Chiefs Teicher: Chiefs pick up veteran receiver Lelie

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-17-2009, 11:51 PM

Chiefs pick up veteran receiver Lelie
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

RIVER FALLS, Wis. | More seismic events altered the ever-changing landscape for the Chiefs at wide receiver. They lost one starter, at least temporarily, to injury and imported a veteran to compete for playing time.

Finally, Dwayne Bowe may be back in coach Todd Haley’s good graces. Bowe took snaps with the starters during the last of Monday’s two practice sessions.

Continuing their search for the right receiving combination, the Chiefs signed veteran receiver Ashley Lelie, and he arrived in time to participate in both of the day’s practice sessions.

The timing of that move worked out well when starting wide receiver Devard Darling left the afternoon practice because of an injury. He later returned to condition with his injured teammates with a wrap on his right shoulder.

It was unclear when Darling could return to work. But Lelie, 29 and a first-round draft pick with Denver in 2002, took snaps and said he thought he would be ready to play in the next preseason game Friday night against the Vikings in Minneapolis.

“I don’t think (it’s too late),” Lelie said. “With the coaches bringing me in, they don’t think so, either. I’ve been running whenever I can, running routes, trying to do anything competitive, go play basketball, whatever I can do to keep that competitive edge. It’s kind of hard to motivate yourself to keep running when you’re waiting for that call.

“I’m so fresh. I haven’t really had major injuries. My body hasn’t been banged up. I still feel like I’m 23 out there.”

Lelie is the second veteran receiver signed by the Chiefs since the start of camp, the other being Amani Toomer.

Lelie as recently as 2005 caught 42 passes and averaged more than 18 yards per reception.

That speaks to the speed Lelie once had — and indeed may still possess. But his career has tailed off since as Lelie drifted from the Broncos to the Falcons, 49ers and Raiders. He caught 11 passes for Oakland last season.

The fact he was still looking for work in mid-August should limit the Chiefs’ expectations for Lelie. But they felt they had little to lose with the acquisition.

“He’s a little different from anything we have,” Haley said of Lelie. “He’s a long, lean guy with some speed, potential top-end speed. I thought the chance to get somebody in here that’s a little different from what we had is important to me.”

The Chiefs declined a chance to even take a look at Lelie earlier in camp. Then they worked out three different receivers and signed Toomer, who has had little impact and did not have a catch Saturday night in the 16-10 loss to Houston in the preseason opener.

“He’s a guy that’s been on our radar,” Haley said of Lelie.

The Chiefs released Jeff Webb, a draft pick of former coach Herm Edwards, to clear roster room for Lelie.

Meanwhile, Bowe had an interesting day. He was with the reserves during the morning practice. Haley indicated afterward that Bowe’s situation was “still a work in progress,” though Bowe led the Chiefs with five receptions against the Texans.

“I was encouraged with what Dwayne did in the game,” Haley said. “I thought there were some highlights and there were a couple of things that probably weren’t noticed that need to be better, specifically in the run game. Like I said, we’re going to get it right, but I thought it was a positive first step for him, as it was the (previous) couple of days of practice.

“(Monday) I thought he had good energy and he looked like he knew what he was doing.”

But after Darling left the practice field, Bowe took some snaps with the starting offense, sharing the position with Mark Bradley and Terrance Copper.

Copper and Darling had been the starters. Copper’s only catch against Houston went for 12 yards and allowed the Chiefs to convert on their initial third-down play of the game. He later had a pass knocked away by a defender on third down.

Darling caught one pass against the Texans for 3 yards. The most memorable moment of camp for him came when Haley threw Darling off the practice field for lining up in the wrong spot in a particular formation.

Eight wide receivers caught a total of 16 passes against Houston.

“I thought there were some positives,” Haley said. “You saw some terrific blocks out there, specifically (Quinten Lawrence) you noticed two plays in a row. There were some we missed that probably would have sprung big, big runs, which we didn’t have in the game. We never broke a run other than the quarterback.

“Overall, I would say they were OK. They made some plays in some difficult conditions, which I thought was positive.”

Taco John · 08-18-2009, 01:57 AM

**CrazyPhuD** · 08-18-2009, 03:47 AM

Ahhhhh Webb we hardly knew you....

Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan · 08-18-2009, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyPhuD

Ahhhhh Webb we hardly knew you....

Ahhh, Webb, we'll hardly miss you

Reerun_KC · 08-18-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan

Ahhh, Webb, we'll hardly miss you

Ahhh, Webb, we will never miss you

Actually in 2 weeks not a single fan will ever remember him....

