[BigRedChief]

Monday, August 4 2008: Afternoon Practice

Players, coaches, staff and the 97 fans in attendance experienced some warm weather. The sky was clear and sunny above Ramer Field. With the temperature at 84 degrees and a three mile per hour wind coming out of the southeast, it was easily one of the most uncomfortable practices yet. The humidity was at 55 percent.

Offense
Tight end Tony Gonzalez had the afternoon off, giving rookie tight end Brad Cottam the opportunity to work exclusively with the first-string offense.
The offense immediately broke into positions as practice started. Running Backs Coach Curtis Modkins instructed his players to: “Square your shoulders and press the B gap. Don’t go outside,” as the running backs took handoffs from the quarterbacks.

Shortly after quarterback Brodie Croyle threw passes to wide receivers with defensive backs covering them. Unfortunately for the offense the only noteworthy aspect of the drill was the difficult time Croyle had completing passes to his receivers. Wide receiver Jabari Arthur was the only wide receiver to catch a pass in the first ten attempts.
After wide receiver Will Franklin dropped a well thrown pass that careened off his hands, Head Coach Herm Edwards jokingly yelled to no one in particular that: “Even when we’re open we can’t catch it!” The offense then stepped up and Croyle completed his last five passes.
The first-string offensive line was missing its regular left side during the 11-on-11 drill. Offensive guard Brian Waters sat the practice out and rookie Branden Albert is nursing a sore foot. In their places were tackle Herb Taylor and guard Tre Stallings.

The offensive line struggled with the first three plays as running back Larry Johnson was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on every play. But on the fourth play the offense split quarterback Brodie Croyle out wide left and Johnson took a direct snap off left tackle for a crowd-pleasing big gainer.
Running back Jamaal Charles took snaps with the first, second and third-string offenses during practice. Charles lined up in the offset “I” formation with the second-string and proceeded to take a pitch off the right tackle and turn it up-field. Charles continues to bounce two or three runs outside for big gains per practice.

During the second round for the first-string offense, Croyle completed 4-5 passes. On the second play Croyle hit wide receiver Maurice Price for a 20-yard gain on a nice pass and catch flag route.

Quarterbacks Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen traded turns with the second and third- strings again. Huard stepped up with the second-string and showed why he was last year’s opening day starter; threading the needle on a 15-yard slant to wide receiver Sergiori Joachim. Later, Thigpen—not to be outdone—completed a 15-yard flag route to wide receiver Jabari Arthur while rolling out to his left on the run.
During the first-string’s third round Croyle found rookie tight end Brad Cottam twice, including a 19-yard touchdown as Cottam made the most out of the opportunity to work exclusively with the first-string.
The first-string ended the practice strong with running back Larry Johnson starting a run to the left and then cutting back to the right, finding daylight and then slipping through the secondary untouched.Six plays later Croyle, made the best throw of this training camp when wide receiver Maurice Price got separation from cornerback Maurice Leggett and Croyle hit Price 50-yards downfield in mid-stride.

Defense
Defensive tackle Alfonso Boone, linebacker Donnie Edwards, and safety Patrick Surtain were not suited up for practice, and they did not participate in any drills. Defensive end Trevor Johnson was still out of practice today, nursing a concussion he got at the beginning of last week.
While the defensive backs worked on the sleds, Head Coach Herm Edwards stopped the drill to explain to the men how they should be hitting the sleds. The linebackers worked on covering the man in motion, and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham made sure his men understood that their hands and feet should always be moving. The defensive linemen worked with Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie on busting through the gaps. When he didn’t feel his men were exploding off the line fast enough, Krumrie yelled, “You gotta get the hell outta there. Pick your foot up and step!”

When the defense and offense came together on Ramer Field, Head Coach Herm Edwards was pleased with the performance of rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers. Edwards complimented Flowers on several occasions. One time, he said, “Good job, 2-4. That’s the way to not panic,” when Flowers showed good coverage on a wide receiver attempting to make a big grab.

Without defensive tackles Glenn Dorsey and Alfonso Boone, safety Patrick Surtain, defensive end Donnie Edwards, and other players, the first-string lineup was adding a few new faces to its order. While running a nickel defense, the first-string consisted of: defensive ends Turk McBride and Tamba Hali; defensive tackles Ron Edwards and Tank Tyler; linebackers Derrick Johnson and Pat Thomas; cornerbacks Brandon Carr, Tyron Brackenridge and Brandon Flowers; and safeties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard. Other players rotated into the lineup when the defense ran their basic plays.

