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Chiefs’ first practice session ‘didn’t feel like training camp’
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

ST. JOSEPH | They called it training camp, but the Chiefs’ first practice session of the new season was more like an offseason affair. Several veterans couldn’t be on hand because of new NFL rules, leaving some unlikely players in the starting lineup as the Chiefs began preparing for the defense of their AFC West championship.

“It was a skeleton crew, it felt like,” coach Todd Haley said. “In general, across the board, it didn’t feel like training camp.”

Sixty-one players were on the field Friday, including first-round draft pick Jonathan Baldwin, who signed his contract earlier in the day.

Some veteran free agents like wide receiver Steve Breaston and center Casey Wiegmann — one joining the Chiefs and the other rejoining them — were nowhere to be found. Neither were the four restricted free agents, cornerback Brandon Carr, defensive end Wallace Gilberry, tackle Barry Richardson and fullback Mike Cox, allowed to be at practice.

They were eligible to join the Chiefs on Friday night, after the opening of the free-agent signing period, but also after practice concluded. The Chiefs are allowed to have 90 players under contract, so there will be even more to come.

Haley said he didn’t want to waste a good first-day, team-meeting message to the Chiefs when so many players were still missing.

“I don’t know if we want to shoot all our guns in the first team talk because we don’t have everybody,” he said. “We’ll get to get some more guys into the mix, at least (in meetings). … Those guys will then be around. They just won’t be able to do much.”

Wiegmann, Breaston and the other free agents who signed Friday can go to meetings and can watch practice, but can’t participate in practice or go through conditioning sessions until Aug. 4.

That NFL rule is a result of the offseason player lockout and a scrambled start to the league season.

The Chiefs patched together a defensive lineup that included Pierre Walters starting for unsigned franchise player Tamba Hali at one outside linebacker spot. On offense, Darryl Harris started at center, Bobby Greenwood at right tackle and rookie Shane Bannon at fullback.

Walters, Harris, and Greenwood were practice-squad players while Bannon is a seventh-round draft pick. At best, they can all expect to be backups and special-teams players this season.

But there they were, taking the place of key players such as Hali and Wiegmann. That, plus the slower pace of practice — Haley wants to ease the Chiefs back into things after they missed all of offseason practice — gave it a feel of something less than training camp.

“The format and everything else definitely felt a little different from what our normal practice schedule is,” quarterback Matt Cassel said.

Haley said the Chiefs would continue to work at a slow pace for the time being.

“This is a little different situation than anybody has ever been through,” he said. “We’re just trying to get it right. It’s going to be a little heavier emphasis on the lifting and the conditioning aspect of this with our team right now.

“When we feel comfortable adding football to it, that’s what we’re going to do. It will start out at a pretty slow pace. That’s the plan, and we have to have the ability to adjust as we see the team.”

The Chiefs usually leave training camp having practiced their entire playbook, but that might not be the case this year.

“That is the lesser concern right now,” Haley said. “You know how important the offseason is to me and … last year, one of the keys to our success was the condition we were able to get in during the 3 1/2 months of the offseason. That won’t change for me. We’ve just got a condensed time to make sure the team is ready to hold up to the rigors of an NFL season.”

Haley said he was pleased with the physical condition in which many players reported to camp. But one player, rookie free agent offensive lineman Chris Harr, vomited during practice.

“I’m encouraged by the way the majority of them look like they’ve taken care of themselves, which is not always easy when you’re on your own,” Haley said.

“Not that everybody is on the same level, but overall, I’m encouraged with the way everybody looks.”

Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp Practice: What I Saw Yesterday

by whoadog on Jul 30, 2011 9:16 AM CDT

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From the FanPosts. Excellent recap of day one. -Joel

My wife and I had a great time at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp last year at St. Joe. It was amazing how much even an amateur could pick up just by watching practice. We planned then to go this year as much as possible. The first practice seemed to us like a "must see" even though not all the players were going to be to be there. Once again there were some things that jumped out.

Here's what I noticed.



-Matt Cassel was so happy to be back to work he was skipping (literally skipping) during the final team portion of the practice. I could truly relate.

-It was easy to tell which of the Kansas City Chiefs UFAs were not going to be re-signed. There were new faces wearing their numbers.

