My camp observations--10 players that stood out...

[Shootr]

I was at River Falls for 7 practices spanning from last Friday evening to Tuesday morning. This was my third trip to River Falls, I enjoyed this one the most. I have just now gotten time to post my observations, so here they go...

10 Players that stood out to me:

1. Kris Wilson--the defense had a terrible time handling Wilson. Saturday he put on an absolute clinic in 7 on 7's and 11 on 11's. Finally, after torching the D for yet another 30 yd TD reception, Gunther screamed," That is F---ing B--Sh-t! " It was classic.

2. Kawika Mitchell is a different guy. He is flying all over the place. I do not know why people are not talking about him more. He looks much more confident, and really seems to be taking charge of the defense. He absolutely de-cleated Dee Brown ruuning down the sideline in 11 on 11's on Saturday afternoon.

3. Benny Sapp--Should be starting over McCleon. Looks confident. For a little guy, he likes to lay the wood. Had a couple of impressive hits, and a pick for a TD.

4. Patrick Surtain--Wow. Finally, a great CB in KC again.

5. John Booth--I had absolutely zero expectations for this guy. All he does is run great routes, gets open, and catches everything thrown his way. He was a major surprise to me, probably the biggest surprise of my visit. I know it is just practice, but he looks as good as any receiver on the roster, seriously. I hope he gets a shot in the pre-season games.

6. Dustin Colquitt--will be worth the 3rd round pick. Hits the occasional duck, but for the most part hits booming punts. He consistently had Dante and Samie Parker retreating. Dante had a hard time with several of his punts--one even hit Dante on the shoulder and bounced off of his head. Dante was visibly flustered.

7. Key Fox--Another guy who really looks good. Has great speed, and seems to always be around the ball. I feel bad for this guy knowing he probably won't start. You can tell this dude has put in work in the off-season.

8. Kris Griffin--In Idividual drills, this guy looks like a turd. He looks tentative and slow. During one drill, the LB coach (can't think of his name) yelled, "Hit him Griff, c'mon hit him!" then followed with, "see, I told you it wouldn't hurt." He looks like a puss. Then you get him in game situations like 11 on 11's and the guy morphs into a player. He looks confident, fast, and just flat out makes plays. He even spent some time with the first team and continued to make plays.

9. Kevin Sampson--Looks pretty solid and pretty huge. Mike Solari spent a lot of time with Sampson. He seems to be playing with a lot of confidence. Looks like he may be another one of those late round lineman picks that turns out to be a success story.

10. Sam Gado--getting a lot of reps with the second and third teams. Works his tail off. Really seems like the coaches players like him. Gets a lot of encouragement on slaps on the helmet. After scoring another TD, Vermiel yelled, "Sammy, I think you are going to be the camp leader in TDs!" He actually looks to be pretty fast and strong. He struggled a little catching the ball out of the backfield, but overall looks like he may be a legit PS squad/NFLE canidate, with potential don the road. He is probably getting the most reps out of all the fringe guys( Smith, Brown, Cruz)

Other honorable mentions go to Alphonso Hodge and Crow Thorpe. I think both of these guys can be contibutors this year, esp. Thorpe.

I didn't include in this list the people that always stand out--Roaf, Waters, Green, Gonzalez, T-Rich, Priest, LJ, etc. We know what we have with these guys and they continue to look great. Priest and LJ both look fantastic. I also only got to see Derrick Johnson's first practice, so I couldn't include him.

[Mr. Laz]

thanks for the input

[tk13]

Good post. I really think Kawika started to figure things out at the end of last year, I hope he keeps it up. I'm also really excited to see Colquitt in action... seems like every single person who has actually watched him has been amazed at how hard his punts are to field... I'm almost kind of hoping we don't use him too much in preseason so teams can't get a good look at his punts, but he's a rookie so you have to get him some game experience.

[beer bacon]

I am liking all this positive news on Mitchell, Griffin and Fox. We may actually a talented and deep LB core this year.