During 11-on-11, defensive end Turk McBride made a big tackle on running back Larry Johnson in the backfield, which resulted in the offense losing yardage on the play. Linebacker Demorrio Williams displayed impeccable coverage when he broke up a pass from quarterback Brodie Croyle to tight end Brad Cottam. Near midfield on a following play, linebacker Pat Thomas laid out running back Larry Johnson after he received a hand off from Croyle. In a joint effort, defensive ends Jason Parker and Brian Johnston along with defensive tackle T.J. Jackson sacked quarterback Damon Huard deep in the backfield.
Later, rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers intercepted quarterback Brodie Croyle’s pass in the end zone. Cornerback Rashad Barksdale wrapped up running back Jackie Battle after Battle got the handoff from the quarterback. The play resulted in little or no yards gained. Later, Battle fumbled the football as a result of a hit delivered by safety Bernard Pollard. One of the last plays of the evening came when cornerback Dimitri Patterson flattened rookie running back Dantrell Savage.

Special Teams
A punt return drill started practice for the first 15 minutes. The drill started at the 50 plus and punter Dustin Colquitt gave out punts. Cornerbacks Rashad Barksdale and Maurice Leggett and kick returner B.J. Sams took turns working on locating the punt on the ground and calling out the receive. After that, the special teams unit worked on the cover. “Come on guys, it ain’t that hard,” said Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer who was trying to amp up the intensity and performance of his players. The cover drill had two defenders go against one returner who tried to split the defenders and get up the field.

Kickers Connor Barth and Nick Novak warmed up with field goal attempts before attempting game-like kicks at the up rights. Barth was 3-3, kicking from the 32, 35, and 40-yard lines. Novak was 2-3. He missed his kick from the left 32; it was wide right.

Derrick Johnson Press Conference
Linebacker Derrick Johnson held a press conference after practice. When asked if he felt it was fair to blame last year’s poor defense on the linebackers, Johnson said no. He feels it’s unfair to blame poor performance on one position. This year, Johnson said the defense has the same scheme; they’re just approaching it a lot differently.

When asked how it is to play under newly appointed Linebackers Coach—who is also the club’s Defensive Coordinator— Gunther Cunningham, Johnson said it’s intense, but good. No linebackers have escaped Cunningham’s stern standards, Johnson said. Personally, Johnson has gotten the wrath of Cunningham more in meetings than during practice, but he feels he’s got his fair share on the field as well. Working with Cunningham will take Johnson’s game to the next level, he feels because Cunningham knows all about the linebacker position.
Johnson is extremely pumped about the defense this year, and he says he cannot wait to play season games together with them. “We’re very aggressive…already,” Johnson said about his teammates. “We’re much better than last year.”

Johnson said he’s ready to take his personal performance to the next level – the All-Star, Pro Bowl level. Working with Cunningham is something that Johnson feels will help get him to that next level. Johnson also said that if he wishes to reach All-Star status, he needs to work on being more consistent. His teammates put positive pressure on him to be a star player and a leader, and Johnson looks forward to living up to that pressure.

Extra Extra...
Defensive tackle Tank Tyler gave the sideline a show before practice began. He solicited for money as he sang to the football coaching staff, which is at camp today and tommorrow, of Chillicothe High School—located 90 minutes northeast of Kansas City, Mo.— as he held out his helmet for the staff to stick money into. He earned 75 cents from the crew and stuck it in his sock. Although Tyler couldn’t remember who the artist of the song he was singing is—he has the CD—he did remember the lyrics singing lines such as, “Birds in the sky, sun in the sky…”
Fans lined up in the autograph area next to the track at Ramer Field-awaiting players’ autographs.

Three young boys enjoyed popsicles and ice cream while sitting on bleachers on the south side of the practice fields. One boy yelled to his mom, sitting nearby, “When are they going to tackle each other?”
Over 20 fans stayed close to the wooden fence to see Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie, Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham and Head Coach Herm Edwards work with the defensive line.
President Carl Peterson and Vice President Denny Thum both observed practice from the sidelines.

Wide receiver Devard Darling had a nice catch that his defender couldn’t stop. Safety Bernard Pollard was on the sidelines near Darling when he caught the ball. “We’re going to throw you back to the islands,” Pollard said to Darling, who’s from Nassau, Bahamas. Three plays later, the offense beat the defense with a long pass play down the right sideline. Darling said to Pollard, “How ‘bout that one?”

