Afternoon Practice Update 8/18

From the Truman Sports Complex

As long as the Chiefs are on the practice field in the pre-season, we will keep you informed on what’s happening in these workouts.  Although the location has changed, it’s really still training camp.

DT Glenn Dorsey is off the “careful” list and he took full snaps in the practice work, with the No. 1 defense and the nickel pass defense.  The starting D-Line from left to right were DE Turk McBride, DT Tank Tyler, Dorsey and DE Tamba Hali.  When they went nickel, DE-DT Alfonso Boone came in for Tyler.

ALL-River Falls Team for 2008

From River Falls, Wisconsin

They worked through three weeks of practices here in the northwoods. Most of the players on the Chiefs roster improved. Some regressed and showed they were suspects rather than prospects.

Some excelled.

They would be the members of the All-River Falls Team for 2008. Unlike the Pro Bowl, there’s no trip to Hawaii for this honor. There’s not even a trophy and there certainly isn’t a bonus of any kind. But these are the players who stood out, from day one, through day 21 during the practices directed by Herm Edwards and his coaching staff.

Opinion was sought from Edwards, his staff and the team’s personnel staff that saw almost all of the workouts. There was very little difference in opinion when it came to the players that performed the best in the Falls.

LG BRIAN WATERS would have to rank as the top member of the All-River Falls ‘08 team. The Chiefs veteran came to camp in shape and with a hard-nosed demeanor that spoke all business all the time. If this is how he plans to play the season, then he’ll quickly return to his Pro Bowl form and the offensive line will be that much better and that much more productive. Plus, Waters level of play was great for No. 1 draft choice Glenn Dorsey, who found out very quickly what it was going to be like going head-to-head with the NFL’s finest.

Will The Chiefs Return To the Northwoods?

From River Falls, Wisconsin

For the last three weeks this website has been based in this Norman Rockwell little town here in western Wisconsin where people park their cars on the street in front of their homes at night, leave the driver’s window down and the keys in the ignition.

And when they come out in the morning, the car is still there.

As small towns go, it doesn’t get much better than River Falls.  It’s nice: nice people, nice weather, nice scenery.

But is it the best place for the Kansas City Chiefs to hold training camp?

Final Camp Practice Update 8/14

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs went through a short practice late Thursday morning and wrapped up their on-field work here in the northwoods.

The workout was geared around preparing for Saturday night’s opponent, the Arizona Cardinals.  There’s no offensive or defensive game plans so to speak for this game, but the head coach and the coordinators gave their units a chance to see some of the schemes ‘Zona likes to use.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/13

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Although the Chiefs will practice on Thursday, their workout Wednesday afternoon was their last practice of training camp with full shoulder pads and contact.  They turned in a very spirited session.  Although the contact is supposed to be minimal, these guys are going so fast right now it’s hard for them to turn down the tempo.  At one point in the practice, RB Larry Johnson got upset with DT Tank Tyler for a little extra contact and let him know about it.  Tyler just looked at him and smiled.  RB Jamaal Charles didn’t like being roughed up on one play, and he ended up throwing the ball at a Chiefs defender.  That was mental mistake No. 2 for the rookie, as he would have been penalized on they play.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/12

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs defense turned in a pretty good practice on Tuesday, as the Chiefs offense had the turnover bug.

The guy who got all the action was rookie S DaJuan Morgan.  He picked off QB  Tyler Thigpen on a pass for WR Will Franklin.  Later, he recovered a fumble by RB Jamaal Charles.  As Charles ran to his right, he lost control of the ball without being hit.  Not a good sign.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/11

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The few fans who were in Ramer Field at UW-River Falls on Monday watching the Chiefs go through their practice in pads got to see the future of the Chiefs defensive line.

For several plays during the workout the No. 1 defensive line looked like this, from left to right: Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, Glenn Dorsey and Tamba Hali.  That foursome had probably a half-dozen snaps, as the Chiefs were easing Dorsey back into full practice work coming off his knee injury.

But it’s a good bet that in coming practices and weeks that group will spend more and more time together.  It would be a fairly safe bet to pencil them in as the front four for the season opener in New England.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/10

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Sunday afternoon’s practice was certainly an interesting one for the Chiefs defense.

When the workout came to its final session, the two-minute drill, Gunther Cunningham unveiled a new wrinkle to his 3-3-5 defense to throw against the offense.  He had Tank Tyler, Brian Johnston and Jason Parker on the line, with Pat Thomas, Derrick Johnson and Demorrio Williams at linebacker and five defensive backs.

