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Public Transportation Returns to Arrowhead on Gamedays

COUGHLIN NOT ABOUT TO GET TRAPPED
September 30th – 4:51 PM

N.Y. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t about to let his team lose focus. The Giants will wrap up a three-game road swing in Kansas City this Sunday with the chance to post a perfect 3-0 sweep. On paper, the match-up between an undefeated team and a winless team can cause a squad in the Giants position to lose focus. Coughlin has seen it happen before and is doing what he can out east to make sure his team doesn’t fall victim at Arrowhead this weekend.

”Anyone is capable of beating the other guy on any given Sunday,” Coughlin said. “They’re a talented group, they have a whole new system, a new coaching staff, they’re all trying to figure out and find their way and they’re a team that is capable of doing a lot of things. They’ve had two really close games out of their three. We haven’t played them in awhile, but we do know something of their staff, but for us, it’s about our team.“

In a similar situation a year ago, the 4-0 Giants visited the 1-3 Browns for a Monday Night Football showdown in Cleveland. New York was a no-show that night and was blown out in the Dog Pound 35-14. The national spotlight may not be on Arrowhead this weekend, but that won’t keep the Kansas City faithful from doing everything they can to help their team.

“It’s a test each time you play, no matter who it is,” Coughlin said. “Every game is a critical game, every game is important. You’ve got to try and be at your best. We’ve had the opportunity to be part of the opening of the new stadium in Dallas, went to Tampa for a 1 p.m. game and did a pretty good job with that with the weather and the heat and all those things, so now we look forward to this phase of our season, coming to Kansas City.”

NEW PLAYERS BRING SPEED TO CHIEFS
September 30th – 4:11 PM

The Chiefs three newest additions to the active roster all participated in full this morning. After seeing them all on the field for the first time, Haley had the following to say about each player.

LB David Herron - ”I like for number one that he’s fast,” Haley said. ”He’s got very good speed, a run-and-hit guy and what I know of him he’s got a chance to be a good special teamer first. Any chance we’ve got to improve our team speed I think we need to do it.“

CB Mike Richardson - ”Mike Richardson, the Notre Dame corner, he’s another fast guy,” Haley commented. ”I think, again, if we can improve our team speed on either side we need to do it.“

TE Leonard Pope - “Leonard’s a big guy who’s real tough, fast, can really stretch the field,” Haley said. ”I think he’s a great individual – one of my favorites there from Arizona who will give you a full day’s work and your money’s worth every single day. He likes to play and he likes to practice. He’s my kind of guy. When we got the opportunity to bring somebody in we were happy to get Leonard.“

Haley also went on to say that with Pope’s familiarity with the playbook, the former Arizona Cardinal is on a fast track to potentially play on Sunday.

“I’m going to leave that up to coach,” Pope said of his playing status. “I’ll just roll with whatever he decides.

Pope’s familiarity with Haley, and vice-a-versa, obviously give the Chiefs newest tight end an advantage in adjusting to life in his new city.

“I love Todd,” Pope said of Haley. “He’s the type of guy who is going to push you and he is going to get everything out of you. A lot of guys will have to learn that about him. Some may think that he’s tough, but you have to have thick skin. That’s the kind of coach he is.”

HALEY TALKS ABOUT BEISEL’S RELEASE
September 30th – 3:29 PM

Yesterday’s release of LB Monty Beisel cut short the former Kansas State Wildcat’s homecoming with the Chiefs. The move was deemed a bit of a surprise as Beisel was brought in as a free agent this offseason. Today, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley offered perspective on Beisel’s release.

“Monty was a guy that I had familiarity with,” Haley said. “It just didn’t work out.  I love everything about Monty and how he works and prepares and what he brings to the team. It was a numbers thing, number one. Number two, a depth thing where he probably would have liked to have been playing a lot more and had kind of been relegated to special teams.“

Beisel didn’t log any defensive snaps at Baltimore, played during 21 plays vs. Oakland and saw action on just six snaps in Philadelphia. He had been playing behind LBs Demorrio Williams and Derrick Johnson. Beisel’s second-stint with Kansas City lasted just three games. He began his career as a fourth-round pick (107th overall) of Kansas City in 2001. He appeared in 55 games (nine starts) during his first tour of duty with the Chiefs from 2001-04.

