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Monday, July 31, 2006, Afternoon
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

The temperature at the start of practice was at the magical 100 degree mark. The 195 fans in attendance were relieved by 18-30 mph winds from the SSW. It was clear bright skies this afternoon, while the humidity was at 38 percent and the dew point was a warm 70 degrees.

Defense

The temperature stayed high going into the afternoon practice, and so did the players’ energy. Coach Herm Edwards did not make players wear full pads, which definitely aided in the effort against dehydration. 

Individual drills were ran the same as they were in the morning. Cornerback Lenny Walls was still sidelined, and end Tamba Hali was still in New Jersey squaring away his citizenship. End Carlos Hall, who was not suited up, worked out with the physically unable to perform group. Coach Herm Edwards was not available for comment after practice. 

Before practice began, Coach Herm Edwards was interviewed live on ESPNEWS. He was questioned about the new playbook and how the players were adjusting. Another question was what the players would say about him if they were asked. “That I am an honest man,” responded Edwards. 

Full team drills and 7-on-7s finished out practice. The lone defensive highlight was a botched handoff that was recovered by linebacker Nick Reid. Reid has been a fan favorite so far at camp because of his roots at the University of Kansas. He is also recognized for his hard work and wavy blonde fro.

Following practice, media ran down defensive tackle Ryan Sims, who is having a much better camp than in previous years. When asked how much of playing is physical and how much is mental, Sims replied, “It’s a little bit of both. You have to physically be able to go out there and push it everyday. A lot of it is all mental.”  Sims made a comment about needing to make things right, and was then asked to define “making things right.” “Basically make things right in my mind,” said the fifth year Chief. “I feel unfinished right now.  I don’t think that right now in year five I am where I wanted to be five years ago.” Another question asked was whether or not Sims was disappointed in himself. “No, not really, [but] I’m not pleased. Your hardest critic has to be yourself, and I’ve been unlucky with some of the bumps and bruises and changes in philosophy when I first got here,” replied Sims, “You know, this is a new year, I’m starting to make some plays. I am motivated. I want a ring, I really want a ring.”

Linebacker Derrick Johnson shared some of his feelings on how the team is developing following today’s afternoon practice: “Hard work is always the main goal to accomplish anything, and this year we are looking up. It means a lot that our defense is rebuilding; we have a lot of good players on defense. We’re turning the corner.” He also alluded to the increase in confidence on the entire defensive side of the ball, since Coach Herm Edwards’ new philosophies have been instigated. In his second season of the NFL, Johnson feels like he has a lot more confidence: “Not being a rookie anymore is a big burden off my back.” He also explained the progress of teammates defensive tackle Ryan Sims, middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell and cornerback Ty Law. Johnson said that Sims’ veteran status is evident, and that he is doing a lot better this season. He said, “Being the middle linebacker, Mitchell has to be that guy we look to in the fourth quarter. He’s taken on that leadership role.” As well, Johnson complimented on Law’s potential to help the defense: “Ty Law is a great addition to this defense with great veteran leadership. He’s going to help us out tremendously this year.”

Offense

The offense looked sharp in 7-on-7s this afternoon. Quarterback Trent Green completed 6-6 pass attempts. Wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe returned to the field today after sitting out the past few practices with a bruised shoulder, debuting with a 20-yard reception. Green also connected with tight end Kris Wilson, tight end Adam Johnson, running back McKenzi Smith, running back Larry Johnson and fullback J.R. Niklos.

Connecting on 2-3 pass attempts, quarterback Damon Huard hit wide receivers Nate Curry and Chris Hannon. His pass to fullback J.R. Niklos was incomplete.

Quarterback Casey Printers was 2-4, but both of his completions came on crowd-pleasing passes to wide receiver Nate Curry and fullback J.R. Niklos. One of Printers’ passes, intended for wide receiver Jeff Webb, sailed five yards out of Webb’s reach.

Quarterback Brodie Croyle completed 2-2 pass attempts. Tight end Kris Wilson caught a 10-yard pass, and tight end Adam Johnson tallied a 7-yard reception.

In 11-on-11’s quarterback Trent Green completed 6-10 throws. The first play of the series was a 30-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez, who made a diving catch. That set the tone for the rest of the practice. Running back Larry Johnson caught a short lob in the middle, and tight end Kris Wilson swung to the outside to make a reception. Wide receiver Eddie Kennison split two defenders to catch a 25-yard pass, and Gonzalez made another grab during the final play.

Quarterback Casey Printers connected with his receivers on 3-5 attempts during 11-on-11s. He made another connection with wide receiver Nate Curry, who dove across the field to snatch the pass. Printers also completed passes to wide receiver Jeris McIntyre and running back Derrick Ross.

Also having a success at 11-on-11s was quarterback Damon Huard. Huard completed 3-4 passes: two to wide receiver Darrell Hill and one to running back Quentin Griffin. 

Fans

Being a center for his 9th grade football team, Dylan Young, of Tonganoxie, Kan., likes to see how different the practices are from the way his high school team does things. Dylan’s dad has season tickets for the Chiefs, so he gets to make it to quite a few games each year, but had never been to a training camp before today. “There are a lot of news’ crews up here,” Young said of the many Kansas City media who come to camp.

