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Monday, August 7, 2006, Afternoon
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

Today's weather brought plenty of sunshine and a lot of smiles to the faces of 300 fans. It was a perfect 80 degrees with 39 percent humidity, and there was a nice breeze from the north at 5 mph.

Interview with tight end Jason Dunn

Dunn is anticipating the upcoming preseason contest against the Houston Texans: “We got some guys out here. We’ve been going fast. The younger guys are getting ready. They are going to come in and get a lot more reps then they had when they were up there in Minnesota. And I think they have a moment of fire. They don’t know exactly where they are. It’s a good barometer to see exactly where the entire team is, probably with the first offense.”  

Though Dunn is a veteran, he says that he is feeling “decent.” “Being in it for 11 years I always get that extra pain.” He is hoping to stay healthy and come into the season “full force.” 

Fellow tight end Kris Wilson has been criticized for being underweight and his lack of understanding the blocking schemes, but Dunn says, “Kris Wilson is definitely going to be a threat for us and a big weapon. He does a great job of blocking. He is not afraid to hit you. Eighty-four is definitely going to open some eyes up.”

Defense

The defense seemed to play very well, except for some porous secondary plays that allowed receiver Samie Parker to break free and catch passes for huge gains. Cornerback Ty Law sat practice out and was replaced by cornerback Benny Sapp. Sapp played well and did not give up as many plays as Patrick Surtain. Safety Greg Wesley had a great practice and was complimented with a pat on the butt from secondary coach David Gibbs.

Head coach Herm Edwards was very vocal throughout practice. He was seen yelling at nickel back Benny Sapp to hustle off the field.

The scare of the night was when defensive end Tamba Hali suffered a blow to the ribs from tackle Kyle Turley; he stayed down for a while as trainers looked at his side. Hali eventually got up and had an ice pack against his left ribs. It was made known later that it was a rib injury only and precautionary x-rays would be taken tomorrow. 

“I don’t think it’s serious. I feel sore, but they don’t think anything popped. I just have to get some treatment and I think it will be fine," said Hali about the incident, "He was on my back while I was coming to the quarterback, and when I let up he just kneed me in my ribs.”

On the likelihood of him practicing tomorrow, Hali said, “I don’t know. Have to get some pictures on it and evaluate and we’ll see what happens.”

Hali compared it to a boxing match. “Somebody really gets you in the ribs. Sometimes you feel like you get the wind knocked out of you, but mine was more like pain.” Hali said it’s not a major injury, though.

The defensive line continued to run a seven-man rotation and used different combinations. Tackles Lional Dalton, Ryan Sims, James Reed, and Ron Edwards shared up the middle duties while outside time was split between Hali, Eric Hicks, Jared Allen, and Clint Mitchell. 

The defensive line was able to give consistent pressure, but not enough to prevent Trent Green from getting passes off. 

Running back Derrick Ross got the call on an outside run to the left, and safety Bernard Pollard was waiting to drop him in his tracks. 

One emphasis was defending the two-point conversion. The defense seemed to hold up, stopping running back Larry Johnson for a loss and forcing most plays to the outside.  The defensive line was on a mission to get to the quarterback. 

Defensive end Eric Hicks talked after practice about how he thought the defense was looking: “Everybody looks pretty good out there. We’re competing. The balance of power is getting a little more even now.”

Offense

In the initial team drill of the afternoon practice, the quarterbacks were flawless. Quarterback Trent Green took full control of 7-on-7s, completing 4-4 passes. Wide receiver Samie Parker garnered two receptions from Green and wide receiver Dante Hall caught one. Head Coach Herm Edwards could be overheard yelling at the defense: “Don’t be so selfish.” The highlight of the series, though, was Green’s 60-yard pass to wide receiver Jeris McIntyre for a touchdown. Quarterback Damon Huard also threw a perfect 3-3. He hit tight end Kris Wilson on a 5-yard pass to the left, connected with running back Quentin Griffin up the middle and delivered a 10-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez. Quarterback Casey Printers completed two pass attempts, both to wide receiver Kyle Brown.

During the first set of 11-on-11s, the first team of offensive linemen included: left tackle Kyle Turley, left guard Chirs Bober, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Will Shields and right tackle Kevin Sampson. Quarterback Trent Green took five snaps, handing off the ball to running back Larry Johnson twice, running back Dee Brown once and running back McKenzi Smith once. On Johnson’s second run, he worked the defense until he found a hole and broke free. Only taking three snaps, quarterback Damon Huard delivered the ball to Brown, Smith and running back Quentin Griffin. The second string offensive linemen included: left tackle Will Svitek, left guard Steve Franklin, center Rudy Niswanger, right guard Thomas Barnett and right tackle Jordan Black.

In a quick transition from 11-on-11s, Coach Herm Edwards announced, “Two-point play.” Quarterback Trent Green handed off the ball to running back Larry Johnson on the first play. He was stopped at the line of scrimmage. On the second attempt, Green threw a pass to Johnson who got into the end zone.

The final set of 11-on-11s focused on the passing game. Green completed 10-12 passes and didn’t throw any interceptions. He commenced the series with a precise 30-yard pass to wide receiver Eddie Kennison and hit target wide receiver Samie Parker on another. Parker tallied one more reception in the series, but also dropped a perfect pass. Other players that registered receptions with the first team include fullback Ronnie Cruz, running back Larry Johnson, wide receiver Dante Hall, tight end Tony Gonzalez and fullback J.R. Niklos.

Quarterback Damon Huard also provided a consistent rally, throwing 7-9 completions. Tight end Kris Wilson made three receptions, and wide receiver Jeff Webb collected two, while wide receiver Jeris McIntyre and running back McKenzi Smith each amassed one.