[alanm]

What'd I tell you guys about Sapp. He's going to end up being the guy starting opposite Surtain and he's going to make it damn hard for Warfield to get his job back. If at all. Sapp's a player!! :thumb:

[philfree]

:clap: Thanks for sharing your observations :clap: It's threads like this that make the Planet such a great place to hang out. :thumb: You Duh Man!

PhilFree:arrow:

[the Talking Can]

thanks for the report!

glad to hear bout Wilson...he and Parker will have to do with our offense not getting "stale" this year...and Sampson too, maybe we can ru to the right side this year

[Bowser]

Those are the things I've been wanting to hear.

[Pitt Gorilla]

No, Mitchell is supposed to be cut; I read it on the Planet over, and over, and over...

[morphius]

Nice work! I love it when our posters give us something other then what we hear on the radio or read in the paper.

I keep hoping that Sapp can step it up and start, we will just have to see though.

[Scorp]

What????? No mention of Scanlon? ROFL

[the Talking Can]

What????? No mention of Scanlon? ROFL

Afternoo Practice Report:

Rich Scanlon missed practice after locking himself in a Port-a-Potty. Said Scanlon of the incident, "Siavii left a turd in there scarier than trying to arm tackle a back-up RB in the NFLE."

[kc rush]

I am liking all this positive news on Mitchell, Griffin and Fox. We may actually a talented and deep LB core this year.

Its amazing what a year and a couple of good players will do for you. Last year the LBs were a weakness on the team, now it could be a huge strength. If these young guys can produce, last year's starters Fujita and Barber might become expendible.

Can't wait to see them in game action.

[Bowser]

Its amazing what a year and a couple of good players will do for you. Last year the LBs were a weakness on the team, now it could be a huge strength. If these young guys can produce, last year's starters Fujita and Barber might become expendible.

Can't wait to see them in game action.

Yeah, Fujita probablly isn't in the greatest of moods these days with all of this news about Griffin, Fox and DJ coming out......

[kcjayhawks5]

how did kendrell Bell look??

[Coogs]

shootr,

[sarcasm on] why should we believe you? Nobody believes our media bunch that watches practice daily.[/sarcasm off] ;)

Seriously, thanks for the info. I have high hopes for Booth too!

[Shootr]

how did kendrell Bell look??
Bell looks good. I should have included him in my list. He looks big and fast. You can tell he is still adjusting to a new scheme. Once he is comfortable, it is obvious he will be a force--if he stays healthy.

[beer bacon]

Bell looks good. I should have included him in my list. He looks big and fast. You can tell he is still adjusting to a new scheme. Once he is comfortable, it is obvious he will be a force--if he stays healthy.

Do you have any idea how much they are actually blitzing him in practice? I haven't really heard anything about LBs blitzing from articles or the practice summaries on the UWRF website.

[Shootr]

Seriously, thanks for the info. I have high hopes for Booth too!

Like I said, I had no expectations for Booth, but the little bastard kept making play after play. He mad everybod look bad in the one on one drills. I don't know how he could make this team, but I sure do like him, now.

[Shootr]

Do you have any idea how much they are actually blitzing him in practice? I haven't really heard anything about LBs blitzing from articles or the practice summaries on the UWRF website.
I did see him on several blitzes and he looked tough. I would say they are bringing the LB's and safeties on blitzes maybe 25-30% of the time. The defensive line's penetration has improved quite a bit, but it is hard to say how much of that is a result of the absence of Shields. Roaf, Waters, and Wiegman also are getting a lot of plays off, so it is hard to say, but it sure seems like the D-Line is in the backfield a lot more.

[beer bacon]

I did see him on several blitzes and he looked tough. I would say they are bringing the LB's and safeties on blitzes maybe 25-30% of the time. The defensive line's penetration has improved quite a bit, but it is hard to say how much of that is a result of the absence of Shields. Roaf, Waters, and Wiegman also are getting a lot of plays off, so it is hard to say, but it sure seems like the D-Line is in the backfield a lot more.

Awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. Bell blitzing from behind Allen should be fearsome.

[Shootr]

There were also some guys that did not look so good:

Gary Stills--looks stiff and slow as an LB. I am sure he will make the team becasue of his Special teams prowess, but they are in trouble if he has to play LB in a game.

Ashley Ambrose--doesn't really look very good, he was John Booth's bitch whenever they were matched up in drills. I thought Dwayne Washington looked much better than Ambrose.

James Killian--Everything I have read about him has been positive, but what I saw was a little different. He looks decent in drills, but get him in 11 on 11's and he looks tentative and lost. He does have a strong arm and moves pretty well, I don't know how he beats out Huard right now.

Maz--I am sad to say, but Maz is done. I love the guy, but he doesn't have a prayer. He doesn't practice but he works out before practice. It is obvious he still doesn't believe in his knee.

Richard Smith--I had high hopes for him, but it doesn't look like he has a chance. He was hurt for part of time I was there--I saw the play where he got hurt. Man, he got crunched by two guys.

[FloridaChief]

That was a fun and informative read. Thanks, shootr!...

[Zebedee DuBois]

Shootr - thanks for this update. It is great to read material from a regular fan.

Maz has got to be done. I love the man's fire and I think he is football smart, but his body can't get to where his brain tells him. He might make a good coach.

[DanT]

Great posts, Shootr. Thanks!

[go bo]

Good post. I really think Kawika started to figure things out at the end of last year, I hope he keeps it up. I'm also really excited to see Colquitt in action... seems like every single person who has actually watched him has been amazed at how hard his punts are to field... I'm almost kind of hoping we don't use him too much in preseason so teams can't get a good look at his punts, but he's a rookie so you have to get him some game experience.looking at a punt from a left foot is easy, it's the catching it part that is hard...

with speedy gunners this year, we may pick up some turnovers deep in enemy territory...

the guy could almost be an offensive weapon... /homervision off

[Red Dawg]

It was the report of the year m'on. Great job.

[milkman]

I did see him on several blitzes and he looked tough. I would say they are bringing the LB's and safeties on blitzes maybe 25-30% of the time. The defensive line's penetration has improved quite a bit, but it is hard to say how much of that is a result of the absence of Shields. Roaf, Waters, and Wiegman also are getting a lot of plays off, so it is hard to say, but it sure seems like the D-Line is in the backfield a lot more.

Whether it's against the first or second team O-Line, this is nice to hear.

Does this imply that Sims and Siavii are doing well in camp?
Does it also imply we might see the same Dalton this season as last?

Thanks for the report Shootr.
This sure as hell is a lot better than the UWRF reports from people who seemingly have never watched football before.

[milkman]

There were also some guys that did not look so good:

Gary Stills--looks stiff and slow as an LB. I am sure he will make the team becasue of his Special teams prowess, but they are in trouble if he has to play LB in a game.

Ashley Ambrose--doesn't really look very good, he was John Booth's bitch whenever they were matched up in drills. I thought Dwayne Washington looked much better than Ambrose.

James Killian--Everything I have read about him has been positive, but what I saw was a little different. He looks decent in drills, but get him in 11 on 11's and he looks tentative and lost. He does have a strong arm and moves pretty well, I don't know how he beats out Huard right now.

Maz--I am sad to say, but Maz is done. I love the guy, but he doesn't have a prayer. He doesn't practice but he works out before practice. It is obvious he still doesn't believe in his knee.

Richard Smith--I had high hopes for him, but it doesn't look like he has a chance. He was hurt for part of time I was there--I saw the play where he got hurt. Man, he got crunched by two guys.

Is the appearence that he's tentative the result of lac of familiarity with the offense, in your opinion?

He may be PS material, but if he has talent, he might win a spot over Huard as a developmental QB.
It would depend on whether other teams would be interested in him, and whether the Chiefs feel he has the potential to protect him on the roster.

