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Tuesday, August 8, 2006, Morning, Seniors' Day
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

Interview with Coach Herm Edwards

Head Coach Herm Edwards was somewhat frustrated about this morning’s practice: “A little bit disappointing in the situations we had today. We’re going to have to get better at certain situations, especially in four minutes, I preach that, I believe that. We’re going to have a mindset of playing better football offensively with four minutes (to go) where we can’t always rely on going back and throwing passes to make first downs.

“We have an excellent offensive line and a tremendous runner. We have to be able to knock people off the ball and run the ball and the game’s over. We have to understand that and that’s the mentality we’re going to have to get. That’s why we practice like how we practice in the morning. That’s why we wear pads; that’s why we play nine-on-seven. These guys are going to have to understand, if you’re going to win on the road, that’s what you’re going to have to do. It’s no secret. We’ll keep practicing that way, and eventually we’ll get good at it.”

The media asked Edwards why it wasn’t working. Edwards responded, “The execution. The defense set the tempo and the offense never responded. They didn’t respond the way they need to respond because that’s going to happen in the game. You may not make five yards on the first run; you might only make three. You’ve got to keep hammering and you’ve got to have that mentality where all of a sudden a pass will bale us out. It didn’t bale us out today on third-and-eight. The offense stopped the clock and we had to punt. We don’t want to do that.”

Edwards said that the new rookies and free agents are going to be playing on Saturday against the Houston Texans, and Edwards says that it doesn’t matter if they are new: “You know what? If somebody gets hurt in the first quarter those same new guys have to play. They have to go in and play the game and I’m not going to change the game plan ‘cause they’re going in there. I’m not going to say, ‘hey, we’ve got to throw passes because we’ve got a new left tackle or new guard.’ Are you kidding me?”

A lot of Chiefs fans have being enthusiastic about the increased tempo of the defense in practice. About this new emphasis on defense Edwards commented: “There might be a lot of Chiefs fans excited about the defense setting the tempo because that’s not how it’s been around here recently.”

 “In practice you always have to create competition. This is what happens in practice: there are swings in different periods. You have a swing in a period where maybe the defense is getting the best of the offense. Then you have to make sure if that’s the way it’s going you have to retaliate. You don’t just keep letting the one team keep dominating the practice because then you don’t get better as a team. A little bit of that took place today and that’s not good enough.”

“So, now it becomes a one-sided practice and I don’t like one-sided practices, even though I’m a defensive coach. I’m happy when we compete and get better. One side of the ball didn’t get better today, but they allowed that to happen because of their mentality. You can’t let that happen because that’s going to happen in the game. Our players understand that but sometimes the players get into that mode (of thinking). We can say we’ve got new guys in there, but I don’t care if there’s a new guy in there. When you walk in the huddle there are only 11 starters, and I don’t care if you’re a rookie or you just came here yesterday. You have a job to do, an opportunity to do something. You need to do your job.”

Edwards also talked about the callowness of this four-minute drill: “This is only the second time we’ve done it. So, it’s new and it’s a new mentality, too. I understand that. They probably played the four-minute offense maybe a little bit different than how I see us playing it.

“It’s a learning process. That’s OK. If this was in a game I’d be really upset. The coaches have to understand that philosophy, too...we don’t have to sit there and throw a pass every time. Eventually you have to hard-nose it, hard-hit it, no-fair-dodging, run the ball. Period. You’ve got to do that in football and you’ve got to do it on the road.”

On defensive end Tamba Hali’s injury, Edwards said, “He’s out. He’s got a slight strain in his ribs. He’s going be out right now. He’ll probably miss the game.”

Edwards started preparing for Saturday’s game “the day before yesterday” and described his philosophy on pre-season games: “There’s a fine line. Certain guys get certain reps and certain guys get more than others. We’ll determine that by Wednesday. Obviously, when it’s a pre-season game the starters will play a little bit more in the second game and in the third game you make them play through the half and take them out in the third quarter. Now, that doesn’t mean all of them…it all depends on the age of a guy; how long a guy has been in the league and certain positions you don’t put in harm’s way. But the first game the starters will play some, and the rest of the guys will play.”

