[BigRedChief]

updated version.

Monday, August 4 2008: Morning Practice
It was a warm and muggy start of the week at this morning’s practice. The partly cloudy sky was accompanied by a temperature of 78 degrees. A slight five mile per hour wind was blowing out of the northeast and the humidity was at 75 percent. One hundred and sixty-four fans were in attendance.

Defense
The defensive line went over who busted through which gaps based on the different defenses that Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie called out. They worked on this for several minutes, and later in practice, they touched on it again. While the line practiced this, the linebackers and defensive backs worked out covering the receiver. The specialty players represented the receivers. The cornerbacks worked on covering the receiver’s route while the safeties shifted in the backfield. All the while, the linebackers worked on shifts as well.

After the defensive line finished its first drill, it moved to sleds. After last night’s storm, the sleds were holding quite a bit of water. Defensive tackle Tank Tyler said, “That’s right. Beat the water outta that (thing).” After finishing working with the defensive backs, the linebackers moved to midfield and practiced running zigzag patterns. Linebackers Pat Thomas and Weston Dacus both slipped on the field, and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham said, “It’s hard to plant your foot, ain’t it?” Later, the linebackers worked on the sled, and Cunningham stopped the drill after Thomas passed through. Cunningham said, “I’ve got good eyes for an old goat.” He went on to explain what Thomas had done wrong. He had tucked his left arm under his body after making the hit. Cunningham said this would result in someone grabbing him, making him biff the play.

At 9:30 –about a half hour after practice began – linebacker Donnie Edwards came to the fields, wearing no pads. Edwards has sore hamstrings, and the coaching staff has decided to rest him a little.
The offense and defense met on practice field No. 1, and the defensive line worked on getting past the offensive line to block the field goal. On the opposite end of the field, the defensive backs and linebackers worked on the punt block.

When the team began 11-on-11, Head Coach Herm Edwards said it was too slippery on the north end, so everyone moved to the south end of practice field one to run the drill. Since defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey didn’t practice due to his injured knee, the first- string defensive line consisted of: Tamba Hali, defensive end; Brian Johnston, rookie defensive end; Tank Tyler, defensive tackle; and Ron Edwards, defensive tackle. Safety Bernard Pollard displayed some excellent coverage when he broke up quarterback Brodie Croyle’s pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez. Had the situation been game-speed, Hali would have recorded a sack on Croyle. Coach Edwards complimented rookie cornerback Brandon Carr after he showed some impressive coverage. “That’s the stuff. Good eyes, 3-9. Way to do your job,” he said. Rookie safety Khayyam Burns really showed up to play, having back-to-back “sacks” on both quarterbacks Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen.
The intensity of practice was pretty high for the defense. Their hitting seemed to be more hardcore than any other recent practice. Safety Bernard Pollard laid out rookie tight end Brad Cottam at midfield after Cottam missed a pass from quarterback Brodie Croyle. Later, safety DaJuan Morgan made a huge hit on wide receiver Bobby Sippio. The hit could be described as helmet-to-helmet contact. Sippio walked off the field looking a little shaken up.

Offense
Offensive tackle Branden Albert was a no-show for practice and running back Larry Johnson was out on the field, but did not practice.
Tight end Tony Gonzalez was on field two working on routes while the special teams practiced on field one. Head Coach Herm Edwards took a moment away from watching the special teams to yell at Gonzalez: “Pro Bowl players here early today, wow!”

Centers Wade Smith and Rob Smith worked on shotgun snaps with Assistant Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris while the special teams worked on kicking formations.

After warm-ups the wide receivers split off with the quarterbacks and ran specific routes uncovered. Wide receiver Bobby Sippio made a tough one-handed catch look easy on a pass from quarterback Damon Huard.
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe ran a slant route across the middle of the field but dropped the pass from quarterback Brodie Croyle, prompting Head Coach Herm Edwards’s razzing. “You were worried about that safety hittin ya in the face, weren’t ya?” Edwards yelled jokingly at Bowe.
The offensive line and tight ends worked on blocking at the other end of field one during the wide receiver/quarterback warm-ups. Offensive tackle Barry Richardson and tight end Tony Gonzalez aggressively blocked tackle Herb Taylor and tight end Michael Allen. Assistant Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris cheered the duo on shouting: “There it is, now we got a moving double team, nice job!”

Running backs Jackie Battle and Jamaal Charles split carries with the first-string offense during the 11-on-11 drill. Charles hit a miniscule hole with the first-string and Edwards took notice, yelling: “Way to run 25, that’s the way to find the crack.” Charles and rookie running back Dantrell Savage split carries with the second team. Savage had a nice run, hitting a hole and finding the end zone from nine yards out.
On the first-string’s second round, quarterback Brodie Croyle hit wide receiver Devard Darling on a hitch-and-go route down the sidelines for a 41-yard touchdown strike on the first play. Croyle went 6-12.
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen looks to be edging out quarterback Damon Huard for the backup spot. Thigpen had another nice practice completing 4-5 passes during the 11-on-11. Thigpen stayed after practice and threw balls to tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receiver Devard Darling and a few other wide receivers and tight ends.

