By Josh Looney

Breakdown: Another day of two-a-day practices faced the Chiefs as they trotted out to the practice fields at 9:00 AM for a full-padded practice. The offense emphasized play calling backed up deep in their own territory in an otherwise routine session.

With the first preseason game looming this Saturday at Cleveland, head coach Herm Edwards views the contest as a crucial opportunity for young Chiefs players to show him that they have what it takes to win in the National Football League.

“I’m excited about watching some of these young guys play in a live contest and it’ll be interesting to see how they react,” Edwards commented. “You want to win. There’s no doubt about it. I always go into the preseason trying to win. I put it on the young guys. I always tell the young guys you have to show that you can win a football game because you’re in the game. In the third and fourth quarter the young guys are playing and I like winning.

“If you look at the preseason it matters to me,” Edwards continued. “All the teams I’ve been involved with understood that. We’ve won a lot of games in the preseason with young players. That’s my deal. These young guys got to know that.”

Afternoon temperatures peaked into the ‘90s when the Chiefs took to the practice fields at 3:00 PM, but that heat paled in comparison to the triple-digit heat indexes experienced throughout much of Missouri and Kansas today. As with most of Edwards’ helmets-only practices, the theme of the afternoon was to orchestrate an up-tempo practice with minimal mental errors.

Spotlight On Svitek: Third-year T Will Svitek was thrust into the spotlight today in River Falls. After starting left tackle Damion McIntosh suffered a right knee injury during Tuesday’s afternoon practice, Svitek began taking the majority of reps with the first-team offense at that position. A former defensive end at Stanford, Svitek switched over the offensive side of the football when he was drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth-round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Svitek made a name for himself after he excelled in NFL Europe during the summer of 2006. He’s played in a total of three games for the Chiefs, including two last year before he went on injured reserve with a left knee injury on October 28th.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Svitek said after practice this morning. “I’ve got to take care of what I can control and I just need to get better every day. That’s the biggest thing; if I can get better I’ll be fine.”

Although T Kyle Turley has also taken a handful of reps at left tackle with the first-team offense, Edwards told media members that the job is currently in the hands of Svitek.

“Turley is in a battle for the right tackle position,” Edwards explained. “We’ve got Svitek (at left tackle) and it’s his turn. He’s got to go play now. I’ve always said that when guys go down the next guy has got to step up. That’s opportunity, and when opportunity presents itself you have to be ready to do it. I anticipate he’s going to go in and going to play well.”

Shields Sighting: VIDEO: Windows | Real - Twelve-time Pro Bowl G Will Shields visited training camp in River Falls on Tuesday. Shields’ visit provided an opportunity for many of his former teammates and coaches, as well as Chiefs staff members to formally salute him for his contributions to the franchise. Shields announced his retirement in the off-season after 14 stellar seasons in the Red and Gold. Head coach Herm Edwards was scheduled to show a highlight film of Shields’ career in Tuesday night’s team meeting, giving Kansas City’s younger players an opportunity to appreciate his many years of service to the club. Fans will be able to honor Shields’ efforts with the Red and Gold when the Chiefs host Green Bay on Sunday, November 4th at Arrowhead Stadium.

Shields talked about the finer points of the game with a handful of Chiefs offensive linemen today. G Tre Stallings was one who took full advantage of the opportunity as he worked on blocking techniques one-on-one with Shield after the morning practice.

“Tre and I have been working on different things after practices for a long time,” Shields remarked. “When he asks questions I’ll always try to answer with little things to help him along. He’s like, ‘hey did you watch me? What do you think I should do about this, this and this?’ I’ll just tell him to change this or think about that; just those type of things. Ever since he came here, that’s just the sort of thing that we’ve done.”

Kansas City Cookin’: Kansas City’s hometown Zarda Bar-B-Q made its annual journey seven hours north to cater meals in River Falls today. A favorite day of many involved in training camp, Zarda provided a break in the monotonous walk to the cafeteria. Beans, creamed corn, ribs, brisket and turkey were all on the menu as Zarda offered lunch to members of the media and served dinner to the Chiefs players, coaches and staff members.

Plays Of The Day:
AM Session: QB Brodie Croyle demonstrated a number of strong, accurate throws throughout the morning practice. His best might have been when he threaded the ball through three defenders to hit TE Mike Pinkard in the back of the end zone on a seam route.

WR Samie Parker snagged a reception away from a defender for the second time in as many practices when he caught a ball that CB Benny Sapp had his hands all over.

PM Session: Going up against a steady cross-wind, K Justin Medlock connected on a 54-yard field goal attempt.

The Chiefs defense made two impressive interceptions this afternoon. CB Michael Bragg picked off a QB Brodie Croyle pass in the end zone and DE Jared Allen jumped in front of a QB Damon Huard screen pass, taking the pick back for six.

Big Stix: DE Jared Allen made a great read on a draw play to RB Michael Bennett. Allen took one step up-field, sniffed out the draw and wrapped-up Bennett at the line of scrimmage.

Look Who’s Talking:
“Let me tell you, the size of this thing (offensive playbook) is considerably larger than any book I have ever seen. Print the Bible in 20-point font and you might be in the ballpark.“
- An excerpt from rookie TE Michael Allan’s Training Camp Blog.

Look Ahead: Family Fun Night, sponsored by Viking Coca Cola of River Falls, will be held on Wednesday night. The Chiefs will practice under the lights where food, music and games will be available, as well as photo and autograph opportunities with players and coaches. Returning this year is the popular Chiefs Experience. Fans will be able to join in some interactive games that will challenge everyone’s football skills. A speed and obstacle course, a football throw and a field goal kicking station will also be part of the fun. The Experience is open to everyone. The Indianhead Sport Parachute Club kicks off the festivities, and a fireworks display caps off the night. Admission is $7 for adults and free to those under 18. Gates open at 6:00 PM and Chiefs players will sign autographs from 6:30-6:50 PM.

You Asked It: Submit your questions to River Falls Wrap, Chiefs Chatter and Camping With The Chiefs by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

Nathan H.: “What is a cheese curd?”

JL: Simply put, a cheese curd is a Wisconsin delicacy. A curd is essentially fresh Wisconsin Cheddar cheese in its natural, random shape and form before being processed into blocks and aged. Curds have a mild taste with a slightly rubbery texture and should squeak when eaten. For a comprehensive explanation of all things “curd,” go to www.eatcurds.com, the official curd website of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

While curds are great to eat in their natural state, nothing can compare to golden goodness of a deep-fried cheese curd at the Copper Kettle or other River Falls establishments. This is a Midwest specialty where fresh curds are dipped in a beer-based batter before being placed in a deep fryer.

Steve H.: “Where can I get an accurate roster? In case I can’t, who is wearing #38? He’s in every highlight reel…..Wow!”

JL: Steve, check out kcchiefs.com and look for an accurate roster under the ‘team’ drop-down menu. The first unofficial team depth chart was posted this morning and can also be found under the ‘team’ menu. As for #38, we currently have two players sporting that number. Wearing the red #38 is CB Michael Bragg and wearing the white #38 is RB Marcus O’Keith.

Questions?: Is there a question about training camp or the Chiefs that you want answered? A handful of questions will be answered daily in the River Falls Wrap. Chiefs insiders Rocco and Stuckey will also discuss submitted fan questions weekly in Chiefs Chatter.

Click here to ask your Camp Question?

Have a specific question for a specific player? One fan question will be selected daily and featured in the Fan’s Want To Know portion of Camping With The Chiefs, which airs every evening of training camp on KCChiefs.com.

Click here to ask a player a Question?

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