Training Camp Has Started Bitches!

Training Camp Day 1
by Bob Gretz

The Chiefs were in full pads and ended the afternoon with a live goal-line session where the offense had a slight edge on the defense. It was action that pleased Haley.

“There was great enthusiasm, great competition among the players, coaches and everybody involved,” Haley said. “I thought it was a good end of the practice with good spirit and competitiveness.”

Here’s more of what went down on the fields at Missouri Western:

– First-round draft choice S Eric Berry tweeted earlier in the day that he had a contract agreement with the team. But he did not make it to practice and Haley said after practice he wasn’t sure where things stood with Berry and his deal.

– Although Haley would not confirm, two players failed the conditioning test – DL Dion Gales and OL Ikechuku Ndukwe. They were not practicing and spent a lot of time running sprints on the sidelines with the strength and conditioning staff.

– Starting LG Brian Waters did pass the conditioning test on Thursday, but he did not practice on Friday. Haley wouldn’t address why, but it seemed to be the lingering effects of the foot/ankle injury that Waters suffered on the first day of training camp last year. He should not be out long.

– On top of the injury report is offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who worked the practice from a scooter, occasionally standing with the help of a cane. Haley said that earlier in the week Weis left knee “gave out” and he had surgery. But he was on the field for the entire practice.

– A July depth chart is frequently never worth the paper it’s printed on, so take these next few items on their face value – the personnel moves of the first practice. On offense, it was Thomas Jones and Tim Castille behind Matt Cassel, with Leonard Pope at TE and WRs Chris Chambers and Dwayne Bowe. The offensive line from left to right was Branden Albert, Darryl Harris (for Waters), Rudy Niswanger, Ryan Lilja and Ryan O’Callaghan.

– The first team defense was Glenn Dorsey, Ron Edwards and Tyson Jackson across the front, with Vrabel, Tamba Hali, Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays at linebacker. In the secondary, the cornerbacks were Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr, with Jon McGraw and Reshard Langford working at the safety spots.

– Here was the No. 2 defense – Wallace Gilberry and Bobby Greenwood at end, Derek Lokey at the nose, Andy Studebaker and Pierre Walters at OLB, with Derrick Johnson and Jovan Belcher inside. The cornerbacks were Maurice Leggett and Travis Daniels, with Kendrick Lewis and DaJuan Morgan at safety.

– And the No. 3 defense was – Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Alex Magee at end, Shaun Smith at the nose, Justin Cole and Cameron Sheffield at OLB, with David Herron and Cory Greenwood inside. At the corners were Javier Arenas and Mike Richardson, with Donald Washington and Ricky Price at safety.

– Working as deep snappers behind Thomas Gafford were Cory Greenwood and Lokey. Catching balls on returns were Dexter McCluster, Maurice Leggett, Jackie Bates, Quinten Lawrence and David Grimes.

– Some plays that stood out – nice block by Lilja in the 9-on-7 drill that gave Jones a lane to crack a nice run … good penetration by Johnson in filling a gap on a running play … another nice run by RB Kestahn Moore who showed good balance getting through the wash at the line of scrimmage … Cory Greenwood the Canadian linebacker keeps showing up, filling gaps nicely in the 9-on-7 … Cassel and Chambers hooked up on a nice 40-yard TD play, with a great throw by the QB. Carr was right on Chambers in coverage but the ball was placed perfectly.
– Leggett always seems to find his way to the football; he picked off a pass in the 7-on-7 drill.

The Chiefs have a pair of practices set for Saturday. We’ll have reports after each.

Thats the way to get it started Cassell! Cant wait for Berry to get his overpaid ass out on the field and see what he looks like.

Share Chiefs Training Camp: Bowe Looks Good Day One, Berry On His Way
by Joel Thorman on Jul 30, 2010 8:02 PM CDT in 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Season 20 comments

There were three players in the "rehab zone" riding the exercise bikes: Brian Waters, Dion Gales and Ikechuku Ndukwe. Three big boys so it wouldn't be a surprise if they failed the test. However, Todd Haley said after practice that Waters showed up in top-top shape and passed the test. He insinuated that Waters had some sort of injury but it didn't appear serious. Haley didn't comment on Gales and Ndukwe.

