Daily Camp updates by the UWRF college website

[BigRedChief]

I'm sure most of know about this site but maybe the n00bs don't. Here you can get daily camp updates done by the local college up in River falls.

http://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/

Thursday, July 24, 2008: Chiefs Arrive
Extra, Extra...

The Kansas City Chiefs arrived before 4 p.m. to an overcast sky at UW-River Falls. The busses had unloaded the players and were pulling away from George R. Field South Fork Suites by 4:10 p.m.
At 4:48 p.m. an Astleford Idea lease and rental truck was fully unloaded, and the bags were placed in four rows on the pavement. Desk chairs, boxes labeled “fragile” and cases of Red Bull energy drinks were a few of the first things off the truck. Simoutanously, a Penske truck was loaded with the coach’s luggage as a crew waited for its departure to Grimm Hall, located a couple of hundred yards away from the players’ new digs in the George R. Field South Fork Suites. The new facility was opened several years ago and features suite-style living of four bedrooms surrounding a commons area. Able to accommodate 240 residents, the $11.5 million building was constructed, paid for and owned by UWRF students, who have bonding authority under Wisconsin statutes. Named for a UWRF chancellor who led the university from 1968-1985, South Fork will experience a $14 million expansion to double the size of the building next year.

When asked about the prompt arrival by the Chiefs this year, residence living head custodian Bob Karras responded by saying, “There must not have been any bad weather for the Chiefs travel this year. With no storms they were given the ability to arrive on time.” Last year the team arrived later than scheduled, having to deal with a 45-minute storm delay.
Chiefs’ Security Officer Ken Whiting shared of his trip up to UW-River Falls with the team. He said the demeanors of the players was quite different from last year. “They were mellow and hyped-up,” he said. He attributed the vast difference of behavior to the amount of youth that joins the Chiefs for training camp. Whiting said he could feel the anxiousness from the players on the bus ride and anticipates a competitive camp.

The rookies stood out in the crowd of people gathered outside of South Fork Suites as the players searched for their belongings. They looked a little apprehensive and unsure about how they were to go about getting their personal bags off the truck. But after watching several veteran players collect their bags, the rookies figured out what to do and quickly gathered their things.

The local River Falls bike shop, The Route, had a table set up for rentals by players.Red and white Trek mountain bikes featuring the Chiefs logo on the top handlebar were lined-up and ready for the players. Adam Schmidt, owner of The Route, said “You can buy them and we can ship them back home for you,” to players asking about how long they are allowed to have the bikes. The bikes are available after camp for $250. Isaac Curtis said the rental price for the bikes are $75 which includes a lock for all of camp. He said they brought 40 bikes to the camp for rental and there are more in stock at the shop if they are needed. Tackle Damion McIntosh talked to other players in-line about how he bikes everywhere and tries not to spend any money at training camp. After renting a bike, players were given a green folder containing a sheet with information and discount rates.

There was plenty of horsepower parked in the lot east of South Fork Suites. H3 Hummers, Ford Expeditions, Dodge Chargers, Chevy Tahoes, Range Rovers and Lincoln Navigators were among the vehicles Enterprise of Hudson, Wis. made available for players to choose from. Enterprise anticipated 15 players would rent vehicles for use during camp.

A group of five to seven players were overheard making plans to do some shopping at ShopKo. They looked like they were on a mission as they left quickly. A player yelled from his third-floor window to a player sitting in a black Lincoln MKX on the street below. The player in the window wanted to know who the driver was taking to ShopKo with him, and if they wouldn’t mind waiting for him to come as well. The driver agreed to wait for his teammate.

Players
Two of the Chiefs’ most productive offensive players, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and running back Larry Johnson, were both absent at the beginning of last year’s training camp; but both reported on time this year, and spent a couple minutes talking with the media.

As Bowe began looking for his bags among the players’ suitcases, a reporter asked Bowe if he was worried about a Herm Edwards training camp, to which Bowe assuredly replied, “Not worried about nothing but my opponent…Show me my opponent.” Bowe also told reporters he was tired, but excited to be at camp. When asked about top draft pick defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey’s absence, Bowe said he told Dorsey to be patient but added that he was happy to be at camp on time this year.

Johnson-after checking out a LCD TV one of the players brought-said he was excited to be at camp this year and added that he felt weird after not attending camp last year. He said he felt like he was “on vacation.” When asked about the drafting of running back Jamaal Charles out of Texas and second-year running back Kolby Smith, Johnson said, “I’m cool with those guys being back there, anything that helps prolong my career is good.” Johnson also said that with the new offense he feels he can get back to his 2005-2006 stats and expressed that the offense will not be as predictable as it was last year. Johnson finished talking with the media by saying that he’s the vet on the team, and it’s going to be fun to be out on the field “sweating it out.”

Cornerback Patrick Surtain, an 11-year veteran of the league, was approached by the media in the parking lot of South Fork Suites and asked about his preparation for camp. Surtain responded by saying, “Being a veteran you know what’s expected, so you prepare the utmost, each and every year. There’s like 50 new guys, and I haven’t seen their face before, and they’re hungry. As a veteran you have to come in and bring the same kind of intensity.”

Defensive End Jason Parker, who is in his first training camp with the Chiefs, was learning the lay of the land. Parker was a fountain of questions for bystanders, on everything from the cost of renting a bike to getting directions to the University Center, where meals are served.

Safety Bernard Pollard answered questions from the media as he stood next to his black BMW M6. Pollard, stocked up groceries from Wal-Mart, commented, “Got to have lots of oatmeal for camp.” With his memory foam inserts and Jordan shoes in hand, Pollard looked to be prepared for the long camp ahead. He said he was exited for camp and more

comfortable with his weight and position going into camp this year than he was last year. “Not many people are expecting much, but I’m expecting a lot,” he said expressing optimism for the team’s success this year.

[BigRedChief]

Monday, July 28, 2008: Morning Practice
Editor's Note: Chiefs fans who may be trying to access the training camp photo gallery may have difficulty doing so due to the power outage caused by the storm yesterday. We are working to fix any inconveniences. We appreciate your patience as we try to solve this problem.

Clear blue skies and a temperature of 79 degrees made for a terrific morning practice. The humidity was at 62 percent. Chief players, coaches and the team’s 267 fans in attendance were cooled by a seven mile per hour wind coming from the southeast. This morning was a great start to what is suppose to be a week of beautiful weather in River Falls.

Offense
Morning practice started with a couple of familiar faces without pads on. Tight end Tony Gonzalez and left guard Brian Waters both looked on as the team conducted a full pads practice.

Rookie left tackle Branden Albert worked on the side by himself until Assistant Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris came over and worked with him on his footwork.

2008 first-round pick defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey joked with 2007 first-round pick Dwayne Bowe while defensive and offensive non-special teams players stretched on the second field.

After special teams concluded its drills quarterbacks and wide receivers worked on quick screen passes. “Give him a good step downfield, make him think you’re going downfield,” Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey instructed.

Wide receivers and quarterbacks worked on many different routes. After a sliding catch by rookie wide receiver Will Franklin on a 20-yard corner route Head Coach Herm Edwards yelled: “Good hustle Will, that’s a way to work Will.” Just a few minutes later wide receiver Bobby Sippio made a leaping grab on the sidelines to which the numerous kids in the stands, in attendance for Kids’ Day, cheered with their approval.

Left guard Tre Stallings stepped in for starting left guard Brian Waters during the 11-on-11 drill. Quarterback Brodie Croyle was 7-11, finding wide receiver Dwayne Bowe four times. Croyle and Bowe got in a groove halfway through the drill when Croyle found Bowe in two out of three plays for a pair of completions for 20 yards a piece.

Quarterback Damon Huard and quarterback Tyler Thigpen continued to trade off reps with the second-string offense. The backup quarterback spot is an open competition. Huard completed 1 of 2 passes, including throwing an interception by defensive back DaJuan Morgan. Thigpen finished 3-5 in the drill, including a dropped pass and a near interception.

Defense
While his fellow defensive backs worked on taking tackles on the single sled, safety Bernard Pollard spent time on the side with a trainer. They worked on stretching both his legs. After the solo tackle sled, the backs ran a drill they hadn’t yet run at camp. A member of the coaching staff set up a dummy over a large, blue mat. Each back would take a turn running full speed at the dummy, and then flopped onto a mat.
While the backs worked near the south end of the practice field, Linebackers Coach Gunther Cunningham and his men did some work on the sleds. After biffing on two hits, Cunningham instructed rookie linebacker LeRue Rumph to go again. With encouragement from his teammates, Rumph completed the drill correctly, and Cunningham said, “I knew you could do it!” After the stationary sleds, the linebackers moved to the hanging dummy. Cunningham told his men to “keep your eye on the quarterback. I want you to kill the overpaid son of a (gun) with the ball in his hand.”

For the first time since camp began Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie had his linemen work on a drill that simulated forcing and recovering a fumble. The players would run by two dummies and tackle the last one, symbolizing the quarterback. Krumrie threw the ball on the ground near the tackled dummy, and the men would jump on the ball. After the fumble drill, Krumrie put some arm pads on and worked with each lineman on hand and footwork. While rookie defensive tackle Derek Lokey was up, his veteran teammates yelled things like, “There ya go, rookie. Make him tired,” and “Break his hands, baby!”

When the defense began running through their nickel plays, rookie Glenn Dorsey continued to hold down his spot as tackle with the first string. Also seeing first-string time were rookie cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers. Flowers and Carr would also stay put when the second-string took some snaps. Defensive end Brian Johnston and cornerback Maurice Leggett also saw some time with the second-string. As the first-string rotated out and the second-string rotated in, linebacker Donnie Edwards hollered to the sidelines for one of the coach’s sons. He needed the boy to run into the locker room, reach into his second helmet, and bring him out his other mouth guard.

