Teicher: Johnson, Toribio and Lewis sit out Chiefs practice with injuries

[Tribal Warfare]

Johnson, Toribio and Lewis sit out Chiefs practice with injuries
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs began their practice week Monday without four defensive starters, including their two Pro Bowl linebackers. They’re preparing to play against the Atlanta Falcons, who were seventh in the NFL in scoring last season, that could present a problem.

The situation could improve some by the time the Chiefs and Falcons open their seasons against one another on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. But even early in the week, things were far from ideal.

“You’d like to have all your guys all the time,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “But in this business you don’t have all of them all the time and so you have to depend on other guys to step up and do their part when they’re called on.”

Linebacker Derrick Johnson, nose tackle Anthony Toribio and free safety Kendrick Lewis didn’t go through team portions of practice. Johnson and Toribio have injured ankle, Lewis an injured shoulder.

Johnson, injured in the final preseason game against the Packers, appeared the most likely of the group to be ready for Sunday’s game.

“As long as I make progress every day, that’s the plan,” Johnson said when asked whether he would play against the Falcons. “I am a fast healer. Let’s hope that this week I can be even faster.”

The Chiefs’ other Pro Bowl linebacker, Tamha Hali, will not play against Atlanta. He is serving his one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Cornerback Brandon Flowers, who didn’t play in the preseason and hadn’t practiced for more than a month, was back to work Monday. But Flowers, who has what the Chiefs have called as bruised heel, said he didn’t know if he would play Sunday and suggested the decision might come down to day of the game.

“If I’m out there on Sunday, then that means I’m ready to go,” he said “We’ll know game day.”

For one day, at least, the Chiefs patched together a lineup that included backups in four spots. Cory Greenwood and Brandon Siler took turns at Johnson’s position. Rookie Dontari Poe is starting for Toribio and veteran Abe Elam for Lewis.

Andy Studebaker, Edgar Jones and Cameron Sheffield have been rotating in Hali’s spot.

“Particularly (in Hali’s spot), that’s what has to happen,” Crennel said. “We’ll have to rotate guys in there and we will during the course of the week and I expect all of them to step and to be able to produce. Now, are they going to produce the way Tamba is able to produce? Only time will tell that.”

All coaches have jitters the opening week of the season given the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Even before the injuries, suspension and resulting lineup changes, this would have been an anxious week for Crennel.

The Chiefs are one of the NFL’s youngest teams. They have five players who are 30 and they are the oldest. Heading into their ninth NFL seasons, guard Ryan Lilja and special teams player Terrance Copper have the most NFL experience.

“If you have a veteran team (with players) who have proven themselves and that you feel good about, I think you can be less anxious,” Crennel said. “I think everybody gets anxious when the season starts. But if you’ve got a veteran team and you’re solid all across the board, then I think you can be less anxious because you know what you have.

“(The Chiefs) have some young players who have to play and we all know that young players make mistakes. You don’t know how many mistakes they’re going to make or what a mistake might cost you during the course of the game. Some guys, when there are 70,000 or 80,000 in the stands and they know that it counts, they react differently. We’re going to have to see how all of that plays out.”

Adding to the mystery about how well the Chiefs will play on Sunday is their uneven preseason. The Chiefs went 1-3 with the starters playing well in the first and fourth games but not so in the middle two, when the defense was particularly disappointing.

Crennel said he takes comfort in the fact the Chiefs have gotten it done, even if not consistently.

“In the first preseason game, the way they executed in that game and then the last game, they showed they could execute at a good level,” he said. “So I think they gave us enough to feel good about going into the regular season.

“One of the things I wanted to do was to be able to say we could be solid and sound coming out of the last (preseason) game. I think from our play versus their first guys, we were solid and sound coming out of that game.”

Atlanta was also 1-3 in the exhibition season, losing to Baltimore, Cincinnati and Jacksonville while beating Miami. The Falcons made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, though they lost their playoff game each time.

“This is a good Atlanta team coming in,” Crennel said. “They have some skill on all sides of the ball, really. So we’re going to have to play our best to win.”

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

Because it's ****ing true. You guys are the biggest homers ever. Can't believe the way you cry about this guy or that guy should get banned. It's just more bitching and whining by the masses. Watch the ****ing games people. Watch DJ miss tackles for God's sake. Heaven forbid a fan doesn't want to suck DJ or Charle's dick and sees things differently.

If DJ hadn't started making more plays, he would have been shipped out of town. He got better. Just like Bowe did. However, they were once both on the trade block. They both make plays but Bowe still drops the ball and DJ still misses tackles. The playmaking is what makes them worth something.

I want DJ to start over Siler 100% of the time. I wanted Lewis to start over McGraw 100% of the time. However, Siler and McGraw are better tacklers imo. Understand? There are many different aspects to every player.

Post your comparisons of Jamaal Charles to Dexter McCluster and Derrick Johnson to Brandon Siler on ANY Chiefs message board. On the internet. Post it a league-wide message board. E-mail a "guru" like Peter King about it. ****ing ask Romeo Crennel.

They'll all tell you you're a ****ing idiot.

So apparently you're the only non-homer in the entire world.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

and Bob Ross is a better painter than Picasso...

Bob Ross has happier brushstrokes than Picasso.

I DIDN'T SAY HE WAS BETTER I JUST SAID HE WAS BETTER AT HAPPY BRUSHSTROKES

YOU'RE A HOMER

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by SNR

Post your comparisons of Jamaal Charles to Dexter McCluster and Derrick Johnson to Brandon Siler on ANY Chiefs message board. On the internet. Post it a league-wide message board. E-mail a "guru" like Peter King about it. ****ing ask Romeo Crennel.

