****The Official 2009 Training Camp Update Thread****

[DaWolf]

Figure we might as well have one?

http://www.bobgretz.com/
http://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/prev_updates.php
http://www.kcchiefs.com/default.asp
http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/
http://twitter.com/kb_kcstar
http://twitter.com/brandoncarr
http://kan.scout.com/
http://www.arrowheadpride.com/
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/KC

[Tribal Warfare]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/KC

August 5 10:59 ET



CB Brandon Carr picked off a Matt Cassel pass during the Chiefs 7-on-7 drill.
CB Brandon Carr picked off a Matt Cassel pass during the Chiefs 7-on-7 drill.

August 5 10:53 ET



Chiefs rookie kicker Ryan Succop was 3 for 3 on his FG attempts in morning practice.
Chiefs rookie kicker Ryan Succop was 3 for 3 on his FG attempts in morning practice.

August 5 10:51 ET



Chiefs coach Todd Haley is unhappy with his receivers and is riding them hard in morning practice.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley is unhappy with his receivers and is riding them hard in morning practice.

August 4 5:41 ET



The Chiefs announded they have claimed LB Vince Redd on waivers from New England. To make room for Redd, they released injured guard Edwin Harrison.
The Chiefs announded they have claimed LB Vince Redd on waivers from New England. To make room for Redd, they released injured guard Edwin Harrison.

August 4 5:38 ET



Newly signed Chiefs WR Amani Toomer will face his former team, the New York Giants, in Week 4. "They felt like they needed to move on, and I agreed I needed to move on."

Newly signed Chiefs WR Amani Toomer will face his former team, the New York Giants, in Week 4. "They felt like they needed to move on, and I agreed I needed to move on."

[Tribal Warfare]

AM PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS

August 5th - 8:44 AM

Today marks five consecutive days of full padded practices.

9:39 AM - Pre-practice, walk-thrus and stretching are complete and we’re in the middle of position drills. Of note today is the return of LB Zach Thomas (a one practice hiatus) and the absense of LB Monty Beisel.

9:47 AM - One of the great things I’ve noticed about this camp, when comparing to past Chiefs camps, is that veteran players aren’t getting days off from practice. In many previous Chiefs camps (and other camps around the league for that matter), you’ll see veteran players not work two practices in a row during camp. That signals a lack of competition among position groups. We haven’t seen that here. All we’ve seen is rookies pushing veterans and veterans pushing rookies for roster spots. Also, if you’re not practicing, you’re on the sidelines which coach Cedric Smith…which may be more grueling than actually practicing.

10:09 AM - We just witnessed one of the more entertaining WR/DB one-on-one periods of camp, at least from a big-play perspective.

* CB Londen Fryar (son of former NFL WR Inving Fryar) made two excellent plays going up against WR Bobby Engram. The first was jumping in front of an out route for an INT and the second was running stride for stride with Engram down the sideline to record a PBU.
* WR Rodney Wright got loose for a big play today, getting behind the defender once again for a nice TD from 40-50 yards out. He celebrated by hi-fiving one of the fans behind the fence that borders the back of the end zone.
* WR Mark Bradley got loose on a deep passing route and CB Ricardo Colclough logged an INT.

10:12 AM - The offensive line turned in a nice performace against the defensive line during inside run. Hopefully this unit will start to gel with their group back at full strength.

10:29 AM - I’ve spent a lot of time this camp talking with “The Snapper,” Kendall Gammon. One thing that Gammon says is key for a long snapper is the ability to cover after the snap. It looks like teams coach Steve Hoffman was preaching the importance of coverage to the interior blockers during pass pro today.

10:31 AM - Reps, reps, reps. A bit different today as the receivers are getting multiple reps before taking a breather. WR Devard Darling used the reps to his advantage during 7-on-7 drills by logging three catches on consecutive plays.

10:45 AM - The offensive line has carried some momentum into the first few plays of 11-v-11. There is a lot of energy from this unit after springing RB Jackie Battle loose for a few runs.

10:54 AM - LB Corey Mays caps off things with a nice hit. Off to see what coach has to say. More later.

ANOTHER TWO-FOR-ONE

August 5th - 8:20 AM

The trend stays the same in River Falls today…two practices on the schedule at 8:50 AM and 4:30 PM.