“I think they’re going to figure out when the lights come on and you smell the popcorn and you see the people in the stands you play football. We need to go play football this Saturday night…We practiced too long since the spring to get to Saturday to see what we are. It’s important that we perform well, play at a tempo and in a manner that says ‘this is how we’re going to play.’ We can say this is a pre-season game, but it’s a game.

Offense

Most of the veteran offensive players did not practice this morning. Quarterback Trent Green, guard Will Shields, tight end Tony Gonzalez and fullback Ronnie Cruz were not dressed in pads. Also, wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe, running back Michael Bennett, and quarterback Brodie Croyle were still nursing their injuries.

During the initial offensive walk-through drill of the game, the quarterbacks keyed in on the passing game. Quarterback Damon Huard completed 4-5 passes and quarterback Casey Printers connected with his receivers on all six of his attempts. Wide receiver Jeff Webb was the intended target on three plays, as were wide receiver Samie Parker and tight end Kris Wilson.

The first team offensive linemen were left tackle Kyle Turley, left guard Jordan Black, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Chris Bober and right tackle Kevin Sampson. They worked blocking against pads.

In 9-on-7s the offense worked on their running attack. Quarterback Damon Huard led the troops for the entirety of the drill. Running back Larry Johnson had three carries, running backs Dee Brown and Quentin Griffin had two carries, while running backs McKenzi Smith and Derrick Ross each had one.

The Chiefs then went into 11-on-11 formations, working on short passes up the middle. Quarterback Damon Huard completed 3-4 passes to running back Larry Johnson, tight end Kris Wilson and running back Dee Brown. Quarterback Casey Printers also completed 3-4 attempts to tight end Robert Docherty, fullback J.R. Niklos and running back Quentin Griffin.

Coach Herm Edwards then instructed the players to run the “Four-minute drill.” On all six of quarterback Damon Huard’s tries, he handed off the ball to running back Larry Johnson. Quarterback Casey Printers took nine snaps in this series. After Printers threw two incomplete passes to wide receiver Jeff Webb and running back Dee Brown, Coach Edwards yelled, “See if we can play football!” During the remainder of the drill, Printers delivered the ball to his running backs. Running backs McKenzi Smith, Derrick Ross and Quentin Griffin all carried the ball twice.

The second team offensive linemen consisted of left tackle Will Svitek, left guard Peter Heyer, center Tyler Lenda, right guard Tre Stallings and right tackle Jermey Parquett.

Coach Herm Edwards went “off-the-script,” splitting the offense and defense to perform an offensive walkthrough.

In the final series of 11-on-11s, quarterback Damon Huard was 4-5, connecting wide receiver Eddie Kennsion, wide receiver Dante Hall, tight end Kris Wilson and running back McKenzi Smith. Huard was also sacked once and handed off the ball to running back Larry Johnson twice. Quarterback Casey Printers still struggled under pressure. He was 1-3, completing a 60-yard pass to wide receiver Jeris McIntyre.

Defense

Practice went as usual for the Chiefs, except the intensity was down. The defense looked rather sluggish, much like the rest of the team, as the offense was able to pound the ball and throw deep to wide-open receivers. Neither cornerback Ty Law or defensive end Tamba Hali practiced in the morning. Hali was absent due to his rib injury acquired yesterday and Law had the morning off. 

The defensive line was punished all day, as the offense kept calling running plays. Running backs Larry Johnson and Dee Brown did not get far on their running endeavors but kept rushing up the middle. 

Defensive tackles Ryan Sims and Lional Dalton still practiced with the second team defense. Tackles Ron Edwards and James Reed were the hogs on the first team drills. Reed, a signing from the New York Jets, has impressed since his arrival at camp because of his huge motor and “never give-up” attitude.