As the offense and defense came together to run some 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 drills, Head Coach Herm Edwards made a comment about the lack of enthusiasm on the field. “Get a pot of coffee out here for these guys,” he joked. During the 9-on-9 drills, rookie linebacker LeRue Rumph took a few second-string snaps in veteran Demorrio Williams’s spot.
It was during the 11-on-11 scrimmage that defense really shined. Quarterback Brodie Croyle threw a pass that was nicely broken up by rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers. On the next play, Head Coach Herm Edwards complimented both the back and receiver saying, “Nice cover 24. Way to catch the ball 82.” Much to the delight of the defensive coaching staff, several players made chargers to the quarterbacks that, in real-game situations, would have been sacks. Safety Jon McGraw blew by the offensive line once, and defensive tackle Alfonso Boone and linebackers Pat Thomas and Demorrio Williams all made attacks at Croyle. Safety Jarrad Page later blew by all offensive players and made his way to Croyle virtually untouched. Other highlights from the drill include: rookie safety DaJuan Morgan’s interception off a Damon Huard pass and rookie linebacker Weston Dacus’s near interception of Tyler Thigpen’s throw. Keeping the defense in line, though, Herm Edwards hollered, “Get your hands off their facemasks. Play some foozeball!”

Special teams
Practice got started at 8:52 with the special teams unit working on the kickoff return game. Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth took turns kicking from the 45-yard line to returners waiting in the end zone. Defenders with blocking pads took off from the 45-yard line to meet offensive blockers without blocking pads around the 28. The returners ran routes aiming for the sideline for 15 to 20 yards. Kick returner B.J. Sams received the first kick of the drill from Novak. Sams would carry the ball four times in total. Wide receiver Jeff Webb bobbled and dropped the first kick he attempted to receive after the football bounced off his chest. “The sun was in his eyes,” commented Head Coach Herm Edwards dryly. Wide receiver Will Franklin and running back Jamaal Charles also had carries.

A kickoff cover drill sparked much energy from players on the field. Players worked on both the left and right sides of the field breaking through the wedge and picking up returners trying to make their ways up the field. Each wedge consisted of three players with blocking pads on the 15-yard line. Two additional blockers on the 45-yard line hassled the wedge busters on their way to the blockers with the pads. Kick returner B.J. Sams and running back Dantrell Savage took turns being the returner. “Accelerate our legs. Dip and rip; get by them,” shouted Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer as he coached during the drill. Tight end Brad Cottam played well throughout the drill and coaches noticed telling him, “Good job Brad.”

Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth worked on kicking field goals most of the practice. They warmed up from the 28, 30, 33, 36 and 37-yard lines from both the right and left hash marks. Novak took 15 kicks to Barth’s 6 kicks. Novak missed one kick from the 33-yard line on the left hash. The kick was wide left. After the warm up, the defense and offense took to the field for a simulated field goal drill. Novak kicked first and made all three of his kicks from the 29, 31 and 33-yard lines. Long snapper Jean-Philippe Darche made a high snap on Novak’s second kick, but punter Dustin Colquitt pulled the ball down and completed a nice hold. He received compliments from his teammates and coaches. Barth also made all of his kicks from the same yard lines; the first two kicks were from the left hash and the last kick from the right hash.

Extra Extra...
Cornerback Patrick Surtain spoke with media after practice about working with rookie cornerback—and roommate—Brandon Flowers. “I’m a professional,” Surtain said, “I want my teammates to be the best they can be.” Surtain said even though Flowers is a rookie, he carries himself like a veteran. “He’s constantly taking tremendous notes. He’s hungry. He wants this.”

During the 11-on-11 drill tight end Tony Gonzalez gave passes to wide receiver Maurice Price on the half of the field not being unused. This occurred a couple different times during the drill when Price was not in it. The passes were short from 5 to 10 yards. Price received the ball as he practiced “running” different routes.

Cornerback Brandon Flowers answered a couple questions after practice. He discussed the competition at his position and said, “We’re running a lot of man. There are a lot of good young corners competing out here.”

Tony Gonzalez Press Conference
At 11:55 a.m. tight end Tony Gonzalez kicked off his first press conference of training camp at the University Center. While talking about his love for the game, Gonzalez said, “This is it. This is my passion. This is what I love to do.” Media then asked him about retirement, Gonzalez said he was 95 percent sure he was coming back next year. Although, he said if they win the Super Bowl that might be different. The media asked Gonzalez if he was going to be 100 percent sure on his decision when he retires to avoid a situation like quarterback Brett Favre is in right now. Gonzalez said, “Everybody’s talked about the whole Favre thing. I’m sure he was 100 percent when he made that decision. Things change. People change. That’s one thing that people get upset about. What I believe and what I think might change, so maybe that’s what’s going on. He loves this game and realizes that he can’t live without it at this point in his life. “

Herm Edwards Press Conference
“I thought early in today’s practice the offense got off the ball early, but then it became really competitive,” said Head Coach Herm Edwards in a post-practice press conference. “I think they are starting to realize how to play better in pads, stay lower and strike people. It was a long practice and it was intended that way. We are going to give them practices off, with one-a-days and that will start for us tomorrow. We are going to have special teams in the morning and we’ll practice again in the afternoon. That’s how it’s scheduled with an 80-man situation. I’ve talked to a lot of coaches around the league and that’s how they are running their camp to survive camp and the pre-season.”

When asked by a KMBZ reporter why defensive end Turk McBride didn’t work today, Edwards explained by saying, “he had a stomach deal, but he’s alright and will be out here this afternoon.” Edwards mentioned that cornerback Patrick Surtain didn’t take many reps and tight end Tony Gonzalez didn’t work at all.

Edwards was asked about running back Larry Johnson’s high effort in camp so far. “He has a lot to prove because there is a lot of pressure on him when you’re in that star status of a football player. Last year we started the season off slow offensively, we didn’t run the ball very well, then we finally got going, and he got hurt. He’s in the mind set of coming back and having a good season for us.”

There is a tight kicker competition between Nick Novak and Connor Barth. When Edwards was asked about it he said, “it’s an everyday deal, when we get into pre-season we will be able to evaluate it there and see how they do. Hopefully we can get close enough to kick some field goals. That was an Achilles' heel last year since we weren’t in good field position.”

Kids' Day
Kids’ Day at the Kansas City Chiefs Summer Training Camp pulled in big numbers once again this morning. Over 130 kids were in attendance for the first of two Kids’ Days.

Upon arrival they were greeted by staff members with a blow-pop, a raffle ticket, and a coupon for a $1.99 kids meal at Bo’s ‘N Mine. Balloons were also distributed. The raffle was held at 9:50 a.m., and the prizes included Burger King coupons, Subway coupons, and Kansas City Chiefs merchandise.

It was a very fun day for the kids, volunteers and workers. There were several activities for the little ones to participate in including: bean bag toss, football toss, face painting, temporary tattoos, word searches, coloring, and a wading pool with ducks. If played correctly, many of the activities were worth additional raffle tickets.

In addition to the raffle, balloons and games, K.C. Wolf made an appearance. He posed for pictures and played with the kids. River Falls Kids Club brought 78 kids to the event. Jordan Howard, a worker with the Kids Club said they try to make it to Kids Day ever year. “It’s really fun to be able to bring all these kids to watch a NFL team practice. This is an opportunity most kids will never get,” he said.

After practice, over 100 of the kids lined the fences of the practice fields getting autographs from five different Chief players.
The next Kids Day is Aug. 7 at the morning practice (9-10:15 a.m.) Call 715-425-3771 to register.

[dorseybowe]

Carr and Flowers = Paige and Pollard

[BigRedChief]

Monday, July 28, 2008: Afternoon Practice
Editor's Note: Chiefs fans who may be trying to access the training camp photo gallery may have difficulty doing so due to the power outage caused by the storm yesterday. We are working to fix any inconveniences. We appreciate your patience as we try to solve this problem.
The weather made for a warm practice this evening. Partly cloudy skies were accompanied by a temperature of 86 degrees. A nine mile per hour wind out of the southeast provided a slight cool breeze. The humidity was at 53 percent. Seventy-three fans were in attendance.

Offense
The wide receivers and defensive backs worked on a one-on-one drill. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe made a nice sliding catch after having his previous would-be catch broken up by rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers. Wide receiver Jabari Arthur beat Flowers on a route, but gained only 3 yards on the play, causing Head Coach Herm Edwards to praise Flowers by saying, “Hey if they catch 3-yard passes we’re doing good.”

During an offense only “hurry-up” drill all quarterbacks completed all of their passes. Quarterback Damon Huard worked with the second-string, and quarterback Tyler Thigpen worked with the third-string during that drill.When the defense cam together during an11-on-11 drill, Thigpen worked with the second-string to start the drill, but Huard and Thigpen would switch off working with the second and third-strings the rest of the drill, and during the 7-on-7 drill immediately after the 11-on-11.
After wide receiver Dwayne Bowe hauled in a short pass from quarterback Brodie Croyle Head Coach Herm Edwards praised Bowe by saying: “That’s a way to play big Bowe,” and then joked with him, “Boy I wish I was covering you, wanna get that blanket out?”

The practice ended with the offense beginning at its own 40-yard line, down by three with 0:52 on the clock, having three timeouts and needing to get to the opponents’ 20-yard line for a field goal attempt.
Quarterback Brodie Croyle completed passes to running back Larry Johnson and tight end Tony Gonzalez to march the offense down to the 32-yard line before getting sacked leaving the offense with a second and 17 situation from the opposing 39-yard line. But Croyle came back and completed passes to Gonzalez and wide receiver Devard Darling to get down to the 22-yard line. After a sack and an incomplete pass as a last ditch effort to score, the defense held the offense scoreless.

