KC JAMES DNO's blog: "Kansas CityChiefs Training camp"

Monday, July 28, 2008 - Morning practice, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM QUICK HITS Watching Herm Edwards play quarterback is easily one of the most entertaining parts of training camp, so when he started loosening up that howitzer again today, a crowd of fans approached the nearest fence. For a 54-year old, Edwards’ arm isn’t bad at all, and the raw enthusiasm he brings to the activity – yelling out mock signals under an invisible center, putting his assistant-coach backfield into motion – is just plain funny. “Herm the Quarterback” ran pursuit drills and threw interceptions to defensive backs this morning. As you’ve probably heard, defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham is coaching KC’s linebackers this year, and he’s often stereotyped as someone who just yells a lot, but watching him with his new position group today, his attention to detail is remarkable. Cunningham ran a six-man drill focusing on linebacker zone drops this morning. Simple, right? Just backpeddle to a spot on the field? Not really. Cunningham harped on every little mistake his linebackers made in their drops – their depth, spacing, and even where they were looking. He’s clearly something of a perfectionist. Rookie wide receiver/kick returner Kevin Robinson is still sidelined, so the Chiefs are searching for a punt returner. After practice today, special teams coach Mike Priefer ran punt-catch drills with the following players: Kevin McMahan, Will Poole, B.J. Sams, Rashad Barksdale, Dantrell Savage, Maurice Leggett. Tony Gonzalez sat out today’s morning practice, but still found time afterwards to play catch with backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen. It’s that kind of work ethic that will one day see the tight end in Canton, Ohio. Brian Waters was also given the morning off. Replacing Waters in the starting lineup at left guard was Tre Stallings, who more than held his own against rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. PLAYS OF THE DAY Larry Johnson took the handoff, started to his right and then accelerated through a huge hole off right tackle. Johnson was off to the races down the right sideline and no one would have caught him in a live game, as safety Bernard Pollard wound up sucking exhaust fumes in LJ’s wake. And Johnson made it look easy. It was less than a year ago the Chiefs couldn’t run a screen pass to save their lives. But today, Larry Johnson plucked a Brodie Croyle pass from the air, turned upfield and saw almost nothing but green grass. Center Rudy Niswanger and left tackle Branden Albert got their motors running and escorted Johnson downfield for a huge gain. Brodie Croyle finished a deep drop and stepped up in the pocket, his eyes focused downfield. Ignoring the incoming heat from defensive end Alfonso Boone, Croyle cocked his right arm and thumped a spiral 20 yards down the field right into the chest of Dwayne Bowe, who broke away from a defensive back and looked to be headed for paydirt. The Bowe Show is just about ready for dress rehearsal with the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, Donnie Edwards is old, and only about 225 pounds. He’s also extremely intelligent and knows how to lay a hit on an off-balance running back. Today Edwards wasn’t remotely fooled by a throwback screen. Tyler Thigpen rolled to his right and threw back across the field to running back Kolby Smith, who caught the ball right before Edwards rudely dumped him for a loss, drawing praise from Herm Edwards. Michael Allan was open, and the ball was perfectly thrown. For whatever reason, the second-year tight end wound up bobbling the ball as he tried to haul it in. Unfortunately for Allan, cornerback Rashad Barksdale was lurking in his path, resulting in a hit that dislodged the ball. Had the play been live, Barksdale might’ve ended up on ESPN. The first Brodie Croyle pass attempt of the day nearly met with disaster. The ball was well thrown, and Dwayne Bowe was open, but couldn’t reel in the catch. That’s because Bernard Pollard came screaming in to lay a hit at the end of the play, sending Bowe to the turf. WHO’S HOT Branden Albert just has Tamba Hali’s number in 11-on-11 drills. There’s almost no blindside pressure coming Brodie Croyle’s way at all. Hali is too small to mount an effective bull rush against Albert, and the rookie’s athletic ability eats Hali’s lack of foot speed for lunch. Albert also gets a push in the run game, and has been active at the second level (though he was beaten by linebacker Demorrio Williams once today). Backup defensive tackle TJ Jackson’s got some game. The second-team offensive line has had trouble containing him almost every day, and today he penetrated and applied pressure at least three times. KC Wolf. Whoever’s inside that costume was soaked in sweat this morning, the hottest and brightest of training camp so far. Seriously, if you see KC Wolf, try to cheer him up. WHO’S NOT Glenn Dorsey escaped the wrath of Brian Waters this morning, but didn’t fare much better against Tre Stallings. To be fair, the Chiefs were double-teaming him with Rudy Niswanger at times, but I’m waiting for Dorsey to show the pass-rush skills he flashed at LSU. Today he wound up on the ground courtesy of Niswanger and later, backup guard Edwin Harrison. He even had some trouble against Travis Leffew. Shouldn’t Dorsey be blowing right past those guys? The Chiefs don’t have a backup quarterback. Both Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard threw horrible interceptions today (Thigpen’s was dropped by Maurice Leggett, but close enough) and neither have showed the accuracy Brodie Croyle continues to display. Why did the Chiefs spend a third-round pick on Brad Cottam? Sure, he’s 6-8, but what use is that size if he’s not going to dominate the middle of the field? With Tony Gonzalez sitting out today, Cottam had an opportunity, and if he caught anything in 11-on-11 drills I missed it. Kansas City should be practicing some red-zone offense soon, so we’ll see if Cottam can haul in a touchdown or two. OVERHEARD “Knock their ass off!” - Gunther Cunningham, being himself. “Get your hands off that facemask, 71! Get your hands OFF that facemask.” - Herm Edwards, chastising offensive tackle Will Svitek for a little too much post-play business. “3-4! Gimme my ball! Don’t be takin’ my ball!” - Herm the Quarterback, retrieving his ball from cornerback Tyron Brackenridge. “YOU can’t see the ball and YOU can’t see the ball. Get your eyes into the backfield.”