But Williams has lining up as a defensive end and rushing the passer off the left side.  He was unstoppable as RT Damion McIntosh struggled to slow him down.  Williams showed great speed and great leverage as he went low, forcing McIntosh to bend his knees, which he does not do well.  And for whatever reason, this all seemed to light a fire under Johnston.  Largely silent throughout this training camp, suddenly the seventh-round pick was boring in on Brodie Croyle as well.

Morning Practice Update 8/10

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Rookie RB Dantrell Savage’s chances of making the final 53-man roster were not good heading into training camp.  But they’ve improved after his performance last week against Chicago in the pre-season opener.

One way he can earn a spot would be as the team’s returner on both kickoffs and punts.  He did the kickoffs last week and now the Chiefs are working him as a punt returner.  He field punts Sunday morning as the Chiefs went through a special teams session.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/9

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was the best and worst of times for DE Alfonso Boone on Saturday as the Chiefs returned to practice here in the northwoods.

Earlier in the day, Boone found out he had been replaced in the starting lineup at LDE by second-year man Turk McBride.  Whether this move will stick remains to be seen, because Herm Edwards and Gunther Cunnigham continue to make moves with the starting 11 on defense, trying to find the right combinations.

There was some coaching staff unhappiness with Boone’s play against Chicago.  Edwards was not speaking specifically of Boone when he said “there are a lot of positions still open. We want players to do it the way we want to do it.”

A Quiet Day In River Falls

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs arrived back here at UW-River Falls around 3 o’clock Friday morning and the players had the rest of the day off.  They have to be back in the dorms by 10 p.m. Friday night  In fact, they’ve been told the head coach will do bed check tonight to make sure everyone is back where they belong as they begin the final week of camp.

They’ll get back to work with meetings in the morning and then an afternoon practice on Saturday.

Herm Helps Gatorade Hydration

From River Falls, Wisconsin

With his players resting for Thursday night’s pre-season opener, Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards spent several hours Wednesday afternoon doing radio and television interviews around the country on the issue of hydration.

With high school fooball practices starting up in the coming days, Edwards and the folks at Gatorade are reminding players, parents and coaches of the need to replinish liquids lost in football practices, especially those in warm weather sites.

Morning Practice Update 8/6

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs went through more of a mental practice Wednesday morning here in the northwoods, getting ready for the pre-season opener Thursday night in Chicago.

For about 90 minutes under a warm Wisconsin sun the players worked on special teams and situational calls.  It’s a chance for the coaches to double check whether the players have been paying attention and whether they can react quickly on the field.

Herm Edwards said that six players will not make the trip to Chicago because of injury: LB Donnie Edwards, DT Glenn Dorsey, LT Branden Albert, RB Kolby Smith, DE Trevor Johnson and WR Kevin Robinson.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/5

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was practice No. 20 for the Chiefs here in the northwoods and it was another short, but crisply worked session as the team gets ready for their visit to Chicago on Thursday.

There were no new players taking time off and the same injured players absent in the morning, were out in the afternoon.  TE Tony Gonzalez was back and participating in the work.

Morning Practice Update 8/5

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Herm Edwards took his foot off the gas pedal again today here in the northwoods, shortening up the morning practice and keep his team out of full pads.  That was in reaction to Monday’s two intense sessions, as the coach tried to lower the hitting quotient, especially with a game coming in just two days.

There were no new additions to the injury report: WR-KR Kevin Robinson (knee), RB Kolby Smith (groin), LT Branden Albert (foot), DT Glenn Dorsey (knee), DE Trevor Johnson (head) and LB Donnie Edwards (hamstring.) Also sitting out the session was TE Tony Gonzalez.

Afternoon Practice Update 8/4

From River Falls, Wisconsin

With the conclusion of the afternoon practice, the Chiefs finished up their best day of practice work in training camp.

And we also saw the first signs of the mad offensive scientist that is Chan Gailey.  How about Slash Charles? Read on for more details.

Despite the fact that some Kansas City pundits believed the injuries to Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert would take the wind out of the Chiefs sails, the opposite happened.  Herm Edwards team went out and had the best back-to-back practices of the pre-season.  Offense and defense both looked good, both got things done, both made plays and the action was physical.

Morning Practice Update 8/4

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs were back on the practice field here in the northwoods on Monday morning for a full pads practice.