-Most of the team looked to be in fanatastic shape. In particular, Matt Cassel and Andy Studebaker made the running portion at the end of practice look especially easy. The team ran a weave around the numbers with the offense and defense starting at opposite ends and on opposite sides. When they reached the end, they switched sides so there was a "running laps" effect with a little rest for them while they walked from one set of numbers to the other and waited for their teammates to get a sufficient lead. Ninety-five percent of the team looked to be completely ready for it.

-Two veteran notables who looked like they were having some trouble were Branden Albert and Dion Gales. Gales, in fact, dropped all the way back to the end of the line and was the last to finish.

-The only player he was even close to was Jerrell Powe. Powe was also obviously unprepared for the rigor of his first NFL training camp. He was holding his side and lumbering like he was on his last legs. He also got his first spanking from Haley. He fell during the final team portion of practice and Haley made him run and touch the "P" on the "Welcome to Chiefs Training Camp" banner hanging on the grandstand. He had to run "catty cornered" across the length of the field and across the second practice field to get there. It was probably about 150 yards he had to run.

-Haley yelled "hustle Powe" once. Powe also tried to short-stop it but Haley was watching. Haley yelled "All the way to the 'P' Jerrell". Powe stood there for a second looking confused then figured it out and finished his run. My excitement about Powe contributing right away at NT has definitely tempered. At the opposite end was Tyson Jackson. Jackson looks like he has dropped fifteen to twenty pound and ran very, very well during the weave segment.

-Along the same lines, only Tony Moeaki and Tervaris Johnson were in Haley's "Camp Pendleton". Neither looked like they will be there long. Both seemed to take a couple of full speed sprints mixed into their conditioning work along the sidelines and ran with the team during the conditioning portions of the practice with absolutely no noticeable problems. Andy Studebaker once again led the whole team back and forth across the field during that portion of practice. Studebaker was also first in line during the combined defensive drills and led the linebackers during position drills. I am guessing he will be very hard for anyone to dislodge from Vrable's vacant starting position.

-Did I say TJ looked awseome? Can he do a Dorsey?

-I know it is early and some of these are bound to change but here was who was running with the "first team" at unsigned and positions of obvious change.

On defense, Pierre Walters was standing in for Tamba Hali with Studebaker opposite. Anthony Torribio was at NT and everybody was playing Brandon Carr's CB spot. There was just a constant rotation there with Javier Arenas leading the way. As Josh Looney, tweeted, Asamoah does not look to be Brian Water's replacement at LG. Rather, Ryan Lilja was there with Asamoah taking over at RG. With Richardson still unsigned, Bobby Greenwood was at RT. This caught me a bit off guard but Darryl Harris was at Center. Jeremy Urban took the first few snaps with the "ones" but split roughly equal time with Baldwin and a number of others. With the Breaston signing, there is a log jam at wide receiver but Urban seems to still be someone with Haley's nod of approval. Jake O'Connell and Cody Slate roughtly spleit the TE work.

-Dexter McCluster spent the entire practice working with the running backs and not the wide receivers.

-Shane Bannon does not look like 265 pounds: until he is standing with the other running backs. Then it is like "Wow, that guy is huge!"

-WR Jonathan Baldwin is noticeably bigger than WR Dwayne Bowe.

-I read some of K-Man's comments in a thread that OT David Mims may step in for Richardson. I doubt that is happening unless he makes a ridiculous amount of progress before the start of the season. He looked more than a little lost out there. Bobby Greenwood, however, looked as if he was making some progress.

-One of my goals is to get a ball signed by all four starters in the Chiefs' secondary. I've got three autographs on it already. I mentioned my plan one of the three (I won't say who it was just in case) and said "All I need is Brandon Carr". He said, "Brandon can't be here until August 4th." I asked, "Will he be here?" The player smiled and said,"Oh yeah, he'll be here."

-S Eric Berry and QB Matt Cassel were once again the last two to leave the autograph signing session. Berry had to be "encouraged" to leave a couple of times by a staff member.

-GM Scott Pioli was taking calls constantly during practice and shortly after five o'clock got one he was not happy about. He slammed his ball cap down and leaned against the cushion on the bottom of one of the camera scissor lifts with his face in his hands while he continued the phone conversation. I wonder who got away.

-Quote of the day: From Todd Haley after WR Verran Tucker fell (following Powe) and was sent to touch the "P": "Stay off the ground, fellas. This is a walkthrough. If we can't practice the right way, we don't have a chance."

-By the way, Tyson Jackson looks terrific.