Defense
While their teammates stretched before practice this afternoon, offensive tackle Branden Albert and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe showed off their dance moves, breaking-it- down on the sidelines near the training tent. Defensive end Tamba Hali and linebacker Derrick Johnson showed up to practice not wearing their pads. Hali did run some drills with the defensive line, but Johnson spent the majority of his time on the sidelines.

The linebackers worked on drills to improve their handwork while rushing the quarterback. The hanging dummy simulated the offensive blocker. Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham wasn’t overly pleased with the men’s performance. “I wish I was 20 years younger. Ooooh. I’d be kicking some (butt).” When trying to explain to his players how to hit the blocker with their right and left arms, and follow through using their right arm as a “club,” Cunningham said, “Pull out his gut and stick it to his ear.”
When the offense and defense came together for a 7-on-7 scrimmage, Defensive Backs Coach David Gibbs repeatedly hollered, “Put your face on” to his men when they struggled to make big plays. When linebacker LeRue Rumph botched a play, allowing a receiver to pick up several yards, Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham was not pleased. “We just worked on that drill. What the (heck) is the matter with you?!”
Throughout the entire afternoon, the team seemed extra enthusiastic. A scuffle broke out between a couple players near the end of practice. Not only were the players enthusiastic, but Head Coach Herm Edwards also seemed cheery as he chatted with his players. “Bowe, I wish I was covering you,” Edwardssaid to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. “No you don’t,” Bowe replied. After the scuffle that took place earlier, both sides of the ball were a little more on edge. When rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers did excellent covering his man, safety Bernard Pollard was elated. “You don’t give him a (explicit deleted) catch!” he chanted several times.

The team moved to an 11-on-11 drill with situations given to the players to work through. During the situation drills, several players made what would have been sacks in real-game situations on the quarterbacks. Defensive tackle Alfonso Boone had several of these “sacks.” Both first- string and second-string practiced the situation and in both cases, the defense won. Meaning the offense was unable to score.

Special teams
The special teams punt coverage unit started the practice with drills on the middle practice field. The first drill lined up the unit on the 10-yard line. The drill lasted for 13 minutes. Defenders worked to bust through the line to meet either kick return specialist B.J. Sams or cornerback Maurice Leggett on the return. Punter Dustin Colquitt rotated between punting the ball up the field and imitating a punt by taking two steps and dropping the ball on the ground. “Cover. Cover. Cover. Squeeze the ball,” instructed Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer during the drill.

A big blue mat was dragged onto the field and players lined up to practice blocking the punt. Players ran at a 45 degree angle to the mat, leaped and batted down a football tossed by an assistant coach in the direction of the mat. At the same time players in another line worked on blocking punts by running at a 45 degree angle and blocking the punt without diving to the ground. After each player had a few turns in each line, the mat and lines were turned so that the drill could be run in the opposite direction.

Extra Extra...
Players were warming up before practice started at 3:28. Players did multiple lines drills—from butt kicks to karaoke—going down 20 yards and back under the leadership of Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Smith. After completing the line drills players stretched before practice officially started to the sound of an air horn at 3:38.

Linebacker Napoleon Harris lost his helmet during an 11-on-11 drill. Linebacker E.J. Kuale worked with a trainer in between playing time today. His right leg was giving him trouble, most likely due to the hot weather, so the trainer helped him to stretch it out. Kuale tried to join the drill again but came of the field limping. He ran in place for a while before having it stretched out again for a couple minutes.

Center Rudy Niswanger spoke with media after practice. He commented on only getting playing time with quarterback Brodie Croyle. When asked how it felt to have running back Larry Johnson back after an injury last season, Niswanger said, “It’s great to have Larry back. When it’s a player at his caliber, it can only help you to have him back.”

After practice kick returner B.J. Sams practiced catching punts from a Juggs machine. He practiced with a rotation of four footballs for about ten minutes. On the final set, he caught the first punt and held it in one hand and then caught a second punt with his free hand. He did this with all four balls. Sams caught the final and fourth punt holding three other balls.

Fans
Vince, Kylie and Ashley Tolbert of New Hope, Minn., came up for today’s morning and afternoon practices. They were here for their first training camp experience. They were all dressed in Larry Johnson—their favorite player—jerseys. They were also looking forward to seeing all the new players.

Ryan Luessenheidi a UW-River Falls student from Minneapolis was just passing through and stopped to watch the Chiefs practice. He said he really enjoys watching football.

Former training camp courier Steve Baisden was at today’s practice. He took time to give his thoughts on life saying, “Life happens 10 yards at a time.” He was also impressed with the changes that have been made in River Falls. He thought the continuing updates to Hunt Arena have showed progressive change.

Observing today’s afternoon practice was former training camp courier, Kyle Cooper. He made the journey from Shoreview, Minn., to catch this morning’s practice as well. Cooper said he was interested in seeing the young team rebuild. “It’s strange to see numbers like 69 and 24 replaced by different players,” commented Cooper. Cooper was referring to last year’s stars defensive end Jared Allen and cornerback Ty Law, who are no longer with the team. Last year Cooper got to pick up wide receiver Dwayne Bowe from the airport at midnight once he signed with the team. “It was a highlight to see all the media attention around Bowe, especially with the Hard Knocks awaiting his arrival in the dorms.”

Two fans who enjoyed Kids’ Day this morning came back for the afternoon session of practice. Orville and Arsenio Black came to watch running back Larry Johnson who is their favorite player. It was Orville’s second year, and Arsenio’s first time at camp. Both are from the River Falls area and are planning on being here at the next Kids’ Day event.

A small group of bikers lined the outside of the practice field to witness the excitement of today’s practice. One of the bikers was Tyler Ames, a four-year resident of River Falls. He commented about how he likes to bike around everyday and catch the action in River Falls. He tries to drag his wife along, but she doesn’t like to watch football.

Biker Steve Kaminski is a long time Chicago White Sox, Bears and Blackhawks fan. He came out to enjoy some football and watch the Chiefs practice. Kaminski use to live in Chicago, but has lived in River Falls for the last 38 years. A few years ago Kaminski had a good time taking his friends from the area to Chicago to ride the “L” and see the two outdoor baseball parks, Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field. Kaminski is a big sports fan and was interested in finding out that the Chiefs will be at Soldier Field on August 7.
Pete Morris and Guy Schmitz made their way up to River Falls all the way from Independence, Mo. This was Morris’s third training camp. Morris worked for the Kansas City Chiefs ground crew in 1974. He said that River Falls has some very nice football facilities. Morris said, “Back in the day they would practice in the parking lot. We never had anything like this.” Schmitz has only missed three camps since 1991.“It’s cheaper to come up here for a week and have fun than it is to go to a single game down there. Plus the weather is much more enjoyable,” he said. Both Morris and Schmitz are interested in seeing how the young players will turn out. Schmitz is predicting that wide receiver Will Franklin will have a successful year as the Chiefs second wide receiver.

Eric and Jill Sullins of Independence, Mo attended practice. Eric is a history teacher and football coach in Kansas City. They really love the River Falls area and said they would move up here if they didn’t have so much family in Missouri. They are excited about the rookies that the Chiefs have brought in. They are expecting a daughter in September. Her name will be Madison.

Brett Blaire and his son Chase of Hudson, Wis.were checking out the Chiefs today. They said it is really cool that they only have to drive ten minutes to watch a NFL team practice. They made their trip over to River Falls because Chase really wanted to see the “big players.”

[penchief]

Originally Posted by dorseybowe

Carr and Flowers = Paige and Pollard

I'd rather have Carr and Flowers = Lewis and Ross

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Monday, July 28, 2008: Afternoon Practice

The practice ended with the offense beginning at its own 40-yard line, down by three with 0:52 on the clock, having three timeouts and needing to get to the opponents’ 20-yard line for a field goal attempt.
Quarterback Brodie Croyle completed passes to running back Larry Johnson and tight end Tony Gonzalez to march the offense down to the 32-yard line before getting sacked leaving the offense with a second and 17 situation from the opposing 39-yard line. But Croyle came back and completed passes to Gonzalez and wide receiver Devard Darling to get down to the 22-yard line. After a sack and an incomplete pass as a last ditch effort to score, the defense held the offense scoreless.

2 sacks in :52. I wish they would go a little more indepth. Good rush, bad blocking, good coverage, holding the ball too long?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

2 sacks in :52. I wish they would go a little more indepth. Good rush, bad blocking, good coverage, holding the ball too long?

Formerdb starts his articles tommorrow.

[tomahawk kid]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Formerdb starts his articles tommorrow.

Decent

[InChiefsHeaven]

So, does anyone have any word on Steve Octavien? I saw like one pic of him in another thread, but I'm curious as to how he's doing. He's one of those guys that could be quite a steal, as he was great before his injury and the subsequent implosion of the Husker defense...

[boogblaster]

Nice work ... Keep us informed ...

