CHIEFS TRAINING CAMP REPORT-DAY 2, GREELEY VS. FORT COLLINS DAY-2, BEARS NEED A QB & TONY G. NEAR THE END
Day 2 for us here in St. Joseph, 73 degrees this afternoon, much nicer day & none of that forecasted rain. I have to say, the city of St. Joseph really rolled out the red carpet for the Chiefs & their fans. As we drove downtown tonight Linda noticed the banners welcoming the Chiefs, hanging from every street light pole for a couple of miles. Every restaurant we've eaten in asks if we're here for camp. The service has been excellent everywhere, including our hotel, the Comfort Suites. Two more practices tomorrow, one in the morning & the second in the stadium under the lights. We plan to tailgate tomorrow evening, some fried chicken, some Cajun rice & maybe a couple of cold Buds. Here's what I saw at practice today:
First things first, Brody Croyle is injured enough for the Chiefs to sign another quarterback, Bill Stull who was with the team during the OTA's & mini camp before being cut in June. Todd Haley won't discuss Croyle's injury at his daily press conference, in fact he got a little fussy today when the subject came up "I'm only going to talk about players who are practicing right now." This is ridiculous, your backup quarterback is sidelined with an injury to his throwing arm, you have two very inexperienced quarterbacks behind him & you don't want to talk about it? This "shrouded in secrecy" crap is too much. Former K-State defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald was released to make room on the 80-man roster for Stull. Croyle was riding a stationary bike again this afternoon.
After watching Palko for two days & Stull this afternoon, I'll say this, if Cassel gets hurt, the Chiefs are screwed. Neither of these guys come close to Croyle, at least they don't come close when Croyle isn't injured. Unfortunately, that's way too often. I'll give Stull a break, he just rejoined the team, but Palko is not NFL 3rd string material, much less backup QB material, which is what he is right now.
In other injury news, Ryan Lilja & Barry Richardson were back in pads & participated all the drills. Tight end Tony Moeaki returned as well, running drills & pass patterns.
The more I watch rookie safety Kendrick Lewis, the more I think he'll be the starter on opening day. He ran with the defensive 1's all day. Had the 11 on 11 been a live scrimmage, he would have leveled Chris Chambers on a deep crossing pattern that Chambers caught. He can close on the ball with remarkable quickness.
I'd say 3 of the 4 secondary spots are a lock, but Brandon Carr continues to struggle. He gets turned around too often. Javier Arenas is having a tough camp when he lines up a cornerback, not a doubt in my mind about his potential as a return man, but he has a ways to go to become a competent corner or nickel back.
Wallace Gilberry appears to be the lone defensive lineman who can mount any kind of a pass rush. He doesn't have the quickest 1st step, but he uses his arm length to his advantage, keeping blockers off his frame. He has a nice swim & chop move that gets him around the outside. I haven't seen much in the way of a counter move to the inside, but I think he'll be in the 5-6 sack area this season. Those numbers just might beat all the other linemen.....combined.
The fur flew late in practice as we were treated to some one-on-one pass blocking drills. Brandon Albert handled Glenn Dorsey 5 out of 6 times. Dorsey could get under Albert's pads, but Brandon just rode him around the QB. Ryan O'Callaghan stalemated Tyson Jackson even tho he gave up ground. The best competition came from the matchup between Colin Brown & Alex McGee, both 2nd year players. Things got heated, a shove by McGee after round 3. On the next snap, Brown got his hand under McGee's facemask & pushed him around, this was followed by a punch by McGee & Brown retaliated with a backfist in the cage. Anthony Pleasant, D-line coach & Romeo Crennel stopped it before any real carnage occured. I would say Shaun Smith, originally signed to backup Ron Edwards at nose tackle, looked better playing outside. Hali & Albert was a good matchup, I'd call it a draw, Albert pushed him way upfield once & poor technique by Albert allowed Hali to blow by him on another try.
Andy Studebaker ran with the 1's again today for most of the practice, as did Derrick Johnson at inside linebacker. DJ broke on a pass way outside & just got his hand on it, knocking it away. The guy can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. Honestly, increased speed in two places, safety & inside linebacker, are about the only major improvements in this defense I can detect.
Thomas Jones continues running with the 1's while Jamaal Charles backs him up, both look terrific. Chris Chambers has benefited greatly from going thru training camp with Kansas City this year after joining the team after the season started in '09. He looks fast, faster than last year, he has been very sure-handed too. Dexter McCluster incurred the wrath of Charlie Weis on several occasions, not in the right place at the right time or looking over the wrong shoulder for the ball on swing passes.
At 3:45, Todd Haley told his assembled team if kicker Ryan Succop could kick a 50-yard field goal, he'd let the team stetch & then call it a day. They lined up & just before the snap, Haley blew his whistle to "ice" the kicker. After about a 30-second delay, he missed the kick wide right & a 79-man collective groan was heard from Succop's teammates. The defense went to the far field & the offense stayed in front of us & everybody ran gassers. Down & back they ran, some disparaging shouts to Succop could be heard as he, holder Dustin Colquitt & long snapper Thomas Gafford ran by themselves between the fields.
