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Friday, August 4, 2006, Evening
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

During summer training camp, the Minnesota Vikings call Mankato, Minn., their home. Friday night though, the Vikings shared the spotlight with the Kansas City Chiefs and practiced in front of a full-capacity Blakeslee Stadium crowd.

Both teams were seeing action against an opponent for the first time since the end of the 2005 campaign. The crowd was filled with emotion, as it was their first chance to see their favorite teams in action since December. 

The Chiefs entered the stadium to a chorus of boo’s, but stayed determined in their goal of improving. The Viking fans dwelled on the west side bleachers and the Chiefs’ faithful occupied the east seating.

The weather in Mankato, Minn., at 6:45 p.m. is a cool 79 degrees with 12 percent humidity. Winds are coming from the SSE at 5 mph. Rain is in the forecast, but as of right now it’s very clear and sunny. Chiefs fans are really enjoying the great weather and the great festivities in Mankato.

Offense

Following individual team warm-ups, the Chiefs offense and Vikings defense took the practice field at Minnesota State University-Mankato to work on 7-on-7s, 9-on-9s and position training. The ambience was very relaxed throughout the entire practice, with players on opposing teams often patting each other on the back and smiling. Overall the atmosphere was very friendly and laid-back.

Initially, the team performed 9-on-9s on one end of the field, while the wide receivers and cornerbacks competed in a position drill on the other end of the field. Running back Dee Brown and running back McKenzi Smith ran with the first line under quarterback Trent Green. Running back Quentin Griffin and running back Derrick Ross took the majority of the runs under quarterbacks Damon Huard and Casey Printers.

In one-on-one drills wide receiver Dante Hall squared off against the Vikings’ cornerback Fred Smoot. Smoot was pulling at Hall’s jersey and defending him too closely, so Hall pivoted across the middle and pulled away for a touchdown.

This is the first time that the Chiefs have had direct one-on-one drills during summer training camp.

In 7-on-7s the rookies and free agents seemed to be a little nervous. Quarterback Trent Green took the first four snaps completing two passes: one five-yard pass to fullback Ronnie Cruz, and another to wide receiver Samie Parker. Under quarterback Damon Huard, some of the rookies and free agents took the field, dropping three passes in a row. Wide receiver Nate Curry, wide receiver Darrell Hill and Cruz all let passes slip through their hands. Huard then completed passes to tight end Robert Docherty and Parker. Parker made two amazing catches in this series, showing off his confidence and athleticism. 

Quarterback Casey Printers also displayed a show of nervousness throwing 1-7 in the first part of 7-on-7s. He overthrew three passes to wide receiver Nate Curry and didn’t connect with wide receiver Darrell Hill on two plays, but finally hit running back Quentin Griffin with a short pass up the left side.

In more 7-on-7 action, Green went 6-6 on pass completions. Wide receiver Eddie Kennison, wide receiver Jeris McIntyre, running back Dee Brown, running back McKenzi Smith and Parker all tallied completions. Parker made another spectacular catch between three Vikings defenders. Huard was 5-6 in this series. He threw a solid pass to fullback J.R. Niklos, who used his agility to create a clear-out pattern between the defenders. Tight end Jason Dunn made one catch up the middle, but the tendency of the offense seemed to be going toward the left side of the field. Tight end Kris Wilson and Curry also both connected with Huard.

Printers also took five snaps. He made completions to Griffin, running back Derrick Ross, wide receiver Kyle Brown, wide receiver Jeff Webb and tight end Adam Johnson.

After the horn sounded, the Chiefs offense and Vikings defense journeyed over to the stadium to all-out play each other. Quarterback Damon Huard took eight snaps, but the main focus of the Chiefs offense was on the running attack. Running back Dee Brown and running back McKenzi Smith both ran the ball twice. Brown also registered two receptions, wide receiver Samie Parker caught one pass and fullback Ronnie Cruz caught the other. No deep passes were thrown.

Quarterback Casey Printers also took eight snaps during play. Running back Quentin Griffin led the running attack with three carries, while running back Derrick Ross made one. Printers attempted two passes: one to fullback J.R. Niklos and one to wide receiver Kyle Brown, but neither was completed. Printers experienced a lot of pressure from the Vikings defense; he had to run the ball up the sideline once and also got sacked.

Defense

Before the practice got underway, the Chiefs’ coaches and players went to the practice field to run individual drills, while the Vikings used the main field. After a 45 minute session, the Chiefs defense went to the main field to play against the Viking offense. The Chiefs offense stayed put, waiting for the Vikings defense to join them on the practice field.

Both teams were held to a high standard by their respective coaches and the tackling was rather light. Occasional big hits would wow the crowd, but they were held to a minimum.

“I’m real proud of both teams,” said Head Coach Herm Edwards. “[Both teams] displayed great sportsmanship; a pretty good practice for both teams. Everyone is trying to feel everyone out. We kept within the lines, we played football.”

The Chief defense looked stellar on some plays and on others they would self destruct. Their run defense was solid, as it was most of last year as the speedy linebacker crew was able to break the line of scrimmage and tackle Viking running backs for losses. Outside linebacker Derrick Johnson was once again impressive, proving that he was worth the Chiefs first round draft choice in 2005. Johnson was able to scorch his way to the sidelines, making stops on Viking running backs Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason.
 
Safety Greg Wesley showed his pop on several plays, slamming Vikings into the turf on a regular basis. 