[BigRedChief]

Tuesday, July 28, 2008: Morning Practice
Editor's Note: Chiefs fans who may be trying to access the training camp photo gallery may have difficulty doing so due to the power outage caused by the storm yesterday. We are working to fix any inconveniences. We appreciate your patience as we try to solve this problem.
It was a muggy and sticky practice for the Chiefs this morning. The skies were partly cloudy and the humidity was at 69 percent. This made the 86 degree temperature feel like 95 degrees. The only relief form the mugginess was an 11 mile per hour wind coming out of the southwest. Seventy-eight fans were in attendance for the practice.
Special Teams
Kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth were out on Ramer Field early to warm up for the special teams practice. The stadium was quiet and fans waited patiently in the stands for the other players to make their ways to the field. Blocking pads, footballs and Aqualift portable drinking systems were all lined up on the sideline. At 9:49 Novak started kicking field goals from the 27-yard line and Barth stretched out his legs. On the other practice fields the grounds crew touched up the yard lines with white paint.
At 10:19 cornerback Will Poole and safety Khayyam Burns worked with a Juggs machine, receiving 5-yard passes. Two short blue cones were set 5-yards apart and were used for the players to back pedal between before going out to the left or right for an outlet pass.
Players began to trickle onto the field in bigger groups at 10:25. At 10:27, two blows from an air horn signaled that it was time for the team to begin running through line drills and stretching. The line drills were run under the instruction of Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Smith on the north end of Ramer Field. The players went down and back 20 yards from the end zone. On the opposite end of the field kickers Nick Novak and Connor Barth, punter Dustin Colquitt and long snapper Jean-Philippe Darche stretched and warmed up on their own.
Linebackers Steve Octavien and Aden Durde jogged onto the field at 10:31. They were followed by a group of seven other players just seconds later. One blow for an air horn at 10:37 started practice.
The unit first worked on a kickoff-return drill for eight minutes. The drill was run at half speed and the kickoff team was distinguished from the other players by wearing yellow skull caps. Kicker Nick Novak took the first kick of the drill which was received by kick return specialist B.J. Sams. Sams would carrier the ball three times. Running back Jamaal Charles would also return the ball three times and wide receiver Will Franklin would two times. The coverage team worked against the wedge. Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer called out the direction the wedge was to go: left, right or middle. The wedge team consisted of tight end Brad Cottam, defensive tackle Tank Tyler and center Wade Smith.
A punt return drill started with a tight punt formation situation at the south end zone. Returners waited at the 50-yard line for the punt. Kick returner B.J. Sams and cornerbacks Maurice Leggett and Rashad Barksdale took turns catching the punt. They did not return the ball up the field. The drill moved down the field in 5-yard increments every few punts.
At 10:55 there was a water break before the team worked on blocking assignments for the punt return. After that, players focused on getting down their lane assignments—which were marked with blue cones— while punter Dustin Colquitt imitated taking punts.

[BigRedChief]

Tuesday, July 29, 2008: Afternoon Practice
It was a scorcher of an afternoon at Chiefs practice today. The bright sunny sky and the 88 degree temperature seemed to make the 97 fans in attendance migrate to shaded areas. Other than the shaded areas, the 14 mile per hour wind coming out of the southwest was the only refreshingly cool thing out there for fans, players and staff. The humidity was at 30 percent.

Defense
As coaches and players filed into Ramer Field, Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham told fans they better put on the sun block because it was going to be a warm one this afternoon.
Defensive ends Brian Johnston and Tamba Hali weren’t in pads during practice this afternoon, but they did participate in a few of the warm-up drills. Later, Head Coach Herm Edwards said Hali, who had stitches in a cut on his face, was held out to make sure nothing happened to make it worse.

Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham seemed a little more critical and enthusiastic with his linebackers this afternoon. He was being especially vocal with them. He was ordering his players not perform leisurely. “Do it correctly! Climb up the line of scrimmage. You look for someone to hit! Sometimes you hit ‘em just for fun! That’s what linebackers do,” he hollered. Later, Cunningham was getting in linebacker Demorrio Williams’ face when he struggled to run a drill correctly. “You think you’re the only player to this? You wanna play in the NFL? Because right now it doesn’t look like it!” The emotions Cunningham brought to the field fired up his linebackers. After Cunningham’s outburst, the men huddled together while Cunningham marched across the field. Explicit words were tossed around as the players agreed to do whatever Cunningham told them. “We won’t let that (expletive) break us! He can’t break us!” they chanted.

The offense and defense came together and ran several scrimmage drills. During the first reps of 11-on-11, rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey stopped veteran running back Larry Johnson for what would have been a six-yard-loss in a live-game situation. Not long after, the defensive line collectively made another big stop for a loss when rookie running back Jamaal Charles attempted a rush. After yet another impressive defensive showing, Head Coach Herm Edwards complimented rookie safety DaJuan Morgan on a stellar play. “Now that’s the way you put your face in there, 38.”

While some of the team split to run 6-on-7 (there were six members of the offense and seven members of the defense), the offensive and defensive lines moved to the north end of the field to work on some blocking drills. The offensive line was trying to stop the charge of the defensive line from reaching the quarterback. Rookie defensive tackle Maurice Murray blew by offensive tackle Travis Leffew using skills Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie had made them practice earlier today. After struggling with the drill, rookie defensive tackle Derek Lokey got some one-on-one advice from veteran defensive tackle Alfonso Boone. Boone was showing Lokey keys to where to put and move his hands.
On the south end of the field, Head Coach Herm Edwards was unhappy with the defense’s performance during 6-on-7 drills. He yelled several times over and over, “stay inside the tight end!” He was jumping up and down and flailing his arms all around while he shouted.

The team then ran some 11-on-11 drills and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham told his linebackers on several occasions, “football’s hard, so play hard!” After an impressive run by rookie running back Jamaal Charles, linebacker Demorrio Williams delivered a late hit. This resulted in some relatively subtle shoves. Head Coach Herm Edwards told the men to let it go and eventually they did.

Rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey delivered another impressive stop on running back Larry Johnson. Had the play been a live-game scenario, the offense would have lost some significant yardage on the play.
Safety Jarrad Page almost picked off quarterback Tyler Thigpen’s pass. Page sprinted from the secondary to nearly make the interception.
The first and second-string teams each had time to run through a one-minute drill. The first string defense came out with the win, but it was the second string’s offense that prevailed when they ran the drill. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen delivered a beautiful pass to tight end Brad Cottam for a last-second touchdown.

Offense
After the morning was devoted to special teams, the Chiefs’ offensive unit picked up the intensity in the afternoon session.
Rookie wide receiver Will Franklin is continuing to work in the slot with the first, second and third-string offenses. Franklin made a couple of nice grabs in a 6-on-7 drill with the first-string and an 11-on-11 drill; and caught a pass from quarterback Tyler Thigpen during a two-minute drill.
The running backs split from the wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends to work on handoffs, the agility ropes and poles. Running backs coach Curtis Modkins huddled his players around him as the offense was coming back together and told his players: “Be freaking better everyday guys.”

While the running backs worked separately, the quarterbacks threw passes into the end zone from the 10-yard line to wide receivers. Quarterback Brodie Croyle lobbed a pass to the back pylon for wide receiver Devard Darling, who juggled it before gaining possession out of bounds; Darling looked at the media and shrugged saying: “oohh…no touchdown.”

The offense looked to get the better of the defense in the first round of an 11-on-11 walk through. After tight end Tony Gonzalez dropped a pass when he was open, running back Larry Johnson found a big hole and scampered through the defense into the secondary untouched.

The second-string, with quarterback Tyler Thigpen at the helm, fared well against the secondary defense as well. Thigpen completed a pass to Kevin McMahan for 10 yards right after rookie running back Jamaal Charles hit a huge hole bringing “oohs and aahhs” from the fans in attendance.
After the second-string took its turn, Head Coach Herm Edwards praised his team and yelled: “Practicing good right now men, keep the tempo up.”
Quarterback Brodie Croyle was 6-6 in the first-string’s second round in an 11-on-11 drill, including a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Devard Darling. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe made an acrobatic catch on a pass that was perfectly, and intentionally, thrown behind Bowe by Croyle.
The first-string failed to score once again in the 2-minute drill. Croyle did complete a 15-yard pass to Bowe to keep the drive alive on fourth and 10, but ran out of time three plays later when the final pass in the end zone was batted down.

The second-string did score a touchdown. Backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen scrambled for 20-yards after completing two of his first three passes. Two plays later, Thigpen completed a pass to rookie tight end Brad Cottam for a touchdown as time expired.
Extra Extra...
Cornerbacks Brandon Flowers, Tyron Brackenridge, Rashad Barksdale and safety Jon McGraw were out on a practice field before practice started. At 3:51 they began practicing with a Juggs machine. A blue cone was set out that symbolized a receiver. The object was for the defender to cut in front of the cone and intercept the pass that came from the Juggs machine.

An air horn sounded at 3:56. Players then gathered on Ramer Field to warm up with line drills and stretching. Another air horn blew at 4:07 that meant practice officially started. Players then split up to work on position-specific drills. The offensive players stayed on Ramer while the defensive players moved to the practice fields outside the stadium.
Defensive tackles Derek Lokey and T.J. Jackson were heard talking football on the sidelines before warm-ups and practice began.Vice President Denny Thum was present at practice. He remained on the sidelines and spent most of his time observing 6-on-7 drills.

Equipment Manager Mike Davidson and Assistant Equipment Manager Allen Wright were busy running between Ramer Field and the practice field throughout practice. During the 6-on-7 drills, they were keeping tabs on the team while talking to other coaches.
Prescott High School students Kaitlyn Jerrick and Emily Cobenais were observing the Chiefs practice from the sidelines. This was their first training camp. Both students are interested in journalism and were anxious to learn more. They were impressed with how close they were to the players. “The training camp is a great opportunity for students to learn about journalism,” said UWRF Sports Information Director, Jim Thies. “Having the Chiefs here enables us to have interested students come in and learn about journalism and other careers.”

At the end of practice, running back Larry Johnson joked with wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and tight end Tony Gonzalez. Johnson was wiping his face with a Gatorade towel and said he needed to ring it out after each practice because he sweats so much.
Immediately following practice, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, running back Larry Johnson, safety Jon McGraw and safety DaJuan Morgan signed autographs for their loyal fans.