Looks like Jackson took the offseason seriously, he showed up 20 pounds lighter and was running very well. Great to hear! Albert, Gale and Powe were sucking air, thats not good. Haley will have fun with them. David Mims looked completely lost. I had hoped the big man would challenge Richardson this year, doesn't sound like that may happen.

Shit. People are not going to like that Jackson is looking good!

RustShack wrote:

Shit. People are not going to like that Jackson is looking good!

Tell me about it. You and I were the only ones who thought Jackson steps it up this year. Hes off to a great start!

I dont care what a guy looks like in practice or camp. it only matters for 16 games plus playoffs. I'm sure a lot of guys have looked good in camp in the past that never amounted to anything in the league.

Chiefs09 wrote:

I dont care what a guy looks like in practice or camp. it only matters for 16 games plus playoffs. I'm sure a lot of guys have looked good in camp in the past that never amounted to anything in the league.

Just a feeling, but I think Jackson tears it up this year!

I also think he breaks out this year.

he might, but as of now he is a rotational guy that hasnt come close to being worth what he is being paid. the lowering of rookie pay is the best thing to come ou of this lockout.

The No. 2 offensive line, from left to right: LT David Mims, LG Chris Harr, C Rodney Hudson, RG Mike Ingersoll and RT Butch Lewis

Chiefs09 wrote:

he might, but as of now he is a rotational guy that hasnt come close to being worth what he is being paid. the lowering of rookie pay is the best thing to come ou of this lockout.

So what you are saying is, he is playing the way most DL play their first few years before breaking out.

http://kan.scout.com/2/1090546.html

Quote:
Even with light pads, first round draft pick Jon Baldwin looks more like a tight end than a wide receiver. But he runs such fluid routes that it’s easy to see the impact he might make for the Chiefs offense this season.
Quote:
But he wasn’t the only rookie that caught my eye today. Linebacker Gabe Miller, Defensive Tackle Jerrell Powe and Defensive End Allen Bailey, looked like they’re already in the mode of forcing coaches to give them more than a look-see this August.

Center Rodney Hudson snapped most of the balls to the quarterbacks and seemed, under the non-contact conditions, like he knew what he was doing. The same can’t be said for Iowa Quarterback Ricky Stanzi. He looked a little shaky out of the gate but it’s his first day in camp at the most important position on the field, so I'll cut him some slack.
Quote:
David Mims from Virginia Union is a mountain of a man who reminds me of starting right tackle, Barry Richardson. Although he is as green as grass, Mims is a player to watch for a back-up roster spot.

Another offensive lineman that caught my eye was Mike Ingersoll. At 6'5” he moves very well for a man of his size. But pulled out for some nice lead blocks for Jamaal Charles in early offensive drills.

First-round draft choice WR Jonathan Baldwin suffered the first injury of his NFL career. On a quick slant pattern, QB Matt Cassel threw a rocket-like pass that bounced off Baldwin’s hands. He returned to the huddle grabbing at his left hand, as trainers worked on him. They seemed to be concentrating on his left thumb. Baldwin did not go back into practice.

Here are a few observations from an afternoon where there was not a great deal done on the physical side:

– TE Tony Moeaki and RB Tervaris Johnson were both in the rehab area getting their right knees stronger.

– That let 59 players to participate in the work, as the free agents signed were not available. That was true for the two players signed on Saturday: NT Kelly Gregg and WR Zeke Markshausen.

– Rookie free agent Lucas Patterson has switched sides. On Friday he was working with the defensive line – his college position – but on Saturday he was practicing with the offensive line.

– The last 10 minutes of practice was devoted to team work, with the offense trying to come out from deep in their territory. On one of the very first plays, CB Brandon Flowers picked off a pass from Matt Cassel to WR Jerheme Urban and returned it for a score.

– In the same drill, ILB Demorrio Williams had good coverage on TE Charlie Gantt and knocked down a throw that Cassel tried to force in.

– QB Tyler Palko has been taking most of the snaps with the No. 2 offense and he and Gantt hooked up on a nice deep ball with ILB Jovan Belcher covering the tight end. Later, rookie QB Ricky Stanzi connected with WR Verran Tucker on a long completion.

– Young TEs Gantt and Cody Slate, along with rookie FB Shane Bannon were having problems with the mental side of the offense, especially with all the movement, motion and shifts that goes with those two positions.

