Chiefs Teicher: Chiefs receivers hope for fewer drops in 2010

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-04-2010, 11:32 PM

Chiefs receivers hope for fewer drops in 2010
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

ST. JOSEPH | The Chiefs can only hope it’s not an omen that the first pass during team drills at training camp was dropped by Chris Chambers.

They’re still stinging from last year’s NFL-high 48 drops. The Chiefs are trying to work through the issue, but passes are still occasionally bouncing off hands.

It’s a source of frustration to coach Todd Haley for more than the obvious reasons. He’s also a former position coach who prides himself on getting the most from wide receivers.

“I don’t think you’re going to have success if you’re dropping a lot of balls,” Haley said. “That is something our coaches and players are very cognizant of, and I think you’ll see them continue to work on that.”

Dwayne Bowe led the league last year in dropped passes with 11. The other main culprits, Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade with nine apiece, have since been dispatched.

Bowe is off to a strong start in camp, sparking hope for the Chiefs that he’s about to distance himself from his very inconsistent past. Chambers has generally shown good hands, though he dropped a pass inside the 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter of a narrow late-season loss to Buffalo.

“We’re putting it on ourselves to be a good catching team,” Chambers said. “We do have guys with tremendous hands, believe it or not. It’s just a mind-set. If you do miss a pass, come back and make the next catch. You’re not going to be perfect every time.”

Veteran Jerheme Urban and rookies Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki are the new receivers. The Chiefs are expecting reliable hands from all of them.

“I’ve been places where they’ve had a lot of drops one year and with the same guys the next year, they’re not dropping many passes,” said Urban, who caught 74 passes during the last three seasons for Arizona. “Catching the ball sometimes is like a hitter in baseball who’s in the zone. Sometimes that’s how it is as a receiver. Sometimes the ball looks like a beach ball coming to you, and sometimes it looks tiny.

“Sometimes it does become a little mental. I don’t know if there’s a receiver out there who’s ever been perfect. We’re all trying to strive to be more consistent.”

Urban missed out on a big play during a recent practice when, after finding a seam in coverage, he dropped the pass. He started heading up the field before securing the ball.

“I’ve got to finish that play,” Urban said. “I smelled end zone, and I got excited. One of the realities of receiver is that you can’t score a touchdown if you don’t have the ball. I’ve got to look it in. That’s basic fundamental football, and I was trying to compete so hard I forgot the fundamentals.”

Haley doesn’t have a deep well of patience for much, so last year’s drops really tested him. He ran through wide receivers, trying Wade, Bradley, Bobby Engram, Sean Ryan and even the untested Lance Long in an effort to find some reliable receivers.

Only Long remains with the Chiefs, and he needs a strong preseason to hold his roster spot.

“A big part of catching the football is mental and has to do with confidence and some of those things,” Haley said. “What you need to be doing is catching a lot of balls before practice, after practice, during practice. You obviously have to emphasize technique in how you want players to catch the ball.”

The Chiefs have been working in extreme heat for most of camp since beginning last week. Haley said the conditions are ideal for receivers to work on catching the ball.

“This is when I love coaching receivers because you do have them tired, and with receivers it’s not all about hands,” he said. “They’re running more than anybody on the field, so they’re more tired than anybody on the field, especially when the conditions are as they are.

“I really like at the end of practice at training camp to then work on some of the routes, where you really do have to stop, start and still concentrate on catching the ball.

“The important thing is all the guys want to be good, and they’re willing to do what is necessary, and for that reason I think they’ll be all right.”

08-04-2010, 11:32 PM	Topic Starter
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $782813	Teicher: Chiefs receivers hope for fewer drops in 2010 Chiefs receivers hope for fewer drops in 2010 By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star ST. JOSEPH \| The Chiefs can only hope it’s not an omen that the first pass during team drills at training camp was dropped by Chris Chambers. They’re still stinging from last year’s NFL-high 48 drops. The Chiefs are trying to work through the issue, but passes are still occasionally bouncing off hands. It’s a source of frustration to coach Todd Haley for more than the obvious reasons. He’s also a former position coach who prides himself on getting the most from wide receivers. “I don’t think you’re going to have success if you’re dropping a lot of balls,” Haley said. “That is something our coaches and players are very cognizant of, and I think you’ll see them continue to work on that.” Dwayne Bowe led the league last year in dropped passes with 11. The other main culprits, Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade with nine apiece, have since been dispatched. Bowe is off to a strong start in camp, sparking hope for the Chiefs that he’s about to distance himself from his very inconsistent past. Chambers has generally shown good hands, though he dropped a pass inside the 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter of a narrow late-season loss to Buffalo. “We’re putting it on ourselves to be a good catching team,” Chambers said. “We do have guys with tremendous hands, believe it or not. It’s just a mind-set. If you do miss a pass, come back and make the next catch. You’re not going to be perfect every time.” Veteran Jerheme Urban and rookies Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki are the new receivers. The Chiefs are expecting reliable hands from all of them. “I’ve been places where they’ve had a lot of drops one year and with the same guys the next year, they’re not dropping many passes,” said Urban, who caught 74 passes during the last three seasons for Arizona. “Catching the ball sometimes is like a hitter in baseball who’s in the zone. Sometimes that’s how it is as a receiver. Sometimes the ball looks like a beach ball coming to you, and sometimes it looks tiny. “Sometimes it does become a little mental. I don’t know if there’s a receiver out there who’s ever been perfect. We’re all trying to strive to be more consistent.” Urban missed out on a big play during a recent practice when, after finding a seam in coverage, he dropped the pass. He started heading up the field before securing the ball. “I’ve got to finish that play,” Urban said. “I smelled end zone, and I got excited. One of the realities of receiver is that you can’t score a touchdown if you don’t have the ball. I’ve got to look it in. That’s basic fundamental football, and I was trying to compete so hard I forgot the fundamentals.” Haley doesn’t have a deep well of patience for much, so last year’s drops really tested him. He ran through wide receivers, trying Wade, Bradley, Bobby Engram, Sean Ryan and even the untested Lance Long in an effort to find some reliable receivers. Only Long remains with the Chiefs, and he needs a strong preseason to hold his roster spot. “A big part of catching the football is mental and has to do with confidence and some of those things,” Haley said. “What you need to be doing is catching a lot of balls before practice, after practice, during practice. You obviously have to emphasize technique in how you want players to catch the ball.” The Chiefs have been working in extreme heat for most of camp since beginning last week. Haley said the conditions are ideal for receivers to work on catching the ball. “This is when I love coaching receivers because you do have them tired, and with receivers it’s not all about hands,” he said. “They’re running more than anybody on the field, so they’re more tired than anybody on the field, especially when the conditions are as they are. “I really like at the end of practice at training camp to then work on some of the routes, where you really do have to stop, start and still concentrate on catching the ball. “The important thing is all the guys want to be good, and they’re willing to do what is necessary, and for that reason I think they’ll be all right.”
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