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Wednesday, August 2 2006, Afternoon
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

A beautiful afternoon brought attendance to a camp high of 450 fans. The constant rain the last couple of days helped cool down the horrendous heat wave that the camp has been enduring since it opened last Friday. The clouds disappeared late this morning and the sun came out, making for a very comfortable afternoon practice for players, coaches and fans. By practice time it was mostly sunny and 80 degrees with a relatively low humidity of 54 percent. There was also a very nice breeze coming from the NNE at 5 mph.

Tony Gonzalez Interview

Tight end Tony Gonzalez spoke with the media after today’s practice about his contract and the progress of some of his teammates. When asked if he had negotiated contract terms yet, Gonzalez replied, “Is there a smile on my face? No, not yet. We’ve talked about it, and I’m hoping to get it done in a couple weeks.” Though Gonzalez is not worried about the contract getting completed, he is thinking about it.

He realizes the effect of his contract on the rest of the team as well: “My cap number is very high, and I’m hurting the team if I’m not under that number.” 

“I understand how it works. Vince Young is making more than Trent Green and he hasn’t even played a down. That’s how the system is set up.”

“I just want to get what’s fair and I want to be a Chief. That’s first and foremost. I’ve been here my whole career and I want to finish it here.”

Earlier in the month, Gonzalez said that if the Chiefs signed cornerback Ty Law, the team would go to the Super Bowl. Now that Law is signed, Gonzalez is ready for that ring.

“I think that shows the dedication this organization has to getting to the Super Bowl. I know I said this last year, and I really did think it last year, but for me this really is the year. It’s now or never.”

“I’m optimistic, but you have to think that this is going to be Will Shields’ last year, and we are all getting a little older on the offensive side of the ball. But at the same time Willie Roaf has a lot to do with that,” Gonzalez said about the veterans and Roaf’s retirement. “I’m a little disappointed. He’s a big part of this team. You are talking about our All-Pro left tackle not being there. We are going to have to go out there and overcome, though.”

Gonzalez also made a plea for Roaf’s return: “If he’s listening, come on back because we are having a good time and we have a good football team.”

Gonzalez did compliment tackle Kyle Turley’s performance thus far in camp, though: “We brought in Kyle Turley and as you guys can see, he’s doing outstanding.”

Since Roaf is gone, Gonzalez was asked if his role would be changing at all. He replied, “My role is the same that it’s always been. They throw me the ball, and they throw me the ball a lot. The only thing I wanted more this year was more calls in the red zone.”

A veteran player, who never has never before been a big fan of two-a-days, Gonzalez is loving the new system of Coach Herm Edwards’ practices: “It’s a dream come true. We feel fresh and we are going to go out there, bust our [butts] and get better.”

Defense

Practice ran 10 minutes past its scheduled 5:15 p.m. ending time. The players were worked hard on a wet and soggy field, but never seemed to let up the intensity.

The usual players on the physically unable to perform list were now wearing weighted shoulder pads during their workouts. 

Linebacker Derrick Johnson made the first stop of the day in 11-on-11s on a quarterback Trent Green pass to running back Larry Johnson.

Defensive tackle James Reed busted through the line on an offensive pass play and recorded a sack on Green. 

Cornerback Julian Battle had his share of good and bad plays throughout the day. The fourth year corner out of Tennessee was able to make a great break on a deep ball thrown by quarterback Damon Huard and nearly made an interception along the sidelines. Later in practice defensive back coach David Gibbs yelled at Battle for not back-pedaling far enough. 

Linebacker Keyaron Fox got into a wrestling match with wide receiver Nate Curry over a ball following a reception by Curry. The two rolled around on the ground until Fox finally gave Curry the victory. 

Quarterback Casey Printers barked out convincing calls and got defensive tackle Jimmy Wilkerson, along with the rest of the defense, to jump early. 

Head Coach Herm Edwards spoke after practice. The focus of questions was on the recent trade that brought Saints running back Michael Bennett to the Chiefs in exchange for a fourth round draft pick.

Bennett brings an explosiveness to the Chiefs depth chart, and will be a reliable back-up to running back Larry Johnson.

Bennett, a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, played several years for the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Saints this past off-season. Bennett played solid for the Vikings, even making the Pro Bowl in 2002 after rushing for over 1,200 yards. Bennett was considered to be expendable by the Saints after they signed first round pick running back Reggie Bush. Bennett will reunite with his Viking teammates when the Chiefs visit the Vikings in Mankato on Friday. 

