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Saturday, August 8: Afternoon Practice

Practice No. 12 started off with a scorching, sunny sky and a temperature of 82 degrees. The dewpoint was 71 with 70 percent humidity. Every once in awhile there was an appreciated breeze with the eight miles-per-hour wind headed to the south-southwest. When the gates opened at 11 a.m., the skies were cloudy and the temperature was around 65 degrees. Attendance was 1,690 which is about the same number the last two Family Fun events attracked.  The number was very impressive given the changing weather conditions.

This afternoon’s practice was held on Ramer Field because of Family Fun Day. The practice started off as normal, with stretches and warm-ups. The offense and defense split into their groups and ran some drills, but after the familiar drills, the team started their inter-squad scrimmage.

Running back Kolby Smith and guard Wade Smith were not active during practice this afternoon.
Cornerback DaJuan Morgan and linebackers Mike Vrabel, Monty Beisel, Zach Thomas and Demorrio Williams were not present on the practice field this afternoon.

Newly signed defensive end Tyson Jackson was seeing time with the first-string defense, giving Alfonso Boone a few breathers.

Continuing the trend as seen in practice thus far, cornerback Maurice Leggett spent time as the defense’s nickel back.

The crowd got a big treat early when quarterback Matt Cassel fumbled the snap, allowing defensive end Wallace Gilberry to pick up the football. Gilberry scooped up the ball and returned it to the end zone for a defensive touchdown. On his next drive, Cassel was pressured by linebacker Turk McBride. Cassel was able to run up the right sideline and slide near the first down. Later in the drive, Cassel had a pass to tight end Sean Ryan across the middle for a pick-up of 15 yards and the first down. Ryan made the catch as he was falling to the ground. On second down, Cassel took a shot down field, looking for receiver Bobby Engram. Cassel overthrew Engram, who had some separation in the end zone. Two plays later, kicker Ryan Succop missed a 33-yard field goal.

On quarterback Brodie Croyle’s first drive, linebacker Derrick Johnson had a would-be sack had the team been allowed to sack the quarterback. Johnson came flying through the offensive line untouched and would have completely drilled Croyle. The sack was negated by an offensive 10-yard penalty. To end the drive, Croyle completed a pass to wide receiver Amani Toomer who fumbled the football after being ripped down. The ball was recovered by the defense. Later, facing a second-and-twenty, Croyle hit wide receiver Devard Darling for a 17-yard gain. Running back Jamaal Charles picked up the first down on the next running play Defensive end Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Tamba Hali had sacks on Croyle later in the drive. Facing fourth down, kicker Ryan Succop was run onto the field for a 53-yard kick, which he nailed. The kick was done over due to a false start. Succop’s next attempt, from 58 yard, was also good.

During quarterback Tyler Thigpen’s drive, the defense stopped the offense for lost yards. On second-and-twelve, cornerback Brandon Carr nearly picked off a Thigpen pass. Carr would later have a successful quarterback pressure on Thigpen. Later, linebacker Tamba Hali and rookie defensive end Tyson Jackson had an assisted sack on the quarterback. While Thigpen was in, the team was faced with a first-and-ten situation from the 12-yard line. Thigpen completed a pass to tight end Jake O’Connell for a touchdown. O’Connell made a leaping grab as he crossed the goal line, barely avoiding a big hit from rookie cornerback Donald Washington. Kicker Ryan Succop came in and completed the drive with a successful extra point kick.

After two more defensive stops, quarterback Tyler Thigpen started a fifth drive, but eventually gave way to quarterback Matt Cassel. During the drive, however, Thigpen was able to convert on a big third down play. Cassel had a nice shovel pass to running back Jamaal Charles to pick up the first down. On first-and-goal from the five-yard line, Cassel threw a fade to receiver Devard Darling to the left side of the end zone. Darling made a one-handed grab as he barely managed to stay in bounds. After a few more plays, Cassel began to struggle. On second-and-ten, cornerback Travis Daniels deflected the pass and managed to make the interception. On second-and-eight, Cassel attempted a pass to receiver Mark Bradley, but cornerback Ricardo Colclough stepped in front and picked off the Cassel throw.

During quarterback Brodie Croyle’s second showing, rookie wide receiver Quinten Lawrence got an earful from Head Coach Todd Haley. Haley sent Lawrence to the sideline. Croyle hit running back Dantrell Savage out of the backfield during a second-and-fifteen situation. Savage avoided the tackler and picked up nearly enough yards for the first down. During the drive, defensive tackle Ron Edwards had a sack on Croyle. To end the drive, kicker Ryan Succop hit a 34-yard field goal.

Quarterback Matt Gutierrez had one series and he made the most of it. He hit wide receiver Quinten Lawrence in the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

The Chiefs then ran a couple of hurry up drills. On the first quarterback Matt Cassel was 4-6. The drive stalled after a penalty was called on the Chiefs offense on a sideline passing play.

