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HALEY PLEASED WITH SCRIMMAGE

August 8th - 5:08 PM

Head coach Todd Haley treated today’s scrimmage as a dress rehearsal for his coaching staff and players. With only one week remaining until the club opens its preseason schedule with Houston at Arrowhead Stadium, it was imperative that Haley’s players and staff mocked a game-like atmosphere.

“We had coaches up in the box relaying plays and personnel,” Haley explained. “You have to practice otherwise it would be a fire drill on Saturday. I thought it was excellent work.”

These practices have the potential to turn hectic for players and coaches alike, but Haley thought the rough draft went smoothly.

“Of all the things I thought could go wrong I thought overall it was a smooth operation,” Haley said of the day. “I think the kicker made a couple of nice kicks from distance. He missed an easier one, but overall I thought it was a good first scrimmage.”

Speaking of K Ryan Succop, his 58-yard field goal had the crowd roaring.

“Yeah, one (kick) was 58 and that is a big kick,” Haley said. “It was 58 with a little wind behind his back, but it cleared easily. It made it over my dad.”

FAMILY FUN DAY EXTENDS TO CHIEFS HALEY

August 8th - 4:39 PM

Many Chiefs players were greeted by their mothers, fathers, wives and children following today’s scrimmage at Ramer Field. For head coach Todd Haley it was no different. Situated on the first row of the bleachers designated for Chiefs family was Haley’s mother and father, longtime Steelers personnel man Dick Haley.  

“It does put pressure on me,” Haley said of having his father in attendance. “Then when I see him over there with the roster, looking at it and stuff. I will try to his it to our advantage. I’ll definitely be asking him some questions tonight.”

Dick Haley was one of the great architects of the dominant Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970’s. Haley’s 1974 draft class featured four Pro Football Hall of Famers (LB Jack Lambert, C Mike Webster, WRs Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Haley also selected Hall of Fame LB Jack Ham in 1971 and Hall of Fame RB Franco Harris in 1972 to form the nucleus of a Steelers team that would claim four Super Bowl crowns over a six-year span from 1974-79.

“I just told him to kind of watch our big guys inside,” Haley said. “Specifially those defensive linemen. Just for my own benefit.”

SCRIMMAGE OBSERVATIONS

August 8th - 2:02 PM

The autograph session is complete, kids games are winding down and the attention has turned to the playing field here at Ramer Field. This is the first session the Chiefs have held inside the stadium this camp. The guys are stretching and we should be underway shortly.

2:03 PM - General Manager Scott Pioli addressed the crowd before things began today.
He received an amazing response from the Chiefs faithful here today.

2:18 PM - This is a somewhat of a dress rehearsal for the coaching staff as well with the first preseason game just one week away. The headsets are out and Haley’s staff is putting the press box to full use to mock a gameday atmosphere.

2:25 PM - I love this atmosphere…just like a D-III playoff game. The school flags are flying and the stands are packed. It looks like we’ll see the first-team defense take on the second-team defense to get things started today.

2:30 PM - The first-team offense opened things up with RB Larry Johnson coverting a third-and-short situation near mid-field, but it was the defense who got on the board first when QB Matt Cassel mishandled a snap and DE Wallace Gilberry took the loose football 50-yards to the house. Gilberry celebrated his score with a classic spike.

2:35 PM - The day’s first two series go to the defense as the red shirts hold tight to force a missed field goal. Cassel did show some athleticism in the series by avoiding a heavy pass rush and scrambling seven yards to set up the field goal try.

2:44 PM - The second group featured the first-team defense taking on the second-team offense. LB Derrick Johnson appeared to have forced the second turnover of the day when he laid a huge hit on WR Amani Toomer across the middle. A defensive penalty, however, kept the drive alive for the offense. LB Tamba Hali eventually thwarted the drive with a sack of QB Brodie Croyle to set-up K Ryan Succop with his second FG opportunity of the day. This time Succop drove the kick home from 58 YARDS OUT!

2:49 PM - The third offense and third defense squared off in the day’s thrid grouping. QB Tyler Thigpen guided his squad downfield before hooking up with TE Jake O’Connell on a wheel route. Thigpen and the rookie TE celebrated with a chest bump.

2:56 PM - Thigpen stayed on the field following his successful drive with the third-team to guide the second-team offense against the first-team defense. It was a quick series when DE Tyson Jackson recorded a sack (in only his second practice) to force a three-and-out. The two groups lined up once more for another series that yielded the same result.