Dwayne Bowe looked good today. I can think of a couple of impressive catches from him. One was a diving catch on the sideline. Running toward the sideline, Bowe kept his eyes on the ball, planted his feet on the edge of the sideline, stretched out and made the play. Another solid catch came when he leaped into the air above a defender to haul it down to the cheers of the crowd watching. Bowe didn't talk to the media and afterward and went running by us.

Dexter McCluster did individual work with the receivers. Once again, he looked solid on the field. I can't stress to you how quick this guy is. It's impressive.

Speaking of McCluster, he got spooked today. He ran a route in the middle of the field and easily had the catch but got alligator arms when Kendrick Lewis came flying over him. If it were a real game, McCluster would've been drilled. Lewis said after practice that he didn't get a lot of chances to hit McCluster (they went to Ole Miss together) and used the word "jitterbug" when describing him.

I know it's just the offseason but I liked running back Kestahn Moore today. He showed some explosion and has decent size. I'm not saying he's a lock to make the team by any means but just that he's a young guy to keep an eye on.

Leftovers: I noticed Colin Brown seeing some time at right tackle and Andrew Lewis was doing some center work.

Damn It McCluster! Dont you even think about getting a case of puss itus!

Share Chiefs Training Camp: Romeo Crennel Effect
by Joel Thorman on Jul 31, 2010 9:14 PM CDT in Chiefs Training Camp 13 comments

Day 2

It was another hot day in St. Joe for Kansas City Chiefs training camp as you can tell with the sun beating down on us in the picture above. Since everyone else was sweating through their shirt, I didn't feel so bad. But it's days like these that the players earn their money.

Overall, I'm liking the defense. Maybe that's because my last impression of them was dominating the final 15 minutes of practice. Demorrio Williams looked solid at various times today (including a near pick-six) and the corners were on top of things.

Good day for Romeo Crennel's defense.

The Chiefs kicked things off by doing some stretching.

And then some running.

Dwayne Bowe had another solid afternoon overall. He didn't make any acrobatic catches like he did in the morning practice. In fact, he dropped one. It's good news that that's the only drop that sticks out at me through three practices.

Tim Castille drew some cheers from the crowd. In a 7-on-7 drill, Castille took off on a deep route being tailed by Corey Mays. Castille caught the deep ball in stride to the cheers of the fans. Castille has been taking quite a few first team reps. Before training camp, I didn't think he'd be a big factor but we may have to think again.

Kendrick Lewis is no Dez Bryant either. He's carrying an extra set of pads on his way back to the locker room.

Generally you can't glean a whole lot from individual drills but there was one that caught my eye and it was probably the loudest hit of the day. Kestahn Moore was set up to block Demorrio Williams as Brodie Croyle sat in the pocket and Williams popped Moore creating a loud SMACK and then "Oohs" and "Ahs" from the crowd. Give Moore credit though. He didn't back down.

Tony Moeaki was also solid in the same blocking drills. Another reporter next to me said after one play, "Not a bad block for a guy who's supposed to catch balls." Speaking of catching balls, Moeaki had a nice one. He was running a route to the inside of the field and the ball was thrown behind. He planted his feet and reversed directions hauling in the diving pass. While it was a nice catch, there was some question as to whether he got the first down.

Thomas Jones, once again running with the ones, took a handoff for about ten yards before being touched. I would've loved to see a full-contact game and him going one-on-one against the safety in the middle of the field.

Wallace Gilberry is a guy I noticed more and more today. The Chiefs ran a lot of nickel and that's Gilberry's formation. Nothing in particular from him but he always seemed to be around the ball.

Brian Waters and Dion Gales were once again not participating in practice. We're not sure what's up with Gales but he's gotta get in there soon. But Waters did make time to sign some autographs after practice along with Matt Cassel.

Barry Richardson popped up at times as well. He was running at right tackle and had a nice seal that allowed Kestahn Moore to scoot past for what would have been 5-6 yards before being touched.

Tyler Palko has been underwhelming through the first two days of camp. His passes just don't seem crisp and I've seen a couple communication issues (which I suppose could be the receiver's fault as well).

