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FULL HOUSE ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON

August 11th - 6:14 PM

“Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus refers to it as “Camp Pendleton.” I’ve called it the “Rehab Zone,” among other things. Whatever you want to call it, it’s not fun. I’m talking about the area that players go to workout when they’re not participating in practice. The rehab work is grueling, maybe even more that actually going through a full practice depending on the injury. 

The good news…the “rehab zone’s” attendence is dwindling. There were only five attendees this afternoon, the least amount of training camp to date.

“To make this team you have to be on the field in general and that is a good sign when that group is getting smaller and smaller,” Haley said today. “Throughout the season it will be the same memo from us, to play you have to practice and that is the way we are going to handle our business and that is the way i have had success doing it.”

LB Demorrio Williams has been pushing himself in the rehab area throughout training camp to get back on the field with his teammates. He was cleared to practice for the first time today and immediately caught the attention of his head coach.

“We had LB Demorrio Williams fighting back to get on the field and he was out there today,” Haley said. “From what I could tell it looked like he showed up a handful of times, so I thought that was good.”

WR JOBS ARE WIDE OPEN

August 11th - 5:44 PM

The questions were bound to come, and they did. Questions about the depth chart were thrown towards head coach Todd Haley again this afternoon, particularily about the wide receiver position. Haley once again stood by his stance that camp competition will ultimately determine depth chart placement.

“I don’t think there is anything set in stone,” Haley said today about the Chiefs depth chart. ”I’ve been pretty clear about that.

For the first this camp, however, Haley acknowledged that some roster positions are falling into order. Wide Receiver, however, is not one of those.

“Some positions are probably a little more obvious than others,” Haley said referring to starting spots. “I wouldn’t say that receivers are one of those.”

The important question then becomes what Haley values from a wideout. How can one man set himself apart from another when jostling for roster position? Haley set some goals for his receivers, spelling out exacty what he wants from a wide receiver on his football team.

“What I want (the wide receivers) to do is to pride themselves on the tough catch,” Haley explained. “The catch where the linebackers are hitting them in the mouth or the safety is lining them up. Those are the catches you want to pride yourself on as a receiver in the NFL and to be a good receiver.”

“The blocking part of it is a big thing,” Haley continued. ”Our receiving group should be a physical group that comes in and takes on safeties and fights corners to the whistle every down when we’re running the ball.”

Sounds exactly what general manager Scott Pioli wants as well doesn’t it - smart, tough, physical football players who put football first. There are some players in that group who have made strides over the first 15 sessions of camp, showing the traits that both Haley and Pioli seem to value so highly for players that want to make this team.

“I think WR Terrance Copper is a guy who you know you are going to get a good day’s work with him everyday,” Haley said of the UFA from Baltimore. ”So Terrance Copper impresses me.”

“WR Rodney Wright coming from a long way off, it’s been a little while for him,” Haley said of the former Arena League star. “He’s worked hard every day. Has he been perfect? No. But I think that he’s made strides.”

“I think you can clearly see a guy like WR Amani Toomer come in and understand what it takes to play in the league,” Haley said of the 14-year NFL veteran. “The same goes for WR Bobby Engram.”

Copper, Wright, Toomer and Engram have all made plays this camp by either laying blocks downfield, getting loose across the middle or holding onto the football after taking a big hit. First impressions are good, but the key is making them last for an entire camp, particularily when you are competing for a wide open position that’s depth chart can change by the minute.

PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS

August 11th - 2:20 PM

Walk-thrus are complete and we’re ready for another full-padded session here at camp. The defense gets some reinforcements at the linebacker position as Monty Beisel returns to action and Demorrio Williams is set to participate for the first time this camp.

2:42 PM - 75 active bodies for today’s practice…that’s the most we’ve had this camp. The only Chiefs out of action today are RB Kolby Smith, S Dajuan Morgan, LB Zach Thomas, G Wade Smith and G Tavares Washington.

2:59 PM - A very tough drill for the defensive linemen going on right now. The nose tackles are working zero techniques against guard-center-guard and the defensive ends are working five techniques against guard-tackle-tight end. Essentially it is three-vs-one for the defensive line as they work half-lines with the offensive line.

3:01 PM - K Ryan Succop hits four-of-four FG attempts with a long of 44 yards.