Safeties Jon McGraw, Jarrad Page, DaJuan Morgan and Bernard Pollard; quarterback Brodie Croyle; wide receivers Jabari Arthur and Maurice Price; running backs Jamaal Charles, Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith; defensive ends Jonal Saint-Dic and Tamba Hali; tackles Will Svitek and Damion McIntosh and defensive tackle Tank Tyler all signed autographs for fans who were waiting in the autograph area after practice.
Practice ended at 5:16.

Fans
Kevin and Darcy Hall of Columbia, Mo., were here for their eleventh training camp. They arrived in town today and are staying for a few days. They were hoping to see offensive tackle Branden Albert and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, but are looking at the cornerbacks since both players are injured. They went to the Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton, Ohio. “It was good to finally see Emmitt Thomas finally go in,” they said. Their favorite players are offensive guard Brian Waters and tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Tom and his wife Katie Nelson brought their two children Nate and Nikki to Chiefs practice for the third time. The Nelsons, who are from Wichita, Kan., said they really enjoy the River Falls area. Tom said, “It would be a shame if the Chiefs were to go somewhere else for their training camp. They use the training camp as an annual family vacation. Tom’s favorite player is linebacker Donnie Edwards. Katie, Nate and Nikki all really like tight end Tony Gonzalez. This is the first year that they will not have Chiefs season tickets.

Gary Thompson from St. Paul has been a Chiefs fan since he was 12-years old. “It was tough growing up in Minnesota being a Chiefs fan but it sure was a hell of a lot better than being a Vikings fan.” Thompson has every Monday off so he gets to see the Chiefs practice at the beginning of each week, while they are in River Falls. Thompson said he is really surprised by the number of rookies on the roster. It’s the most he can ever remember them having.

David McCray from Raymore, Mo., has been to every Chiefs training camp held in River Falls. McCray likes to call himself a “true fan.” “I have cheered this team on during the really bad years and I am still here.” He went on to say that the Chiefs are going to surprise people this year. McCray said that they would go 9-7 and just barely miss the playoffs. His favorite player is linebacker Donnie Edwards. McCray will be in River Falls until Wednesday this week.

Bruce and Tammy Banister from Des Moines, Iowa, have been coming to the Chiefs training camp in River Falls for the last 10 years. They both said that the trip seems to get better each year, and that this has been some of the best weather they have experienced while cheering the Chiefs on at camp. This is the fifth year in a row that they have camped at Hoffman Park in River Falls. They favorite place to dine is the Copper Kettle. Bruce’s favorite player is running back Larry Johnson while Tammy’s favorite is quarterback Brodie Croyle. Bruce said that he hopes the Chiefs keep their training camp in River Falls.

Fans Chris and Hannah Adams from the St. Louis, Mo., thought they would catch a full day of Chiefs practice while visiting Hannah’s family from Minnesota. This is the couples second year at camp. Chris said he didn’t really care who wins the preseason game between the Chiefs and the Chicago Bears, but hopes the whole team will gain more confidence and gels together come the regular season. He complemented cornerback Brandon Carr for making a nice pass break-up by saying, “nice defense.”
For many fans from the Missouri/Kansas area today was considered a cooler day than what they are use to living in. This is true for Rick and Tim Nicholson of Kansas who said it was 105 degrees where they are from the last time they checked. They will be here until Wednesday and are with Rick’s daughter, who plans to do some shopping. Rick mentioned that he would watch the preseason game on television. He was hoping that later in practice the team would line up and get more physical, which they did end up doing. The group is staying in Bloomington, Minn.

The word about Chiefs camp got passed to T.J., Alexis and their 13-year-old son, Mitch Burns. The family learned Chiefs camp was held at UW-River Falls from Alexis’s coworker's son, who just got accepted into the university. For the Burns family, a typical Sunday consists of sitting down together and watching football. The family is from Newport, Minn., and said they would check their television to see if they get the Chiefs preseason game on Thursday.

Fans are starting to show more and more confidence in quarterback Brodie Croyle as camp progresses forward. Lewis and Kristen Jennings of Kansas City, Mo., said Croyle should have more than six touchdowns this season, since he will be the starter as opposed to last year when he shared his time with quarterback Damon Huard. Lewis’s favorite player is running back Larry Johnson and Kristen’s is tight end Tony Gonzalez. This is their third year in a row coming to Chiefs training camp.