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BOWE REFLECTS ON TIME AS A ROOKIE
September 16th – 4:26 PM

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe remembers what it was like playing in his first NFL football game.

“I had the jitters until I had my first catch,”Bowe said. “It took me two quarters.“

Since that first game at Houston in 2007, Bowe has logged more receptions (160) than any other player selected in the 2007 NFL Draft. This week, the Chiefs opponent are busy breaking in their newest first-round draftee, WR Darrius Heyward- Bey.

The seventh overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft just completed his NFL debut vs. San Diego at Oakland, but unlike Bowe, Heyward-Bey was never able to settle in after his first catch. In fact, he was shutout vs. San Diego on Monday night. After the game, Raiders head coach Tom Cable indicated he saw a player feeling the jitters that Bowe described.

“I thought I saw a real nervous uptight young man, a lot of big eyes,” Cable said of Heyward-Bey on Monday night. “As I’ve mentioned to them, they’ll have their highs and their lows as they go through this thing. We’ll expect him to be better next week. . . . He has to learn how to handle this. No question.“

Strong words from a head coach about a player fighting an uphill battle against public opinion regarding his draft position. But to Bowe, early struggles for rookie wide receivers are to be expected.

”Can you just imagine two quarters of shaking?,” Bowe asked. “If you’re a playmaker, you’re a playmaker. All the great receivers drop balls and mess up here or there, but how you come back is what makes you special. I just kept coming back making more plays and more plays.“

Heyward-Bey will have a chance to bounce back from his uneventful NFL debut on Sunday at Arrowhead. Bowe says the secret to adjusting to the NFL as a rookie is all about playing the game the way you’re accustomed to.

”The older guys pulled me to the side on the sideline after my first series and told me just to play like I was in college,” Bowe said. “When they told me that, everything slowed down for me, and I’ve just been taking it one step at a time ever since.“

Chiefs S Mike Brown spoke of Heyward-Bey’s speed today following practice. Be certain that the Chiefs secondary won’t let Heyward-Bey’s anonymous start fool them. Brown and company are already game-planning to defend Heyward-Bey and his 4.3 second 40-yard speed.

Expect the Raiders to test the Chiefs secondary deep with Heyward-Bey on Sunday in an effort to hit the big play and build their rookie wide receiver’s confidence.

WADE READY TO ROLL
September 16th – 3:28 PM

Don’t expect a grace period for recently acquired WR Bobby Wade to get acclimated with his new teammates. Chiefs head coach Todd Haley indicated today that he wants the newest member of the club’s active roster to be game-ready immediately.

“I think that we have to get him quickly into the mix,” Haley said of Wade. “Bobby is a guy that have some background with. He’s got some punt return ability. We have to get him going quick.“

It sounds like Haley is still looking for someone to take sole control of the Chiefs punt return duties. A number of players have been given an opportunity to show their talents at punt returner since training camp began, with the most recent being CB Maurice Leggett. Whoever settles as punt returner, that player must also be able to produce somewhere else on the field as well.

“If we are going to use him as a punt returner, he needs to be able to play some other plays,” Haley said. “Five or six plays, or whatever it is at the end of the day, isn’t enough. He was in here late last night working hard and again early this morning. We have to get him up to speed fast.“

According to Haley, Wade was busy learning the offensive playbook as well as taking reps at punt returner today in practice.

“Whatever they ask of me, I’m going to do it,” Wade said. “That’s the best way that i can describe it.”

RAIDERS EXPECT TO SEE CASSEL
September 16th – 12:28 PM

Raiders head coach Tom Cable didn’t think there was much mystery surrounding the Chiefs quarterbacking situation on his conference call today. When asked who he thought we be under center when the Raiders visit Arrowhead on Sunday, Cable had a two-word answer.

“Matt Cassel,” Cable said.

That was it. No speculation, no round-about way of talking about the intricacies of game preparation. Just two words. An honest answer. Respectable.

Although handicapping the Chiefs QB rotation on Sunday my seem easy for Cable, game-planning to play against Cassel won’t be as simple. Cable saw the Raiders do so last year and the results weren’t very good for the Silver and Black - a 49-26 Patriots victory in Oakland.

“I think that the way (Cassel) played last year certainly proved what he’s worth,” Cable said. “He came in here and lit us up, so I have nothing but high respect for him.”

WEDNESDAY PRACTICE UPDATE
September 16th – 11:56 AM

Both of the Chiefs newest faces - WRs Bobby Wade (#80) and Lance Long (#17) - were on hand for today’s practice.

