Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-3-09 AM

August 3, 2009 by bigknoxy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Training Camp

So here is day 3 of training camp already and here is the summery of this mornings practice: Oh, there was a special guest this mornings practice as well…

Updates from Josh Looney

Via Twitter:

Outdoors it is, full pads…McIntosh is back today.
Many high level conversations going on up here with @mitchholthus & gammon
Play of the day comes from a one handed diving grab via te sean ryan. Haley praised the play post practice.

Via Acces Training Camp Blog

The Chiefs have a variety of different style runners in their backfield and those styles come to light when the club practices half-line drills (C, G, T, RB, QB, 2 DL, LB). RBs like Larry Johnson and Jackie Battle power their way through holes, while RBs like Jamaal Chalres and Dantrell Savage display impressive speed and agility through the line of scrimmage.
P Dustin Colquitt is “the leg.” K Ryan Succop has yet to be nicknamed. He may need one soon. Succop hits kicks from 39, 42 and 44 yards with LOTS of room to spare. Any ideas?
LB Mike Vrabel took some extra time yesterday to work on pass rush moves with defensive line coach Tim Krumrie. The work seems to have paid off as Vrabel look impressive on several one-on-one rush drills against the offensive tackles.
Highlights from today’s 11-v-11 period:
- RB Javarris Williams had a nice blitz pickup that allowed QB Matt Cassel to avoid a pass rush to find a diving TE Sean Ryan down the right sideline. Ryan pulled it in over his shoulder one-handed.
- S John McGraw drew praise from Coach Haley for his break on a corner route that resulted in a PBU. The ball was nearly picked off.
- CB Brandon Flowers had excellent one-on-one coverage guarding WR Dwayne Bowe on a deep route down the right sideline.
- DT Tank Tyler made a number of nice plays in stopping the run game when the offense was backed up near their own goal line.

Updates from Mitch Holthus:

Best play of camp so far…team backed up at own one…Javarris Williams picks up blitzing Pollard..Cassel finds Sean Ryan TE first down.
I love it when RBs want to pass black..saved a safety today!
Defense had its moments too…Tank Tyler is doing some good things…3-4 defense is sometimes like entertainers..its all about the nose.
Kent Babb of the Star near the big hot dog van reminded me of Jeff Daniels on Dumb and Dumber…there is no Hy-Vee here,its killing me..
Pass block!

Updates from Bob Gretz @ CBS Sports

After Chiefs LT Branden Albert jumped offsides in a drill, he was yanked from the line and sent on a punishment run. Barry Richardson replaced him.
In a running game drill, OLB Tamba Hali leveled pulling guard Mike Goff. The collision could be heard on all three practice fields.
K Ryan Succop was 3 of 4 on FGs in Chiefs practice, hitting the left upright from 35 yards and making kicks from 39, 42 and 44 yards.
Chiefs rookie LB Jovan Belcher is showing a strong pass rush. On one play, he knocked over RT Damion McIntosh.
With the Chiefs down to two TEs, Sean Ryan is taking advantage of the opportunity. He had a nice catch on a play where QB Matt Cassel was flushed from the pocket.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley on Monday’s morning practice: “This is generally when everybody is a little bit sore and feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, but I thought we pushed through OK. This afternoon will be very telling about how we are doing.”
After practice, Chiefs coach Todd Haley wouldn’t address the absence of TEs Brad Cottam and Tony Curtis. “I’ll only talk about the players who are practicing,” Haley said

And lastely but definitly not least, updates from the UW-RF Staff:

The Jugs machines were once again firing at the beginning of practice. Drops have been a recurring problem in the first three practices.Today, there were four notable drops to report. Wide receivers Quinten Lawrence, Bobby Engram, Jeff Webb and Taurus Johnson each had drops during 1-0 drills. After Webb’s drop Head Coach Todd Haley yelled, “Catch the ball against air, please!”
Tackle Damion McIntosh was in full pads for the first time this season. McIntosh jumped right back in with the first-string. Head Coach Todd Haley commented later that is was good to have McIntosh back in pads. “He is working hard on his body,” Haley said. McIntosh had a huge pancake block of defensive end Alfonso Boone in 2-on-1 blocking.
Tight end Sean Ryan got some extra opportunities with the absences of Brad Cottam and Tony Curtis and made the most of it. Ryan made a spectacular, twisting sideline catch on a ball thrown by quarterback Matt Cassel. Head Coach Todd Haley commented on the catch later saying, “I thought that was a tremendous catch in traffic.”
During the team’s 11-on-11 drill toward the end of practice, running back Jackie Battle had the ball knocked away from him after the whistle was blown. Head Coach Todd Haley screamed at Battle for the lack of focus. “Hold onto the football. You protect that thing all the way back to the huddle!” Haley shouted. Haley talked about the situation later in his press conference. “Those offensive guys have to protect the football at all times [like their life depends on it]. I am blowing the whistle for the defense.”
Rookie defensive end Alex Magee continued to see time with the first-string, as he has been all of training camp thus far.
After a drill, linebacker Mike Vrabel, a 13-year veteran, was showing two-year linebacker Andy Studebaker how he should be using his arms during the drill. As the two walked away, joining the rest of the linebackers on field 1, Studebaker patted Vrabel on the back.
A session with the defensive lineman and the offensive lineman, running a 2-on-1 blocking drill was dominated by the defense. The stand-out of the drill was defensive end Alex Magee. Magee destroyed offensive linemen Mike Goff and Wade Smith on separate occasions. Linebackers Mike Vrabel and Tamba Hali were present for half the drill. Hali made an athletic move to shoot to the inside of Barry Richardson without being touched.