3:22 PM - The offense began today’s 11-v-11 team period very vocal after the defense turned in a very impressive performance against them yesterday. Overall, the period seemed very competitive, but the defense managed to keep the offense out of the end zone once again. The defensive line had a nice rush, including two batted balls and offensively WR Amani Toomer made a nice catch across the middle - something he’s done quite a few times at camp since his signing.

3:40 PM - After a period of inside run, an emphasis was placed on the play-action passing game during the second portion of team 11-v-11. The most noteworthy competition seemed to be at the line of scrimmage with the o-line and RBs picking up stunts. There was a lot of nice thumping going out there in the interior.

3:54 PM - One of the biggest highlights of watching camp practices are the OL/DL one-on-one drills. Today was a great segment as C Rudy Niswanger stuck out as having a good round. Niswanger and DT Tank Tyler took a ton of reps against one another and both battled hard.

4:15 PM - Team period is “move the field,” with the offense charging towards the end zone from the 50. The O has made a number of nice place on their way to the red zone, but the defense continues to step up and keep the offense out of the promise land.

4:16 PM - And the jinx comes right away as QB Tyler Thigpen hits WR Dwayne Bowe for a 35-yard TD. Bowe made a juggling catch, the type he has seemed to do best over his first two years in KC.

4:20 PM - The final horn blows and it’s time for some pursuit drills to wrap things up before the guys head inside.

THE GOVERNOR VISITS CHIEFS CAMP

August 11th - 12:39 PM

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle made his annual trek to Chiefs Training Camp in River Falls this afternoon, but this year he had a few new faces to meet. The Governor spent close to 10 minutes chatting football with general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley.

Topics of conversation included deer hunting, moving training camp in Missouri, Scott and Todd’s favorite Wisconsin delicacies and, of course, football.

The Governor concluded his talk with Chiefs leadership by wishing Kansas City a successful season with hopes of a Super Bowl I rematch between the Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. The warm wishes were heartfelt, but Gov. Doyle didn’t leave his in-state loyalties aside when he said he hoped for the same result as Super Bowl I (a 35-10 Packers victory over the Chiefs).

Complete video footage of the Governor’s conversation with Pioli and Haley will be posted on kcchiefs.com shortly. 

MUCH ADO ABOUT AUGUST 10TH

August 11th - 9:44 AM

The emails sure did begin to flow last night. So did the calls, text messages and “tweets.” The subject was the same: the Chiefs first unofficial depth chart.

On Monday afternoon the Chiefs published their game release for Saturday’s first preseason game vs. Houston and, like any NFL game release, that document contained the Chiefs unofficial depth chart as of Monday, August 10th. The depth chart is listed on the final page of the document and that last piece of paper has people talking.

Click here for the complete 16 page release (PDF)

There were definitely a number of interesting twists to the team depth, namely WR Dwayne Bowe listed with the third-team offense. But what does it all really mean?

Lost in the crossfire is the only thing that matters; what head coach Todd Haley thinks. He’s addressed questions about the team’s depth chart nearly each day during camp. Apparently his words are being ignored.   

“I’ve touched on this,” Haley said in regards to the depth chart yesterday. “There is no spot taken right now. We’re going to do everything we can to find players that do it our way and each day it may change. We’re gong to find guys that do it our way and who we feel give us the best chance to win.”

Haley has made similar statements over the past few days of camp as well:

• “Every day is an evaluation day and we’re going to evaluate right up until the end on a lot of these guys. i think this is not the time to speculate.”
• “I would warn against looking at how we’re practicing and say who’s one. We’re contantly putting this guy up today and tomorrow it could be someone else.”
• “We’re moving them all through to show them we’re serious about what we’re talking about. We don’t want anybody feeling real comfortable right now.”

Yesterday’s depth chart, for the most part, mirrored the way the Chiefs lined up in practice. So, yes, the depth chart is accurate…as of August 10th. Today is August 11th and today could bring more changes to that depth. It all depends on how each player practices each day going forward.

Haley and his staff have created an open competition across the board at this training camp. They want both mentally and physically tough players who have bought into their system and anything besides that won’t be tolerated. A clear message has been sent that no position is safe, regardless of contract terms or previous accomplishments.

Is yesterday’s depth chart meaningless? Certainly not. It carries a message. That message, however, is ever-changing and is based on player performance. Stay tuned.

One final note to keep in mind: there are still four preseason games to play, nearly two weeks of camp remaining in River Falls and 33 days until the Chiefs open the 2009 regular season at Baltimore. Everyone’s name on the depth chart is written in pencil at this point. Expect more roster jockeying to occur.

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