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Thursday, August 3, 2006, Afternoon
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

Much like this morning’s practice, the skies were clear and the sun was shining this afternoon. It was a bit hotter at 86 degrees, but the humidity was low at 33 percent, which made it more comfortable. There was also a nice breeze coming from the WNW at 8 mph. The 420 fans seemed much more at ease than earlier this week with the 100 degree weather.

Interview with defensive end Jared Allen:

Participating in NFL Summer Training Camp takes a lot out of the players and defensive end Jared Allen can attest to that. He explains how he uses most of his personal time: “Most of the time we get off is sleep time. I try to program my alarm clock to the exact minute you have to get up to make it to meetings on time. But we have tomorrow morning off and have a walk-through before we scrimmage the Vikings. We’ll take advantage of that. It’s always good to get your legs fresh.”

Allen is anticipating the practice against the Vikings tomorrow. He said, “It always nice. You test yourself against the players on your own team but after a while it becomes Groundhogs Day with the same things, the same routine, the same people in front of you. It’s always nice to get a little aggression out on somebody else.”

Interview with quarterback Brodie Croyle:

Quarterback Brodie Croyle details what it is like to be a rookie behind veteran quarterback Trent Green. “Trent is a starter, but it’s his job. He’s a very durable guy, but if they call my name, I’ll be ready to go.”

Croyle said that Green may have been annoyed by Croyle’s many questions after practices, but now Green tutors him on the highlights and the lowlights of Croyle’s performances and is teaching him the tricks of the trade.

Offense

This afternoon at practice wide receiver Scott McCready was on the field with a sling on his right arm. Wide receiver Eddie Kennison, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Larry Johnson did not practice, but were on the sidelines. Also, during the middle of practice, wide receiver Chris Hannon had his groin wrapped by an athletic trainer.

In 7-on-7s this afternoon, the squad concentrated on its passing game. Only one running attack was executed. Quarterback Trent Green completed 6-7 pass attempts and threw one interception to linebacker Kawika Mitchell. In this series, Green connected with six different teammates for completions. Wide receiver Jeris McIntyre, wide receiver Dante Hall, wide receiver Samie Parker, tight end Jason Dunn, tight end Kris Wilson and running back Dee Brown all registered receptions. Green’s lone interception was intended for Wilson.

Quarterback Damon Huard completed an impressive 6-6 passes in 7-on-7s. Most of his passes were mid-range distance with a receiver cutting up the middle. Huard also connected with six different receivers. Initially, Huard hit wide receiver Darrell Hill and then followed with two completions to wide receiver Kyle Brown and running back Derrick Ross. Also, Huard completed passes to running back Quentin Griffin, tight end Adam Johnson and wide receiver Jeris McIntyre.

Strong-armed quarterback Casey Printers also had four snaps in 7-on-7s. He completed 3-4 passes, one to wide receiver Darrell Hill, one to tight end Kris Wilson and one to wide receiver Jeff Webb.

In 11-on-11s, the starting offensive linemen were tackle Kyle Turley, center/tackle Chris Bober, tackle Kevin Sampson and guard Will Shields. Quarterback Trent Green threw 2-3, connecting with fullback Ronnie Cruz and tight end Kris Wilson, but under-threw a ball to running back McKenzi Smith. Quarterback Damon Huard went 4-5 in this series. Wide receiver Jeff Webb tallied two receptions, while wide receiver Nate Curry and wide receiver Jeris McIntyre each caught one. Completing 3-4 pass attempts, quarterback Casey Printers hit tight end Kris Wilson and hit wide receiver Jeff Webb on a consecutive run. Printers also dropped off a pass to running back Dee Brown.

The majority of 11-on-11s focused on the running game. Running back Dee Brown and running back McKenzi Smith spilt time in with the first string, while running back Quentin Griffin and running back Derrick Ross led the running attack for the second and third string units.

