[BigRedChief]

Tuesday, August 12, 2008: Afternoon Practice
After an indoor morning practice, the Chiefs practiced outside in some pretty mild weather. The overcast skies and the 70 degree temperature made for a cool afternoon. There was a six mile per hour wind coming out of the south and the humidity was at 79 percent. There were 83 fans in attendance.
Offense
The offensive line split off from the team to work on position skills as usual and it worked on footwork and blocking. Offensive Line Coach Bob Bicknell yelled at the lineman to: "Come off the ball nice and low." Bicknell yelled for the lineman to have more pop when they came out of their stances.

Assistant Offensive Line Coach Joe D'Alessandris worked with the other half of the offensive line, including newly signed offensive lineman Ken Shackleford. Shackleford worked with the second-string during the offensive-defensive drills. D'Alessandris told Shackleford: "There ya go…Well done," as he worked on his technique with the rest of the line.
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen worked with the first-string offense during the 9-on-7—run only—drill. Running backs Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles both took handoffs with the first-string. Running back Kolby Smith shared carries with running backs Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage on second-string.

Quarterback Brodie Croyle had a marginal practice—looking very good at times and not so great at other times. Croyle completed 7-12 passes during the different situations in an 11-on-11 drill.

During the first-string's first set, Croyle delivered a pass right on the money to wide receiver Devard Darling on a 10-yard curl route that was in a spot where only Darling could make the catch. But during the second set Croyle had a four play stretch that included two sacks and two near interceptions.

Running back Jamaal Charles took snaps with all three strings of offense during the 11-on-11. With the second-string, Charles showed his speed as he hit a hole created on the left side of the line by offensive tackle Ken Shackleford and offensive guard Travis Leffew.But Charles heard it from Head Coach Herm Edwards after he caught a swing pass from quarterback Tyler Thigpen and then proceeded to fumble the football without any defensive player forcing it. "Don't drop the ball 2-5!" Edwards yelled.

Current backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen completed 6-7 passes in practice, but the lone incompletion was an interception by safety DaJuan Morgan.
Thigpen is looking sharp running the second-string offense and worked the offense into field goal range during the two-minute drill. Thigpen completed 6-10 passes during the two-minute drill including a pass to running back Kolby Smith on fourth and eight from the 41-yard line that went for eight yards.

Defense
Safety Jon McGraw, linebacker Donnie Edwards, defensive end Trevor Johnson and linebacker Napoleon Harris did not participate in practice today.
While the defensive line ran some drills with the dummies, defensive end Turk McBride tweaked his thigh. A trainer helped him stretch it out a bit before returning to the drill. However, McBride still felt some discomfort, so the training staff wrapped his right leg. McBride did participate the rest of practice.

Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie was extremely vocal. While running drills facing the offensive line he yelled, “Defense, get to the ball. Come on. Let’s go. Wake up.” While the offensive and defensive lines worked together, some wide receivers and defensive backs practiced running and covering routes on a different practice field.
Having worked on fumble recoveries earlier in practice, the defensive line picked up two dropped balls during 11-on-11. Safety DaJuan Morgan picked up one dropped by running back Jamaal Charles, and linebacker Oliver Hoyte made the other recovery of a ball fumbled by running back Larry Johnson near the end zone. Morgan also had an interception off quarterback Tyler Thigpen. He also made a diving attempted at another pick, but only managed to render the pass incomplete. Head Coach Herm Edwards was impressed nonetheless. “Get on Sports Center,” he told Morgan.

Safety Jarrad Page read a screenplay from quarterback Brodie Croyle to running back Larry Johnson and made the tackle on Johnson for a loss of yardage. On back-to-back plays, quarterback Damon Huard threw incomplete passes to wide receiver Kevin McMahan as a result of impressive coverage from the defense. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson showed tight coverage on one of the plays, and linebacker E.J. Kuale displayed skill on the other incompletion. Near the end of practice, McMahan ran a long route downfield to receive a pass from Huard, but rookie cornerback Maurice Leggett covered McMahan too well and forced the ball out of his hands as he hit the ground. Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham liked what the rookie did and complimented him saying, “Nice job, Leg. Impressive!”

On a long ball from Croyle to wide receiver Devard Darling, cornerback Patrick Surtain broke up the pass due to his impeccable coverage on the receiver. Defensive Backs Coach David Gibbs was impressed saying, “Nice job, Pat. Yes, sir.” On the next play, rookie cornerback Brandon Carr broke up Croyle’s pass to wide receiver Maurice Price.

After practice, rookie defensive tackle Derek Lokey hit the sleds by himself. Center Rudy Niswanger was snapping some balls to members of the coaching staff while a handful of wide receivers worked on making receptions. Among these receivers were: Will Franklin, Devard Darling, Bobby Sippio, Kevin McMahan, and Jabari Arthur.

Special Teams
Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth attempted field goals at the beginning of practice. Novak was 3-4 and Barth was 2-4. Novak missed a 50-yard field goal that went wide right, but made his 40, 45 and 55-yard field goals. Barth kicked from the same spots, missing his 40 and 45-yard field goals both were wide to the right.

