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..

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..

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..

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..

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..

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..

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..

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..

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..