Other than the arrival of Wade and Long, there wasn’t much news from the Chiefs practice field this AM. All members of the active roster and practice squad were in full-padded dress, while RB Kolby Smith continued rehab on the sidelines.

A note that is somewhat noteworthy, the defense wore white for the first time this season, while the offense switched over to red jerseys.

WR LANCE LONG JOINS CHIEFS
September 16th – 9:34 AM

Yesterday’s acquisition of WR Bobby Wade wasn’t the only move that the Chiefs made this week to bolster the potential of the club’s wide receiving core. This morning, the Chiefs agreed to terms with former Arizona Cardinals WR Lance Long. Long will join the team’s practice squad effective immediately.

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Courtesy of Steve Wyche - NFL.com
 
Long spent his entire rookie season on the Cardinals practice squad under the offensive guidance of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley in 2008. Similar to Wade signing with the Chiefs active roster yesterday, Long brings a since of familiarity with him to Kansas City.

Long made his NFL debut on Sunday in Arizona’s season opener vs. San Francisco. He played on offense and special teams, but did not record any statistics. He was waived by Arizona on Monday. 

Long originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2008 with Arizona. The Mississippi State product played in 35 games (seven starts) for the Bulldogs after transferring from Toledo following his freshman season. He recorded 46 receptions for 321 yards (6.98 avg.) with a TD at MSU. He also contributed on special teams with one punt return for four yards and eight kickoff returns for 100 yards (12.5 avg.).

The team released WR Rodney Wright from the practice squad to complete the transaction.

CHARTING THE 53
September 16th – 6:00 AM

The Chiefs made their newest member of the club’s 53-man roster official yesterday afternoon. As WR Bobby Wade’s membership was put into ink by Kansas City, “Tryout Tuesday” was going on across the league. With many vested veterans available for hire, Week Two in the NFL has already proven to be an active week on the NFL’s transaction wire.

So, what does Wade bring to the table in Kansas City? I mean, we all know he can catch the football. But what does he bring that is different from all of the other players available on the market (and there are some big names out there – WRs Lance Long and Hank Baskett seem to be getting the most love from Chiefs fans I’ve talked to).

To me, it seems like Wade matches with the Chiefs on two accounts. His first match with Kansas City is the fact that Wade and head coach Todd Haley worked together in Chicago, during Wade’s rookie season (2003). There’s your base. Match One: Familiarity.

But “Chiefs match” number two is the most important. You see, Wade just might be part of the “right 53.”

“The thing I’ve been stressing to these guys is finding the right 53,” Haley said about his message to Chiefs players. “We’re going to do it at all costs. Every day is an evaluation, and if you’re not out there, how can we depend on you? If you’re out there and don’t know what to do, how can we depend on you?”

So why depend on Wade? How might he fit into the “right 53?” What makes the former all-time receiving leader at the University of Arizona, and seven-year NFL veteran, worth a shot? Two matches: Familiarity and need.

“After reviewing the tape, I thought special-teams wise it was a pretty solid performance,” Haley said yesterday. “Our special teams gave us a chance to win in most areas, but I would have liked to be better in the return game.”

That quote right there, paired with Haley’s post-game comment about being a bit disappointed in the awareness and technique of the Chiefs receivers core this Sunday, opened the door for a need. Those needs at receiver and at returner, paired with familiarity, are what looks like made Bobby Wade the newest Kansas City Chief.

Wade can return the football (50 kickoff returns for 1,194 yards/57 punt returns for 500 yards with a TD) and Wade can catch the football (208 receptions for 2,491 yards and seven TDs). He has the potential to fill two needs that Haley has identified. He has a chance to be part of the “right 53.”

Now it’s up to Wade to become dependable to this coaching staff. If the newest Chief is uncertain of expectations, which I’m sure he’s not, Haley left his receiving core some hints yesterday.

“Like I tell them: are you doing it how we’re coaching you and then it comes down to how well are you able to do it,” Haley said of the Chiefs wide receivers. “Talent is the great separator. There may be some guys who are doing it the way we want it done but maybe they’re just not good enough. Then maybe there are some guys that probably potentially could be really good but they’re not doing it the way we want it done.

“I want football players who are physical, physical receivers like I want at every position, guys who help block in the run game,” Haley continued. “I want football players, not just pass catchers, and then that have the ability to make plays when their number is called and in critical situations in difficult press coverage man-to-man.”