Herm Edwards Press Conference

In his press conference after practice, Head Coach Herm Edwards said that he thinks the offense is practicing at a good tempo, but the team needs to be getting better every practice.
Edwards also said that quarterback Brodie Croyle’s confidence seems to be a lot different than it has been the last two years. Edwards said, “He’s just waiting on the chance to play.”

When asked about whether there was still a competition for the starting offensive line, Edwards responded: “Well yeah, but I think right now we want to go into the first preseason game with those guys that are there, to see how they perform.”

Edwards also said that the offensive line is getting better. “I think what we’re asking them to do fits what they can do,” Edwards said, “I think they’re starting to understand how we want to run the ball. We’re gonna run certain runs and we’re going to perfect them.”
When asked about running a man-to-man defense rather than the cover-2, Edwards said he enjoys playing man-to-man. With the team he has this season, he feels a man-to-man defense fits the Chiefs better.

The In-Zone
He’s a big guy, but he’s an even bigger giver. His hard work and dedication on the field has helped him to become one of the most choice players at his position. The combination of his commitment and compassion has helped him to touch the lives of thousands of people. That’s who offensive guard Brian Waters is: a giver. He gives to his team’s effort, to the needs of others less fortunate and to those who see his good works and desire to do the same.

In 2005, the three-time pro bowler established the Brian Waters 54 Foundation. The foundation provides opportunities for low-income, underprivileged youth and families from his hometown of Waxahachie, Texas. The foundation also has outreach programs based in Dallas and the Greater Kansas City area. Among the foundation’s philanthropic endeavors are a scholarship fund, free youth football and basketball camps and support for Waxahachie Pee Wee Football, Waxahachie Habitat for Humanity and Promise House, an organization that helps youths and families in crisis by providing sources of hope. Waters also supports many other societies as spokesman for the NFL’s United Way and What Moves U fitness campaigns. The community service major’s efforts were recognized when Waters received the JB Award in April; the award is voted on by the NFL Players Association and the players themselves. From breast cancer awareness to fundraising for down syndrome, his impressive list of charitable activities is reflective of Waters’s humble, passionate character.

He’s a big guy, but he’s an even bigger giver. His hard work and dedication on the field has helped him to become one of the most choice players at his position. The combination of his commitment and compassion has helped him to touch the lives of thousands of people. That’s who offensive guard Brian Waters is: a giver. He gives to his team’s effort, to the needs of others less fortunate and to those who see his good works and desire to do the same.

In 2005, the three-time pro bowler established the Brian Waters 54 Foundation. The foundation provides opportunities for low-income, underprivileged youth and families from his hometown of Waxahachie, Texas. The foundation also has outreach programs based in Dallas and the Greater Kansas City area. Among the foundation’s philanthropic endeavors are a scholarship fund, free youth football and basketball camps and support for Waxahachie Pee Wee Football, Waxahachie Habitat for Humanity and Promise House, an organization that helps youths and families in crisis by providing sources of hope. Waters also supports many other societies as spokesman for the NFL’s United Way and What Moves U fitness campaigns. The community service major’s efforts were recognized when Waters received the JB Award in April; the award is voted on by the NFL Players Association and the players themselves. From breast cancer awareness to fundraising for down syndrome, his impressive list of charitable activities is reflective of Waters’s humble, passionate character.

Waters brings these attributes to the field. The North Texas alumnus entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1999, but was cut from the team. He spent the 2000 season playing center for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa before joining the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent later that year. Since then, Waters has helped multiple Kansas City standouts-such as running backs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson-to extraordinary rushing performances and has played alongside distinguished offensive lineman Will Shields. Waters signed a seven-year contract extension with the franchise in 2005. This season he will unquestionably serve as a mentor and leader of a youthful Chiefs offensive line.

Waters’s Practice Today:
1. Waters warmed up alongside tight end Tony Gonzalez. Waters, with a smile on his face, small talked with Gonzalez while they stretched out before practice.
2. He worked on two one-on-one drills with the left side of the o-line. The first was a drill designed for blocking on the pass. Waters and two other linemen worked on their stances by keeping their feet on both sides of a foot-wide flat red rubber mat. Waters took on a few reps before he observed the rest of the drill from the south end zone of Ramer Field where the drills were being run. The second drill was to practice clearing gaps for ball carriers. Again, he took just a few reps.
3. At 4:25 Waters joined the rest of the offensive crew. They did an 11-on-11 walk through for 10 minutes. The drill started on the 17-yard line and Waters went out with the first-string.
4. An air horn blew at 4:33 that brought the offense and defense together on Ramer Field. The team then ran an 11-on-11 drill. Waters went out with the first crew for six reps. He didn’t as easily dominate defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey as he had in previous practices. Dorsey got by him once to cut off running back Larry Johnson as he headed to the right sideline on a short 8-yard run.
5. Offensive and defensive linemen worked on a blocking drill while the rest of the team participated in a 6-on-7 drill. One side of each line lined up on the 10-yard line. Each player took turns going one-on-one with their opponent from the line to the end zone. Waters took only one rep during the drill. He faced and defeated defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
6. Before a second round of 11-on-11 Waters took two minutes to have something cold to drink with offensive guards Herb Taylor and Tre Stallings.
7. During the 11-on-11 drill, Waters worked on the line with offensive tackle Branden Albert, center Rudy Niswanger, offensive guard Adrian Jones and offensive tackle Damion McIntosh.

After Practice Comments:
Waters took just a minute to discuss how he felt the defensive line had been doing. He said that the line keeps getting better and said that linebacker Napoleon Harris was playing well. “We haven’t been that good with the d-line in the past,” he said.

Fans
Just before Chava Duran had to head to work at Mariachi Loco, he and his son Julian watched the beginning of this afternoon’s practice. Chava commented on how he saw tight end Tony Gonzalez win a Latin award on a Spanish channel. As his two-year-old son crawled around the bleachers, Chava mentioned how the Chiefs like to stop in Mariachi for a late snack.
Making their way from Cameron, Mo., the Ott family, consisting of Mom Paula, Dad Mark and sons Court and Nick hunted for autographs. Also, making the journey with the Ott family was Jared and Josh Thompson. Since their arrival on Sunday they have come in contact with different players a few times. This morning Nick was tossed a Chiefs practice ball from Head Coach Herm Edwards as a gift; this has been a highlight of his camp so far. Then while the group was out for dinner at Copper Kettle they ran into quarterbacks Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle, tight end Tony Gonzalez and linebacker Donnie Edwards. All of the players signed autographs, and then after the players were finished with their meals, the Chiefs approached the family again for more conversation.

First timers at camp this afternoon were Scott and Sue Williams of River Falls, Wis. The five-year residents of River Falls said they had the day off from work and decided to walk to the practice field. Scott said they were Packer fans, and joked how he was scouting the competition. They both said they would be interested in coming back when the Vikings are here on Thursday.

With a black Canon camera in-hand, Kim White, a resident of Leewood, Kan., snapped action photos of the players. She is the sister of long time Topeka Capital-Journal Chiefs reporter Rick Dean who was taking notes from the black-top track that surrounds Ramer Field. White likes to catch Chiefs game when she can get her hands on a ticket; last year she saw the Chiefs play the St. Louis Rams. She went on to say, “If you think it’s hot here, you should feel how humid it is in Kansas City right now.”
Scott and son Jordan Stastny from Wichita, Kan., enjoyed themselves at their fourth consecutive Chiefs training camp. Jordan was impressive with his display of football knowledge. He was like a walking talking sports fact book. The Stastny’s made their ten- hour journey up to River Falls hoping to see an impressive rookie class and a positive change in the team’s offensive philosophy.

Charles City Iowa sent Mike McCarty and his son Sam to River Falls for their second consecutive Chiefs training camp. They plan on making the Chiefs training camp an annual father/son trip. Both thought it was pretty neat that they were only a three-hour car ride away from watching their favorite team practice. Their favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez, but both were pretty happy when they got defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey’s autograph.

Four big football fans from Rib Lake, Wis., attended practice. John Gerstberger and his wife Mary brought their two daughters, Patricia and Julie, to their fifteenth Chiefs training camp. They plan on staying all this week and then going home. They then plan on coming back for the last few days of camp to give the Chiefs a proper send off. Their favorite player is linebacker Donnie Edwards. They said they love to come to the River Falls area and are impressed with the practice facilities. While at camp, they plan on taking a lot of pictures and getting tight end Tony Gonzalez’s autograph. They wanted to send a special hello to Jim and Doris Horning of Strafford, Mo.

Zen and Tonya McCurry from Bend, Ore., drove two days to River Falls. After watching just fifteen minutes of practice, both said it was worth it. They go to a Chiefs game every year at Arrowhead Stadium, but this was their first time attending a Chiefs training camp practice. Both seemed to enjoy the beautiful weather.