Herm Edwards Press Conference
Head Coach Herm Edwards addressed the media after practice about the practice, injuries and a possible interest the team may have in a newly released kicker.
"We know what he [A.J. Feeley] is capable of doing, we're going to continue to look at our guys," Edwards said. "We have to wait and see, nothing is out of the realm of getting better, we know he is a veteran kicker but right now we're letting these guys compete."
Edwards said the offense is getting the hang of the new offensive scheme, but they can continue to get better. "We turned the ball over too much on offense today," Edwards said. "It's good defense, just not good offense."

Edwards said the offensive line continues to mesh, but still has a long way to go. "Branden's not in there, when he comes back it's going to help but Herb has done a good job over at left tackle," Edwards said. "They're a lot better than they were in the spring, but there are a lot of things we still need to improve on."

Edwards said defensive end Turk McBride strained his hamstring and the team will have to wait and see how it plays out. Linebacker Pat Thomas bent his finger backwards and did not participate in practice, but Edwards said he should be able to practice Wednesday. Edwards also said wide receiver Jeff Webb hurt his shoulder during the two-minute drill, but should be fine.

Extra Extra...
Defensive tackle Tank Tyler was near the bleachers before practice singing “American Boy” by Estelle.
Defensive tackle T.J. Jackson warmed up his vocal cords before practice as he tried to hit some high notes while signing “Purple Rain.”
During warm-ups, Head Coach Herm Edwards walked around talking and giving advice to players.

During defensive drills, Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie said to the players, “Everything matters, even the little things. Do it right!!”
Practice started with a team stretch on practice field one at 3:30.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Smith discussed healthy eating with defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey before practice began. Dorsey said to defensive end Johnny Dingle”: “You know what I eat everyday, salad and baked fish.” Smith reminded Dorsey that he needed to be eating small meals throughout the day.

Players were in a jubilant mood before practice began. They discussed everything from their favorite childhood cartoon characters like Donald Duck and the kinds of dogs they have and like as pets (as well as those they don’t).

Practice ended to the sound of a whistle and a team huddle on the center of practice field two at 5:13.

Fans
Jack and Bernice Williams from Lake City, Minn., were impressed with the Chiefs. This is the first time either of them have seen an NFL football team in person. Jack said, “I have always like the Chiefs, and now that I am retired I have the time to actually see them.” The Williams are flirting with the idea of driving down to Arrowhead Stadium and watching a game this upcoming season. Bernice’s favorite Chief is Head Coach Herm Edwards.
Gregg Hopkins from Hudson, Wis., claimed a spot in the bleachers to watch the Chiefs practice. Hopkins has been coming to Chiefs training camp for the last eleven years. Although the Green Bay Packers are his favorite team, he said the Kansas City Chiefs come in a second. His favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez. When talking about Gonzalez he said, "I really like him. He is just so damn athletic.
Pat Johnston from Chippewa Falls, Wis., attended his fifth training camp in the last seven years. Johnston, who grew up in Kansas, says he moved to Wisconsin when he was eleven. He predicts that the Chiefs will go 9-7 this season. He said, "I think they will be a playoff team in the upcoming years." Johnston's favorite player is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He said, “I think Bowe is going to have a breakout year and make the Pro Bowl.”
Dan Roth from Barron, Wis., came to support the Chiefs for the fourth time during training camp. Roth, who just graduated from the UW-River Falls, ships off to active duty as a Marine Lieutenant in October. Roth said, “It’s pretty cool that a small school like UWRF can get a pro football team’s training camp. Roth’s favorite Chief is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He said, “Last year Bowe helped me out on my fantasy football team. He was a good sleeper pick.”

Ruth and Dennis Mitchell stood against the west bleachers before practice today. They were both disappointed they couldn’t see the indoor practice that took place due to rain showers earlier in the day. The two are from Lee’s Summit, Mo., and are going to the Twins-Yankee’s game at the Metrodome tonight. Their favorite baseball team is the Kansas City Royals, but they also like the New York Yankees a lot. Both have never been to the Metrodome, but are happy the game won’t be rained out because of the roof overhead.

Making their way from Kansas City, Mo., Ray, Joyce, Megan and Carl Patterson are all devoted Chiefs fans. Ray and Joyce grew up in different parts of Missouri and have a strong passion for the team. Megan moved from Kansas City three years ago and now resides in Stillwater, Minn. She is happy her family decided to take a summer trip to the area. Ray remembers the great days when linebacker Derrick Thomas played for the team, and how he deserved his hall-of-fame status. Carl sported a Chiefs hat and a t-shirt.

River Falls native Earl Payne stood next to his bike near the east rope. Earl has been kind of surprised that the Chiefs would travel this far just to train. But, he did say that he has heard of improvements done to the sports facilities on campus, and that the Ramer Field renovations he read about in the Student Voice are a huge plus for the University. Payne went to UW-Eau Claire back in his college years, but would like to see improvements continue for the University in his home town. He didn’t know a whole lot about the Chiefs; except that they look like a big team.