CHIEFS FINDING WINNERS

August 5th - 7:33 AM

The Chiefs signed free agent WR Amani Toomer yesterday. The move bumps up the team’s wide receiving core from nine players to 10. The move increases the total amount of receptions represented on the Chiefs roster by 668. It increases the total receiving yardage by 9,497 and it increases the career TDs on the Chiefs roster by 54. The move also increases another number, from 12 to 13.

13. That’s how many times that players on the Chiefs roster have been part of a Super Bowl team. Amazingly, 10 of those 13 are represented by players signed during the Scott Pioli/Todd Haley era. Toomer, part of the N.Y. Giants Super Bowl XLII squad, is the latest addition.

“We’ll do anything to increase competition,” Haley said about the Toomer signing. “A guy of Amani’s caliber and what he’s done in the league fits that bill.”

Competition breeds success and success breeds more success. Many of the Chiefs roster moves have been about going out and finding proven winners, and letting those winners compete. Put enough winners in a locker room and you’ve got a good shot at generating a winning culture.

Part of building a winning culture isn’t just finding players who want to win. It’s about finding players who know how to win. This teams roster is under reconstruction and it will be for the foreseeable future. Toomer is a player whose background “fits the bill.” He’s another piece of the puzzle and how he is used is to be determined.

QB Matt Cassel (one Super Bowl), WR Bobby Engram (one Super Bowl), LB Monty Beisel (one Super Bowl), LB Mike Vrabel (four Super Bowls), S Mike Brown (one Super Bowl) and Toomer (two Super Bowls) are the players who represent the nine Super Bowls that Pioli has brought in since becoming the Chiefs general manager. Toomer is the 13th. Kind of fitting that the player representing the 13th Super Bowl wore jersey #13 on his first day of practice.

[DeepSouth]

I went back to posts dated 8/3 and didn't see anyone mention this;

Croyle has taken over most of the snaps with the second team.

That was posted in http://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/prev_upda...s=090804pm.htm

[xfactor]