Special Teams

Kicker Lawrence Tynes got some work in today during the Chiefs special teams practice. Things didn't go very smoothly for the unit as twice the snap was fumbled, and Tynes missed two field goals. In total Tynes was 4-6; he missed from 44 and 49 yards. The longest field goal he made was from 47-yards. The first field goal he missed was a 44-yarder that hit the upright and received a huge groan from the crowd.

Fans

Nate Anderson of Marinette, Wis., is a first timer for Chiefs training camp. The UW-River Falls running back has been a football fan since he can remember and a Chiefs fan for the last couple of years. “It’s fun to see all the superstars, and it’s nice to see them in person versus on TV,” said Anderson, about how close you can actually get to the players. He’s excited that his favorite AFC team (Chiefs) has picked up a great new coach: “He’ll point them in the right direction.” Anderson also thinks that cornerback Ty Law is a good acquisition for the team, and that he will do well in the upcoming season.

Mike Fitch and his sons Garrett, 15, and Jordan, 12, have been coming to camp for the past five or six years. This year they brought first-timer Russ Ellison with them for the ride up from Kansas City. Although they were hesitant to admit it, the group got a little lost while in Iowa. Instead of ending up just past the Minnesota border, they found themselves in Iowa City, Iowa, which is about 200 miles off course. The Fitchs and Ellison got back on track and arrived in what they call “wonderful weather” on Friday. Mike thinks training camp practices have changed for the better with Coach Herm Edwards: "They are running the ball a lot more than with [Dick] Vermeil. They do a lot more team stuff, too." For Garrett and Jordan, the best part of camp is getting autographs. So far they’ve gotten most of the defensive ends including Tamba Hali and Jared Allen. The group has also met a lot of other people from Kansas City.

Packers fans are ubiquitous throughout the Chiefs Summer Training Camp. Tom Olson, a UW-River Falls student, is a combination Packers/Chiefs fan. The New Berlin, Wis., native thinks the team has suffered a big loss with offensive tackle Willie Roaf’s retirement. He did say however that tackle Kyle Turley will fix the line problems that the team has been facing. “Five pounds aren’t going to kill him,” said Olson when asked about Turley’s weight issues. Linebacker Derrick Johnson is Olsen’s favorite player, mainly because “he can hit hard and he’s fast.” Accordingly, The University of Texas is his favorite college football team, where Johnson was much loved by the crowd.

Neta Davis, from Belton, Mo., and her friend Donna Cummings, also from Belton, have been coming to the Chiefs camp in River Falls since 1997. Both enjoy coming to camp each summer because they like the scenery and find River Falls beautiful. Of course Davis and Cummings also enjoy coming to River Falls to see their favorite NFL team practice. Davis feels that the team is more crisp, focused and organized with new Head Coach Herm Edwards. She also feels that Edwards is more instructional with the team. Both Davis and Cummings were present at Family Fun Night on Saturday and said they had a great time. They also liked the new autograph session that took place, saying, “We got the most autographs ever this year because it was first come, first serve.” Some of Davis’ and Cummings’ favorite players include tight end Tony Gonzalez, defensive end Jared Allen, linebacker Kawika Mitchell, wide receiver Dante Hall, quarterback Trent Green and former Chiefs center Tim Grunhard.

Rick Donaldsen from Wichita, Kan., is experiencing his fifth year at summer training camp in River Falls. Donaldsen came this year with wife Sheila, and their son Jed, 12. The Donaldsens love coming to camp each summer because they enjoy seeing the Chiefs practice right before their eyes. The family arrived in River Falls Saturday morning so they could make it to the annual Family Fun Night event. Jed enjoyed seeing the team practice on the main field at Ramer Field Sports Complex, and also enjoyed getting autographs from his favorite players including running back Larry Johnson and wide receiver Dante Hall.

Melissa Knapp from Hudson, Wis., came to training camp this afternoon to see the Chiefs practice in their 16th year in River Falls. Knapp, who has watched the Chiefs practice several times, said that she enjoys seeing them up close and seeing all of the fans that come each year. Knapp, who is a also a Vikings fan, mentioned that she thinks the Chiefs have great, dedicated fans. She also likes Coach Herm Edwards because he is very involved with the team during practice.

Lynn Dickey , former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers from 1976-1985 was at this afternoon's practice. Sandwiched between Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr and soon to be Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre , Dickey was a great one himself. He is third behind Starr and Favre for most passing yards by a Packers quarterback in a season with 21,369 and holds the Packers records for most passing yards in a single season and also the most passing yards in a single game. He is a native of Kansas and closely follows the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL Network reporters arrived today to conduct interviews with Chiefs Head Coach Herm Edwards, quarterback Trent Green and linebacker Derrick Johnson. Tomorrow morning they will begin taping the practices for the Inside Training Camp show set to air tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Carl Rumsky of River Falls stopped by this afternoon's practice to see for himself the product the Chiefs are putting on the field. He comes about once a year to see new players and to watch his favorite Chiefs player, quarterback Trent Green. He likes what the Chiefs and their fans do for the local economy and would hate to see them stop coming in the future.

Ryan Kelley of Minneapolis, Minn., took a short road trip to River Falls this afternoon to check on former Minnesota Vikings running back Michael Bennett. He, along with many other Vikings hopefuls, thought Bennett was the team's future at the tailback position until injuries curtailed his career. Drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of University of Wisconsin, Bennett appeared to be the man to replace retired Vikings running back Robert Smith; it just never panned out. Kelley still wears his Vikings Bennett jersey and strongly believes the running back still has a chance to be something special in the NFL someday.

Extra...Extra

As of Friday morning, gas prices in Kansas Ciy are $2.89/gallon. In River Falls they have reached a high of $3.19/gallon.

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.