Defense

The highlight of the day was when quarterback Trent Green threw a pass in 11-on-11 drills that was intercepted in the end zone by middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell. Mitchell then took the interception out of the end zone for a short gain. Head Coach Herm Edwards yelled in disgust and told Mitchell to kneel on the ball next time.

The defense kept making plays as they forced running back McKenzi Smith to fumble. The ball was recovered by safety Jarrad Page. 

Linebacker Boomer Grigsby impressed the coaching staff with his strong effort and great speed from sideline to sideline. Grigsby was able to make some hits to force short gains and was praised verbally by the linebacker corp.

The defense then went into a goal line defense where five players lined up as lineman.  The usual lineup of Tamba Hali, Ryan Sims, James Reed, and Jared Allen was joined by defensive tackle Jimmy Wilkerson.   

Defensive line coach Tim Krumrie talked after practice about how he wants to mold the defensive front. “I’m focusing straight on fundamentals, effort, and playing fast. The more consistent they can be, playing fast to the ball, all that stuff will play out,” said the coach.

Linebacker Keyaron Fox appeared to come up limping after a goal line stand but later looked to have walked it off. 

Newly acquired cornerback Ty Law played well most of the day, but made the one mistake of letting wide receiver Samie Parker get by him for a deep touchdown pass from quarterback Trent Green. 

NFL referees were on hand for practice and threw a few flags around. Cornerback Julian Battle was called with a holding penalty on a pass attempt. He argued the call in disgust.

Linebackers Derrick Johnson and Kendrell Bell also spoke after practice. “It’s real exciting,” said Johnson of practicing against Minnesota. “It’s always an energetic feeling you get when you go up against someone else.”

Bell was asked if this was the year he needed to prove himself. The sixth year pro responded, “You have to prove yourself every year. As a player, when you stop believing that, that’s when you start to fail.”

Fans

Kevin Schrader is a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. Shortly after 9/11, Schrader, who was in the military, was sent to Japan. While he was there, he would stay up until 3 o’clock in the morning to watch the Chiefs’ games on TV. His wife, Stephanie, says he can name any statistic from the past 10 years about any Chiefs player. The Schraders brought their two kids along from Marion, Iowa: Nicole, 10, and Kyle, 6. Kevin remembers back to the 1990s, when the Chiefs had a mediocre offense, but a great defense: “That’s when they made the playoffs,” so he is excited about defensive-minded Coach Herm Edwards. This year Kevin turns 40, so the family is having a Chiefs-themed year in his honor. 

Alex, 17, and Garrett Buell, 15, have been training camp goers for six years and fans since they were little. They love watching the Chiefs up-close, as opposed to watching them on NFL Sunday Ticket like they usually do. They also like getting autographs. A high school quarterback, Alex’s favorite player is quarterback Trent Green. He thinks he is a class act; just a great guy. Garrett’s favorite player is wide receiver Dante Hall. The brothers wanted to say one thing regarding their weekend: “Dad, wish you were here!”

Pat and Donna Quinn of Pratt, Kan., are at camp for the first time. As Pat would put it, they are here to “see something different, do something different and relax.” Pat wonders what the offense is going to be like: tackle Willie Roaf’s shoes will be hard to fill. He does, however, think that Coach Herm Edwards brings energy and work ethics to the team, which will be sure to get everyone going. Pat, who has been a Chiefs fan since birth, gives kudos to the River Falls community for making everyone feel welcome.

UW-River Falls alums Leslie Brunstad and Wendy Czuprynski were at the afternoon practice today. Brunstad and Czuprynski were 2002 Chiefs training camp interns, and Leslie volunteered last year to help with special events. Czuprynski graduated in 2002 with a degree in Marketing Communications and completed her Master’s Degree in 2006 in School Counseling. She has interned for the AAA Sounds in Nashville and the New York Jets working with Internet and Publications. Czuprynski would like to eventually work with collegiate athletics doing career planning. Brunstad, who graduated in 2003, majored in Marketing Communications and went on to intern with the Rochester, New York, AAA Redwings. She will be moving to California in a few weeks to work for the 3M ESPE Dental Division.  Both Brunstad and Czuprynski enjoyed the Chiefs internship for its networking purposes as well as meeting new people and fans.