Alright, here is the report for the night.* It's a long one!Two big stories right off the bat, Amani Toomer signs today. After we hear about this, we all get excited. And then, about thirty minutes after the news broke to us, he is suited up and on the field wearing number 13.* Immediately, Toomer began to make an impact from the 1-on-1 drill to the 7-on-7 scrimmages. It was his first practice, and to our surprise, he did NOT miss a ball. It was amazing to get the news today about Amani, but having Toomer show up and display that kind of heart on day one was just phenomenal. Then, once we began getting into the 11-on-11 scrimmages, he stunned the crowd with two spectacular catches.* One was caught for a touchdown. The other one was on an out route along the side line. He basically made a diving catch like he had glue on his hands. We had a number 98 Vince Redd show up on the field today, and man did he do the right thing to become noticed. His first play on the field was a blocked a field goal! Another play made by Vince today was in interception during 7-on-7’s that made us look over to find out that he was running the ball back the other way down the field. This is what’s so cool, and I think this is what’s going to symbolize Pioli. Pioli has constantly shown that this team is a work in progress and is always going to continue to try to improve this team with every chance and player he can get.* We are almost a week into camp now, and here are two guys that were not even on our radars yesterday, yet they showed up today in full pads. In their first practice, Amani Toomer and Vince Redd were the superstars of the practice. Two guys who were not even here for the first three days of this camp, show up today and become the superstars of this practice. Vince Redd, what a perfect last name for this team.* We did a little digging on him, after the practice, and found out that he was drafted by the Patriots and started five games for them. Vince made quite the impact at LB and is a BIG, BIG Linebacker with tremendous speed and play making ability with the blocked FG and interception on his first day.The neat thing that I watched tonight was Todd Haley, I really watched him closely in action today and the words that popped into my head are “Field General”. Literally, when he comes to watch a certain group of guys, whether it be the Wider Receivers, Linebackers, or Cornerbacks, these guys step up their effort in play ten fold. No one wants to make a mistake in front of Haley because he has proven that he IS going to hold you accountable. Todd is a very detail oriented and a complete student of the game. A few of his quotes today were just awesome. The one that stuck out to me was, “We are not going to beat ourselves.* We are not that good yet”. Basically, what that means is we are not going to shoot ourselves in the foot. We are not going to get a holding penalty or a fumble. We are not going to drop an interception or even throw an interception. We are not going to have the plays that are going to cost us because we are not good enough as a football team to overcome mistakes yet. We need to practice perfection on every single play!* Another example came when running special teams play tonight.* Dustin had about a 40yard punt and you could hear Haley screaming “Come on Dustin! We are going to need so much better than that.”* On another drill, the long snapper put the ball way over Colquitt’s head twice in consecutive plays.* Dustin had to bring down the ball and get the punt off.* Haley could be heard wanting to know who was responsible.* Haley demanded the long snapper be replaced.* From that point on, there were no issues with the snap.All of the coaches are just like Haley.* It is amazing to see how Haley leads, and how they all speak the same language. Never have I seen a group of guys with the exact same message for every player.* Haley holds his coaches to the same standards as his players.* When his coaches didn’t get a special teams drill organized and started promptly, he began to be vocal about the situation.* He could be heard yelling, “Who’s causing this?* C’mon!* Let’s go!!!”*Jackie Battle today was completely blowing us away. We are still asking the question… Why not FB? In two separate plays tonight, he lowered the shoulder and just leveled the defender. Some of the ESPN commentators from his college tape even projected him to be an NFL Fullback.Belcher, our college free agent from Maine is the young man who Haley told us, yesterday, was the most impressive in camp so far. So, as you can imagine today, we were watching him throughout the day. *He had a few good drills but nothing special stood out to us. Then, after practice, we had the chance to speak with him and tell him what Haley had said. His first words to us were, “I sucked A** today!”* I looked at him and said, “You know what? We all make mistakes, but the key thing is to learn from your mistakes and not let them happen again.” His response was, “You’re so right man.” Terence Copper number 10 is a highly talented special team’s guy that has not done a lot at WR till today made some nice catches and stood out to me today. Devard Darling looked good until the two minute drill. The situation at the time was that we needed 8 yards to be in field goal range. Darling had the ball in his hands and was past the eight yard marker, but he dropped the ball.* Needless to say, Haley was ALL over him on this play, telling him how we have to make the catch.Glen Dorsey finally got off of “Cast Away Island”. Glen did not look great at all tonight, but he was out there working his butt off. He was working a lot on technique. He definitely gets an “E” for effort, but he is WAY behind the ball. Tank Tyler is a total beast!* He has slimmed down and looks amazing. He is busting his butt in individuals and just giving his all. Rodney Wright continues to impress. Wright had another great practice today. He seems to be popping out to me every practice. He runs great routes and is catching balls. He just does not drop them. Wright continues to show his incredible speed.* He has showed his heart by running to the next drill when everyone else is jogging. Wright’s forte is definitely on special teams right now.* Special teams will be Wright’s ticket to make the 2009 Chiefs roster.* Overall, Wright shows that he’s giving 110% in order to not only make this team, but be a contributor week after week.Matt Cassel continues to have great practices.* This has become the norm from him.* Cassel** After practice, Matt signed autographs for the fans, and demonstrated his multitasking abilities.* He would sign one item, hand it back without looking at the owner, and grab another item to sign from someone else.* Cassel was the last player signing items, and he was great with all the fans.Zach Thomas was sent to “Cast Away Island” today. This is the result of an injury he received.* We don’t know the details of the injury at this time.* The others on “Cast Away Island” have a coach to motivate them to work.* Zach did not have a motivator while he worked out.* Thomas ran a marathon of 100 yard dashes followed immediately by time on the bicycle.* Zach is a physical specimen with huge, rock hard calves and thighs.* He continually shows how his 15 years of hard work in the league has paid off.Alex Magee was really impressive today.* He performs each drill very fast and very well. Magee really stuck out on the drills today.Mr. Irrelevant, Ryan Succop, is blowing us away.* He made every attempt today except for the kick blocked by Redd.* I got to talk to him after practice.* He and Colquitt were joking around with each other and the fans.* They have definitely gotten a bond started with each other.This lone practice ran 2 hours and 45 minutes.* It was even longer than the previous single practice.* Again, there were no player complaints.* These long practices show that Haley, his coaching staff, and players want to get everything they need to accomplish done on this one a day practices.* These practices have a greater intensity than the two a days.It was a great day of practice.* There are two new players iwearing red and gold.* Chiefs fans have been given more hope and excitement as this training camp progresses.* There are rumors floating around training camp that Tyson Jackson is in River Falls and has signed.* These are just rumors and should be taken with a grain of salt.* After all, those of us at camp didn’t know about the Toomer signing until right before practice.-Tomahawk Kid-
Posted via Mobile Device

[Tribal Warfare]

Camp Practice Update 8/5 A.M.
August 5, 2009 - Bob Gretz |

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Todd Haley spent a lot of time paying attention to the team’s wide receivers during the Wednesday morning session and based on his commentary throughout the practice, he didn’t like what he saw.

