Preseason Game 3 - What I’m looking for
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Hey all, I know it has been a WHILE since I posted on here but I figure with the season almost in full swing I really need to step my game up. So, here are some things I am looking for tonight when I attend preseason game #3: Chiefs vs Eagles.
New Arrowhead: This will be m y first time going to the new Arrowhead since it has been completed and I am really looking forward to seeing all of the changes. Since I am just your average, run of the mill season ticket holder I will probably not get to see some of the VIP areas (which is why I was sad I couldn’t make it Wednesday night to the open practice at Arrowhead) but it should be awesome nonetheless.
Chiefs Offense: The Eagles are no slouch. In fact their defense could be one of the better defense’s in the league (at worst they are in the top half) so this should be a very good test for Matt Cassel and the Chiefs’ offense. I would like to see two touchdowns from the first team this week along with a new high mark in total points scored. By the way, this will be no easy task as the first team defense for the Eagles has only allowed one TD so far this preseason.
Defensive Line Rotation: It will be very interesting to me to see if the Tyson Jackson vs Wallace Gilberry debate is just a motivational tactic by Haley or if Gilberry really is working his way to more playing time. We probably won’t know the true answer to this until after we get into the season (if ever) but either way I like it. Also, younger players such as Lokey and Magee may be playing for their roster life so I am interested to see what opportunities they are given tonight.
Dexter McCluster/Javier Arenas: These two rookies are being so hyped up it makes you wonder if they will be able to live up to it. I don’t expect either to come out and take over the game tonight, but I would like to get just a little taste of what I can expect this season from these two. Hopefully they leave me licking my chops for the regular season like I do when I stand in line waiting for my Z-man at Oklahoma Joes…
Well, those are a few of things I will be keeping an eye on tonight, what will you be watching for?
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Matt Cassel Could Be Out 2-4 Weeks with Injured MCL
Is is being reported by Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports that Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel could be out 2-4 weeks with an strained MCL in his right knee.
Quarterback Matt Cassel (notes) could miss two to four weeks with a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, a source within the Kansas City Chiefs organization said.
On a good note I guess this shouldn’t require surgery.
Cassel, who the Chiefs acquired in a trade with New England this offseason, was hurt Saturday night in an exhibition game against Seattle. The injury is not expected to require surgery because MCL injuries usually heal on their own.
Since no one with the Chiefs has said anything to confirm or deny this we are left to trust it. If it makes you feel any better Josh Looney from kcchiefs.com is saying that Cole is the most creditable source via his Twitter page.
Jason Cole of Yahoo has most reliable source of info to date credits team source with report of Cassel strained mcl out 2 to 4 wk no surgery
But… then Looney does go on to question part of Cole’s report less than an hour later.
I do ? Cole’s “source” as he also claims Thigpen will take over 4 cassel. I still believe there is plenty of competition 4 chiefs #2 QB
I agree with statement. While I think starting Thigpen against a team that will surely make a QB scramble regardless isn’t a bad idea, who said the battle for #2 QB is over? I actually thought Croyle was the #2…?
So it looks like worst case scenario Cassel is out until the Philly game. I am okay with that as long as this isn’t the start of a trend (2008 Chiefs style).
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Chiefs vs Texans: Likes/Dislikes
Here is what I liked and didn’t like about the Chiefs 2009 Preseason Opener against the Houston Texans:
WHAT I LIKED
Brodie Croyle: Croyle actually looked like a legit QB yesterday. He had nice zip on the ball, threaded the needle, and even took a hit or two and manaaged to get up quickly. Kudos to the second string O-line for protecting him as well, they looked pretty solid.
New Arrowhead: Although it is not 100% complete yet the ‘new Arrowhead’ looks very nice. The new replay video boards are awesome, along with the wider concords and flat screen TV’s everywhre. I managed to get saome HD video and quite a few pictures, so be on the lookout for a post in the near future.
Rush Defense: During the first drive the rush defense looked pretty good. There were a few misteps but overall I would say I could see improvement.