Todd Haley Press Conference

Head Coach Todd Haley opened his daily press conference with a statement, saying practice was alright. “I thought it went OK. This is the point in training camp where everyone is a little sore, but I thought we pushed through well,” he said. Haley was wearing a Dallas Texans hat. The Chiefs came into the league as the Texans and will wear the old jerseys for three games this season.
Haley was asked to comment on the progression of fifth-round pick offensive tackle Colin Brown. Haley said that Brown was learning on the run. “He dropped a bunch of weight to give himself a chance to compete, so he probably is feeling a little light and not as strong.” Haley was then asked what he thought of the line as whole. “I am encouraged by what I am seeing. It’s only day three and way too early to make evaluations, but I like what I see so far,” Haley said.

Haley was adamant that his team must create some havoc in the backfield. “Whether that is to lead the league in sacks or just create some chaos in the back there, it has to happen, in my opinion, to play the kind of defense we want to play.”

Haley was asked about how sleep his schedule is going so far at camp. “I was thinking about that this morning. In the summertime if I didn’t get eight hours, I was exhausted, but you get to training camp and for some reason, sleep isn’t as important. You wake up and find a way everyday.” Haley did say he is getting about four to five hours of sleep a night.

And thee you have it. Have a great Monday Chiefs fans! Go Chiefs!

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Tags: Chiefs Training Camp Updates, River Falls Updates, Todd Haley, Training Camp, Training Camp 09, Training Camp 2009

Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-2-09 PM

August 3, 2009 by bigknoxy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Training Camp

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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Tags: Chiefs Training Camp Updates, Dwayne Bowe, Matt Cassel, Mike Vrabel, River Falls Updates, Tamba Hali, Training Camp, Training Camp 09, Training Camp 2009, Tyler Thigpen

Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-1-09 PM

August 2, 2009 by bigknoxy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Training Camp

First day of training camp, practice number two for our Chiefs. Here is the summery.

(via UW-RF)

Updates from Josh Looney Twitter

No helmets only practice following a full padded morning…love it! Keep the thuds coming.
zach thomas is a pro…does the little things right…bringing wood today
http://twitpic.com/cg1he - Pic of tank messin with z. Thomas
new videos up - camping with @mitchholthus and another camp life…check em out http://bit.ly/LZKvW

Updates from Mitch Holthus

Am I one of the few that Bernard Pollard could be a Larry Izzo type Pro Bowl special teams guy? He showed some signs again today.
Whoops Jamaal Charles fumbles and EVerYBODY runs…every coach talks about turnover margin…others make it a way of life
Hilites of session 2. RBs v LBs on pass pro. LBs have advantage but u find out who wants to play football. Javarris Williams didn’t blink.
Also OL v DL pass pro. Liked Eric Guy check…we need depth on OL and he might be a G-C-G guy that every team needs.

Updates from Bob Gretz @ CBS Sports

DE Tyson Jackson is missing his second camp practice as contract negotiations continue. Chiefs GM Scott Pioli had no comment on the status of the talks
As the Chiefs worked on their punting game, WRs Rodney Wright and Quinten Lawrence handled returns. Neither has returned a punt in a regular or pre-season game.
Chiefs RBs struggled in a pass-protection drill trying to block blitzing LBs.
In a 7-on-7 Chiefs passing drill, Matt Cassel was 7 of 9 with an INT, Brodie Croyle was 3 of 9 with an INT and Tyler Thigpen was 5 of 6.
CB Brandon Flowers made two big plays in Chiefs team work, blitzing the QB for a sack and knocking down a pass to WR Dwayne Bowe.
Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe says the addition of veteran WR Bobby Engram has been a big help to him. “That’s my roommate, and I’m learning from him every day,” said Bowe. “He’s taught me things about watching tape, catching the ball, how to practice, how to prepare.”
Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe said he’s down to 210 pounds, which is 12 to 15 pounds lighter than last year.” I just feel better,” he said. “I feel like I can run faster and jump higher.”