[Shootr]

Does this imply that Sims and Siavii are doing well in camp?
Does it also imply we might see the same Dalton this season as last?


Sims and Allen stood out the most from what I watched. To be honest, I didn't spend a lot of time watching the D-Line. I always seemed to end watching the LB's and DB's. From the 11 on 11's though, that is what I took away about the D-line

[Shootr]

Is the appearence that he's tentative the result of lac of familiarity with the offense, in your opinion?

He may be PS material, but if he has talent, he might win a spot over Huard as a developmental QB.
It would depend on whether other teams would be interested in him, and whether the Chiefs feel he has the potential to protect him on the roster.
It probably is due to his lack of familiarity with the offense. Like I said, in the drills he shows good arm strength and pretty good accuracy. When knowledge of the offense comes into play, he struggles.

I would think they would try to get him through to the PS. In a year like this where the Super Bowl is the goal, I would keep a vet as the 3rd QB in case (God forbid) Green and Collins both went down. then again ,if both those guys go down, we're hosed anyway.

[milkman]

It probably is due to his lack of familiarity with the offense. Like I said, in the drills he shows good arm strength and pretty good accuracy. When knowledge of the offense comes into play, he struggles.

I would think they would try to get him through to the PS. In a year like this where the Super Bowl is the goal, I would keep a vet as the 3rd QB in case (God forbid) Green and Collins both went down. then again ,if both those guys go down, we're hosed anyway.

Hell, we're probably hosed if Trent goes down.

[Coach]

Hell, we're probably hosed if Trent goes down.

Eh, that depends. If it's just one or two games, I think we can get by. If it's longer, then I agree.

[Rain Man]

Great thread. Thanks.

I'm intrigued by Booth. We need WRs in the worst way, so it'd be great to have one materialize out of nowhere.

[Skip Towne]

In reference to #5, how do you know a receiver is running great routes? How do you know what the receiver is supposed to be doing?

[Hammock Parties]

Our special teams are going to be completely different this year. Too much good depth not to be.

[milkman]

Eh, that depends. If it's just one or two games, I think we can get by. If it's longer, then I agree.

I was going to agree with you, but then I got to thinking, in a tough AFC, one or two games could really make a huge difference in playoff hopes and positioning.

[Mr. Laz]

Great thread. Thanks.

I'm intrigued by Booth. We need WRs in the worst way, so it'd be great to have one materialize out of nowhere.
booth improved alot in NFLE


started looking like a pro wideout by the end of the season



reminds me a little of boerigter ... not as big, but has the same body lean and running style.

Booth is faster than he seems



hope he can produce for us

[Shootr]

In reference to #5, how do you know a receiver is running great routes? How do you know what the receiver is supposed to be doing?
You know, good point. I guess you really don't know what the receiver is supposed to be doing, and I am by no means a receiving expert. I suppose I just noticed things like the QB throwing the ball before a cut was made and the ball being right there after he made that cut. You also here the feedback yelled from the coaches like "Good route,John". Also the fact that he does not have blazing speed, but consistently gets open leads me to think he runs good routes.

[Mr. Laz]

In reference to #5, how do you know a receiver is running great routes? How do you know what the receiver is supposed to be doing?

you can't really tell the exact route... cause you don't know the exact play.

but you can tell if they are making quick,clean cuts and if they get separation naturally by misleading the defender with their route running.

[Thig Lyfe]

Koolz. Dat report is qualitah.

[carlos3652]

I hope booth makes the team, John is a great person and a great friend, good instincts and a fast learner...

I hope he makes the team, I dont see it happening, but I just wish he has a chance ir preseason to shine...

[alanm]

Shootr - thanks for this update. It is great to read material from a regular fan.

Maz has got to be done. I love the man's fire and I think he is football smart, but his body can't get to where his brain tells him. He might make a good coach.
I think Maz would be a excellent coach. I would hope that Vermeil and Pagac could find a little spot on the staff for him. :thumb:

[Coogs]

How is Bartee looking? They said back in OTA's that he was doing so well at saftey that they would leave him there. And early in camp I heard good things. Haven't heard anything in a while. Is he still looking good?