On another hurry up drill, quarterback Tyler Thigpen and running back Jamaal Charles looked sharp. The drive started at the Chiefs 40 and on the first play Thigpen hit wide receiver Amani Toomer for a 30-yard gain. Charles then took a handoff on a draw play and scampered 25 yards for another first down. Charles started up the middle and then broke to his right through a huge hole. On the next play, Charles took another handoff on a delay and scored from about five-yards out. Kicker Ryan Succop hit the extra point.

The Chiefs started the final drive of the day on its 40. Quarteback Tyler Thigpen was 1-2 – his completion was to wide receiver Terrence Cooper. Running back Jamaal Charles took a handoff up the middle that was stopped for little gain. Thigpen then dropped back to pass but was forced from the pocket and scrambled to his right and went out of bounds for a 20-yard gain. Thigpen did the same on the next play and was forced out at the five. Running back Javarris Williams ran a draw to the one. Thigpen then hit running back Jed Collins for a one-yard touchdown in the right side of the end zone.

The last play of the day was a successful 40-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop.

FANS

The Kansas City Chiefs Family Fun Day started off right on time, at 11 a.m., as fans bought their tickets and entered Ramer Field. River Falls staff was busy finishing their set up for the concession stands and game area. Shortly after the gates opened, KC Wolf and Freddy Falcon arrived at the field and were greeted by many excited children. During this time fans were able to purchase Camp Journals and enjoy some ballpark lunch while they awaited the activities.

Kirk Thomas of Ankeny, Iowa, attended the event and was excited to get a lot of autographs. “This is my fourth year coming to the Chiefs camp and I’m going to be sad next year when it’s in Missouri. I really enjoy coming here for Family Fun Day in particular,” commented Thomas. 

Alyssa Goldstein from Middletown N.Y., was at the event, which she has been coming to for four years. “We like to come here for the road trip and to get as many autographs as possible,” said Goldstein. She mentioned that wide receiver Amani Toomer was her favorite player and that she wanted to get his autograph the most.

Fans were able to flood the track around Ramer Field to get the autographs of all their favorite players. There was no limit to the items that people were having signed, fans were seen with footballs, hats, jerseys, helmets, video games and pictures. As expected, the latest addition to the Chiefs quarterbacks, Matt Cassel, had a very long line awaiting his signature. Upon getting Cassel’s autograph one fan yelled, “Mom, I got it, I got Matt Cassel!” Further down the fence, tight end Jake O’Connell was asked to sign the back of a grandfathers shirt. “My grandson just loves you,” commented the fan as O’Connell proceeded to sign his name. Andrew Hokanson, 9, from Bemidji, Minn., and his family stood at the northeast corner of Ramer Field with a sign that said, “Brodie fans for life.” The family has been coming to the camp in River Falls since Croyle joined the team in 2005.  In addition to the players’ autographs, General Manager Scott Pioli also took some time to sign autographs for eager fans before the 20-minute time limit expired. After signing fans were asked to leave the track area and proceed to the bleachers where they could view the rest of practice.

Ten-year-old Jesse Thompson of Atlanta, Ga., gleamed proudly as he displayed his autographed jersey and football today after the designated autograph session for Family Fun Day.  “I got Coach (Todd) Haley to sign my football!  Amani Toomer too!  And Matt Cassel signed my jersey,” Jesse exclaimed.  Although the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers were swamped by adoring fans, many other players were available to sign autographs.

Jeremy Liebe (7) from Chicago, Ill., received many autographs during the autograph session right before practice. Liebe was at Family Fun Day with his parents Carrie Coen and Brian Hall. He said that his favorite Chiefs player is running back Larry Johnson and he was even wearing his jersey. Liebe was also wearing his Kansas City Chiefs Crocs with the Arrowhead logo on the back strap that he got from his aunt Virginia for his birthday.

Chiefs fan Bill Richardson and his son Jackson (2 ½) were playing catch at the southeast corner of Ramer Field, near where the Chiefs Experience had been held earlier in the day. They are both from the Minneapolis area and just decided to make a day trip to Family Fun Day in River Falls. Bill said that they have been playing catch with the football now for about six months and he can see him playing youth football when he gets a little older. Bill was born in Kansas City, Mo., and used to live in McAllen, Texas. His favorite player is linebacker Derrick Johnson “because of his speed, hard work and attitude.” Bill also added that Johnson is from Waco, Texas, and he went to college at the University of Texas.  “I will be bummed that they won’t be coming back, but I understand why they will be having camp in Missouri because it is closer to them. It’s just fun to visit, especially since we are so close to the training camp right now,” stated Bill.