RustShack wrote:

Chiefs09 wrote:

he might, but as of now he is a rotational guy that hasnt come close to being worth what he is being paid. the lowering of rookie pay is the best thing to come ou of this lockout.

So what you are saying is, he is playing the way most DL play their first few years before breaking out.

Or you can say he is playing like a lot of high draft pick reaches that never make it.

Chiefs09 wrote:

he might, but as of now he is a rotational guy that hasnt come close to being worth what he is being paid. the lowering of rookie pay is the best thing to come ou of this lockout.

I agree on the rookie scale. Its something that has been long overdue. Which means more money to get to the Vets and FA's who deserve it.

I'm routing for a couple of these UDFA OTs to make the roster.

I'm rooting for Mims to make the roster, and us to sign another OT.

Chiefs Training Camp: Practice Report, Part Two

by Joel Thorman on Jul 30, 2011 7:53 PM CDT in Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp 2011

'm back home in Kansas City after making the beautiful drive south on I-29 from Kansas City Chiefs training camp in St. Joe. If you missed it, here's part one of today's practice recap.I'll have a few more stories coming with what a few players had to say but now we turn to part two of our practice notes.

We'll start with the quote of the day from G Ryan Lilja talking about C Casey Wiegmann: "He was an old-timer when I was a rookie. He's one of the wonders of the world."

Now for your practice report...

-Your first-team linebackers: Andy Studebaker, Jovan Belcher, Derrick Johnson, Pierre Walters. That last spot, which belongs to Walters right now, is also known as LB Tamba Hali's position. He's not in camp yet but we know that'll be his spot.

-The secondary almost looked the same as last year with safeties Kendrick Lewis and Eric Berry as well as CB Brandon Flowers. CB Brandon Carr isn't in camp yet so CB Javier Arenas was running on his side.

-Good to see LB Cam Sheffield out on the field. He suffered a scary-looking season-ending neck injury last year in preseason but he was out there today.

-Jim Zorn is very vocal, at least from what I could tell. Zorn and the quarterbacks were working on our side of the field for a while and you could hear him barking things out. It was Zorn, QB Matt Cassel, QB Tyler Palko and QB Ricky Stanzi.

Rookie DE Allen Bailey is bigger than I realized. The Chiefs have him listed at 288 pounds and he looks every bit of it. I didn't realize he was that big.

-Ricky Stanzi is also playing safety...just kidding. He was sitting at safety in some walk-throughs though. Probably helps him have a better understanding of the field. That, or there weren't enough guys.

-WR Jonathan Baldwin ran a quick slant and Cassel hit him quickly right in the chest -- it dropped to the ground. It's just one play.

-NT Jerrell Powe had a nice tipped pass. Cassel was trying to throw over the middle but Powe leaped and disrupted the pass. Nice move to learn early in your career.

-Your second team defense has DE Brandon Bair, NT Jerrell Powe and DE Dion Gales along the defensive line. At linebacker it's Eric Bakhtiari, Demorrio Williams, Justin Cole and Cam Sheffield. In the secondary it's CB Jalil Brown, CB Quinten Lawrence, S Ricky Price and S Donald Washington.

-After two years, the Chiefs have finally updated Gales' weight at 310 pounds. He was listed much lighter before -- like 270 I believe.

-It looked like Washington was having a little trouble conditioning-wise leaning over and trying to catch his breath. Head coach Todd Haley yelled, 'C'mon Donald. You've had the whole offseason to get in shape with no coaches around.'

-Flowers said after practice that he could tell rookie CB Jalil Brown had a good coach at Colorado because he understood the fundamentals. Good sign there.

-Flowers made another good point -- the Chiefs finally have continuity at defensive coordinator with Romeo Crennel coming back.

Nice to hear that Flowers likes what he sees out of Brown

*Big cheers came for rookie QB Ricky Stanzi when he hooked up on a deep ball to Jerheme Urban down the right sideline. Urban got behind CB Quinten Lawrence for the sizeable gain.

I've actually heard a lot of people say Brown will be better than the other Colorado CB who came out.

RustShack wrote:

I've actually heard a lot of people say Brown will be better than the other Colorado CB who came out.

I heard that to. I hope he is good one! I wonder if he comes on whether or not they will put Carr on the trade block?

I hope Carr doesn't get put on the block. He is starting to become better than Flowers, but I don't think Flowers is done getting better either.