Special Teams
Special teams got practice off to its start. Running backs Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage and kick return specialist B.J. Sams received simulated kicks from a Juggs machine. Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth worked on their approach. “Hey men don’t go through the motions,” said Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer during a short kickoff drill, “We’ve got a ball game in three days. Let’s go.”

A drill that emphasized getting through the block on the punt return followed the kickoff drill. Both sides of practice field one were used as players worked on “dipping and ripping” by their defenders. “Be violent. Get off the block,” instructed Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer. Practicing with the first squad on the left side were linebackers Derrick Johnson, Demorrio Williams and Pat Thomas. One the right side it was linebacker E.J. Kuale, running back Jackie Battle and safety DaJuan Morgan.

A cover drill was run at 9:05. Two players from the cover team worked from the 30-yard line heading north to the end zone as they tried to squeeze the returner with the ball to the middle of the field and stop their penetration. “Hey returners somebody make a play,” said Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer. Rookie running back Jamaal Charles stood up to the challenge and got through the two defenders trying to prevent him from going up field.

At 9:32—after splitting up to work on position drills—the offense and defense reconvened on practice field one to work on a special teams drill that focused on blocking the field goal attempt. On the north end of the field, kicker Nick Novak threw up a ball towards linemen who worked on getting “skinny and tall.” Their goal was to get their hands on the imitated kick. A big blue mat was placed on the 50-yard line for other special teams players. Long snapper Jean-Philippe Darche snapped the ball to kicker Connor Barth who then threw the ball at that mat. Players, trying to block the ball, dove onto the mat. At 9:37 an air horn blew and the drill was run in the opposite direction.

Herm Edwards Press Conference
Head Coach Herm Edwards held a press conference at the finish of practice. He said that defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey sprained his left knee during Saturday’s practice, and his condition can only be determined day-to-day. Edwards expected Dorsey will be back sooner than later, but he won’t play in the preseason game at Chicago this Thursday.
Offensive tackle Damion McIntosh sat out practice due to a swollen knee. Edwards said that they wanted McIntosh to take it easy. Fellow offensive tackle Anthony Alabi went down during the later end of practice. Edwards said Alabi got kicked in the shin; he’d be fine.
Rookie offensive tackle Branden Albert’s condition is getting better. Edwards said Albert is getting treatment everyday. Having never been hurt before, Albert’s mental focus is most important to Edwards and the team at this point. Edwards says that Dorsey and Albert are so knowledgeable about the game that the fear of falling out of camp mentally is not a huge factor.

Edwards repeatedly told the media that the injuries sustained by his team thus far are presenting excellent opportunity for younger guys to see some field time. “I never think ‘why me?’ when someone gets injured. There’s always someone who’s got it worse out there. You gotta look at the good in it,” Edwards said.
The decision about the amount of time each quarterback will see at Chicago will be determined tonight, Edwards said. He also said that he thinks he will focus on the number of plays each quarterback gets rather than the amount of time.

When asked if quarterback Tyler Thigpen would be seeing any time as a wide receiver, Edwards laughed and said that Thigpen wasn’t fast. “He’s no faster than me.” Edwards did say, however, that Thigpen is athletic and has a strong arm. Thigpen was being looked at by other teams to be drafted as a receiver, but Edwards says the Chiefs only plan to use him as a quarterback. “The more he plays, the better he gets,” Edwards said. He also feels that Thigpen is very good at throwing the ball on the run as well as simply moving around inside the pocket.

Rookie tight end Brad Cottam was the last thing Edwards touched on before breaking the conference. Edwards says that Cottam is tough and coachable. The staff purposely roomed Cottam with veteran, future Hall of Famer tight end Tony Gonzalez together. “He’s got the best mentor in the league,” Edwards said of Gonzalez’s influence on Cottam.

Extra Extra...
Offensive guard Brian Waters spoke with the media about the state of the offensive line after practice. “This year we’re being smart by preparing guys to play different positions,” Waters said. “We got a lot to prove up front.” Waters also noted that he was a “glass half full” kind of guy, but realistically understands that being having success isn’t something that is just given away. “Nothing good comes easy,” Waters said, “Anything worth having is worth working for.”

During a run of 11-on-11 offensive tackle Anthony Alabi was kicked in his right shine. He limped to the sideline of the field where he received assistance from trainers who wrapped his shine with ice. Alabi stayed on the field and watched the rest of practice.
President Carl Peterson and Vice President Denny Thum were on the sidelines during today’s practice.