Keith Young of Basehor, Kan., has come to the camp two year in a row. After watching most of today’s practice, Young could already tell that camp was much more intense. “They look like they’re working a little harder, and it’s a bit more organized,” noted Young. He thinks Coach Herm Edwards is a good edition to the staff.

Daryl Cooper, of River Falls, has been coming to camp for the last five years. Today, he brought his brother-in-law, Jura, along. Jura is from Russia, and before this afternoon, he had never seen an American football team play. Cooper thinks it’s great for the community when the Chiefs come to town: “It’s nice that the local businesses can benefit.” Cooper also brought his dog, Max, and jokingly said, “He’s here to try out for a spot as wide receiver.”

Ron Thies, of Olatha, Kan., made the trip up to River Falls with his wife, Carol, last night. They drove their Lincoln Navigator, which Ron likes to call “the beast,” and were ecstatic about making it here on only one tank of gas. Ron said the trip was around 480 miles and they were able to average 20 mpg with “the beast.” The couple has been coming to training camp for 12 years, and this year they will be celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary during camp, on Aug. 6. Besides going to two practices a day, the couple loves to drive around the St.Croix River Valley and go antique shopping.

Tim Ashworth of St. Joseph, Mo., was in attendance at today’s afternoon practice. He likes the additions the Chiefs have made this off-season, especially cornerback Ty Law and rookie defensive end Tamba Hali. “The defense should be vastly improved from last season.” His favorite player is popular quarterback Trent Green and calls running back Larry Johnson “a future hall of fame back.”

The most decked out Chiefs fan in attendance was Howard McHenry, of Greenfield, Wis. Everything from his hat and sunglasses to his shoes and socks were covered with the Chiefs’ logo. His most notable possession was a Chiefs jacket that had over 100 player’s signatures on it. The first one to sign was former Chief, defensive back Kevin Ross, back in 1995. McHenry was an expert on every current and former Chiefs player. “I know my team; this is what I do,” said McHenry. He predicts an 11-5 season from the Chiefs and believes that final scores of games will be much lower with Head Coach Herm Edwards’ emphasis on strong defense. He calls Edwards the “x-factor” that Chiefs fans will learn to love, and players will love because of the success they will enjoy under his tutelage. McHenry sticks out like a sore thumb being a Chiefs fan in Green Bay Packers territory, but he doesn’t mind, it just adds more fuel to his fire. To further his devotion to the Chiefs, McHenry is a season ticket holder at Arrowhead Stadium, which makes for a lot of traveling from Greenfield to Kansas City. McHenry doesn’t mind: anything for his beloved Chiefs.

Frank Sheble, from Basehor, Kan., is in River Falls this summer for his second year at the Chiefs training camp. Sheble’s grandson, T.J., 14, from Olathe, Kan., came with to experience his first time at camp. Frank, a lifelong fan of the Chiefs, mentioned that the differences between this year’s camp and last year’s are that the players are moving faster and are hitting, which they didn’t do last year. Frank and T.J. like all of the players and do not have favorites. They also really like the way new Head Coach Herm Edwards is handling the team.

Kent and Stephanie Manglitz, from River Falls, Wis., are having a lot of fun at their first training camp. At today’s afternoon practice, they brought their children Mason, 4, Kaley, 6, and Austin, 8. The Manglitz family is having a lot of fun at practice, and is looking forward to tomorrow’s Kids’ Day event. Austin’s favorite players include quarterback Trent Green and cornerback Alphonso Hodge.

Dave and Kay Pierson traveled from Northern Kansas City to partake in the camp for their first time. The Piersons are having a great time and are huge Chiefs fans. Some of their favorite players are running back Larry Johnson, defensive end Eric Hicks and cornerback Ty Law. The Piersons have found the entire camp experience to be very interesting, and mentioned that they like Coach Herm Edwards because of his discipline.

Extra...Extra

A group of wide receivers worked with the jugs when this afternoon’s practice was through. Eddie Kennison, Jeff Webb, Chris Hannon, Kyle Brown, Nate Curry and Darrell Hill, along with linebacker Kawika Mitchell and safety Sammy Knight, grabbed balls out of the air that were carefully placed laces-up in the jugs.

After working with the jugs, wide receiver Samie Parker stopped for a quick interview with the media. He said he likes the shorter practices because it keeps the players fresh. When asked about how he thinks he’ll do this year he said, “I’ll just go in there and do what I do. There are always guys on Tony Gonzalez. It’ll open up a lot of things for me and Eddie [Kennison].”

At the afternoon practice today was former Chiefs’ center Tim Grunhard. Grunhard, who was a second round draft pick of the Chiefs in 1990, was seen talking with Carl Peterson, the Kansas City Chiefs President and General Manager and tackle Kyle Turley, after practice today. The three spoke briefly before Turley went inside Hunt Arena.

Students and staff covering the Chiefs this year include in front row, left to right: Sara Dehn (Senior Day), Amie Eller (Kids' Days), John Hepokoski (sidelines), Holly Sigler (photographs), Jude Harder (fans, Punt, Pass & Kick). Back, left to right: Mark Kinders (Public Affairs Director), Kat Krtnick (sidelines), Deb Toftness (Office Manager), Brenda Bredahl (Public Affairs Editor), Jim Thies (Sports Information Director), Jens Gunelson (University Photographer).

Chiefs fans! Make sure you tune in to the 2006 Daily Updates page on a regular basis. We will be posting sidelines and fans information after each practice while the Chiefs are in camp.