To the folks from practice on Monday that wanted me to settle a running argument about where the Denver Broncos trained in the 1960's, I have more of an answer than I gave you yesterday. Thanks to two excellent sources, GW & RB, it has been brought to my attention, the Denver Broncos first trained in Golden at Colorado School of Mines. Where have all the Denver Bronco fans gone? You were right there to rip me about my thoughts on Floyd Little, but you can't offer up anything regarding the history of your franchise? GW & RB came up with the same facts & I thank them both for their research.
The Chicago Bears have offered a contract to Luke McKown, Todd Collins & to Trent Green twice, to backup Jay Cutler in Mike Martz's offense. Chicago has been turned down every time. They have only Caleb Hanie, a 3rd year free agent & rookie Dan LeFevour behind Cutler & Cutler behind a very shaky offensive line. Well, they had Caleb Hanie. As we were waiting for our dinner tonight I was watching an NFL Network replay of Saturday's Bears-Chargers contest in the bar & witnessed Hanie get clocked real good. He kept shaking his head, was helped to the sideline & after a quick exam there, he was taken into the locker room. Like Kansas City, if the 1st string guy goes down, it will get ugly very quickly in Chicago.
Michigan starting cornerback Troy Woolfolk will be lost to Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines after suffering a dislocated ankle & a fractured fibula this afternoon in practice. It was described as a non-contact injury. Troy is the son of former Michigan tailback Butch Woolfolk, also with the Giants, Oilers & Lions.
Look for James Wilder Jr. to make a verbal commitment to Georgia as early as tomorrow. Wilder, the son of former Mizzou great James Wilder Sr., was thought to be staying in his native Florida, but it appears he wants to be a Dawg. Wilder is currently ranked as the #3 recruit, regardless of position, in the nation. Too bad we couldn't get the son up here at Mizzou. Who could forget the way Wilder almost single handedly beat Nebraska in Lincoln with three second half touchdowns. He was also Tampa Bay's career rushing leader for two decades.
Tony Gonzalez admitted to FOXSports.com playing next season is "at best a 50-50 proposition." The future 1st ballot Hall of Famer also said "right now it's training camp, I hate training camp, so I would say this season is 50-50 right now." Gonzalez said his transition to Atlanta wasn't as smooth as he had anticipated. It was tough moving there & he was disappointed in the offense last year. Maybe it was the meager 83 catches & only 6 TD's that bothered him the most. "This year may be it, I know I'm nearing the end" Gonzalez added. He currently sits with 999 receptions, the Falcons should make certain he gets that reception on the first snap of the 2010 season. He is a very special individual & player.
First things first, Brody Croyle is injured enough for the Chiefs to sign another quarterback, Bill Stull who was with the team during the OTA's & mini camp before being cut in June. Todd Haley won't discuss Croyle's injury at his daily press conference, in fact he got a little fussy today when the subject came up "I'm only going to talk about players who are practicing right now." This is ridiculous, your backup quarterback is sidelined with an injury to his throwing arm, you have two very inexperienced quarterbacks behind him & you don't want to talk about it? This "shrouded in secrecy" crap is too much. Former K-State defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald was released to make room on the 80-man roster for Stull. Croyle was riding a stationary bike again this afternoon.
After watching Palko for two days & Stull this afternoon, I'll say this, if Cassel gets hurt, the Chiefs are screwed. Neither of these guys come close to Croyle, at least they don't come close when Croyle isn't injured. Unfortunately, that's way too often. I'll give Stull a break, he just rejoined the team, but Palko is not NFL 3rd string material, much less backup QB material, which is what he is right now.
In other injury news, Ryan Lilja & Barry Richardson were back in pads & participated all the drills. Tight end Tony Moeaki returned as well, running drills & pass patterns.
The more I watch rookie safety Kendrick Lewis, the more I think he'll be the starter on opening day. He ran with the defensive 1's all day. Had the 11 on 11 been a live scrimmage, he would have leveled Chris Chambers on a deep crossing pattern that Chambers caught. He can close on the ball with remarkable quickness.
I'd say 3 of the 4 secondary spots are a lock, but Brandon Carr continues to struggle. He gets turned around too often. Javier Arenas is having a tough camp when he lines up a cornerback, not a doubt in my mind about his potential as a return man, but he has a ways to go to become a competent corner or nickel back.
Wallace Gilberry appears to be the lone defensive lineman who can mount any kind of a pass rush. He doesn't have the quickest 1st step, but he uses his arm length to his advantage, keeping blockers off his frame. He has a nice swim & chop move that gets him around the outside. I haven't seen much in the way of a counter move to the inside, but I think he'll be in the 5-6 sack area this season. Those numbers just might beat all the other linemen.....combined.