[kepp]

"rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey stopped veteran running back Larry Johnson for what would have been a six-yard-loss in a live-game situation"

[BigRedChief]

Wednesday, July 30, 2008: Morning Practice
Bright, sunny skies were accompanied by an 80 degree temperature, which made for an enjoyable practice. The humidity was at 54 percent and there was a 10 mile per hour wind coming out of the northwest. The 122 fans in attendance were able to enjoy watching some energy-filled football.
Special Teams
The punt unit started the practice off with a drill that focused on return coverage. Players lined up on the north 25-yard line of Ramer Field. The return team was distinguished from the cover team by wearing yellow skull caps over its helmets. A Juggs machine shot out balls that simulated a punt as punter Dustin Colquitt practiced his approach. Cornerbacks Rashad Barksdale and Tyron Brackenridge, safety DaJuan Morgan and kick returner B.J. Sams took turns on the return. Cornerback Maurice Leggett also took a few reps. He dropped two punts. After his first, Head Coach Herm Edwards encouraged the rookie saying, “That’s ok, you got it.”
During this drill the cover team worked on lane assignments “You gotta get a good release,” said Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer, “That a way 96. That’s a good job. That’s exactly what they’ll do.” The emphasis was put on covering the return rather than on the return itself as returners simply caught the punt but did not carry it up the field.
The return unit would take a few reps during a short drill to practice the return. The drill was run at half speed. Different scenarios, such as a right or left return, were called out. Two players from the return team paired up to go against one defender. The players worked for about 15 yards. The purpose of the drill was so that blockers could practice opening the lanes and holding off defenders for the ball carrier.
Defense
Defensive ends Tamba Hali and Brian Johnston weren’t in pads this morning, but they did participate with the rest of the defensive line in a few low-contact drills, including the agility ropes. Defensive end Trevor Johnson wasn’t suited up for the second practice in a row, and he didn’t participate in any drills. During Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie’s wrap-up drill, Hali was at the front of the line, encouraging his teammates. “There ya go!” he said as he clapped his hands. Later, Krumrie got heated telling his men they needed to hit harder. “Disengage his (butt). We’re too nice” he hollered over and over.
Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham led his men on the sleds this morning, but stopped the drill when rookie linebacker Steve Octavien messed up his crossover step. After Cunningham addressed the problem, Octavien fixed his mistake and the drill continued. Linebacker Derrick Johnson complimented his teammate, Aden Durde saying, “Good job 67. Getting better, baby. I like that.” From the sled, Cunningham took his linebackers to the middle of practice field three where they worked on covering the draw while in man-to-man and in cover two.
There was a pair of scuffles during 11-on-11. Defensive tackle Tank Tyler was involved in a pretty subtle brawl early in the drill, but later fists were flying as linebacker Pat Thomas and offensive tackle Damion McIntosh laid into each other after an impressive defensive stop. McIntosh ended up sitting out the rest of practice with ice on his knee.
The defense came to practice with fire under their feet because they made several good plays. Quarterback Damon Huard’s pass was intended for wide receiver Jeff Webb, but was broken up by cornerback Patrick Surtain as a result of his tight coverage. Almost immediately following that play, Huard threw another ball that was almost picked off by safety Jarrad Page. Linebacker Pat Thomas had a great tackle on running back Jackie Battle that resulted in a zero-gain. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen threw an interception to veteran linebacker Donnie Edwards. During the defense’s impressive showing, Head Coach Herm Edwards jogged from the south to the north end of Ramer Field to talk with cornerback Tyron Brackenridge on adjusting his coverage to move with the ball.
Offense
Quarterback Brodie Croyle, running back Larry Johnson and right tackle Damion McIntosh all did not participate in the full session of practice. Croyle and Johnson had the morning practice off for rest, according to Head Coach Herm Edwards.
With Croyle sitting out, quarterbacking duties were split between Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen, who warmed up by throwing to the running backs, tight ends wide receivers.
Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey encouraged his offense as they warmed up, saying: “Don’t waste a day.”
After the warm up, the quarterbacks threw different patterns to the wide receivers as the running backs and tight ends split into separate groups. Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey praised wide receiver Devard Darling after a good wide receiver screen pass, shouting: “That’s good, that’s the way Devard; push him with your eyes.”
The running backs worked on splitting defenders, with fullbacks and other running backs posing as dummy defenders. Running Backs Coach Curtis Modkins emphasized to players the importance of keeping their pads down to split the defenders.
As the offense did 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, quarterbacks Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen alternated working with the first string offense.
Thigpen finished the practice completing 3-8 passes, including being intercepted twice. Rookie wide receiver Jabari Arthur made the catch of the day when he grabbed one of Thigpen’s better throws despite blanket coverage by cornerback Will Poole. Huard struggled early in the drill but settled down to complete 8 of his last 10 passes.
Rookie running back Jamaal Charles practiced exceptionally well. Charles broke through the line and into the secondary untouched on a screen pass from Huard, and found pay-dirt from 25 yards after a sweet cutback on a pitch from Thigpen.
Herm Edwards Press Conference
Head Coach Herm Edwards talked with the media for more than ten minutes after practice. Edwards said he liked the speed of the morning practice but said: “We just gotta continue to correct the mistakes and little things, that’s kind of important for us right now.”
When asked about the linebacker competition, Edwards said: “They’re competing, I said that in the spring and there’s gonna be movement there.”
The Chiefs practice with the Minnesota Vikings Thursday evening, and Edwards said that the practice is always fun—even though the last few times have been a little testy—he looks for the practice to be very productive.
“At this point in time players like seeing another uniform, I think we’ll do a good job of competing and that’s what we want to do; we want to get something out of it for both teams,” Edwards said.
When asked about former Chiefs defensive tackle Jared Allen, Edwards said: “Yeah, we’re probably going to hard count him. Jared did a great job here as a football player.”
Edwards said it will be good for rookie offensive tackle Branden Albert to go against a pro-bowler in Allen. “It will be a good test for him [Albert], the more he’s in that situation the better he’s gonna gain confidence.”
Of the scuffles occurring the last few days of practice, Edwards simply said, “Things flair up, that’s gonna happen and the good thing about it is that it happens and now it’s over. I just think it’s competitive, training camp brings that on sometimes.”
Extra Extra...
At 8:42 an air horn sounded to signal it was time for the team to warm up and stretch on Ramer Field before practice. Practice officially started at 8:52 to the sound of another air horn.
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen’s right calf muscle was wrapped for practice. This is the first time during camp he has had his leg wrapped. He appeared to be moving on his leg just fine during drills.
Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham and Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie talked about football while walking from Ramer Field to practice field three.
Head Coach Herm Edwards signed autographs for a few children while heading to the practice fields from Ramer Field. One little boy mentioned how he wanted to be like Edwards when he grew up. Edwards responded, “You wanna stand on the sidelines with me? You might wanna rethink that man. People throw stuff at me, man!” Later on, he asked the children if they wanted to come sit on the sidelines and watch. Edwards had them escorted onto Ramer so they could enjoy a better view for the rest of the practice.
Defensive Backs Coach David Gibbs saw quarterback Brodie Croyle standing on the 46-yard line during one-on-one drills. Croyle was yelling “go” each time a new player would step to the line. Gibbs screamed jokingly, “Quit (messing) up our drill!”
During today’s 11-on-11 drills, Head Coach Herm Edwards told the players, “Do your job. Don’t worry about anybody else’s job. Do your own job.”
There were new porter potties brought in during practice to begin the set up for the Chiefs/Vikings practice. Miller Lite beer was also hauled by truck near the concession stand for the upcoming festivities.
Linebacker Napoleon Harris took a few minutes after practice to speak to the media. He mentioned that he was taking full advantage of the opportunities that the coaches are giving the players to show what they can do. When asked about his thoughts on this morning’s practice, he responded, “If you wanna be a good team, you can’t be lopped-sided. The offense can’t be dominating each day and neither can the defense.”
Cornerback Brandon Flowers also took time to talk to the media after practice. He said he’s all about business during the season. After practice, he goes back to the residence halls and reads about future teams and studies plays. He knows he can have fun after the season is over. “I wanna come in and work hard,” Flowers said. During this up-coming season, his plans are to “Have fun. Make plays. Win ball games.”
While his teammates stretched, tight end Tony Gonzalez took a few passes from the left and right from Assistant Equipment Manager Allen Wright on the sideline. Wright and Gonzalez jokingly argued about the amount of points Gonzalez averaged while playing basketball in college. “Did you look at how many points I averaged as a starter,” Gonzalez asked Wright. Wright said no. “Look at what I averaged as a starter. That’s the good stuff,” replied Gonzalez. Quarterback Damon Huard was standing on the sidelines, and Gonzalez asked him how his hand was doing. Huard said that he had taken some Benadryl, so he was “feeling kinda trashed, but the swelling has gone down.”
At the finish of practice, Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham joined several of his players signing autographs for eager fans along the fence. The players signing were defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, running back Larry Johnson, safety Jarrad Page, cornerback Tyron Brackenridge, cornerback Rashad Barksdale, wide receiver Jabari Arthur, defensive end Jason Parker, wide receiver Kevin Robinson, safety Jon McGraw, cornerback Brandon Flowers, running back Jamaal Charles, defensive tackle Tank Tyler and tackle Branden Albert.
Center Rudy Niswanger spoke briefly to a reporter after practice. “I feel like I am physically the best fit at center,” Niswanger said. When the issue of players switching from left to right tackle was brought up, Niswanger said it’s an asset to any team to have players who can play at multiple positions. He made a reference to tackle Damion McIntosh saying McIntosh went seven or eight years playing tackle on one side, and this year switched to the other side. “He’s done a great job transitioning.”
Fans
Sometimes camp can lead to newly found friendships. This is the case for Sean and Danielle Garneau who have meet a new group of people in River Falls, the last four years. The Mechanic Falls, Maine, residents will be here until Sunday, and plan on watching the Chiefs/Vikings scrimmage tomorrow night. They said River Falls is a great little town; it reminds them a lot of Maine because the people are so nice. Danielle was a little disappointed to see her two favorite players gone: fullback Boomer Grigsby and defensive end Jared Allen. They are looking forward to seeing the rookies including defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, as the Chiefs rebuild the team.
Chiefs fan Barry Davies—accompanied by his grandson Aidan Easley— traveled from the Kansas City, Kan., area to catch a few practices. Young Aidan said he was having a good time so far, and his favorite player is running back Larry Johnson. Aidan is able to catch Kansas University basketball games because he is from Lawrence, Kan., which is where the Jayhawks play.
With football cards in his hand young Logan stood with his father Chris as the Emholtz family watched the practice at the south end of Ramer Field. Last year Logan rode his bike to practice every morning seeking autographs from the football players. He said he has always had more luck getting autographs in the morning. Chris said last year Head Coach Herm Edwards rode up in a cart to a group of young kids and signed memorabilia for all of them.
A lot of fans got a glance at preparation for the Chiefs’ scrimmage against the Vikings. Father Mike, with his 13-year old son Eric, and 9-year old son Nick all enjoyed their first training camp practice. Nick said his favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez and he enjoys seeing him up-close.
This marks the fifth year that Terry and Debbie Hiatt from Warrensburg, Mo., attended the Chiefs training camp. Both thought the Wisconsin weather was a great break from the weather they had been experiencing back home. Terry said that terrible storms hit back home and delivered over 15 inches of rain. Debbie’s favorite Chief is linebacker Derrick Johnson. Both Terry and Debbie are excited to watch former Chiefs’ defensive end Jared Allen at the Chiefs/Vikings scrimmage Thursday night.
Richard Uppelhans and his son Sasha of St. Louis, Mo., attended Chiefs camp for the first time. Both are making the most out of it. Sasha is an autograph machine. He has his football and hat almost completely covered with player’s autographs. Richard said that he plans on making Chiefs camp an annual trip. Both Richard and Sasha were amazed by the size and speed of the players.
Jerry Cerr and his wife Maggie will be at camp with their grandson Pat and son Joe all week. All four really enjoy the River Falls area. Jerry and Maggie are from Fort Scott, Kan., and Joe and Pat are from Atchison, Kan. Their favorite place to dine is the Copper Kettle. Jerry said, “They have fantastic walleye there.” Pat’s favorite player is Chiefs’ running back Larry Johnson.
Frank Captain and his son Caleb from Chelsea, Okla., were at their first Chiefs training camp. Frank is a high school football and track coach. He and Caleb are pulling for rookie running back Dantrell Savage to make the team. He is from Oklahoma State, which just happens to be Frank’s and Caleb’s favorite University. Both send greetings out to their family Madelyn and Tyler.