You know how folks always say Mike Vrabel is like a coach on the field? I saw that first-hand today. He was instructing people on what to do and conferring with the coaches on certain formations. You can tell why Todd Haley likes him. He's an asset on the field.

In team drills, the offense was backed up against their own goal line. Matt Cassel tried to hit the running back in the flat and the ball was tipped in the air and landed in Demorrio Williams' hands as he fell over. I couldn't quite tell if that was six or not.

Terrance Copper isn't a guy we've talked about a whole lot. He hauled in a nice pass from Croyle near the sidelines. Like Bowe did on day one, he planted his feet on the edge of the sideline and stretched out to make the catch.

The defense had a very strong finish to practice. Normally I'd give the advantage to the offense when everyone is so tired at the end but the defense held tight. The Romeo Crennel influence is showing. The front seven had a solid afternoon.

Walking off the field at the end of practice, there was an Eric Berry chant.

Training Camp Practice #3 Report
July 31, 2010 - Bob Gretz | Comments (2)

From St. Joseph, Missouri


The Chiefs hit the field for their third practice in 24 hours Saturday afternoon. That’s what training camp is all about. A lot of practice, a lot of quick recovery and then some more practice.

“I told the players that there’s not a lot of light at the end of the tunnel right now,” said head coach Todd Haley. “Their heads are down, their noses are on the grindstone and they are trying to get a little bit better each day.”

Whether or not the Chiefs got better Saturday afternoon is something only the coaches can judge. But from observation it was the poorest of the three sessions so far in the ’10 camp.

That’s to be expected given the amount of football in such a short period of time, with the weather conditions – hot and muggy. It’s the kind of football weather that Haley loves.

“The players probably hate me, but I like the weather,” Haley said. “It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s miserable. It means training camp. It means everybody’s a little ornery, mad, a little nasty. Those are all good things.”

Here’s some of what went down in the afternoon session:

– DL Dion Gales and LB Brian Waters remained out of the work. With Gales it’s because he didn’t pass the fitness test and Waters is out due to a right ankle/foot injury.

– WR/RB Dexter McCluster was bothered by a leg cramp in the morning practice, but he worked without problem in the afternoon session.

– They showed their nickel defense for the first time. The personnel changes have NT Ron Edwards, DE Tyson Jackson and ILBs Corey Mays and Demorrio Williams leaving the field, replaced by DE Wallace Gilberry, ILBs Derrick Johnson and Jovan Belcher and nickel back Javier Arenas. The second nickel has Mike Vrabel and Williams at ILB, with Andy Studebaker and rookie Cameron Sheffield playing OLB, Jackson and Alex Magee on the defensive line and then a secondary of Maurice Leggett, Travis Daniels, Mike Richardson, Reshard Langford and Kendrick Lewis.

– The defense spent a lot of time working against the run while in the nickel. Last year they were gashed several times by teams that ran the ball in what seemed to be obvious passing situations.

– Here’s the No. 1 punt team that’s in front of P Dustin Colquitt. Remember, special teams assignments are always a good way to see just what the coaching staff thinks a player can contribute beyond their duties on offense and defense: Leggett and Quinten Lawrence are the flyers on the outside and then across the front from left to right are: Jackie Battle, Studebaker, Belcher, deep snapper Thomas Gafford, David Herron, Jake O’Connell and Tim Castille, with Jon McGraw as the personal protector.

– Just for informational purposes here’s the No. 2 punt team: Daniels and Donald Washington are the flyers, with across the front Kestahn Moore, Derrick Johnson, Pierre Walters, deep snapper Cory Greenwood, Williams, Cody Slate and Langford with Terrance Copper as the person protector.

– Behind Gafford on snaps is Greenwood and NT Derek Lokey.

– They worked the tight ends and running backs in pass protection and rookie Tony Moeaki showed well, as he took care of Studebaker and fellow rookie rusher Justin Cole. Slate was overwhelmed by Walters, while starting TE Leonard Pope struggled with Tamba Hali, but shutdown Vrabel.

– RB Javarris Williams is showing more explosion and moves than he did at any time last year. He had several nice runs in traffic, where he cleared the bodies and then saw an opening.

– Kicker Ryan Succop had his first action of camp and was six-for-six on his FGs. None were of any length.