RIGHT TACKLE JOB NOT O’CALLAGHAN’S JUST YET
September 30th – 3:08 PM

T Ryan O’Callaghan’s name reads first on the Chiefs depth chart at right tackle. He also completed his first full practice working with the Chiefs first-team offense today, but those two facts don’t necessarily mean that the job is O’Callaghan’s just yet.

“We practice O’Callaghan first today,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. “I don’t know if you can hold me to what we are going to do on Sunday. It’s going to be determined by how the guys practice.“

Although originally released on the team’s unofficial depth chart on Monday, the apparent shakeup on the offensive line officially occurred in the first practice following Haley’s post-game comments about the play of Kansas City’s front five. Haley was disappointed with the technique and lack of focus that the men on the front line of his offense showed in Philadelphia.

“I think it is critical that everybody understands that this is the beginning stages of the process,” Haley said. “One thing that is very clear to the players is that there are going to be changes here as we try to improve and get better each week. They can’t let it effect them in any way, shape or form other than to push them to be better each and every day that they are in here. We spoke briefly with the guys about that and that’s the way that we’re going to operate.“

O’Callaghan has worked his way into an apparent starting role despite being a member of the Chiefs for less than a month after being claimed off waivers from New England on September 6th. To O’Callaghan, his quick rise to the first-team is simple and so is what factors into his staying power.

“You work hard, and if you’re ready it will show,” O’Callaghan said. “If you’re not, then there is another guy waiting in line.“

Haley refused to single out the play of incumbent T Ikechuku Ndukwe as a reason for O’Callaghan’s promotion. Instead, he cited the progress that O’Callaghan has shown to date.

“Again, this is how we practiced today,” Haley said. “We are going to look at the tape and see how everybody did. We were not good enough on Sunday at a lot of positions. There were not a lot of guys that when we looked through the tape we said, ‘hey, he gave us a good chance to win.’ In no way am I singling out anybody, but if we feel that somebody is practicing well and can do a job better than anybody we will at least try it out in practice.“

As the team searches for its first win, it appears that Haley and his coaching staff are searching for the right mix of players as well. We’ve seen a number of different players get looks over this young season; O’Callaghan is the latest.

WEDNESDAY PRACTICE REPORT
September 30th – 11:59 AM

LB Derrick Johnson, who missed last Sunday’s game with a groin injury, was back on the field in full pads this morning at practice.

WR Dwayne Bowe, who missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, was not in full gear and worked out on stationary bikes located on the sidelines.

All three of the newest Chiefs were on hand for their first practice this morning. LB David Herron and CB Mike Richardson literally switched places with LB Monty Beisel and CB Ricardo Colclough as the newest Chiefs defenders are wearing #52 and #23 respectfully - both the old numbers of the men that they replaced (Herron/Richardson are in the same lockers that once housed Beisel/Colcough as well). TE Leonard Pope is wearing #45.

NOTES ON TWO NEWEST CHIEFS
September 30th – 8:48 AM

LB David Herron is a third-year player from Michigan State that spent his first two seasons (2007-08) in Minnesota. Herron has appeared in 16 regular season games (three starts) and one postseason contest, registering eight tackles. He was released by the Vikings on September 5th. Herron originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Minnesota, but spent the first week of the 2007 season on New England’s active roster. He returned to the Vikings organization the following week.

CB Mike Richardson was released by New England on August 17th and has reportedly been on a tour of free agent workouts this month. Richardson originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by New England (202nd overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 10 career games with four tackles. Richardson played collegiately at Notre Dame.

Herron and Richardson effectively take the place of LB Monty Beisel and CB Richardo Colclough, who were released yesterday. The moves bring the Chiefs transaction count up to eight over the past 24 hours. FULL RELEASE HERE

CHIEFS FILL ROSTER SPOTS
September 30th – 8:24 AM

The Chiefs opened Wednesday with two roster spots to fill. Those two positions are now filled and both of the new Chiefs are expected to be at practice this AM.