[BigRedChief]

, July 30, 2008: Afternoon Practice
It was another pleasant afternoon at the Chiefs training camp. The sun was shining bright in the sky and the temperature was 86 degrees. The players, coaches, staff, and the 117 fans in attendance were refreshed by a 12 mile per hour wind coming out of the northwest. The humidity hung right around 39 percent.

Special Teams
Punter Dustin Colquitt demonstrated why he is one of the best in the league at his position. Colquitt’s punts drew positive responses from people watching on the sideline. “That thing was up in the clouds,” said one man who commented on Colquitt’s impressive hang time. While Colquitt punted, cornerbacks Rashad Barksdale, Maurice Leggett and kick returner B.J. Sams worked on timing, calling and locating the ball for the return.

Another punt drill had Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer asking for Kicker Connor Barth. “Barth, where is Connor Barth?” he questioned the players as Barth ran from the sideline to the 30-yard line for the next drill. Barth simulated punts as members of the cover unit practiced shooting through the gap and blocking the punt.
Kicker Nick Novak missed two kicks from the 37-yard line from the left hash while warming up. His first hit the left post and his second was wide left. However, Novak would make all of his four kicks during the actual drill. He kicked from the left hash 20, middle 22, right hash 27 and left hash 32-yard lines. Kicker Connor Barth would kick and make two during the drill. He kicked from the right hash 20 and middle 32-yard lines.

Defense
Just as at practice this morning, defensive ends Tamba Hali, Brian Johnston and Trevor Johnson didn’t suit up this afternoon. Hali and Johnston participated in the low-contact drills, but Johnson didn’t take part in any drills.
Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham really focused on his linebackers covering the man in motion throughout today’s practice. He spent quite a while on practice field three having his men shuffle while an offensive player went in motion. Not only did they practice covering the basic motion, but a quick run through on how to cover the i-motion was also practiced.
Members of the offense got together with the linebackers to work on covering the short pass. Linebacker Derrick Johnson tripped and fell while covering tight end John Paul Foschi. Foschi was still unable to make the grab for a completion. His next time up, Johnson covered his man well, and his fellow linebackers complimented his improvement, “Good job, baby, good job,” they cheered. Linebacker E.J. Kuale almost made a pick during the drill. Later, linebacker Demorrio Williams had an interception, and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham told him his work was “outstanding.”

When the defense came together as a whole and ran some drills with the dummies, Defensive Coordinator Gunter Cunningham seemed irritated when he hollered to his players, “in Spanish, they say ‘uno’, in German, they say ‘eins’, in English, we say ‘one.’ Got that?! ONE!”
Rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers had an interception off quarterback Tyler Thigpen during a 7-on-7 drill.

During an 11-on-11 drill, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was having difficulties with his pads, so defensive end Turk McBride gave him a hand. When linebacker Pat Thomas failed on his coverage, allowing a pass to be completed to tight end Brad Cottam, Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham said, “I’m gonna kill him. Hey Pat! There’s no excuse for that.” A nicely thrown ball to wide receiver Maurice Price was dropped when cornerback Rashad Barksdale applied good pressure. While the second and third strings worked, Defensive Line Coach Tim Krumrie worked with Dorsey on clubbing with his arms and getting by the blockers.
The team would split to practice more drills before coming together again for more 11-on-11. Defensive end Turk McBride made an excellent stop for what would have been a huge tackle in a live-game scenario. This lit up fellow defensive end Tamba Hali. “Good job, Turk. Good job, Turk. That’s how you practice now!” Hali hollered. When defensive end Jason Parker grabbed a hold of running back Kolby Smith’s jersey, Head Coach Herm Edwards had to yell down field, “Don’t grab his jersey. Don’t grab his jersey, please!”
The team then ran a situation drill that lasted two minutes. On the offense’s final play, cornerback Dimitri Patterson came up with an interception in the end zone. Patterson’s big play ended the drill in a win for the first string defense. The second string offense was who prevailed when they ran the drill, however. A key defensive play came from safety Jon McGraw when he got his hands on a ball from quarterback Tyler Thigpen intended for wide receiver Will Franklin. McGraw didn’t make an interception, but his deflection stopped Franklin from completed a huge play.

Offense
Quarterback Brodie Croyle sat out the no-pads afternoon practice as well as the morning session. Tight end Tony Gonzalez and offensive tackle Damion McIntosh also sat out the afternoon practice.
The offensive line split up and worked on blocking three teammates with pads while the quarterbacks warmed up throwing balls to wide receivers. Assistant Offensive Line Coach Joe D'Alessandris told his offensive line to, "play with a lot of energy," as the players worked on coming out of their stance.

While the rest of the team worked on field goal formations, running back Larry Johnson leaned on a dummy and wide receivers Devard Darling, Jabari Arthur, Dwayne Bowe and Kevin McMahan all played catch.
The tight ends, running backs and linebackers then faced off in a one-on-one drill as Head Coach Herm Edwards encouraged the linebackers to, "stay outside! Make the play but stay outside." At that same time the wide receivers caught balls from the quarterbacks with the defensive backs covering them. This drill was highlighted by a diving catch made by wide receiver Bobby Sippio that may or may not have been ruled a completion as he was being covered by cornerback Rashad Barksdale.
After a near-grab wide receiver Dwayne Bowe jumped up and ruled it a catch, prompting cornerback Patrick Surtain to argue with Bowe over the legitimacy of the play. Bowe jokingly yelled in Surtain's face: "The ground can't cause that!"
Right at the start of the offense versus defense session, quarterback Damon Huard, who looked like a different quarterback in Wednesday afternoon's practice than he has all of training camp, completed a 40-yard pump-and-go to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe down the sideline.

Wide receiver Bobby Sippio continued to have a great afternoon practice when he made a leaping catch on a high throw from quarterback Tyler Thigpen during an 11-on-11 session.
Quarterback Damon Huard continued to look good as he went 5-6 during a 7-on-7 drill, including a 20-yard strike to rookie tight end Brad Cottam, which Cottam made a great one-handed grab on.

Quarterback Damon Huard started the two-minute drill by marching the first string offense down the field to the defensive 23-yard line after converting a 3-and-10 when wide receiver Jeff Webb made a leaping catch to keep the drive alive. Huard then took a shot into the end zone intended for wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, which was incomplete, but Bowe thought he was interfered with. Head Coach Herm Edwards responded to Bowe's complaining by yelling, "we're on the road, ain't gonna be no call on the road!" Huard was intercepted on the next play, thus thwarting the first string's touchdown hopes.
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen completed 6-9 passes in the second string's two-minute drill as the backup squad marched down the field. Thigpen found wide receiver Jeff Webb for three of his six completions before hitting wide receiver Bobby Sippio for a touchdown from the 2-yard line.

The In-Zone
He’s consistent. He’s solid. He’s looking for a starting linebacker position. He has received practice time with the primary and secondary teams and, like so many other players on the team, Demorrio Williams has just over two weeks of training camp left to make his goal a reality. Although his fate is uncertain, the Chiefs—who acquired Williams as an unrestricted free agent from the Atlanta Falcons in March—are certain about his abilities. Williams’ speed and consistency will enable him to contribute as a right outside linebacker and make him a presence on special teams.
Williams entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick in the 2004 draft. He is a University of Nebraska alumnus that started his colligate career playing at Kilgore, Texas, Junior College. The first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection graduated with a degree in sociology. The Beckville, Texas native currently resides in Kansas City, Mo.