At the afternoon practice today were huge Chiefs fans Marc Barthel and Brent Moyor from Columbia, Mo., and Brad Rushton, from Lincoln, Neb., who are in their fourth year of coming to training camp in River Falls. Barthel, Moyer and Rushton say they enjoy coming to camp because they are season ticket holders and like to check out the team for the upcoming season. They would also like to see an improvement in the defense, and will be watching players including cornerback Ty Law and defensive end Tamba Hali. They all like new Head Coach Herm Edwards because he is involved with practices and has a high intensity. They are looking forward to seeing Edwards coach tomorrow at practice with the Vikings in Mankato, Minn. This will be their second year seeing the Chiefs in Mankato and are looking forward to Family Fun Night on Saturday.

Mona and Dave Dykhouse were at afternoon practice today. The Dykhouses, who are from Brookings, S.D., are spending their 14th year at training camp. The Dykhouses enjoy coming to camp to see players up-close and personal. They also like to see changes that occur each year with the player lineup, coaches and the way the team practices. The Dykhouses have been watching the defensive line this summer and are excited to see safety Scott Connot, who played at South Dakota State, on the practice field.

Greg and Lisa Rabe, from St. Louis, Mo., are in River Falls this summer with sons Kyle, 4, and Chase, 12. The Rabes enjoy being at camp because they like getting close to the players, as well as getting autographs and seeing the future prospects of the team. The Rabes are excited to see their favorite players including defensive end Jared Allen, running back Larry Johnson, quarterback Trent Green, cornerback Ty Law and linebacker Derrick Johnson, who they would like to see tackle the quarterback more.

Tom Lebeau, of Batesville, Ind., has been coming to Chiefs practices for about 12 years now. He is usually in the Twin Cities area this time of year for business, so when he gets a chance, he likes to stop by River Falls to see his favorite NFL team. His home is just a few hours from Cincinnati and Indianapolis, so he gets a lot of opposing fans in his neighborhood. The first football game he had ever seen was between Chicago and Kansas City at Old Municipal Stadium. Ever since he has been a dedicated fan of the Chiefs. He likes Coach Herm Edwards’ great leadership qualities, but questions his clock management skills. Lebeau believes this year will come down to one word: tackles, both offensively and defensively. Last year they had trouble tackling on defense and this year they have problems on offense because of the retirement of left tackle Willie Roaf. Lebeau believes that if the Chiefs can get past those hurdles they will have a good year and will wind up in the playoffs.

Nate Rasmussen was at this afternoon’s practice with his son Aaron, 6. Not very big Chiefs fans, they come to the camp because it is literally right in their backyard. They live right behind Ramer Field Sports Complex in River Falls, so it makes for some nice evening entertainment, involving little or no effort on their part. The Rasmussens like the fact that they can watch the Chiefs on national television later in the year, then brag that the team practiced in their backyard.

Andrew Johnson, a Comcast employee, was working in the neighborhood when he happened to drive by Ramer Field and notice the Chiefs practicing. From Rice Lake, Wis., Johnson hasn’t been to the Chiefs practice since he was a kid. He remembers that last time he came he got the autograph of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.

Extra...Extra

A group of players worked the jugs at the conclusion of this afternoon’s practice: wide receivers Darrell Hill, Jeris McIntyre, Samie Parker, Jeff Webb, Kyle Brown and Chris Hannon, running back Michael Bennett, and quarterback Casey Printers.

Present at today’s practice were former Chiefs cornerback JC Pearson, former defensive end Neil Smith and former offensive lineman Rich Baldinger. Pearson is now an announcer with Fox for NFL games,

Also at camp today were NFL referees Kirk Dornan, Undrey Wash, Bill Leavy, Jim Howey and Darryll Lewis. They refereed both of today’s practices. They also conducted a meeting with the players this morning to go over the rule changes from last season.

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.