Edwards said of the transaction, “He’s (Bennett) a good football player. He can make big plays. Obviously, what it does is give you some more depth at running back. You can never have enough running backs.”

The injury to Brian Waters also came up. “He’s still getting treatment. He’s starting some conditioning but he is no where near playing by any means,” Edwards commented.

Defensive tackle Lional Dalton strained his knee during individual drills today. “They took him to get x-rays,” said Edwards. “It happened early [into practice]; I don’t know exactly what the situation is.”

Offense

In 7-on-7s quarterback Trent Green was 10-14 with one interception. On Green’s first attempt the pass fell short at tight end Tony Gonzalez’s feet, but Green connected with wide receivers Samie Parker, Jeris McIntyre and Dante Hall on the next three attempts. Green also threw a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Eddie Kennison and another deep pass to Kennison for a touchdown a few plays later. Running back Dee Brown and running back Larry Johnson also made receptions in this series.

Also in 7-on-7s quarterback Damon Huard was 10-11 on the day. Running back McKenzi Smith caught two passes, while Kennison caught another 30-yard pass in the end zone. Running back Derrick Ross, wide receivers Nate Curry, McIntyre and Hall and running back Quentin Griffin all tallied receptions.

Quarterback Casey Printers completed 3-4 in 7-on-7s. One was a short lob to Smith, and the other two passes were midrange passes to Curry.

In 11-on-11s quarterback Trent Green threw a perfect series, going 6-6. The first play of the drill was a drop off pass to running back Larry Johnson. Green continued his run connecting with tight end Robert Docherty, and two passes to tight end Tony Gonzalez. He also threw one to wide receiver Dante Hall, and spiraled a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Samie Parker. After Parker’s touchdown, Gonzalez celebrated.

The first string offensive line consisted of tackle Kyle Turley, center Casey Wiegmann, guard Will Shields, tackle Kevin Sampson and guard Chris Bober.

Quarterback Damon Huard threw 2-4 completions. Tight end Kris Wilson made one reception and wide receiver Nate Curry made a 20-yard catch.

Also in 11-on-11s, quarterback Casey Printers completed 2-3 passes, connecting with wide receiver Jeff Webb and tight end Robert Docherty.

In a goal line drill, quarterback Trent Green was 0-1, just missing tight end Tony Gonzalez in the end zone. In this series, running back Larry Johnson carried twice, bringing one in for a touchdown.

Quarterback Brodie Croyle did not take any snaps at today’s practice.  

Fans

Quarterback Trent Green and offensive lineman Kyle Turley were at the rail before practice got underway, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. One young fan yelled out, “Trent you’re my idol.” Green than gave the kid a high five and took a picture with him.

Rob Vroman of Sioux Falls, S.D., made the trip to River Falls for his third straight year. He brought his son, Chris, 10 and his niece, Mallory Wencil, 12. Chris brought his football to this afternoon’s practice, which has been signed by over 20 Chiefs players. The only signature missing was Green’s. Even though no autograph session was scheduled, Chris was smart enough to bring his ball and it sure paid off. Green came over about 10 minutes before practice got underway and started signing autographs. Chris was at the right place at the right time and finally got the coveted signature. “It was awesome,” said Chris.

Rob, originally from Kansas City, is a season ticket holder at Arrowhead Stadium, and makes the 6-hour trip from Sioux Falls to Kansas City whenever the Chiefs play at home. He says that he will miss the high-octane offense that Chiefs fans have become so accustomed to in recent years, but he says he is a defensive guy at heart and will sacrifice less points for more wins. You know what they say, high scoring offenses are exciting but the defense wins championships.

Howard Rambo of Kansas City made it to River Falls just in time for this afternoon’s practice. With no time to change into his Chiefs wardrobe, Rambo was just happy to be there on time. Rambo has been taping Chiefs games for many years. He guesses that he has almost 400 taped games, going back to the days of Chiefs former All Pro running back Christian “The Nigerian Nightmare” Okoye.

Also in attendance was former UW-River Falls graduate and sports information employee John Sortedahl. Sortedahl covered hockey, football and golf, but was unable to cover the Chiefs because he graduated three years before the team began coming to River Falls.