And lastely but definitly not least, updates from the UW-RF Staff:

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe had the first dropped ball of the day in an 11-0 drill. It turned out to be a trend for the remainder of practice. Tight end Brad Cottam had two drops in a row when running routes against air about 20 minutes later. Rookie wide receiver Quinten Lawerence had a drop in one-on-one drills. Wide receiver Mark Bradley had a drop in the 7-on-7 drills. Head Coach Todd Haley had commented earlier in the day that he had seen too many drops in the morning session.
During a drill involving both offensive and defensive linemen, center Eric Ghiaciuc pushed defensive tackle Tank Tyler over. The crowd, including both offensive and defensive players, let out some “oooh’s” after the play. Ghiaciuc offered to help Tyler up, but Tyler declined the hand and sprinted back to complete the drill. The offfensive line was looking strong again when tackle Cameron Goldberg knocked linebacker Tamba Hali over pretty handedly. Hali got back up and continued to battle toward the “quarterback.”
During the individual position split, the tight ends were working on some blocking. When Brad Cottam got over-extended, trying to make a block, Tight End Coach Bob Bicknell made a crack about Cottam’s height. “I know it’s hard for you. You are tall. You are, like, 11-feet tall.” Cottam is listed at 6’7”.
In an interview after practice, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe stated that the offense was making some great improvements in practice. According to Bowe, quarterback Matt Cassel is “a great leader. He doesn’t let anybody fail. If you fall down, he is right there to pick you back up.”
During the afternoon practice, (Derrick) Johnson was not suited up; he was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants with his jersey. He worked out with the other players not suited up during practice. It was defensive end Glenn Dorsey, linebacker Demorrio Williams, defensive tackle Ron Edwards and defensive end Dion Gales who were again not suited up during this evening’s practice.
During 11-on-11, players seeing time with the first-string base defense included: defensive ends Alfonso Boone and rookie Alex Magee, defensive tackle Tank Tyler, linebackers Tamba Hali, Mike Vrabel, Monty Beisel, and Zach Thomas, cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr and safeties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard. Replacing Thomas in the first-string nickel defense was cornerback Maurice Leggett, playing the nickelback spot.
(Have to love this) The running backs and linebackers got together and did some one-on-one blitz pickup blocking. Linebacker Zach Thomas got the defense off to a good start. Thomas landed a huge hit on running back Mike Cox, picking him up and throwing him down like it was nothing. The defense appeared to completely dominate the drill.
Punter Dustin Colquitt spent about five minutes kicking footballs from the 30-yard line on field 2 toward the goal post on the south end of the field. Kicker Ryan Succop was shagging the balls and throwing them back to long snapper Tanner Purdum who would return them to Colquitt. Each of Colquitt’s punts were landing on the 20-yard line, making each worth about 50 yards.

Well, that about sums it up for yesterday’s PM practice. Today’s single practice goes from 2-4 PM.

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Tags: Chiefs Training Camp Updates, River Falls Updates, Training Camp, Training Camp 09, Training Camp 2009

Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-1-09 AM

August 1, 2009 by bigknoxy · 3 Comments
Filed under: News, Training Camp

I don’t know about you but I am very excited today! Today is the first day of training camp for our 2009-2010 Kansas City Chiefs! WooHoo! Ok, now that we got that out of the way here are some updates from around the web about this mornings practice.

(Picture from Josh Looney via Twitter)

Speaking of Josh Looney’s Twitter here are some of his tweets regarding the AM practice:

Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson two of the first on the field
Still easy to spot LJ…those long red socks at practice are a signature…follow the blog for detailed practice reports
http://twitpic.com/cdnpp - View from the top (picture)
The pace of practice is drastically different from past chiefs camps…action everywhere
Fans in river falls are loving the “new chiefs”
LJ got the offense fired up after a TD over the left gl pylon…Practice complete & waiting for coach to talk
“that’s one day of semi-controlled chaos.” - Todd Haley

Another great resource for Chiefs Training Camp info is CBS Sports. This season they have a ‘play tracker’ for training camp and rumor has it that Bob Gretz is doing the updates (so you know it’s good)

Veteran Chiefs WR Bobby Engram raved about working with QB Matt Cassel. “He puts the ball in great positions for you to catch and it comes with a tight spiral,” Engram said.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley is pleased with the first practice performance of QB Matt Cassel. “He’s just what he has been and I would say that he had a fairly solid start,” Haley said. “You’re going to get great enthusiasm from him, and you’re probably going to have to tell him five or six times to be quiet because he’s so excited.”
Chiefs RB Larry Johnson revealed that he’s down more than 10 pounds from the weight he’s played his whole career at, dropping from 235 to 223. “It’s something Coach (Todd) Haley asked me to do and I feel faster,” said Johnson. “I don’t think I’ve lost any power.”
The Chiefs safeties spent extra practice time working with assistant coach Ronnie Bradford on walking that fine line between dropping into coverage and run support.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley said he was not concerned that three-fifths of his starting offensive line wasn’t able to practice Saturday morning. “If this were long term, we might be worried, but I don’t think anything will be a long term deal with any of those players,” Haley said of LG Brian Waters, RG Mike Goff and RT Damion McIntosh.
In a live goal line drill, RB Larry Johnson beat LB Zach Thomas to the pylon on a nice TD run.