Defensive Tackle Ron Edwards spoke after practice about the outlook of the defensive front this season: “I think under coach Herm [Edwards], everything is in order here.  I think we can go all the way.”

Coach Edwards is forming rotations of linemen each day. There is no telling what combination the Chiefs will be starting with on opening day. 

Safety Greg Wesley may be one of the biggest surprises of camp. Always touted as a decent cover guy and a big hitter, Wesley seems to have gained a step over how he performed last season.  Not only is this a plus for Wesley, it is also a plus for his rookie back-up Bernard Pollard, who now has a solid veteran to work behind.  

Fans

Sergio Huff from Kansas City was present at Senior’s Day with his two grandchildren. This is Huff’s second time at training camp. He said that he enjoys it because he loves football and the Kansas City Chiefs! Huff likes coming to River Falls each summer because it is cooler and not as humid as it is back home. Huff also likes watching the players practice and especially likes seeing running back Larry Johnson.

Kurt Johnson came to practice today with his twin sons Drew and Derek, 8, and his daughter Katie, 10. The Johnsons are from St. Louis, Mo., and are in River Falls for their second time. Kurt was hoping that the defense would look better this summer, but he did say that the offense looked really good. The Johnsons received a total of 18 autographs including cornerback Patrick Surtain and safety Sammy Knight. Kurt and Katie like all of the players and don’t have a favorite, but Drew likes wide receiver Dante Hall and Derek likes linebacker Derrick Johnson.

Eric Reynolds, from Eagan, Minn., has been a huge Chiefs fan for years. Reynolds has been a season ticket holder at Arrowhead Stadium since 1985, and has been coming to summer training camp ever since quarterback Joe Montana played for the Chiefs in 1993. Eric brought his two sons to practice today. J.P., 12, and Jalen, 11, love coming to camp to see the players up-close, and they like to see new players such as cornerback Ty Law.

Christopher Tenpenny of Platte City, Mo., and Brooks Gwin of Kearney, Mo., attended this morning’s practice. They hoped to get autographs from Chiefs players after practice, including running back Larry Johnson. Gwin was able to get an autograph from defensive end Jared Allen on his jersey yesterday. This is their second year coming to camp; they really enjoy being able to get so close to the players. After practice today, the two get to enjoy the sun at Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee, Minn.

Nancy Richey of Overland Park, Kan., and Ed Bledsoe of Olathe, Kan., made it to their 13th consecutive Chiefs training camp this year. They arrived in River Falls on Thursday and plan on staying for a week. They have really enjoyed the beautiful weather that Western Wisconsin has been getting since their arrival, much better than the extreme heat and humidity they have endured back home. Their favorite Chiefs player is kick returner Dante Hall, whom they were able to share a dinner table with at the Kansas City Sports Authority Dinner Banquet. Richey has had season tickets to Arrowhead Stadium in her family for 40 years, 25 years of which she has been attending. Bledsoe is a distant relative of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe. They love seeing the UW-River Falls campus and are very impressed by the improvements that have been made since last summer. They also enjoy going to the Mall of America, Como Zoo, Minnesota Zoo and Stillwater area when they are here for camp.

Mary Lou and Marion Gentry came with 50 other seniors from the Kansas City area to attend today’s Seniors’ Day. They left yesterday morning on a tour bus from Kansas City to embark on a six-day road trip through Wisconsin. Major stops include The House on the Rock, Houdini’s Museum, Wisconsin Dells and a yacht cruise on Lake Michigan.

Shirley and Donald Dennis and Joan and Donald McCarty were also in River Falls with the Seairlan World Tour. They were really looking forward to today’s next stop: the Cranberry Bog, where they get to enjoy some delicious cranberry ice cream. They were all on the bus when left tackle Kyle Turley and tight end Tony Gonzalez came over to do some filming with the NFL Network. They got back off the bus and watched the interviews.

Extra...Extra

NFL Network was around, making River Falls a stop on their NFL training camp tour. 

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.