3:00 PM - Thigpen and the twos were given a third set of downs against the first-team defense, but the set was cut short after a first-down conversion because the groups had reached their 10-play alottment.

3:02 PM - A very impressive four-play span by the first offense. Cassel hit RB Jamaal Charles on a shovel for a nice gain and then took the next play into the red zone with some nice agility on a scramble. RB Jackie Battle then rumbled his way for a first-down to the five before Cassel connected with WR Devard Darling on a corner route in the back left of the end zone for a TD.

3:05 PM - The defense got revenge just two snaps later with the same two groups on the field when CB Travis Daniels picked off Cassel’s attempt down the left sideline. The two groups reset once more and the defense continued to find the football when CB Ricardo Colclough picked off a pass to end the segment.

3:14 PM - Two new groups took the field with the offense led by Croyle. Croyle led things off with a quick start on a nice pass across the middle to WR Amani Toomer down to the 24. RB Dantrell Savage then broke several tackles on a short pass that put the football near the 15. That was as far as the offense would get though and K Ryan Succop booted another FG, this time from 34 yards out.

3:17 PM - The scrimmage turned situational when the ball was placed on the two-yard line for a third-and-goal situation. It took the offense two plays to score, but when they did it was a beauty as RB Jackie Battle went up and over the pile of linemen for the TD.

3:24 PM - QB Matt Gutierrez got his first opportunity of the afternoon and connected with TE Tom Crabtree to move the chains on third down. He found WR Quentin Lawrence just a few plays later in the end zone. Lawrence was well covered and made a great mid-air adjustment to come down with the TD catch.

3:29 PM - Cassel came back on the field to lead the first-team offense against the first-team defense for the first time of the day. The defense held for a three-and-out highlighted by a big hit down the sidelines from S Bernard Pollard.

3:37 PM - Two new groups took the field with Thigpen hitting Toomer on a 25-yard route across the middle. RB Jamaal Charles handled the rest of the drive with two impressive runs that covered 35 yards and ended with applause from Coach Haley.

3:42 PM - The same two groups did battle once more when the thunder started to roll across the rural Wisconsin sky. This time it was Thigpen’s legs who did some work, taking a scramble inside the five-yard line before hitting FB Jed Collins in the flats on a play-action pass.

3:45 PM - The rain begins to full at the exact moment the final horn sounds. Time to hear from the coach. More to follow.

FAMILY FUN DAY RUNDOWN

August 8th - 11:05 AM

11:00 - Stadium Gates Open

11:00 - 2:00 - “Chiefs Experience”

11:00 - 2:00 - Face Painting and Tattoos

12:15 - Skydivers

12:45 - Family Fun Day Remarks

1:30 - Players and Coaches Sign Autographs

2:00 - Scrimmage 

A SATURDAY FULL OF FOOTBALL

August 8th - 9:43 AM

Many of you remember what today feels like. You were competing for a position on your high school’s varsity football squad. You had been through about a week of practices, but this day was different. This was your day to shine. This was your day to show the coaches that you deserved a position on the varsity. You were excited. You had butterflies. You had a rush of adrenaline. It was scrimmage day.

That’s the magic of ths sport. No matter the level of play, the feelings associated the inner-workings of this game never change. Scrimmages are a break from the normal routine. They’re as close as it gets to a real game. They offer a chance to compete and, most importantly, they offer a chance to stand out. Today, the Chiefs will hold their only intrasquad scrimmage of training camp. Full pads, full speed, full contact. NFL official Mike Carey and his crew will be on hand to officiate the afternoon.

“In the morning we have a walk-through where we will polish a bunch of different areas and go over some of these situations that we have been practicing,” Head coach Todd Haley said of today’s schedule. “Then in the afternoon we will have some special teams, but it will be a controlled scrimmage where we’ll go different groups against different groups throughout the whole thing.”

“Each group will get about 12 plays each time out,” Haley explained. “We will move the field and create different situations for them. It will be as close to the real thing while still being in practice.”

The players are ready to compete. Today should be a fun one in River Falls.

DT’S DAY

August 8th - 9:17 AM

#58 was one of those special players. He was one of those rare players that gave every fan a specific memory that they can share, one that feels personal. Maybe you met Derrick off the field. Maybe you took part in one of his community efforts and remember his smile. Maybe you just simply loved watching him rush the passer to electrify Arrowhead Stadium.

Tonight, one of the greatest Chiefs of all time will be celebrated with football’s highest individual honor. Take a moment today to reflect on the life and career of LB Derrick Thomas.

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