– Rookie G Jon Asamoah displays the ability to get his hands on a defensive man and take him out of the play. Defensive linemen playing the run had troubles getting free from him.

– On the first play of team work, the defense sniffed out a screen pass to RB Thomas Jones, the ball was tipped and Williams made a nice interception.

– It was a tough day for QB Brodie Croyle. In the morning he was high with his throws and in the afternoon, he was short.

– Plays to remember – RB Thomas Jones ran a great route on Williams and made a catch that would have been for big yardage … Johnson had a nice cover segment on RB Jamaal Charles, shutting down the play completely … RB Jackie Battle simply ran away from Mays on a pass route that would have been big yardage … Moore had another nice run, as he picked his way through traffic and showed a wiggle … CB Brandon Carr did a nice job breaking up a screen pass to WR Dexter McCluster … Jackson beat G Ryan Lilja on the pass rush with a nice inside move.

Just one workout on Sunday for the Chiefs in St. Joe.

Thats what I'm talking about Asamoah!

Links?

Originally Posted by Dan Rose
Finally, one of the best moments of training camp for me probably went unnoticed by a lot of people. During an offensive "Red Zone" drill designed to teach the receivers where they're supposed to be around the goal line when the QB has to scramble towards one sideline or the other, TE Tony Moeaki ran to the wrong spot. Haley stopped the drill and (loudly) asked Moeaki if he knew where he was supposed to be. Moeaki pointed at a spot which was obviously wrong based on Haley's reaction.

The defensive players were all standing off to the side and Haley called on Eric Berry. He asked Berry where Moeaki should have been. Berry instantly replied that Moeaki should have been closer to the left side of the end zone near the pylon. Apparently Berry was correct and Moeaki moved to that spot. The fact that our rookie safety -- in just his third training camp practice -- knew where the receivers were supposed to be gives me hope that there's a new Deron Cherry patrolling our defensive backfield.

Went to a practice on the 31st...Kehstan Moore could be a sleeper. Guy was doing pretty well. For now, Cassel does look improved...for now

RustShack wrote:

Links?

What do you mean links?

Gretz went to a paysite so the only way to get practice info now is josh looney i guess.

After a one day absence, DB Maurice Leggett was back on the field for the Chiefs on Tuesday. He appeared to have been a full participant in practice. Waters and Walters were both working out on the bikes again and Page continues to remain absent from camp.

Chiefs Swap RFAs

Rookie free agent OL Andrew Lewis was waived on Tuesday morning to make way for LB John Russell. Russell, who is listed at 280 pounds, generated a few fan inquiries as to whether there was a typo on the Chiefs press release regarding his position (If you remember, the Chiefs like their OLBs bigger).

Russell played defensive end and defensive tackle while at Wake Forest, but worked out for NFL teams as a defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, tight end and fullback during pre-draft workouts. This is obviously a player that has some positional versatility. His playing weight at Wake was 265 pounds, but he bulked up past 280 pounds just prior to the scouting combine.

Originally signed by the Green Bay Packers on April 30th, Russell aimed to cut his weight in order to play in the 3-4 as an outside linebacker. He had gained the excess weight prior to the draft with the anticipation that teams were looking at him as a defensive end. There’s a good story about Russell from Tim Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here. Russell was released by the Packers on July 30th.

For the Chiefs, Russell worked with the outside linebackers in his practice debut and wore jersey #98. With Walters on the bikes the past few practices, the Chiefs had been a man down at the position.

“We keep a short list and a long list and we’re constantly updating it, constantly looking at it, we’re constantly talking about it and when guys become available or names pop up or we have a particular need or there’s an injury, we’ve just got to be prepared to pull the trigger and you know those guys are given the opportunity to come in here and we’ll see what they’ve got,” Haley said.

*A small note Lewis’ departure: This spring, Lewis worked with QB Tyler Palko a few times at center. It was the first time that I’d ever seen a left-handed center snap to a left-handed quarterback.

Porta-John

For most fans, the only time that they’ve seen a Porta-John used on a football field was during the infamous Saturday Night Live skit featuring Colts QB Peyton Manning. In St. Joseph today, over a thousand people were added to that list.