Extra, extra...
UWRF Chancellor Dean Van Galen and Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli addressed the fans. Van Galen began by welcoming all fans to the training camp and thanked them all for attending. “We enjoy having the Chiefs in River Falls,” said Van Galen, “we have built a relationship between the River Falls community, the campus and the Chiefs. Thanks to all the people who have made this possible.” He wished the Chiefs the best of luck during their season and thinks it would be wonderful if we could see the Chiefs and either the Vikings or the Packers play in the Super Bowl.  Pioli spoke to the fans and also thanked them for attending on behalf of the Hunt family. “I am really enjoying this camp; I want to thank River Falls and the University for having us here. This has been one of the first camps that I’ve been able to sleep; it’s so peaceful here,” said Pioli. In addition to his gratitude toward the fans he also announced his excitement about the season to come. “I’m looking forward to working with (Head Coach) Todd (Haley) to produce a winning team that can win some championships.” 

Five of the trophy winners from last week’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition were able to return to Family Fun Day to get recognized for their achievements by Head Coach Todd Haley.  Arsenio Black (2nd Place, Boys Age 8, River Falls, Wis.), Brian Miller (1st Place, Boys Age 10, River Falls, Wis.), Logan Emholtz (2nd Place, Boys Age 12, River Falls, Wis.), Jacob Bauer (2nd Place, Boys Age 13, Durand, Wis.) and Dalton Ferguson (1st Place, Boys Age 13, Solon, Iowa) were congratulated personally by Haley in front of the fans in Ramer Field.  The head coach told the crowd that he had won a punt, pass and kick trophy at age 11, and that the boys had bright futures ahead of them.  A photo was taken with all five winners and the coach, and will be displayed on the photo section of our website.

Josh Looney was recording video updates of Family Fun Day during the autograph session this afternoon.  In college, Looney played linebacker and hoped to extend his career to the NFL level.  When he realized his dream of playing professional football was not going to come true, Looney instead decided to stay involved with the sport by working in communications for an NFL team.  Looney works in public relations department for the Chiefs and keeps a blog on kcchiefs.com for fans to follow.  The articles on Looney’s blog can be found at http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/josh_looney/.

The Chiefs Experience began at 11 a.m., when the gates opened and was located in the southeast corner of Ramer Field. Fans of all ages were able to participate in the four stations. The four stations that tested fan skills included catching, an obstacle course, chip shot (kicking), and precision passing. The catching and quarterback station consisted of trying to catch five passes. If fans caught a pass, they took a step back to the next line. The next station was the obstacle course and fans were working against the clock to see how long it would take to complete the course while carrying a football. After participants completed the obstacle course, they moved onto the chip shot. They got three tries to kick the football through the uprights at either the five, 10 or 15-yard line. The last station was the precision passing station where participants threw the football five times to try to make it through the cutout hole by KC Wolf’s, the Kansas City Chiefs mascot, hands. As soon as participants completed the Chiefs Experience they received free Vitamin water on behalf of the Family Fun Day sponsor, Viking Coca Cola of River Falls. There were over 327 participants and a special thanks goes out to all of the volunteers from UW-River Falls Track & Field, River Falls High School Wildcat football team and UW-River Falls students Joan Wangui and Alifa Momin.

Family Fun Day was not only for the loyal Chiefs fans that flooded Ramer Field this afternoon.  Friends and family of coaches, players and other staff were present to watch their loved ones participate in today’s scrimmage.  A special set of bleachers was set aside near the north end zone of Ramer Field for these VIPs.  No other fans or media members were allowed to enter the designated area.

Todd Haley Post Practice Press Conference
At a post-practice press conference this afternoon, Head Coach Todd Haley stated: “We were up and down today.  We had some good plays and some bad plays on both sides of the ball.  But we have to hold on to the football.  There have been too many turnovers over the past few days.”  Haley also said that today was a very valuable practice.  Some of the coaching staff was up in the press box relaying plays, and because today was the first very hot day of practice, he believes that the conditioning drills that were run today will pay off.  “Next to a preseason game, today simulated a real game as closely as we can get.”  When asked about what it was like to have his Dad watching on the sidelines, Haley responded, “It definitely puts a lot of pressure on me to have him here.  I see him on the sidelines looking at the roster, checking names of the players who make plays or make mistakes.  But I’m going to take advantage of him being here by asking for some advice.”  One media member asked the coach what he saw out there today.  “I found myself calling plays,” he replied while smiling.  “How did they turn out?” a press member asked.  “No comment,” was the only reply that could be squeezed out of Haley.  He did manage to laugh about it though.

2009 Staff

Students and staff covering the Chiefs this year.
Front, left to right: Amanda Kane (Fans, Seniors Day),
Renee Thony (Sidelines), Linda Abel (Fans, Kids' Days),
Jim Thies (Sports Information Director).
Back, left to right: Deb Toftness (Office Manager),
Kevin Harter (University Communications Director),
Steve Linzmeier (Sidelines), J. J. Mosher (Fans, Punt, Pass & Kick),
Jens Gunelson (Photographer). Not picture is
Brenda Bredahl (University Communications Writer/Editor).