Kicker Nick Novak was seen doing lunges and stretching his legs during practice. He also ran the length of the football field.
Safety Bernard Pollard took a brief moment to speak to media. Pollard has slimmed down this season, he said, “I thought it was going to be easy. It was hard-emotionally and physically. I rededicated myself. I was the same weight but more bulkier.”

Wisconsin State Sen. Shiela Harsdorf; Regional Coordinator for U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, Matt Nikolay; Staff Assistant to U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, Mark Aumann, Chancellor Connie Foster; Provost Terry Brown; and Vice Chancellor Mary Halada were on the field for today’s practice. After practice, they met Head Coach Herm Edwards and got their picture taken with him. Afterwards, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, met people in the University Center including River Falls Mayor Don Richards, Public Affairs Director Mark Kinders, Camp Coordinator Larry Testa, Associate Director of Public Relations with the Kansas City Chiefs Pete Moris; and Vice President Denny Thum. The Kansas City Chiefs Public Relations staff got a quick interview from Gov. Doyle who said, “It brings a lot of excitement to this part of the state. We love that they’re beating up on the Vikings. We’ve made our facilities first-class and it’s made for a great partnership. Gov. Doyle met with Chiefs administrative personnel. Gov. Doyle told players, “Have a good year. We’re counting on you to have a great season. You’re our favorite AFC team.”

Fans
Ron and Jill Tietz from Somerset, Wis., attended Chiefs practice. This is the fourth year in a row they have made the short trip to River Falls. Both Ron and Jill were Packer fans about five years ago but they have since become Chiefs fans. Jill thinks that they changed their favorite team because of the Chiefs camp. “I think we started liking the Chiefs because we get to watch them practice every summer,” said Jill. Their favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez.
This is the third year in a row Bob Hankton from Independence, Mo., has attended Chiefs practice. He said “I feel like it’s my responsibility to come up here and cheer my Chiefs on.” Hankton went on to talk about how he feels the Chiefs have the best fans in sports. Hankton said he is really excited about the rookies that the Chiefs have, especially defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

Brothers Jared and Rick Carol from Blue Springs, Mo., have been coming to Chiefs camp for the 12 years. Both said that they love the River Falls area and hope that the Chiefs keep their camp in River Falls. “Up here the weather and the people are just awesome,” said Rick. Jared’s favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez and Rick likes linebacker Donnie Edwards. Both hope that they get their autographs before they leave for home Wednesday.

This is the first Chiefs training camp for Gary and his 12-year old son Jeffery Meskers from Lawrence, Kan. “A lot of my friends have come here to watch the Chiefs and I just got sick of only hearing about it. I had to see it for myself,” said Gary. He said that he hopes they get a chance to come back next year and watch them practice again. When asked how well the Chiefs will do against the Chicago Bears Thursday night, Gary replied, “the Chiefs are going to surprise them and win by at least two touchdowns.” Jeffery’s favorite player is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.
With a white tight end Tony Gonzalez jersey on Shelia and her sister Dana Church attended practice today. They are from Kansas City, Mo., and have been here since Friday. The two, with a younger brother who was back at the Holiday Inn hotel because he was sick, are planning other activities while they are in the area. They have never been to the Mall of America, so they plan on going there, along with a walk in downtown Minneapolis.

Jackson Marshall is looking forward to Thursday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears. The last Chiefs game Marshall was at was when the Chiefs hosted the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 23, 2007 at Arrowhead Stadium. He remembers the Chiefs barely getting the victory in a tight 13-10 game. He has family on the west side of Chicago so he plans on getting there a day early to see them. Marshall is from Topeka, Kan.
River Falls residents Steve and son Justin Fields are all around football buffs. Justin, who is 8 years old, likes to play catch with his Dad and play football video games. Steve said his son has a large collection of football cards, many of which were his when he was a child. Justin wore a Milwaukee Brewers hat and said he did have some Chiefs cards back at home. Steve said he is hoping the Chiefs will have a more successful season than last year, but will have to work hard with such a young team.
Another set of fans Kevin and Jackie Markham relaxed in the bleachers. The two are from Minnesota and thought they would check out the action, since an NFL team is so close. As they scanned through the newest edition of the Camp Journal, Kevin realized the team had a lot of rookies. The couple had the day off and was deciding if they wanted to catch the afternoon practice or go back home.

Tyler Bloomer of Davenport, Iowa, is enjoying his sixth training camp. His last today up here is today. He thought Family Fun Night was entertaining because he got to see quarterback Brodie Croyle. His favorite player is running back Larry Johnson. He’s most excited to see all the young guys out there this season.
Norm Garlie of Ontario, Canada, is down here enjoying his second training camp. He is an alumnus of UW-River Falls of the class of 1963 who enjoys watching football.