Update you on the participation: out of action were WR Kevin Robinson (knee), DT Glenn Dorsey (knee), DE Trevor Johnson (head trauma), LB Donnie Edwards (hamstring), RB Kolby Smith (groin), LT Branden Albert (foot), RT Damion McIntosh (knee), CB Brandon Flowers (groin) and RB Larry Johnson (rest).

Situation remains the same with Dorsey and Albert.  Both are undergoing nearly round-the-clock rehab work with the team’s training staff.  Flowers injury isn’t serious, but that had the team’s top three draft picks out of work this morning.

Dorsey/Albert Update

From River Falls, Wisconsin

This is not a good way to foster the growth of a rebuilding project.

The cornerstones of the Chiefs future are 10 days into their pro careers and both will be on the sidelines Monday when the team returns to work here in the northwoods.

Right now if the Chiefs didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all.  In the span of three days both first round draft choices went down with injuries; it’s a left knee for Glenn Dorsey and a right foot for Branden Albert.

Right now the news is better on Dorsey than Albert.  He’s expected to miss a week, possibly 10 days.  Albert figures to be gone three to four weeks at the minimum.  He was hobbling along at UW-River Falls on Sunday using crutches.

Albert & Dorsey Both Injured

From Canton, Ohio

First, it was Branden Albert.  Now it’s Glenn Dorsey.  The Chiefs two major building blocks are both injured.

Dorsey suffered a sprained left knee during Saturday nights practice at River Falls.  Until  the Chiefs and theire doctors see an MRI there’s no way to know how serious this injury might be.  Head coach Herm Edwards said after practice it would be week-to-week.  The Chiefs figure to have more details  on the defensive tackle’s situation either Sunday or early Monday.

Chiefs officials here for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies say the best case scenario is Albert will miss three to four weeks because of a foot injury.

Chiefs-Vikings Practice 7/31

From River Falls, Wisconsin

What a disappointment! It wasn’t so much that Jared Allen didn’t show up Thursday night for the Chiefs-Vikings practice.  That would have caused a world of problems and headaches,  which is probably why the Vikes left him at home.

The sad part was Branden Albert did not get the chance to get some practice time against an All-Pro defensive end.  That would have been a great indicator of his development and progress after a week of camp.  Likely it would have been only 10 snaps or less, but everyone around the Chiefs was looking forward to the battle.  Instead, Albert got Brian Robinson and then he picked up a sprained ankle.  Albert ended up missing about half the practice with the injury.  The Chiefs have to hope this ankle thing is not something chronic; remember he sprained an ankle during the off-season practices and ended up missing the last two weeks of work.

Practice on, No Jared?

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The weather has cleared enough and the fields are in good enough condition that the Chiefs-Vikings joint practice tonight here at UW-River Falls is still on.

However, rumor has it that Jared Allen will not be making the bus ride over from the Vikings camp in Mankato.  That’s the early word from several Minnesota front office types.  With Jared however, anything remains possible and he could be the first guy off the bus when it finally stops in the Falls.  Or he may come over and not even suit up.

Stayed tuned.

Afternoon Practice Update 7/30

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs put practice No. 11 in the books Wednesday afternoon and it was a solid session.

There’s been great readership and reaction to these practice reports and it’s a pleasure to do them.  But let me re-affirm something: these sessions as single elements that constitute only a moment in time.  One day a guy is up, next day his legs are tired and he struggles through practice.  Nobody in training camp has 11 great practices in a row.  What I look for our trends, situations and performances that happen on a regular basis.

Morning Practice Update 7/30

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was a perfect morning for football and the Chiefs had a good practice session in full pads.

One roster note: the Chiefs had an open spot and with their shortage of defensive ends, they are bringing back Jonal Saint-Dic, a rookie free agent out of Michigan State.  He was released at the end of the team’s off-season program.  Also, safety Ron Girault who was released when Glenn Dorsey signed has hooked on with the New York Jets.

Afternoon Practice Update 7/29

From River Falls Wisconsin

It was a glorious summer afternoon here in the northwoods as the Chiefs went through practice No. 9.  They were in shells (that’s shoulder pads and no football pants for those who haven’t been following along.)

And score one for the offense!  Chan Gailey’s unit had their best practice of the training camp to date.  One can almost see the light bulbs going off over the heads of some of the offensive players as they go from day-to-day.  The basic Gailey offense is not very extensive and that’s all the team is working with right now.  So they should get better at execution each practice because they’ve run these plays before.

That was visible on Tuesday afternoon.