The Chiefs running backs found a way to utilize the Porta-John in the corner of the practice field with receiving drills. Try to picture this…

1) Running back #1 sits inside Porta-John; door closes

2) Running back #2 mans door handle; Assoc. head coach Maurice Carton readies to throw football

3) Carthon stands 10 yards away from Porta-John and instructs RB#2 to open door

4) Door opens; Carthon fires pass to seated RB#1

5) Catch and rotate

Let’s start by putting it out there that Carthon has a ridiculously strong arm. His passes would have taken plenty of concentration to hang on to even if there wasn’t a door blocking the view. The drill worked on quick reaction, focus and soft hands. It was also incredibly amusing for fans to watch.

Yes, in case you’re wondering, a few of the footballs weren’t caught. And yes, they rolled around on the Porta-John floor.

Quarterbacks Getting In Work

Chiefs fans visiting training camp in River Falls over the past decade have became accustomed to seeing a veteran quarterback take a day off. With players like Trent Green and Damon Huard under center, the Chiefs would give their throwers extra rest in order to keep their arms fresh throughout camp.

Such isn’t the case for the Chiefs and their cast of QBs in St. Joseph. All three of the Chiefs quarterbacks – Matt Cassel, Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko – are aged 28 or younger.

“We defiantly have to monitor and take feedback and take all the precautions necessary to take care of these guys, but one of the factors is you know with these guys we do have a bunch of young guys,” Haley said. “You know we have three young guys, not that there is anything against older guys, like Kurt Warner, but yeah we are taking feedback all the time and watching and we are counting reps and all the drills and we’re making sure we are monitoring where they are and how they are feeling.”

Practice Highlights

•The Chiefs went into a competitive goal line segment at the end of practice. RB Thomas Jones showed stellar goal line instincts in the drill, powering in a TD carry from one-yard out. Jones has made a handful of impressive runs between the tackles this camp.
•NT Shaun Smith smashed into RB Jackie Battle during the goal line period. The play was the kind of run-stuffing effort that Chiefs fans are hoping to see out of the nose tackle position.
•Rookie free agent RB Tervaris Johnson caught a TD in the period and S Jon McGraw made a nice play defending against rookie TE Tony Moeaki.
•The Chiefs practiced their no-huddle offense in the heat of the day – again, a great practice setting for working on the mental side of the game.
•WR Chris Chambers hauled in a nice TD on a wheel route during team’s blitz period. Chambers has continually found the end zone this camp.
•WR Jerheme Urban got past rookie S Kendrick Lewis to haul in a near-perfect toss from QB Brodie Croyle.
•Special teams periods sometimes lull fans to sleep at practice sessions, but special teams coach Steve Hoffman ramped up the intensity during kickoff coverage drills. Returning kickoffs during the period were WR Dexter McCluster, CB Javier Arenas, WR Jeremy Horne and WR Quinten Lawrence.*Please note that Wednesday’s morning session has been moved indoors and is closed to the public. However, Wednesday evening will provide a practice that you won’t want to miss as Spratt Stadium will host the Chief’s first night practice of training camp. “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus will handle the in-practice PA.
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Glad TC finally started. Took way to long

Were is everyone Ratt

88, this damn place has been dead for awhile.. Just a few posting here and there.

That sucks. Good news is the Donks look like shit as well as the bolts.

I am really starting to like the Chiefs chances this season. I think the Bolts will still be a pretty good team. Denver has allot of holes, plus they wasted a high draft pick that could have been used in a bigger area of need on a freakin marketing tool in Teboner. Oakland has allot of talent and now they have a legit QB. I think we have a great shot at shocking some people.

it's going to be a good season for us

I don't think the Chargers are that good anymore. Loosing Dumberville really hurt the Broncos too.. might be a tight battle between the Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders for the AFC West this year.. but Oakland will surely mess it up somehow.

They usually do find a way. The Chargers still have allot of talent they will be around .500 I think. I think that what puts us over the top is our coaching staff, that is why I think we will improve so much.

I read somewhere that Moeaki could be starting week one.

i read that same article i believe he could too.

I said when we drafted him that if he stayed healthy he would get allot of playing time this season. The guy has a ton of potential. Plus Im an Iowa fan so that makes it even better.

Moeaki is hurt already. Sheffield has been one of the most impressive players in camp so far.