John and Michelle Cahoj have traveled 900 miles from Hoxie, Kan., with Joe Cahoj and his daughter Laura, 15, for their third year at the Chiefs Summer Training Camp. The Cahojs love coming to camp for the interaction with the players,and to meet other fans and friends. They are also excited about the improvement in the defense and have faith in the offense. John and Michelle mentioned that they like new Head Coach Herm Edwards for his positive and great attitude. The Cahojs would also like to say, “Hi to mom and dad in Hoxie!”

Patricia and Julie Gerstberger, from Rib Lake, Wis., arrived in River Falls on Sunday for their 14th year at summer training camp. The Gerstbergers are huge Chiefs fans and enjoy visiting River Falls each summer because they’ve found it to be a really nice area. Julie mentioned that she enjoys seeing the players at camp each year, especially her favorite player, quarterback Trent Green.

Ben Hansen, 7, from Stillwater, Minn., and his cousin Alec McCrae, 7, from Vermont, were having fun hiding in the shade on the main field bleachers during afternoon practice today. Hansen and McCrae are huge Chiefs fans and are enjoying their first time at training camp. Both Hansen and McCrae like watching the team practice, and are excited to see their favorite players quarterback Trent Green and running back Larry Johnson.

Steve Hopkins of Kansas City, likes to get the bird’s-eye view by standing on top of the main field’s bleachers. There is a nice breeze, you have a great view of the practice fields and it isn’t crowded. Hopkins’ son, Nate, 16, enjoys standing closer to the players so he can take pictures. Hopkins, a high school football coach and history teacher, likes taking notes on how the staff run practice. He commented, “I like seeing what drills they run and what individual and team things they’re doing.” Hopkins also thinks it’s great that there are such wonderful facilities on the UW-River Falls campus for the Chiefs to use.

“You don’t see on TV their actual size,” said Derek Bonser on how much bigger the Chiefs players seem in person. Bonser, who is from Owatonna, Minn., is here for his second summer camp ever. He thinks cornerback Ty Law is a great addition to camp: “He’s one of the best corners in the league.” He also thinks the Chiefs need new team uniforms, saying the ones they use for games look old.

Spasimir Bodurski is a UW-River Falls student and football player who enjoys watching special teams the most. Bodurski follows the Chiefs throughout the season as much as he can. Being a kicker himself, his favorite player is kicker Lawrence Tynes. He is also very impressed by punter Dustin Colquitt’s abilities. Bodurski likes Coach Herm Edwards, and said that he thinks practices are more intense this year because of Edwards’ energy.

Extra...Extra

The founder of the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt, has family visiting River Falls beginning this afternoon. His son Lamar Hunt, Jr., daughter-in-law Rita, and grandkids Dennis, John, Jocelyn and Rachel are staying in the residence halls and will be here until Aug. 6.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez will not travel with the Chiefs to Minnesota State University-Mankato for Friday’s practice with the Minnesota Vikings. He instead will be traveling to Canton, Ohio, to attend former teammate and workout partner Warren Moon’s induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

After practice today, offensive tackles Jeremy Parquet, Jordan Black and Kevin Sampson were on the field practicing blocking and pass block techniques for 20 minutes before heading into Hunt Arena with the rest of the team.

After practice today safety Sammy Knight, linebacker Kawika Mitchell, cornerback Benny Sapp, wide receivers Jeris McIntyre, Samie Parker, Nate Curry, Darrell Hill and Chris Hannon were on the jugs today. Fullback J.R. Niklos and cornerback Justin Perkins were also on the field after practice doing drills with the sleds.

Among the special guests who had hoped to attend the Chiefs’ morning practice, but were unable to due to the rain, were representatives from the St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance. The organization, which was founded 14 years ago in part as a response to the Chiefs camp, includes 20 communities. Its membership includes 14 chambers, business associations and economic development corporations, as well as the National Park Service, Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism, Explore Minnesota Tourism, and UW-River Falls.

The members held their monthly meeting on campus and received a briefing on camp operations and marketing from UW-RF Public Affairs Director Mark Kinders.

Attending were Baard Webster and Jim Lawton, Funkie Gardens, Prescott; Rosanne Bump, River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau; Tina Langdon, Adventures, Osceola; Dr. Rich Hafdahl, Downtown Dental, Osceola; Trudy Popenhagen, Xcel, Hudson; Evy Nerbonne and Amy Spillman, St. Paul Pioneer Press; Kim Heineman and Karen Spicer, Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau and Ron Erickson, National Park Service.

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.