Kansas City signed LB David Herron and CB Mike Richardson this morning. Herron was most recently with the Minnesota Vikings and Richardson was most recently a member of the New England Patriots.

More info on each player to come shortly.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON
September 30th – 6:15 AM

One thing is certain: the Chiefs will continue to shuffle their roster today. At the time of this post, the Chiefs 53-man roster sits at 51. Two players will call their new home Kansas City at some point in the not-so-distant future, whether it be via free agency, waiver claim, trade or promotion from the practice squad; just who those men are and what position they play is what remains to be seen.

Sure, there are definite clues. Steve Wyche, a widely respected columnist for NFL.com that has covered professional sports for 20-plus years, reported on Monday that the Chiefs are looking for a way to promote WR Lance Long from the practice squad. Then there are the multiple reports of a player who worked out in Kansas City yesterday – former Green Bay T Mark Tauscher – or players who have received looks over the past week – DBs Corey Ivy and Lewis Sanders, as well as returner Justin Miller.

The truth is that none of the speculation really matters until something actually happens. That case was made yesterday with the QB Tyler Thigpen trade and the release of LB Monty Beisel. Everyone wants to know who the newest Chiefs are right this instant. Luckily, it’s likely that no one will have to wait very long.

As we wait on an announcement from the Chiefs, let’s recap yesterday’s transactions and the scenarios surrounding each player involved.

1) Thigpen is traded to the Miami Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick – This deal turned out to be a win/win for both the team and the player; it’s not often that is said in today’s NFL. The Chiefs needed to make a roster move with one of their quarterbacks and were obviously hesitant to let Thigpen or Gutierrez float to waivers for free. Instead, GM Scott Pioli held on to four QBs for a week and Chad Pennington dislocated his shoulder on Sunday, effectively ending his season. The Dolphins then had a need to fill and the Chiefs were stocked at quarterback.

Kansas City’s situation transformed from a scenario that would likely see a player being released, to gaining a draft pick for a player they originally plucked from the Vikings practice squad. In the process, Thigpen goes from a situation of battling Gutierrez for the third quarterback job, to a team with no established quarterback and an immediate chance to start. If there are playtime stipulations attached to this trade, make sure you wish Tyler the best in Miami.

2) Former Arizona Cardinals TE Leonard Pope reportedly worked out with the club two weeks ago, but the rumors of Pope landing in Kansas City started when he was released by Arizona following training camp. He fits the bill as a player that Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is familiar with and he fills in at a position that the Chiefs are waiting for players to step up and take hold of. With the Chiefs implementing a number of two tight end sets, competition immediately shifts towards the Chiefs reserves – TEs Brad Cottam and Jake O’Connell.

3) Well, it sure doesn’t look like Haley as kidding yesterday when he said that we’d see more of #59. Just a day after LB Jovan Belcher was praised by his head coach, the rookie free agent from Maine has one less body to compete with in the linebacker ranks as the Chiefs released LB Monty Beisel. Beisel’s homecoming didn’t last long and was a bit surprising considering the was brought in as a free agent this offseason, but the fact of the matter is that Beisel wasn’t getting a lot of time on the field, even with injuries depleting the linebackers a bit.

4) When rookie CB Donald Washington started spelling CB Maurice Leggett at the nickel position in Philadelphia, the writing might have been on the wall for the release of CB Ricardo Colclough. Speculation was already focused towards the direction of the secondary after reported DB workouts last week. Whether one of those players that was looked at last weeks signs with Kansas City remains to be seen.

5) Rookie free agent TE Tom Crabtree was released from the practice squad. There simply wasn’t a need for a tight end in waiting when Pope signed and pushed the tight end total to four on the active roster.

6) Kansas City added T Chris Patrick to the practice squad. The Chiefs can use the depth and extended looks at players who can play tackle.

Stay tuned to kcchiefs.com throughout the day for all the latest happenings.