RIVER FALLS WRAP: DAY 14

Aug 08, 2007, 4:27:25 PM

By Josh Looney

Breakdown: The Chiefs conducted a light special teams practice this morning at 10:30 AM inside the stadium at Ramer Field. The hour-long workout was the club’s third practice dedicated exclusively to special teams this training camp. Special teams coach Mike Priefer focused his practice around the return and coverage units of both the kicking and punt game.

12th Man: Head coach Herm Edwards gave Kansas City Chiefs fan J.L. Williams the experience of a lifetime at the end of today’s special teams practice. Williams was bundled with other Chiefs fans jostling for a prime autograph position near the Ramer Field entrance when he yelled, “Coach, I’ll be right here waiting for your autograph.”

“Why wait there?” Edwards replied and motioned for Williams to come onto the field. Once Williams arrived on the field, Edwards instructed him to drop his things and handed him a football. Williams was now part of a kick coverage drill.

With Williams situated on the goal line, Edwards blew his whistle loudly and Williams took off on a dead sprint as members of the Chiefs coverage units closed in on him in the non-contact drill. Afterwards, Edwards congratulated Williams and signed a photo. Williams returned the favor by autographing Edwards’ practice script.

“I’m out of breath,” Williams said afterwards. “You’ve got a 49-year old fat guy that is way out of shape out there running with these guys. It was awesome, a thrill of a lifetime.”

It All Starts On The Road: Here is an interesting stat regarding NFL teams that hold their training camp away from home. In 2006, 15 of the NFL’s 32 teams traveled away for training camp. Of those 15 clubs, seven made the playoffs. That’s an eye-popping 47% playoff rate compared to only 29% for teams that held training camp at home (five of 17 made the playoffs). 2006 playoff teams that traveled to training camp last year include Kansas City (River Falls, WI), Dallas (Oxnard, CA), New Orleans (Jackson, MS), the N.Y. Giants (Albany, NY), Philadelphia (Bethlehem, PA) and Super Bowl participants Chicago (Bourbonnais, IL) and Indianapolis (Terre Haute, IN). Each of those teams have chosen to train away from home again this season.

Hard Knocks Premiere: Be sure to check out the series premiere of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs at 9:00 PM Central tonight on HBO. HBO has also scheduled to re-air the show on Thursday at 3:00 PM Central.

FFN: The Chiefs are hosting their annual Family Fun Night at 6:30 PM tonight at Ramer Field. A recap of the evening’s events will be posted in River Falls Wrap tomorrow.

Look Who’s Talking:
“Oh man, nobody is going to tackle that guy.“
- S Benny Sapp commenting on Chiefs fan J.L. Williams’ run during coverage drills.

Look Ahead: The Chiefs will hold one practice on Thursday afternoon. The 3:30 PM start will be the last practice session before the club heads to Cleveland for their first preseason game.

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.

Steven H. from Logan, UT: “There is next to nothing reported about how the young, undrafted defensive linemen (McGlothlin, Doughty, etc.) are doing during training camp. Can you fill us in?”

JL: Steven, you haven’t heard anything about DTs Matt McGlothlin or Stanley Doughty because they didn’t make the trip to training camp. Doughty was released on May 7th and McGlothlin was released on July 26th. Both players were roster casualties as the team was forced to cut their roster to mandatory NFL limits before heading into training camp.

The Chiefs currently have three undrafted rookie defensive linemen on their roster: DT Kiki Gonzalez (University of Akron), DE Chris Harris (University of Alabama) and DE Michael Heard (Mississippi State University). All three players are receiving reps with the second and third defensive rotation and Gonzalez has shown off a quite impressive defensive spin move this camp.

Cynthia S. from Des Moines, IA: “Who will start at QB for the first preseason game at Cleveland?”

JL: Herm Edwards has decided to start Brodie Croyle at quarterback in the first preseason game at Cleveland. Edwards expects Croyle to take almost all of the reps with the first unit on Saturday. Looking ahead, the current plan calls for Damon Huard to start at quarterback against Miami on August 16th, with Croyle coming off the bench to take a share of reps with the first-team offense.

Evan I: “Is the knee sprain Damion McIntosh similar to the injury that Brian Waters sustained last year during the Rams game?”

JL: Comparing injuries between players is like comparing apples to oranges. Each player’s body reacts to an injury differently, regardless of how similar the ailments are. With that said, Waters did suffer a right knee sprain last season against St. Louis that sidelined him for two contests. McIntosh will not play against Cleveland and the club will evaluate his playing status weekly.

Jenna B. from Las Vegas, NV : “Great columns this season! I am curious…how do the players and staff get around town without their vehicles?”

JL: “Thanks Jenna. You are sure to find an assortment of vehicles if you visit training camp in River Falls this summer. The most popular mode of transportation amongst players and staff members seem to be bicycles. Facing a 10-minute walk from the dorms to the football facilities, many Chiefs rent bikes in River Falls or bring their own from home. Some opt to have their vehicles shipped to River Falls from Kansas City or rent a car from a local dealer. Staff members who are forced to carry large cargo to and from practices can be seen driving golf carts and John Deere Gators (motorized six-wheeled vehicles). Finally, if all else fails, the University of Wisconsin – River Falls offers shuttle service to and from the practice fields.

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?

| 2007 Training Camp | More news… | Roster
Chiefs.TV RSS | Subscribe to Chiefs.TV in iTunes