The fur flew late in practice as we were treated to some one-on-one pass blocking drills. Brandon Albert handled Glenn Dorsey 5 out of 6 times. Dorsey could get under Albert's pads, but Brandon just rode him around the QB. Ryan O'Callaghan stalemated Tyson Jackson even tho he gave up ground. The best competition came from the matchup between Colin Brown & Alex McGee, both 2nd year players. Things got heated, a shove by McGee after round 3. On the next snap, Brown got his hand under McGee's facemask & pushed him around, this was followed by a punch by McGee & Brown retaliated with a backfist in the cage. Anthony Pleasant, D-line coach & Romeo Crennel stopped it before any real carnage occured. I would say Shaun Smith, originally signed to backup Ron Edwards at nose tackle, looked better playing outside. Hali & Albert was a good matchup, I'd call it a draw, Albert pushed him way upfield once & poor technique by Albert allowed Hali to blow by him on another try.
Andy Studebaker ran with the 1's again today for most of the practice, as did Derrick Johnson at inside linebacker. DJ broke on a pass way outside & just got his hand on it, knocking it away. The guy can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. Honestly, increased speed in two places, safety & inside linebacker, are about the only major improvements in this defense I can detect.
Thomas Jones continues running with the 1's while Jamaal Charles backs him up, both look terrific. Chris Chambers has benefited greatly from going thru training camp with Kansas City this year after joining the team after the season started in '09. He looks fast, faster than last year, he has been very sure-handed too. Dexter McCluster incurred the wrath of Charlie Weis on several occasions, not in the right place at the right time or looking over the wrong shoulder for the ball on swing passes.
At 3:45, Todd Haley told his assembled team if kicker Ryan Succop could kick a 50-yard field goal, he'd let the team stetch & then call it a day. They lined up & just before the snap, Haley blew his whistle to "ice" the kicker. After about a 30-second delay, he missed the kick wide right & a 79-man collective groan was heard from Succop's teammates. The defense went to the far field & the offense stayed in front of us & everybody ran gassers. Down & back they ran, some disparaging shouts to Succop could be heard as he, holder Dustin Colquitt & long snapper Thomas Gafford ran by themselves between the fields.
To the folks from practice on Monday that wanted me to settle a running argument about where the Denver Broncos trained in the 1960's, I have more of an answer than I gave you yesterday. Thanks to two excellent sources, GW & RB, it has been brought to my attention, the Denver Broncos first trained in Golden at Colorado School of Mines. Where have all the Denver Bronco fans gone? You were right there to rip me about my thoughts on Floyd Little, but you can't offer up anything regarding the history of your franchise? GW & RB came up with the same facts & I thank them both for their research.
The Chicago Bears have offered a contract to Luke McKown, Todd Collins & to Trent Green twice, to backup Jay Cutler in Mike Martz's offense. Chicago has been turned down every time. They have only Caleb Hanie, a 3rd year free agent & rookie Dan LeFevour behind Cutler & Cutler behind a very shaky offensive line. Well, they had Caleb Hanie. As we were waiting for our dinner tonight I was watching an NFL Network replay of Saturday's Bears-Chargers contest in the bar & witnessed Hanie get clocked real good. He kept shaking his head, was helped to the sideline & after a quick exam there, he was taken into the locker room. Like Kansas City, if the 1st string guy goes down, it will get ugly very quickly in Chicago.
Michigan starting cornerback Troy Woolfolk will be lost to Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines after suffering a dislocated ankle & a fractured fibula this afternoon in practice. It was described as a non-contact injury. Troy is the son of former Michigan tailback Butch Woolfolk, also with the Giants, Oilers & Lions.
Look for James Wilder Jr. to make a verbal commitment to Georgia as early as tomorrow. Wilder, the son of former Mizzou great James Wilder Sr., was thought to be staying in his native Florida, but it appears he wants to be a Dawg. Wilder is currently ranked as the #3 recruit, regardless of position, in the nation. Too bad we couldn't get the son up here at Mizzou. Who could forget the way Wilder almost single handedly beat Nebraska in Lincoln with three second half touchdowns. He was also Tampa Bay's career rushing leader for two decades.
Tony Gonzalez admitted to FOXSports.com playing next season is "at best a 50-50 proposition." The future 1st ballot Hall of Famer also said "right now it's training camp, I hate training camp, so I would say this season is 50-50 right now." Gonzalez said his transition to Atlanta wasn't as smooth as he had anticipated. It was tough moving there & he was disappointed in the offense last year. Maybe it was the meager 83 catches & only 6 TD's that bothered him the most. "This year may be it, I know I'm nearing the end" Gonzalez added. He currently sits with 999 receptions, the Falcons should make certain he gets that reception on the first snap of the 2010 season. He is a very special individual & player.
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