Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

From River Falls, Wisconsin

It’s always fun to hear players complain about the length of practices during a football season.

For years a few Chiefs back in the 1990s complained about how hard and long Marty Schottenheimer practiced his team during training camp.  It always led to the excuse: we were so tired by the end of the year, that’s why we didn’t perform in the playoffs.

Which of course was a bunch of crap.  I heard Neil Smith say this after he went to the Broncos and won his Super Bowl ring under Mike Shanahan.  According to Neil, Shanny had shorter practices that didn’t take a physical toll on his team.  This was translated by some as the reason Denver won back-to-back Super Bowls and why Schottenheimer’s Chiefs teams did not have post-season success.

However, let me introduce the obvious reason the Broncos won and the Chiefs didn’t have success, and it has nothing to do with practice.  Denver had John Elway and Terrell Davis.  The best Schottenheimer had was Joe Montana and Marcus Allen at the end of their careers.

Since Elway and Davis left the Broncos, how many Super Bowls has Shanny’s short practices won?

Players bitched and moaned in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Kansas City about Dick Vermeil’s long practices.  All I know is Vermeil has a Super Bowl ring on his finger, and took another team to the championship game.

You can bet that since the Chiefs have just one practice a day here in the northwoods, there are probably some players who are complaining because the length and pace of that lone workout.  On Monday afternoon, the team went for over two hours in full pads.  Even though Herm Edwards has backed off the practice pace he had schedule before camp, you’ll find a few players moaning and groaning about the time they spend on the field.

How much time a team puts in at practice is different for every team and every situation.  There is no formula, or correct way of doing things. What Edwards has done by cancelling some on-field work is create more time for classroom work.  That’s very important for a young team like the one the Chiefs will put on the field this season.

If they take the classroom stuff to the field and make it work in practice, then they’ve got something going.  If not, then they may need more practice time and you can bet that will not be met with much happiness.

Sometimes a coach can never win.  Most of the time, the coach doesn’t care.

“It wouldn’t be practice if somebody wasn’t bitching,” Vermeil once said.

LOOKING AT THE CHIEFS NATION

We will always try to give you sources of Chiefs information we stumble upon while cruising the web.  The other day this blog came on our radar screen with a story that many Chiefs fans would understand and appreciate.

COUNTDOWN

The Chiefs are four days away from breaking camp here at UW-River Falls and returning to Kansas City for the rest of the pre-season.  It’s 14 days from the NFL’s first mandatory cutdown of the roster.  Teams must go from 80 to 75 on August 26.  It’s 18 days from the NFL roster cutdown to the regular-season limit of 53 players.

It’s 26 days away from their regular-season opener against the Patriots in Foxboro and they are 33 days away from their home opener against the Raiders.

CHIEFS HISTORY

On August 12, 1961, the Dallas Texans beat the Denver Broncos 31-13 in a pre-season game played at Memorial Stadium in Midland, TX  Some 10,000 fans saw Texans RB Abner Haynes dominate the action, producing 283 all-purpose yards.  Haynes ran for 117 yards on 10 carries, caught two passes for 41 yards and a 34-yard TD, three punt returns for 104 yards, including a 98-yard punt return for a TD and one kickoff return for 21 yards.

On August 12, 1967 the Chiefs beat the New York Jets 30-17 in a pre-season game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL.  The Chiefs jumped out to 30-3 lead with QB Pete Beathard throwing a 18-yard TD pass to WR Chris Burford, RB Mike Garrett scored on a 2-yard run and RB Gene Thomas had a 2-yard scoring run.  Jan Stenerud added three field goals. QB Joe Namath hit 11 of 20 passes for 136 yards.

On August 12, 1972 the Chiefs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 24-14 in a pre-season encounter that was the first game played at Arrowhead Stadium.  It was a warm, muggy summer night as 78,190 turned out for the game.  The Chiefs got touchdowns from RB Ed Podolak on a 1-yard run, WR Larry Marshall on a 75-yard punt return and CB Jim Marsalis with a 28-yard INT return.  Jan Stenerud added a 31-yard FG.  Marsalis had three INTs in the game.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Here’s a piece that will make you clutch just a bit and puts into perspective players complaining about practice.  It’s the story of O.J. Brigance.

Derrick Harvey remains the only major draft choice unsigned in the NFL, as he and Jacksonville are not anywhere close to getting a deal done. Funny, I thought situations like this only happened in Kansas City with the Chiefs.

AROUND THE AFC WEST

Denver has a veteran defensive lineman who says he’s pacing himself in camp.  Not sure whether Mike Shanahan wants to hear that or not.

LB Anthony Waters has missed nearly two years after a serious knee injury.  Now, he’s back with the Chargers and just wants to contribute.

The Raiders signed safety Adam Archuleta on Monday.  To make room for him, they released former Chiefs safety Greg Wesley.