Today at Practice:
1. He worked on keeping low and light as he worked with fellow linebackers running a series of patterns in a drill that focused on reading the pass and run routes of the ball carrier.
2. Lining up on the 30, Williams hit dummies that represented the offensive line. He drove the dummies up in the tackling simulation drill.
3. “Get in there, we’ve got to fight,’ said Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham as Williams ran through a drill the involved a five-man sled. He went down the line hitting every other pad from the left to right before doing the same thing going from the right to left. This simulated the crossover move. He was fired up with energy and passion as he did the drill and let out plenty of grunts.
4. At 4:26 he joined the offense for a run of 11-on-11. He played against quarterbacks Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen switching in and out as the playmaker.
5. Williams would participate in a 6-on-6 drill in which he would intercept a pass. Cunningham would tell him his work was “outstanding.”
6. Williams had a friendly shoving match with wide receiver Bobby Sippio after Sippio sneaked by Williams on a route to the right sideline during another session of 11-on-11.
What Willilams Thinks of the Chiefs
“I played in the Midwest before and I kind of like the fans and the crowd. I also like the young team here and I think that we are building something special. We’ve got a lot of young guys who are working and I feel like that is a plus for this team. Last year the record wasn’t that good, but I think this season’s team has big plans.”

Extra Extra...
At 3:27 an air horn blew to signal it was time for warm ups and stretching before practice began. The players that began their warm ups at this time were mostly players who contribute on special teams. While special teams worked on practice field two, quarterbacks, linemen and other players who don’t play on special teams warmed up under the instruction of Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Smith on field one.
Fullback Chris Manderino spoke with a member of the media for a few minutes after practice. He discussed how he has made his transition to the fullback position and said it is a position he has become accustomed to. “Keep working hard. Stay healthy and just impress people out here,” said Manderino of how he will make it through camp and find a place on the roster, “I’ve had a good camp so far.”

Linebacker Pat Thomas spoke with some members of the press after practice. He said camp has been going good so far, and the competition among the linebackers makes it even better. Thomas says that adjusting to the new defense is where he has been putting the most work in. When asked if he felt he could be the starting middle linebacker, Thomas looked at the reporter with a confident face and said, “I can be our middle linebacker.” When the topic of fellow linebacker Napoleon Harris battling for the same spot as Thomas was brought up, Thomas said the decision is up to the coaches, but “may the best man win.” When asked what it was like to work with Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham, Thomas said, “I’d like to say ‘hell.’” Thomas then chuckled and continued by saying that Cunningham pushes the linebackers, and they take his hard attitude for what it’s worth. Thomas feels the practice with the Vikings will be refreshing. “It will be good to hit someone in a different colored jersey,” he said. Thomas also addressed the scrum he was involved in during this morning’s practice. Not many comments were made, but he did say, “Linebackers don’t take nothing from nobody.” To close his interview, Thomas commented on how training camp reminds him of playing for North Carolina State in college. The time off the players are given needs to be taken seriously. People need to get ice on sore body parts and stay in bed if they’re tired, Thomas thinks.

Linebacker Derrick Johnson also spent some time with reporters after practice. When asked how he looked forward to seeing former Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen – who happens to be a friend of Johnson’s – at the Vikings/Chiefs practice, Johnson said, “Jared Allen’s crazy. He’s off the wall, but in a good way. He’s a silly character, so we’re kind of expecting some sort of gimmick. But we respect him, and he respects us.” Johnson views the Allen trade as a win/win situation for everyone who was involved. Johnson was also asked about playing under Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham. “Everyone thinks he’s crazy, but he’s just very passionate. He’s not as crazy as you think,” Johnson said. “He instills great football into us so we can be great.” Next, Johnson talked about rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. “Dorsey’s a beast,” Johnson said. Johnson thinks that having Dorsey at the tackle spot will open him up to make plays. Johnson knows that offenses are going to have to focus more attention on Dorsey, and that’s what the linebackers like. “Dorsey’s not just a big guy. He can make big plays, too.” Running the man-to-man is working out well for Johnson, who says that his athleticism makes it easy to adjust. He ended his interview by saying that working with tight end Tony Gonzalez is good for him as a linebacker. “Tony’s the best tight end in the league and a future Hall of Famer, so of course it’s good for me to go up against him.”

ESPN’s John Clayton was at Wednesday’s practice. He said he’s already been at eight training camps so far. He said the Chiefs, “look like a young team.” Despite all of the traveling and long hours Clayton said that he loves his job.
Fans

Lee’s Summit, Mo., sent Chief and golf enthusiasts Don and Judith Vogelsmeier and John and Wendy Acker to the 2008 Kansas City Chief Training Camp. What started out as a guy’s trip years ago has evolved into a family/friend’s social trip. Don and Judith like the area so much that they said even if the Chiefs stop coming to River Falls they still would. They said, “the seven hour drive here was worth it.” While in the River Falls area, they will golf at many of the various golf courses. Don has had Chief season tickets for the last 38 years. Their favorite place to dine is the Copper Kettle in River Falls.
Al King and Roy Johansen made the nine-hour trip to Chiefs camp from Pleasant Hill, Mo. This is their seventh year attending the camp. King is predicting the Chiefs to win six or seven games this season and even more in the next couple of years. Both Johansen and King love the River Falls area but wish the Chiefs training camp was closer to home.
Ron and Betty Tempest from Independence, Mo., are enjoying their time at Chiefs training camp. This is their first year coming and both are impressed with the practice fields and facilities. They will be watching the Chiefs all week and are looking forward to watching how Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen will be welcomed when he comes to town Thursday night.
The Watter family has made the Chiefs camp an annual family trip. Brian, with wife Linda, have been bringing their three children Chelsy, Amanda and Zachary to Chiefs camp for the last three years. They are camping at Willow River State Park and plan on staying all week. Brian really wants to get Chiefs offensive guard Brian Waters’ autograph before they head back home to Stewartville, Minn. Brian has a sports bar in his basement full of Kansas City Chief autographed memorabilia.

After practice, Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe joked with reporters about rooming with quarterback Brodie Croyle. “Brodie is old school. I know he is young but he is the old school type.” Bowe went on to talk about how he is trying to get Croyle to like hip-hop music. When asked if he would listen to Croyle’s country music Bowe said, “I would listen to it. At the very least I would give it a shot and learn the lyrics.” He is still waiting for Croyle’s wife to mail them some country/rock music. Near the end of the interview, Bowe said that tomorrow night will be just a little preview of what to expect this upcoming year.
St. Paul, Minn., residents Drew and Tina Backus made there way to River Falls this afternoon to catch the practice. The two aren’t really Chief fans, but do like Herm Edwards as a coach because he presents himself strong vocally. Last camp the couple made their way to Mankato, Minn., for the practice between the Chiefs and the Vikings and plan on being back tomorrow for the local version.

Veterans of 16 years at camp Terryl Lilluis joined by her husband, enjoyed camp in the east end bleachers. Terryl talked about wanting to come to the Chiefs and Vikings practice on Thursday, but their daughter is in a state soccer tournament. The two locals said they have had fun in past years seeing the fireworks at Family Fun Night. In the past the two enjoyed when wide receiver Randy Moss and quarterback Daunte Culpepper came to RF with the Vikings.

A concerned fan, Doug Flaherty talked about the possibility of the Chiefs leaving River Falls in the near future and moving training camp to Arrowhead Stadium. He said it would be too hot down there and too much of a zoo. Doug is from Pocahontas, Iowa and has been at camp since 1990 when Marty Schottenheimer was the head coach. While Doug is in RF he plans on shooting some golf at the Clifton Hollow course tomorrow. He said they have a promotional Chiefs deal that allows him to shoot golf for $30, with a cart included.

Former Chiefs tight end Walter White was on the sidelines at practice. White spent five years with Kansas City from 1975-80. He wore No. 88, which is now worn by tight end Tony Gonzalez. “Tony has broken every record I had with the team,” White said with a smile on his face. White brought his good friend Tom Gunn up here with him. White is now in the banking industry. He works at Commerce Bank in Kansas City, working with pension plans and giving people financial advice. He’s here for a few days and is looking forward to watching the Chiefs/Vikings practice tomorrow night. He was seen with a rather large red, diamond ring. He received it while being a Kansas City Chief Ambassador, which is an organization that’s huge in community service. He said the Kansas City organization is a, “great organization that does lots of good things in the community. Their main objective is football. They’re also the loudest stadium in the NFL…by far!” White was also up here with Jody Kaaz, Alison Smith, James Gladuieux, and Andrew Berg who are all from Leavenworth, Kan. White, Kaaz, Smith, Gladuieux, and Berg attended a dinner, auction, and golf tournament to benefit United Way of Leavenworth, Kansas. United Way of Leavenworth, Kansas auctioned off a package for a few days stay to Chiefs Training Camp, which White received. Armed Forces Insurance with Commerce Bank covered the group’s stay and Kaaz-Lexeco Construction covered the group’s airfare.

Tom Condon from Claire, Iowa made the four-hour drive to training camp this morning. He drove up with his two sons and one grandson. They plan to leave Friday morning. He’s looking forward to seeing tight end Tony Gonzalez and punter Dustin Colquitt at the Chiefs/Vikings practice tomorrow night. His favorite players are Gonzalez and Colquitt. Condon and family are looking forward to indulging in Luigi’s Pizza before they head back to Iowa.
Ron Adams ventured nine hours north from Paola, Kan. He came here Monday and isn’t sure when his wife and him are going back home. He’s looking forward to seeing the draft picks and how they look on the field. His favorite player is tight end Tony Gonzalez. When asked about how the Chiefs are going to do this up-coming season, he said, “we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Four small children were seen running and playing with a football in the grassy area next to the practice fields.
Chiefs Vice President Denny Thum was at today’s practice. He spent time on the sidelines talking to different coaches.

[boogblaster]

Glad to hear Sipp is having a good camp ... I truly believe he's a diamond in the ruff ....