 7-on-7 drill. Three of those passes were perfectly-timed sideline hitch routes to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Cassel came back and completed three more passes before the drill’s completion. He ended up finishing 9-9. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen stepped in after Cassel and had a little trouble. His third pass was picked off across the middle by Weston Dacus. Dacus also knocked down a ball two passes later. Thigpen finished the drill 5-8. Quarterback Brodie Croyle was then handed the reigns and one-hopped his first pass. Croyle completed his next four passes and ended 4-5.”
If we applied their line of reasoning to this report then Thiggy is only the 3rd best QB in camp. That would also be a stupid assumption. Let training camp play out before you make your judgements.
Mike Price–I don’t need those kind of comments from you.
PKC, you don’t know anything.
Rin Tin Tin has an amazing knowledge of football. Everyone else is a poser.
Except for me.