08-17-2009, 11:51 PM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $952813	Teicher: Chiefs pick up veteran receiver Lelie Chiefs pick up veteran receiver Lelie By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star RIVER FALLS, Wis. \| More seismic events altered the ever-changing landscape for the Chiefs at wide receiver. They lost one starter, at least temporarily, to injury and imported a veteran to compete for playing time. Finally, Dwayne Bowe may be back in coach Todd Haley’s good graces. Bowe took snaps with the starters during the last of Monday’s two practice sessions. Continuing their search for the right receiving combination, the Chiefs signed veteran receiver Ashley Lelie, and he arrived in time to participate in both of the day’s practice sessions. The timing of that move worked out well when starting wide receiver Devard Darling left the afternoon practice because of an injury. He later returned to condition with his injured teammates with a wrap on his right shoulder. It was unclear when Darling could return to work. But Lelie, 29 and a first-round draft pick with Denver in 2002, took snaps and said he thought he would be ready to play in the next preseason game Friday night against the Vikings in Minneapolis. “I don’t think (it’s too late),” Lelie said. “With the coaches bringing me in, they don’t think so, either. I’ve been running whenever I can, running routes, trying to do anything competitive, go play basketball, whatever I can do to keep that competitive edge. It’s kind of hard to motivate yourself to keep running when you’re waiting for that call. “I’m so fresh. I haven’t really had major injuries. My body hasn’t been banged up. I still feel like I’m 23 out there.” Lelie is the second veteran receiver signed by the Chiefs since the start of camp, the other being Amani Toomer. Lelie as recently as 2005 caught 42 passes and averaged more than 18 yards per reception. That speaks to the speed Lelie once had — and indeed may still possess. But his career has tailed off since as Lelie drifted from the Broncos to the Falcons, 49ers and Raiders. He caught 11 passes for Oakland last season. The fact he was still looking for work in mid-August should limit the Chiefs’ expectations for Lelie. But they felt they had little to lose with the acquisition. “He’s a little different from anything we have,” Haley said of Lelie. “He’s a long, lean guy with some speed, potential top-end speed. I thought the chance to get somebody in here that’s a little different from what we had is important to me.” The Chiefs declined a chance to even take a look at Lelie earlier in camp. Then they worked out three different receivers and signed Toomer, who has had little impact and did not have a catch Saturday night in the 16-10 loss to Houston in the preseason opener. “He’s a guy that’s been on our radar,” Haley said of Lelie. The Chiefs released Jeff Webb, a draft pick of former coach Herm Edwards, to clear roster room for Lelie. Meanwhile, Bowe had an interesting day. He was with the reserves during the morning practice. Haley indicated afterward that Bowe’s situation was “still a work in progress,” though Bowe led the Chiefs with five receptions against the Texans. “I was encouraged with what Dwayne did in the game,” Haley said. “I thought there were some highlights and there were a couple of things that probably weren’t noticed that need to be better, specifically in the run game. Like I said, we’re going to get it right, but I thought it was a positive first step for him, as it was the (previous) couple of days of practice. “(Monday) I thought he had good energy and he looked like he knew what he was doing.” But after Darling left the practice field, Bowe took some snaps with the starting offense, sharing the position with Mark Bradley and Terrance Copper. Copper and Darling had been the starters. Copper’s only catch against Houston went for 12 yards and allowed the Chiefs to convert on their initial third-down play of the game. He later had a pass knocked away by a defender on third down. Darling caught one pass against the Texans for 3 yards. The most memorable moment of camp for him came when Haley threw Darling off the practice field for lining up in the wrong spot in a particular formation. Eight wide receivers caught a total of 16 passes against Houston. “I thought there were some positives,” Haley said. “You saw some terrific blocks out there, specifically (Quinten Lawrence) you noticed two plays in a row. There were some we missed that probably would have sprung big, big runs, which we didn’t have in the game. We never broke a run other than the quarterback. “Overall, I would say they were OK. They made some plays in some difficult conditions, which I thought was positive.”
Posts: 42,032

08-18-2009, 01:57 AM	#2
Taco John Sapere Aude Join Date: Jun 2001 Casino cash: $3517937	__________________ Ehyeh asher ehyeh. Donger's Razor: "The most establishment-friendly explanation that gives leftist and neocon politicians the most amount of cover is the only possible explanation, even when gaping holes and leaps of logic are required to get there."
Posts: 77,976

08-18-2009, 03:47 AM	#3
CrazyPhuD Meow Join Date: Jun 2005 Casino cash: $10005050	Ahhhhh Webb we hardly knew you.... __________________ "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t*rd by the clean end"
Posts: 8,523