Two Sacks in ONE game: Even though Maurice Leggett is the current sack leader for the Chiefs, the Chiefs were able to get some presure on the quarterback and get two sacks in a single game. I know the bar is set really low for them right now, but considering the 10 total sacks in ONE SEASON last year I would say this is someting to be happy about.
Dwayne Bowe: Even though it was against the second string defense Bowe looked very solid. Also he didn’t speak to reporters after the game. Is this a new D Bowe?
Ryan Succop: Nailing a 47 yard kick with no time left in rainy conditions makes me very happy. I hope this wasn’t a fluke.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Kick Returns: No one really stepped up to the challenge this game; it was medocroer at best.
The Rain: At first it was a nice light sprinkle.. but then it started. I woke up this morning with cold chills still.
Felt like last season: I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but something about this game (esp mid to late in the game) just felt like last season. I was expecting bigger ang better things I guess… BUT I have decided I will reserve judgement on this until the Chiefs play a game that matters in the standings.
Brodie Croyle’s Intentional Grounding: This was just a mental air and should be easily corrected. Other than that he had a solid game.
MAKES ME GO “EH”:
Matt Cassel: It seems like the coaches wanted to ease Cassel into it this game. 2 for 5 for 15 yards… Eh…
Third String OL: Seemed like Thiggy was running for his life, but sometimes I think that is how Thigpen likes it.
Since I was able to list more positives than negatives I will be happy for now and I will try to remember that this is ‘only preseason’. Also, I thought Cory Mays, Andy Studebaker and Jackie Battle all had very good games and chalked one up on the “why I should make this team” column.
What do you think?
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Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-2-09 PM
The Chiefs ‘only’ had one practice on Sunday and here is the summery.
From Josh Looney Twitter
- Full pads again today! (pic above)
- Waters and Goff back in action today.
- http://twitpic.com/cjsz6 - Take ur dog to practice day? Check out x-fac in back. Rockstar. (picture)
- LJ diving over the top on goal line session…no holding back this camp.
From Mitch Holthus
- Wow…good long tough practice. I like the way the team approached the 4-3 inside run drills. Its obvious they want to be a physical team.
- Watching special teams work with 15 year long snapper Kendall Gammon is like talking computers w Bill Gates. Drill today he wanted 4 8yrs
Updates from Gretz at CBS Sports
- Activated from the NFI List and participating in Chiefs practice are G Brian Waters, G Mike Goff and DT Ron Edwards.
- Starters who aren’t in Chiefs practice on Sunday are RT Damion McIntosh and ILB Derrick Johnson.
- Chiefs coach Todd Haley is spending extra time in practice with wide receivers working on body control coming out of breaks.
- WR Devard Darling is running with the Chiefs’ No. 1 offense opposite Dwayne Bowe.
- Chiefs TE Brad Cottam had a Tony Gonzalez-like catch down the deep middle, snagging it with one hand over his head.
- Chiefs K Ryan Succop was 4 for 4 in field goals.
- Chiefs G Brian Waters struggled in pass protection against NT Tank Tyler.
- Chiefs WR Rodney Wright had a nice catch on a deep ball under good coverage.
- Chiefs ILB Zach Thomas knocked down a pass in deep zone coverage during the 7-on-7 drill.
- Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali showed good pass rush off the edge against the first-team offense.
- Chiefs LT Branden Albert on the return of guards Brian Waters and Mike Goff to practice: “It was great having the two wisemen back.”
- Chiefs coach Todd Haley on why he spent extra time in Sunday’s practice with the team’s wide receivers: “We’ve had guys on the ground and the receiver is no good to anyone if he’s laying on the ground. Whether it’s the right shoes, improper technique, whatever, a wide receiver cannot be on the ground and help you win in any way, shape or form.”
From UW-RF Staff
- Before practice officially began, Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast was working with the defensive backs, running a drill that used five garbage bins to simulate the offensive line. During this drill, cornerback Maurice Leggett was seeing time as the nickelback.
