Rookie Mini-Camp Report Saturday PM

From the Truman Sports Complex

Head coach Todd Haley spoke Saturday afternoon and then he threw the media a Mother’s Day weekend bone and opened the afternoon practice to complete viewing.

Haley’s comments were pretty standard issue rookie mini-camp stuff, as he talked about how the players were processing information.  He was asked about No. 1 draft choice  Tyson Jackson.

“I’m really excited about the player,” Haley said of Jackson. “He’s got a long way to go in understanding everything, conditioning wise and all those things. For two days out there, I’m excited about the player.”

Haley did talk about one opening on the roster that’s there for any player who can show his skills: punt and kick returner.

“I’ve told everybody here that if you can be a better than average punt and kick returner you’ve got a very good chance of making this team,” Haley said.  ”I don’t know that we have one right now. It’s a great opportunity for somebody.”

During the afternoon practice, the Chiefs worked on the kick return, but that was largely a blocking drill for the four guys who can no longer block as a wedge.  The NFL changed its rules back in March and outlawed more than two blockers working together. Working in the returns was first-year player Rodney White and draft choice Quinten Lawrence.

We covered the defense in our A.M. update, and our focus moved to offense in the afternoon workout.

First, Haley identified the two tryout quarterbacks taking part in the mini-camp: former Mizzou backup Chase Patton and former Iowa starter Drew Tate.  Patton’s participation was known, but Tate joined the team after spending the better part of the last two years in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Tate, 5-11, 190 pounds, was a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes best remembered for his final play 56-yard winning touchdown pass to Warren Holloway in the 2005 Capital One Bowl when Iowa beat LSU.  He signed as a college free agent in 2007 with the Rams, but was released after a month.  He then went to Canada where he did not throw a pass for the past two years.

With Patton at 6-4 and Tate at 5-11, it made for an interesting juxtaposition between the two passers during the workout.  But give Tate kudos for his accuracy.  As the rest of the team was going through the kickoff drill, Patton and Tate were  in the end zone area with Chan Gailey. A garbage can was set at the back left pylon of the end zone and the quarterbacks lofted passed into the corner trying to drop the ball into the can.  Tate nailed three  of the chances, while we didn’t see Patton hit any.

At wide receiver, the Chiefs had three players in camp: Wright, Lawrence and college free agent Taurus Johnson.  In just the second day of working with the quarterbacks, there really wasn’t much they could show in the practice.

It was busy at tight end, with first-year man Jed Collins, draft choice Jake O’Connell and college free agent Tom Crabtree all getting work.  O’Connell made a nice catch in traffic and showed good hands on another route.  Collins did a lot of his work at fullback.

Things were very quiet at running back, where draft choice Javarris Williams and an unknown tryout were the only two runners taking part in the work.

There were five offensive linemen on the field: first-year player Edwin Harrison, draft choice Colin Brown, college free agents Cameron Goldberg and Darryl  Harris and an unknown tryout player.  Brown worked at right tackle, while  Goldberg worked at left tackle.  Harris worked at left guard with Harrison at right guard.  You guessed  it, the tryout guy was the center.  Brown had two snaps of one-on-one pass protection against first-round pick Tyson Jackson.  They battled to a draw.

Overall, it was all  rookies, wearing no pads and their heads were swimming as they went through their first NFL workouts.  That makes conclusions are a waste of time.  But on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in May, it was a great to watch a football practice.