Surprisingly, the Achilles heal of the defense still appeared to be the secondary. Speedy Viking receivers Koren Robinson and Travis Taylor were able to out-duel their Chief cornerback counterparts and break down the field for huge gains. The acquisition of Ty Law to solidify the cornerback position did not appear to pay off this night. The issue could be simply related to poor pressure by the defensive line and the secondary still adjusting to a cover-2 scheme.

Recently injured defensive tackle Lional Dalton was in uniform for the Chiefs, but saw limited action. Defensive tackles Ryan Sims and James Reed occupied the middle of the line, aided by ends Tamba Hali and Jared Allen. The defense went to the sidelines after their first stint on the field.

Back-up veteran defensive end Eric Hicks called the doctor over to look at a cut in his mouth. Following the diagnoses, Hicks took several swigs out of a Gatorade bottle and spit out several streams of watered down blood. The problem seemed to be minor and Hicks got back out on the field. 

Rookie safety Bernard Pollard showed why he was the Chiefs’ second round pick, as he was not afraid to run up on receivers and make plays. Several incomplete passes thrown by the Viking quarterbacks could be blamed on the savvy ball-hawking skills of the impressive Purdue alum. 

Defenders from both teams looked antsy to make a big hit and put a player into the ground, but that emotion was kept at bay. The biggest hit of the day came from cornerback Jerald Brown on a ball thrown to the flat. The hit was heard around the stadium and highlighted a day of soft contact. 

ESPN columnists Michael Smith and John Clayton were in attendance to observe the new look of teams, and could be heard talking football to each other throughout the practice. Smith not only writes for ESPN.com, he is also a regular guest on the ESPN produced show, Around the Horn. Around the Horn pits knowledgeable sport journalists against one another to argue topics from the day in sports. Clayton is an NFL analyst for ESPN and makes most of his appearances on ESPN’s Sportscenter and NFL Live. Smith is scheduled to visit River Falls for Chiefs training camp on Aug. 7. 

After a hard fought day at practice, both teams appeared to come out better and injury free. With that in mind, the practice should be considered a successful venture for the Super Bowl hopeful Chiefs.

Fans

Susan Frary, from Waukesha, Wis., was present at the Chiefs/Vikings practice in Mankato, Minn. this evening. This is her second year at camp. She enjoys it because she meets new people and makes friends with fans. Frary thinks of all Chiefs fans as one big family unit, and enjoys seeing them each year. Frary was excited to get her picture taken with quarterback Trent Green in River Falls, and an autograph from offensive lineman Will Shields.

Rachele Brownfield from Mankato, Minn., and her son Jeremiah, 3, are huge Chiefs fans. This is their first time seeing the Chiefs at training camp, and they are having fun meeting new people and making new friends with fellow Chiefs fans.

Sean and Danielle Garneau traveled all the way from Mechanic Falls, Maine, to see their favorite NFL team at training camp this summer. This is their second year at camp, and they are having a great time meeting new people and making new friends. Danielle was excited to mention that she had her photograph taken with defensive end Jarred Allen. She also mentioned that it is neat to see the same fans return to River Falls each summer for camp.

Michael Thede, 13, who was wearing running back Priest Holmes’ number, has been a Chiefs fan for the last few years. This may not seem that uncommon at a Chiefs/Vikings practice, but when you’re from Mankato, Minn., home of the Vikings training camp, people expect you to be a Vikings fan. Thede’s friends give him a lot of flak for his love of the Chiefs. He likes coming to the joint practice to see the players up-close and try to get autographs. He is disappointed about not seeing Holmes on the team, but likes that the Chiefs picked up running back Michael Bennett.

Nick Elkins, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., is a Chiefs fan to the core. Originally from Kansas, Elkins is at his first Chiefs/Vikings practice. When asked about running back Michael Bennett’s new status as a Chief, Elkins commented, “I think it’s kind of hilarious, him playing for the Vikings and now the Chiefs.” He also said that he thinks cornerback Ty Law will make a big difference in the defensive part of the game.

Matt Monthie and two other friends drove up from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, today for the joint practice. They also try to make it to at least one game a year down in Kansas City. Monthie grew up being a Chiefs fan, along with his whole family. When asked about his favorite player, he said, “Larry Johnson is a favorite. He’s on my fantasy football team.” Monthie also thinks that Coach Herm Edwards is a good edition to the staff: “He will implement a better defense and take them to the playoffs.”

Joe Cahoj, from Olathe, Kan., made the trip to Mankato, Minn., from River Falls, where he has been watching the Chiefs since last Tuesday. It is his first time coming to training camp in River Falls, and he’s having a splendid time. He says that so far the Minnesota Vikings fans in Mankato are being pretty respectful of the vastly outnumbered Chiefs devotees. He has heard “Chiefs suck” a few times, but realizes its all part of being a football fan on another teams’ home turf.

Mike Raynor, from Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., is having a great time at the Chiefs/Vikings practice in Mankato, Minn. Proudly representing his Chiefs in the midst of an ocean of Vikings fans, Raynor doesn’t mind and wouldn’t trade the moment for anything. He loves the chance to go on vacation in the north woods for a week to watch his Chiefs get ready for the big season. He hopes the Chiefs continue to make River Falls their summer home for years to come.

Mike Kauzlarich and Randy Carel made the trip to Mankato, Minn., this year from Centerville, Iowa, to watch the Chiefs practice with the Vikings. After practice, the two will follow the team back to River Falls to watch the Chiefs practice until Monday. Kauzlarich, sporting former Chief quarterback Len Dawson’s jersey, has been a fan since he was a child.

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.