And Let’s not forgot the UW-RF Staff, they always put out some great updates for us as well. Here are some tidbits from them:

Rookie defensive end Alex Magee was getting his fair share of praise from Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie. At one point Krumrie told the end from Purdue that he was doing a good job. “There ya go. Good, Alex, good,” Krumrie said.
The group ran different routes amongst the four dummies to simulate different situations in which the defensive linemen would have to break through offensive blockers to reach the quarterback. In order to be successful at the drill, Krumrie told the players to keep their “feet underneath them. Feet, feet, feet!” During one of the routes, Krumrie stood really close to the third dummy and hollered, “Step, step, club!” as the men ran by.
During a 7-on-7 drill, utilizing the offense’s running game, defensive end Alfonso Boone, defensive tackle Tank Tyler and linebackers Tamba Hali, Mike Vrabel, Monty Beisel and Zach Thomas all saw time with the first-string. Rounding out the 7-on-7 first-string was rookie defensive end Alex Magee.
Later, during a 7-on-7 drill addressing the passing game, cornerbacks Brandon Carr, Maurice Leggett, and Brandon Flowers; safeties Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page; and linebackers Tamba Hali, Monty Beisel, Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas were considered first-string.
When the rest of the team went to work on the kicking game, the quarterbacks were left to work by themselves. Two poles that hung four different colored targets were placed in each corner of the endzone. The quarterbacks took turns trying to hit the different targets. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen was the first one to hit a target. Newly acquired quarterback Matt Cassel followed that up with one of his own in the left corner. Every time Cassel hit the target, he followed it up with excited yells while throwing his hands in the air.
Quarterback Matt Cassel completed his first six passes in the team’s 7-on-7 drill. Three of those passes were perfectly-timed sideline hitch routes to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Cassel came back and completed three more passes before the drill’s completion. He ended up finishing 9-9
Quarterback Matt Cassel was the first quarterback to run the team’s 7-on-7 drill. His first pass was a completed pass to running back Larry Johnson behind the line of scrimmage. This received some heat from linebacker Mike Vrabel. Vrabel yelled across the field, “You’re one-for-one on check downs! They don’t throw check downs in Foxborough! No check downs for Tom!”
Receiver Bobby Engram was at his 14th NFL Training Camp and his first in River Falls. Engram signed in the off-season with the Chiefs after 13 years in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears. Engram told reporters that he has “a lot of gas left in the tank.” He made it known that he is here to compete for a job and help the Chiefs win football games, not just to be a mentor for the Chiefs young receivers

Chiefs Injuries:
The Chiefs have placed three players on the PUP list: DE Glenn Dorsey, RB Kolby Smith and TE Jake O’Connell. I am being told that the only ‘real worry’ (read risk of missing actual games) on this list is Kolby Smith.
The Chiefs also placed six players on the NFI List: RT Damion McIntosh, RG Mike Goff, LG Brian Waters, LB Demorrio Williams, DT Ron Edwards and DE Dion Gales.

The next practice is today from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. (I will be trying to get one of these out for every practice)

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Are you as excited about ‘real football’ as I am?

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Tags: Chiefs Training Camp Updates, River Falls Updates, Training Camp, Training Camp 09, Training Camp 2009

Chiefs Conditioning Test Update

July 31, 2009 by bigknoxy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News

As I’m sure you are aware of by now, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has required that each player on the Chiefs pass a conditioning test before they are allowed to practice in team activities.

Here are some quotes regarding this conditioning test that took place this morning:

Via JoshLooney’s (of kcchiefs.com) Twitter page

Coach Haley says conditioning test met expectations…ready to get things started tomorrow.

Via UW-RF site

Tight end Brad Cottam showed up to lunch at the University Center wearing a yellow cut-off shirt and a green visor. He commented on the conditioning test that Head Coach Todd Haley had the players participate in earlier in the morning. “Most guys made it,” Cottam said. He said the team knew the test was coming, so they had been preparing for it and working hard in the off-season. Cottam said that the mentality of the team so far has been “exciting and new.” “We’ll see in a week how things are looking,” he said. Cottam also said that he’s excited to get pads on and practice