Peter King on his camp visit to KC
 

Wednesday: Chiefs (Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, Mo.)

Peter King's team report: Chiefs
Source: SI

SI.com's Peter King visits the Chiefs training camp and says that with a stacked wide receiver group, a healthy Jamaal Charles and a recharged Matt Cassel, Kansas City may be a sleeper contender in the AFC West.

Three football nuggets: Dexter McCluster might be listed as a running back on the roster, but he's not anymore. The Chiefs plan to use him as a slot receiver consistently, with Jonathan Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe on the outside ...

Speaking of Bowe, who just signed his one-year franchise tender and reported Friday, you might look at the calendar and say, "It's Aug. 20, three weeks before the opener. Plenty of time for him to get in the playbook and get ready for opening day.'' Not so fast. The new Brian Daboll offense he hasn't spent five minutes learning yet has far more motions and shifts than the offense Bowe played in last year under coach Todd Haley. To think he'll learn the scheme well in three weeks is not realistic. Not saying he won't be active in Week 1, but he certainly won't know everything he needs to know to flourish in the offense. ...

The Jamaal Charles-Peyton Hillis backfield, if Hillis has his head on straight (which he has so far) and Charles' surgically repaired knee holds up, could be the NFL's best. It's the classic Mr. Inside (Hillis, a sledgehammer, at 250 pounds) and Mr. Outside (the shifty Charles weighs 199).

This team seems happy with the coaching change.

Let's make one thing clear: The Chiefs weren't 7-9 last year because they didn't like their coach. They were 7-9 because they were a M*A*S*H unit by midseason, because Matt Cassel was just OK when he did play, and because Tyler Palko threw a third of the team's 2011 passes. In many way, they're fortunate to have won seven games.

But there's little doubt these players are breathing easier with a coach they like and respect more than Todd Haley. "It had to happen,'' one player said of Haley leaving and Romeo Crennel replacing him. "Players were afraid of speaking up. The environment just wasn't healthy. I think it really wore on Matt.''

Cassel, who missed the final seven games after breaking his hand against Denver, has chosen not to say much about Haley. The ex-coach's father, former Steeler personnel man Dick Haley, told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that Cassel was "real average'' and "it didn't surprise me what happened in Kansas City.''

Todd Haley and Cassel argued on the sidelines at least twice in view of network cameras, and their relationship always seemed on edge. When I spoke with Cassel, it was as much what he didn't say about Haley as what he said about how he's being coached now by new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

"I like how he lets me play the quarterback position,'' Cassel said. "I'm not afraid to give my opinion, or to change the play. Some other times, I've been afraid to do that. But [Daboll] says, 'You're the quarterback. If you see something different out there, you've got to act on it.' ''

Cassel spent time working out with throwing-mechanics maestro Tom House, the former major league reliever, in the offseason. For two weeks, he joined Carson Palmer, Alex Smith and Tom Brady at USC, learning the way his body should move to maximize his throwing strength and minimize any discomfort he has throwing. "Just as a golfer has swing thoughts, now I have throwing thoughts,'' Cassel said. "It's nothing really major, but it makes you feel good when you know you've gotten an expert to break down everything about your motion.'' So far, so good. Cassel's completed 75 percent of his throws in the first two Chiefs preseason games.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz245peDaCl

Another tidbit in his column:

Stat of the Week

Ask Peter King
Source: SI

SI.com's Peter King takes some time off from his 2012 NFL tour to answer some of his followers Twitter questions.

If you watched the Chiefs much last year -- and in the NBC viewing room, we got to see a lot of every team -- you noticed a sloppy team. When I visited the Chiefs last week, I noticed new head coach Romeo Crennel and his staff spending time monitoring the little things -- defensive linemen stepping over bags in side-to-side drills properly, precision of snap counts, quickness in and out of the huddle, etc. Turns out the Chiefs were the league-leaders overall in dead-ball fouls. The Chiefs had:

• Twenty-seven false starts, tied for most in the NFL.

• Four encroachment penalties, tied for most in the NFL.

• Three 12-men-on-the-field penalties, second-most in the NFL.

• Three illegal shifts, two illegal motions and two illegal substitution penalties, all tied for most in the NFL.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz245vt2Zo4

Yup Superbowl or bust! :D

Music to everyone's ears here, I'm sure... ;)

Cassel does seem to have more zip on his passes.


Still has kind of a funky release IMO.

King has been a Chiefs supporter since the day Pioli took over.


Hell, the first year of Cassel, Pioli, and Haley he picked us to go 10-6 and win the division. LMAO

Ya it is amazing to see the King transformation, he hated Carl with a passion.

king knows suck-up .....

And the second Cassel played above average, King wrote an article praising Cassel as a top 5 MVP candidate.

Regarding most of your posts -

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Poor poor Matt.... so much adversity on the poor child. It's a wonder he manages to pull up his Superman underoos every morning...

That poor 50 million dollar man.......not a crap was given.

"If you watched the Chiefs much last year -- and in the NBC viewing room, we got to see a lot of every team -- you noticed a sloppy team"

Like the team that got clobbered by the Rams friday night? Heh.

All they needed was a coaching change. Sure. And Amon Gordon is a future star.

i can understand how anyone saying something positive about the Chiefs would piss you off.

"They should've never gave you Nggas money!"

-Dave Chappelle

So...Breaston's a WR4 now?

Wondering the same thing. Breaston played pretty damn decent last year.

I think Breaston is the 3rd option at outside WR and the 2nd option at slot WR.

And McCluster is having a pretty fine pre-season this year.

Odd that he and Matt have been the two best, most consistent players on the team for the first two pre-season games yet have been the most vilified on Chiefs Planet over the past two years. Perhaps it's time that many will be pulling out their forks and polishing their knives:

http://confessionalouthouse.files.wo...ting20crow.jpg

Honestly, I'd like to see Dexter have it kick in and he takes that third receiver/slot receiver spot. He's shifty and gets into gear quickly. Breaston does have great hands though and is tough as nails over the middle. It's not a bad situation having those two slug it out for the 3/4 receiver spots.

LT: Albert LG: Lilja C: Hudson RG: Asamoah RT: Winston
WR1: Bowe QB: Cassel TE: Moeaki WR2: Baldwin

FB: Hillis SR: McCluster
RB: Charles

TE2: Boss
WR3: Breaston

That's a lot of talent, contingent upon Cassel and he's looked good so far this year. Looks like it's finally clicking for him now that he's finished being Haley's whipping boy.

I hope Cassel makes a bunch of us eat our words. If he would just play 190% over his head, and play like he did in the 2010 Seattle game, we would all be very happy.

i don't see how Breaston can be anything but the #2 option.

WR's that have actually done it in a real game

1. Bowe
2. Breaston
3. everyone else until they prove something

Hopefully Baldwin,DMC and all the rest turn into something but you don't just take Breaston off the field until someone earns the spot. JMO

He's doing jack shit.

Just because he's catching short dumpoff passes doesn't mean he's making plays, moron.

The dude is absolutely ****ing useless past 10 yards. Why the **** would you want a guy like that on the field?