“Come on Jake (O’Connell) you’ve got to know the whole picture.”

“Stay off the ground. I don’t want to see us get an interception because you are laying on the ground.”

“I’m tired of the picks and dropped balls.”

That was the tone of what was a spirited full pads practice under brillant sunshine here at UW-River Falls.

On back-to-back plays in one drill, WR Mark Bradley dropped an easy catch against air, and WR Amani Toomer made a difficult catch. WR Dwayne Bowe fell down several times while making his cuts, so did Toomer and WR Bobby Engram. CB Ricardo Colclough had an interception of QB Tyler Thigpen when WR Jeff Webb fell down. Later, CB Londen Fryar picked off a QB Matt Cassel pass intended for Engram.

The offense and defense got after it in drills for the running game, with some good contact during the session. The passing game remains hit and miss, no matter who is throwing the ball.

Here are some observations and nuggets of information from the workout:

- Missing from the practice was ILB Monty Beisel. He was not part of the rehab session either. In Tuesday’s practice, Beisel took a blow when he went to tackle RB Jackie Battle, so that might be a lingering problem. As usual Haley would not address the situation.

- OLB Mike Vrabel did not take part in the practice, working with the bike patrol over in the area that Haley has dubbed “No Man’s Land.” Nothing serious, just a practice off for the veteran.

- Also on the rehab-bike team for this workout were: LBs Wes Dacus and Demorrio Williams, RB Kolby Smith, TE Brad Cottam, S DaJuan Morgan and OL Wade Smith.

- LG Brian Waters did all the practice work with the exception of one-on-one pass protection. When the lines went there, Waters snapped the ball for the quarterbacks in the seven-on-seven drill.

- In that seven-on-seven, CB Brandon Carr picked off a Cassel throw with very good coverage.

- Andy Studebaker replaced Vrabel with the first defense at OLB, opposite Tamba Hali.

- K Ryan Succop was three-for-three on his FGs. He made the first one as the Chiefs went to a hurry up situation to get the FG team on the field and set up.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

I went back to posts dated 8/3 and didn't see anyone mention this;

Croyle has taken over most of the snaps with the second team.

That was posted in http://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/prev_upda...s=090804pm.htm

Yeah, I noticed that as well. Good To see Croyle (Maybe) getting it together. it kinda looks like he's added some bulk as well.

[Tribal Warfare]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/KC

August 5 12:33 ET



Chiefs TE Sean Ryan has been with five other teams and says this camp has been the most physical. "Everybody gets pretty physical the first week; that's just football. But it's been real physical here, every practice. As long as you know it's coming, you can deal with it."
Chiefs TE Sean Ryan has been with five other teams and says this camp has been the most physical. "Everybody gets pretty physical the first week; that's just football. But it's been real physical here, every practice. As long as you know it's coming, you can deal with it."

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Yeah, I noticed that as well. Good To see Croyle (Maybe) getting it together. it kinda looks like he's added some bulk as well.

Everything looks good with Croyle, until contact starts.

[Titty Meat]

Cassel is throwing alot of picks

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by billay

Cassel is throwing alot of picks

Tell him to rub the ball on Mike Brown's head before throwing; that should do the trick!

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by billay

Cassel is throwing alot of picks

New QB, new system, new WRs. It's to be expected.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by Raised On Riots

Tell him to rub the ball on Mike Brown's head before throwing; that should do the trick!

Yea its even though he's throwing alot of picks its cool cuz Brown will get them back. Pollard will be cheering on the sideline.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by billay

Cassel is throwing alot of picks

That just means our secondary is awesome.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by billay

Yea its even though he's throwing alot of picks its cool cuz Brown will get them back. Pollard will be cheering on the sideline.

lol, Pollard is supposedly having one of the better camps on defense. at least thats what i have read.

I stated and will again and again, he's going to be the starter.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

lol, Pollard is supposedly having one of the better camps on defense. at least thats what i have read.

I stated and will again and again, he's going to be the starter.

Yea like a few years ago Kendrell Bell had a good camp too.