- One of the defensive coach stood on the back of the single sled while the defensive linemen worked on tackling. Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie continued to ask the men to “jam it” and “keep [their] head up.” Krumrie made defensive tackle Tank Tyler hit the dummy multiple times until he was satisfied with Tyler’s “jamming.”
- Seeing time with the first-string during 7-on-7 was: defensive ends Alfonso Boone and rookie Alex Magee, defensive tackle Ron Edwards and linebackers Monty Beisel, Zach Thomas, Tamba Hali and Mike Vrabel.
- Frustrated due to the defense’s weak showing versus the running offense during 7-on-7, Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie shouted, “Don’t let him push your (butt) off the ball. You push him past the line of scrimmage!”
- 11-on-11 began. Seeing time with the first-string was: linebackers Tamba Hali, Zach Thomas, Mike Vrabel and Monty Beisel; cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers, safetiesBernard Pollard and Jarrad Page, defensive ends Alex Magee and Alfonso Boone and defensive tackle Ron Edwards.
- After quarterback Matt Cassel completed a pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast said he expected more out of linebacker Tamba Hali. “Finish, Tamba,” he shouted.
- Running back Kolby Smith, tight end Jake O’Connell and tackle Damion McIntosh were not suited up for practice this afternoon. GuardsBrian Waters and Mike Goff were both in full pads for the first time today.
- Off a good handoff from quarterback Tyler Thigpen during 7-on-7, running back Jackie Battle fumbled the football. This was much to the dismay of Offensive Line Coach Bill Muir.
- Running back Dantrell Savage had a good run off a handoff from quarterback Matt Cassel during 7-on-7
- Head Coach Todd Haley was getting on quarterback Matt Cassel for his play-action fake during a half-speed scrimmage against the offensive reserves. “[We need a] good sell, good sell! If we are going to run those, Matt, we need a good sell!”
- Quarterback Tyler Thigpen looked really sharp in his 7-on-7 session. Thigpen was 6-6 on the day.
- Chiefs President Denny Thum was present at this afternoon’s practice.
So there you have it Chiefs fans. Stay tuned, more updates are coming.
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AFC West QB Rankings
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
With all of the recent activity of the QB’s in the AFC West I decided to put out my rankings of the AFC West QB’s pre season 2009.
- Philip Rivers, San Diego. Rivers, at this moment, is in his own class in the AFC West. He got snubbed last season by not making the Pro Bowl despite a GREAT season (34 TD’s, 11 INT’s, 4,009 yards) and his QB rating of 105.5 for the season put him in the company of other grat QB’s such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning (who also have recorded season with 100+ QB rating).
- Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs. Cassel was great filling in for the injured Tom Brady last season. In his “rookie” season (and the first game he started since high school) Cassel had 21 TD’s, 11 INT’s and a QB rating of 89.4. Now the real question is can he do the same in KC. Time will tell.
- Kyle Orton, Denver. Some of you may find this odd, but here is some of my reasoning. Orton’s career record as a starter is 21-12 (including 9-6 last season with the Bears D on decline and 10-5 as a rookie). His career completion percentage is pretty low 55.3 but has increased throughout his career and his career QB rating is 71.1.
- JaMarcus Russell, Oakland. I think based on purely potential Russell would rank ahead of Orton, but that isn’t how I do things. Russell still seems VERY inconsistent and while his career numbers are about the same (sample size compared to Orton is about half), Russell’s career record as a starter is 5-11. This could very well change but at this moment Orton is more likely to win you a game and to me that makes him a better QB.
So, there are my rankings of the AFC West QB’s. Do you agree/disagree? And if so tell me why in the comments section below.
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Chiefs Trade for Matt Cassel
Turns out the rumors about Cassel being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs were true.
NFL.com Blogs » Blog Archive Chiefs complete trade for Cassel «.
The Kansas City Chiefs have found their starting quarterback. NFL Network’s Adam Schefter reports the Chiefs acquired QB Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots in a trade.
The teams have agreed on compensation, but no details of the deal were immediately available.
Adam Schefter has proven that what he says is MONEY lately so I believe him.
Well Chiefs fans, what do you think?
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