River Falls Recap: Saturday, 7/26 AM Practice Justin Olson - WPI By C.E. Wendler Warpaint Illustrated Columnist Posted Jul 26, 2008 Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Morning practice, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Clear skies and temperatures around 70 degrees greeted the Chiefs today as they finally hammered out a real practice inside the stadium. Dozens of Chiefs fans also showed up, the largest crowd at training camp thus far. Also in attendance was Chairman of the Board Clark Hunt. QUICK HITS When the Chiefs began 9-on-9 drills today, rookie Brian Johnston replaced Tamba Hali at right defensive end with the starters. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Mike Cox joined the first-team at fullback. Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham looks like he’s obsessed with fixing KC’s run defense, which ranked 28th year ago. He was extremely animated during a gap-control drill with his linebackers early today, and was again vocal during 9-on-9’s when his defense gave up a big run. The first official 9-on-9 session conducted on grass saw Kansas City’s starting offense ram the ball right down the defense’s throat. The Chiefs got a good push from their offensive line and Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles all broke runs into the secondary. The defense did manage to hold the fort toward the end, however, with linebacker Napoleon Harris sticking Johnson in the backfield (despite a good second-level block from Rudy Niswanger) and safety Jarrad Page coming up to make a stop at the line. The second-team offense did not fare as well. For the most part, the second defensive unit completely shut them down throughout the practice, with left defensive end Turk McBride getting good penetration time and again. Finally getting to practice on grass had a noticeable effect on the Chiefs’ enthusiasm. This morning’s session was lively and spirited, with lots of hitting and players tackled to the ground again and again. PLAYS OF THE DAY Brodie Croyle took a five-step drop, surveyed the secondary for a brief moment and then unleashed a 25-yard rocket down the left side of the field. It sizzled into the hands of tight end Tony Gonzalez, who did have to leap to make the catch after beating corner Brandon Flowers. Maybe the most impressive part of Croyle’s throw was the fact that Tamba Hali was breathing down his neck from behind. The play drew the loudest cheer of the afternoon. Donnie Edwards may be 35, but he can still cover the best of them, as he did on one play with Tony Gonzalez, running stride for stride with the All-Pro tight end. Brodie Croyle’s ill-advised pass would have been easily intercepted had Gonzalez not broken up the play like a defensive back. WHO’S HOT The first clear look at Brodie Croyle was enjoyable. In 11-on-11 drills today the young quarterback completed eight of nine passes. Aside from his near interception, the only other down point was a fumbled snap. Croyle also made use of audibles at the line of scrimmage. A quick recap of Croyle’s completions: • A short pass over the middle to Tony Gonzalez • An accurate dart to the right side of the field and into the hands of wideout Maurice Price. • A bullet right into Dwayne Bowe’s chest about 15 yards down the field, despite a messy pocket right in Croyle’s face. Bowe picked up some yards after the catch. • A dumpoff to a running back after Alfonso Boone applied pressure. • Another short one to Gonzalez. • The 25-yard sizzler referenced above. • A screen pass to Larry Johnson. • Another dumpoff after Brian Johnston put some heat on. Branden Albert looks pretty comfortable at left tackle. He’s struggling a bit with his footwork, which is understandable since he’s a converted guard, but he more than held his own against Tamba Hali this morning. Brodie Croyle had time to throw and there were no sacks against the first-team offensive line. Give it up for President/GM Carl Peterson. He got the most important draft class in recent Chiefs history signed, sealed and delivered by July 26, with Glenn Dorsey agreeing to terms this morning. Where did the stupid urban myth about Larry Johnson loafing on plays come from? Watching him in training camp, you’d think he chugs Red Bull and wolfs down Guarana extract for his pre-practice snack. Today Johnson refused to go down even after the whistle had blown, and he was constantly spinning and laying shoulders into defenders. On one particular snap, he wrestled himself away from three defenders before going after cornerback Tyron Brackenridge for more. Rumors of LJ’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Speaking purely as a fan, it's going to be a treat to watch him every day. WHO’S NOT Neither of KC’s backup quarterbacks were terribly impressive Saturday morning. Tyler Thipgen and Damon Huard both badly overthrew a couple of passes, and Huard had a pass batted up into the air at the line of scrimmage. At least he swatted the ball into the ground before anyone picked it off. I’m not sure if Damion McIntosh is going to make it through camp the way Alfonso Boone keeps bull-rushing him into the backfield. Boone is simply too strong