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:

KICKOFF RETURN

The returning tandems in this workout were B.J. Sams with Rashard Barksdale, Jamaal Charles with Bobby Sippio and Will Franklin with Jeff Webb.

The first team blocking unit was Dimitri Patterson, Jackie Battle, LeRue Rumph, E.J. Kuale, Jon McGraw and J.P. Foschi with T.J. Jackson, Tre Stallings and Turk McBride as the wedge.

KICK COVERAGE

Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth were working with a nice wind at their back and that helped push all their kickoffs inside the five-yard line.   Several reached the end zone.

The first team coverage unit featured Patterson, McGraw, Kuale, Battle, Rumph, Barksdale, Sippio, DaJuan Morgan, Oliver Hoyte and Tyron Brackenridge.

PUNT RETURN

The three guys working as punt returners were Sams, Barksdale and rookie Maurice Leggett.

The first unit working as blockers had Patterson/McGraw and Morgan/Brandon Flowers on the outside, with Kuale, Jackson, McBride, Bernard Pollard, Pat Thomas and Demorrio Williams.

PUNT COVERAGE

Dustin Colquitt is the only punter in camp and he showed why.  Colquitt had a nice morning,  hitting a couple of booming punts and placing a few that went out of bounds as well.

The No. 1 coverage unit features Patterson and Brackenridge as the flyers outside, McGraw as the personal protector infront of the punter and J.P.Darche snapping.  Williams, Thomas, Rumph, Battle, Kuale and Sippio round out the first group.

Also, on the injury front, Herm Edwards said the three players banged up from Monday afternoon’s workout are not seriously injured, including S Jarrad Page (knee) and RT Damion McIntosh (knee).

They’ll be back on the field this afternoon for a full pads workout.