Morning Practice Update 7/29

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The subject was the kicking game during the Chiefs 50-minute workout this morning here in the northwoods.  There are 79 players on the roster and 60 of them were on the field for the work with special teams coach Mike Priefer.  They worked on the four major units: kickoff return, kick coverage, punt return and punt coverage.

Remember, special teams is one of the best predictors when it comes to a player’s chances of making the final 53-man roster.  If a player is not a starter and is not any front-line special teams units, his chances of making the team are not good.  Also remember it’s still July, and a lot change change in the five weeks before the first regular season game.

Here’s what we saw:

Afternoon Practice Update 7/28

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The afternoon was sunny, hot and humid; perfect weather for a training camp practice.  The Chiefs were in shells, meaning shoulder pads, but no football pants.  That did not effect the intensity, as the workout may have been the most physical of camp so far.

And since it was the seventh practice of camp, some bumps and bruises are starting to show up. 

Morning Practice Update 7/28

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The pace of this morning’s work here at UW-River Falls was more to the liking of Chiefs head coach.  That’s not to say everything was A-OK, but it was a step forward from what Herm Edwards saw on Sunday.

Missing from the practice work were DE Turk McBride (stomach ailment), G Brian Waters (unknown), TE Tony Gonzalez (rest) and WR-KR Kevin Robinson (knee).  During the practice, LB Derrick Johnson was suffering from cramps and did not participate over the last hour or so.

Also WR Timon Marshall was released,  so the Chiefs have 79 on the roster right now.

Sunday Practice Update 7/27

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was a warm, muggy afternoon in the northwoods as the Chiefs went through a workout that was just short of two hours in length.  They were wearing shoulder pads but no football pants.  The players heard from Herm Edwards several times during the practice about picking up their pace.  Edwards drove home the point again to the players that because they do not have lengthy practices, when they are on the field, the players have to go as fast as they can.  This young group is still grasping that fact.

The head coach was not very happy when he left the practice field.

Afternoon Practice Update 7/26

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs were back on the field for a session wearing shoulder pads but not football pants.  However, that did not cause a drop in the intensity at all, as the hitting was louder and stronger than in the morning practice with full pads.

Glenn Dorsey was on the field and moved right into one of the starting tackle spots on the defense.  He looked like he was in good shape and seemed to handle the afternoon well.  He also had several big-league battles with veteran LG Brian Waters and I must say that Waters won most of them.  In fact, in just two on-field practices, Waters has easily been one of the most impressive performers.

Morning Practice Update 7/26

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It was a beautiful sound Saturday morning.  Under blue skies, with a soft summer wind blowing in from the west, the Chiefs put on the pads and started the real process of football.  With contact.  There was the sound of pads crunching.  Now that’s football.

Here’s some of what we saw.

Inside The First Meeting of Camp

From River Falls, Wisconsin 

The Chiefs arrived on the UW-River Falls campus late Thursday afternoon.  They picked up their room keys, handled personnel items, had their first meal of training camp and promptly at 7:15 p.m. had their first team meeting of the season. 

The head coach allowed us to sit in. 

There were several messages Herm Edwards wanted to deliver to this team.

Afternoon Practice Update 7/25

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Mother Nature put a major crush on the Chiefs afternoon practice on Friday.  A big old thunderstorm rolled across the Minnesota prairie, crossed the St. Croix River and smacked River Falls right upside the head.  Heavy rain, strong winds, hail.

The Chiefs were on the practice field and could see the storm coming.  LG Brian Waters kept pointing to the northwest and the darkening sky.  As a Texas native, he’s seen those kind of power clouds before and when the tornado sirens went off, Waters led the charge inside.  Good thing too, because less than five minutes later visibility was zero as the rain came down in buckets and the wind knocked over anything that wasn’t tied down.

Morning Practice Update 7/25

From River Falls, Wisconsin

A morning rain shower chased the Chiefs inside for their first practice of training camp.  Luckily it was a walk-thru session which could easily be moved inside and still get work accomplished.

Herm Edwards talked to his players about taking advantage of the practice with mental reps; i.e. paying attention even when not taking part in the play.

We decided to follow the coach’s advice and took some mental reps as well.  Here’s what we saw.

Touchdown River Falls

From River Falls, Wisconsin

The Chiefs rolled into UW-River Falls Thursday afternoon ready to begin the journey of the 2008 season.

As always, not much has changed in western Wisconsin over the last year, although when looking through the telescope of 18 years here in the north woods, this little burgh has changed quite a bit.  When the Chiefs first arrived in River Falls back in 1991, the road into town off I-94 was two lanes with nothing but corn fields on both sides of the highway.