[StcChief]

Boomer Grigsby?

[Imon Yourside]

Is booth's middle name Wilkes?

[Line Judge]

What's going on with Chris Griffin? I have been reading everything on the web about the Chiefs training camp and yesterday was the first time I saw his name mentioned. They said he has some practice with the first team. And now this report mentions him also. Is he going to make the team and who would he displace? Does anybody else know about him?
Thanks for the info.

[teedubya]

any thoughts on Bommer Grigsby?

[Shootr]

any thoughts on Bommer Grigsby?
Boomer showed some good speed, chasing down running backs a couple of times, and you can tell he likes the contact. Him and T-Rich cracked helmets in individual drills a couple of times that resulted in some ooh's and aaah's. He is noticeably shorter than the other LB's. The guy is a specimen though, he is freakin' ripped. He likes to tuck his jersey up under his pads, and shows off his Herculean abs. (see the pic) Needless to say, my wife has a new Chief that she likes. :rolleyes:

Boomer is not getting lots of reps, because Kawika is out there so much, then Super Scanlon appears next on the depth chart. He is getting a lot of Special Team work. I think he could be a demon on ST's this year, but that's probably about it. With the way that Kawika is playing, I don't think we will see much of Boomer or Scanlon this year.

[Mr. Laz]

Boomer is not getting lots of reps,.

:(

[Shootr]

Boomer pic

[Manila-Chief]

Whether it's against the first or second team O-Line, this is nice to hear.

Does this imply that Sims and Siavii are doing well in camp?
Does it also imply we might see the same Dalton this season as last?

Thanks for the report Shootr.
This sure as hell is a lot better than the UWRF reports from people who seemingly have never watched football before.

Thanks Shootr!!! Great report. That's really helpful.

SideWinder, I fully agree about UWRE camp reports. They are just about useless this year. There were some years where they gave better info than the Star reporters.

Come to think of it ... can we petition for the Star to hire Shootr and have him replace the woman? We would get more real football news. He gave more in this one report than she has given in all her articles put together.

[the Talking Can]

I fully agree about UWRE camp reports. They are just about useless this year. There were some years where they gave better info than the Star reporters.
.

yeah, I used to check them religiously...now I don't even bother, too bad

[KChiefsQT]

Boomer pic
HEY HEY!!!

[Demonpenz]

boomer grisby reminds me alittle of zach thomas? Anyone else already point that out? Man when lineman get to the second level he really could get under those pads and control the line with his size. Stay low and use those hips that guy is a little tank

[Halfcan]

Great report!! Dang where are the reports lik,e that on the news. I have been jonesing for Chiefs news-glad I found this forum. I htought Booth looked good last year. Might be P/S and then who knows from there. Gl,ad to hear about Wilson-last year, Saunders was making plays for him and he got hurt. Sapp is a big hitter, but how was the coverage skills-he seemed lost last year? Is Greg Wesley back to form-and how about Knight?

Yeah I don't see Maz coming back or Barber-how can we aford to keep them? Thanks for all, the answers-Great Job!! Halfcan

[Line Judge]

Nothing to add. Just thought this post was too good to sink to page 4

[Ultra Peanut]

Wilson Wagon 2005: ALLLLL ABOARD!

<img src="http://www.draftace.com/players/kris_wilson.JPG" style="width: 84px; height: 120px; border: 0" alt="" />

reminds me a little of boerigterOr Joe Jurevicious. Or Wayne Chrebet.

[Logical]

Shootr, appreciate the report. :thumb:

[HemiEd]

Wilson Wagon 2005: ALLLLL ABOARD!

<img src="http://www.draftace.com/players/kris_wilson.JPG" style="width: 84px; height: 120px; border: 0" alt="" />

Or Joe Jurevicious. Or Wayne Chrebet.


I have been on since about 48 hours after they drafted him.

Nice report Shootr, thanks.