They'll all tell you you're a ****ing idiot.

So apparently you're the only non-homer in the entire world.

I bet Romeo wouldn't. You are wrong on that one.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

I see where you guys are coming from. I stated he has improved. He is not as good of a tackler as Siler. I will drop it now because it's not worth it.

Originally Posted by SNR

BlackBob attempts to look cool and smart by taking obtuse stances on things everybody else can agree about. Examples: Derrick Johnson IS, in fact, a better tackler than Brandon Siler; Jamaal Charles possesses more elite quickness to outjuke defenders than Dexter McCluster.

At first people laugh at him, then yell at him, then they get pissed off. Then the debate is REALLY hashed out, and in about a dozen posts or so it's proven that Jamaal Charles has sex with Dex's mother every night, and that 1+1=2. Then BlackBob slinks away until he comes out of the shadows again to say something unbelievably idiotic.

How do I do it?

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

This board could be called a lot of things, and not all of them flattering, depending upon the perspective of the evaluator. I think pretty much everyone here would agree with that. However, if there's one thing this place definitely is not, it would be a homer board.

I like it here. However, if you look around at other Chiefs boards, they aren't as homerish. I think you guys are kidding yourselves. Especially in this argument. Every Chief's fan knows DJ isn't a great tackler. It is very odd that he is so staunchly defended here about this phase of his game.

It's kind of like every single drop of blame and hate goes to Cassel. People are almost blind to everything else.

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by SNR

How do I do it?

You are a very agile man you sick ****er.

I don't slink anywhere. I'm just not here every minute of the day.

[RealSNR]

Donte Stallworth is better at accidentally killing people with his car than Dwayne Bowe.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

I like it here. However, if you look around at other Chiefs boards, they aren't as homerish. I think you guys are kidding yourselves. Especially in this argument. Every Chief's fan knows DJ isn't a great tackler. It is very odd that he is so staunchly defended here about this phase of his game.

It's kind of like every single drop of blame and hate goes to Cassel. People are almost blind to everything else.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

I like it here. However, if you look around at other Chiefs boards, they aren't as homerish. I think you guys are kidding yourselves. Especially in this argument. Every Chief's fan knows DJ isn't a great tackler. It is very odd that he is so staunchly defended here about this phase of his game.

It's kind of like every single drop of blame and hate goes to Cassel. People are almost blind to everything else.

So the other boards are less homerish because they like Matt Cassel and believe that in order for the team to take the next step they have to find better players all around the team.

If we're homers, then they're reeruns.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

I like it here. However, if you look around at other Chiefs boards, they aren't as homerish. I think you guys are kidding yourselves. Especially in this argument. Every Chief's fan knows DJ isn't a great tackler. It is very odd that he is so staunchly defended here about this phase of his game.

It's kind of like every single drop of blame and hate goes to Cassel. People are almost blind to everything else.

you have this neat trick of saying something really ****ing stupid and then changing the argument once your ass is handed to you by a dozen different people...

setting aside the fact that DJ set the franchise record for tackles...the argument "DJ isn't a great tackler" is not why people are making fun of you (although it is a great reason to make fun of you)...

what you said was "Siler is a better tackler than DJ"....and that is a hilariously dumb thing to say...

and finally, you don't seem to know what 'homer' means...

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by SNR

So the other boards are less homerish because they like Matt Cassel and believe that in order for the team to take the next step they have to find better players all around the team.

If we're homers, then they're reeruns.

They don't like Matt Cassel. Most are just smart enough to know that he's the only option. There hasn't been another option.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

They don't like Matt Cassel. Most are just smart enough to know that he's the only option. There hasn't been another option.

Just because he's the only option doesn't mean that we have to be ok with it. And don't give me that stupid "You aren't a fan if you don't support everyone on the team" bullshit. **** that.

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

you have this neat trick of saying something really ****ing stupid and then changing the argument once your ass is handed to you by a dozen different people...

setting aside the fact that DJ set the franchise record for tackles...the argument "DJ isn't a great tackler" is not why people are making fun of you (although it is a great reason to make fun of you)...

what you said was "Siler is a better tackler than DJ"....and that is a hilariously dumb thing to say...

and finally, you don't seem to know what 'homer' means...

First, i think most see my ass hasn't been handed to me. Listen to yourself. "Because DJ set a team record in tackles, he is a great tackler."

It's like I said, Roddy White had 100 catches but he also had 15 drops. He drops alot of balls. Gonzalez has better hands. However, that doesn't man Ryan isn't going to target him more. It's the same thing.

One season, Walt Harris had like ten interceptions. Was he the best CB in the league?

We could go on and on.

The last thing I will touch on that I haven't yet is that tackles are hands down the most overrated stat in football. If you don't know that, you truly don't know football.

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Just because he's the only option doesn't mean that we have to be ok with it. And don't give me that stupid "You aren't a fan if you don't support everyone on the team" bullshit. **** that.

Do you have any idea what we are talking about here? There are several players on the roster I think are overrated and I have stated it.

I have talked about DJ, Flowers, Lewis and Powe today. You are preaching to the choir.

[BoneKrusher]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

They don't like Matt Cassel. Most are just smart enough to know that he's the only option. There hasn't been another option.

and the sad thing is, Pioli dont want another option.