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Tuesday, August 8, 2006, Afternoon
K.C. Chiefs Training Camp Daily Updates

Attendance was at a camp low today of 215 fans. The sun was shining bright at this afternoon’s practice and had a lot of fans looking for shade. The temperature was a modest 81 degrees, but the 50 percent humidity made it feel closer to 90. There was also a very nice breeze blowing in from the SE at 7 mph.

Defense

The Chiefs wrapped up Tuesday with a solid afternoon practice to make up for a slow morning session. The defense especially showed signs of turning the edge. 

The starting interior defensive line was once again switched up, as Ryan Sims was plugged back in along with James Reed. Reed has played with the first team ever since the team’s scrimmage with the Minnesota Vikings and may have an edge to start this season. There is no telling what defensive line coach Tim Krumrie will put together come opening day; starters may become more clear after the pre-season game with the Houston Texans.

The secondary saw the return of Ty Law at corner who had sat out the last two practices to rest up. Tonight was cornerback Patrick Surtain’s turn to get the practice off. Benny Sapp saw a majority of the snaps at corner but was subbed out for Jerald Brown and Chris Johnson. Johnson made several good plays and almost came up with the interception. Head Coach Herm Edwards yelled across the field at Johnson, telling him to hold onto the ball.  

The linebacker core showed signs of depth, as second year man Boomer Grigsby emerged and made some stops on the outside. 

Outside linebacker Kendrell Bell has started to play like he did in his Pittsburgh Steeler years, and not only played the run, but defended the pass. Bell was able to intercept a quarterback Trent Green pass attempt that was tipped by the intended receiver. Coach Edwards joked afterwards about Bell being a running back in Pop Warner football.

Rookie linebacker Nick Reid was asked what it’s like to be an undrafted free agent in the NFL: “We have to get up in front of the team on the table and sing. I haven’t had to do it yet; still crossing my fingers that I don’t have to, I’m a terrible singer. They go in order of the draft picks so I am just low on the totem pole.” 

The beginning of practice was spent going over the cover-2 defensive scheme, set to be implemented into the secondary game plan. Coach Edwards acted as if he was the quarterback, as the secondary covered receivers on passing routes. The cover-2 scheme is designed to have one defender in front of the receiver, and have a safety over the top to prevent the deep ball. Once a pass is completed, defenders are instructed to fly to the ball to allow only a minimum gain. The new scheme might aid the Chiefs to get within the top five in passing defense after finishing seventh last season. 

Special Teams

Two special teams units took the field to open practice today. Fans were gleeful to see kick returner Dante Hall take the field and return some booming kicks from kicker Lawrence Tynes. Tynes looked impressive today, as he was able to put 5-6 field goal attempts through the uprights. All five of Tynes’ makes were from 45 yards or more.

Offense

The offense was definitely more in sync this afternoon, compared to this morning’s practice.

Quarterback Casey Printers, quarterback Brodie Croyle, left tackle Kyle Turley and tight end Jason Dunn did not practice at all this afternoon.

In 7-on-7s quarterback Trent Green completed 7-10 pass attempts. Green connected with wide receiver Eddie Kennison on two completions: one was on a 40-yard touchdown pass that riled up the fans. Tight end Tony Gonzalez tallied two receptions from Green, while wide receiver Jeris McIntyre, wide receiver Dante Hall and tight end Kris Wilson all registered one. Quarterback Damon Huard took four snaps in this series, completing 2-4. Wide receiver Jeff Webb caught one and Gonzalez snatched the other. Huard also threw a pass to McIntyre that was almost intercepted.

In the first segment of 11-on-11s the offense predominantly focused on the running game. With quarterback Trent Green’s unit, running back Larry Johnson carried the ball 5-6 times. Wide receiver Dante Hall executed a sneak running attack on the other play. Running backs Quentin Griffin, Dee Brown, McKenzi Smith and Derrick Ross all had one opportunity to run the ball with quarterback Damon Huard’s lineup.

Following work on the running game, the offense switched mentalities to focus on the passing game. Quarterback Trent Green completed 6-8 pass attempts. During Green’s first two attempts, he missed wide receivers Dante Hall and Samie Parker, but completed all subsequent passes. Green tried hitting Hall and Parker each again; this time successful, though. He also connected with wide receiver Jeris McIntyre, tight end Kris Wilson and wide receiver Eddie Kennison. The standout play of this run, however, was Green’s 25-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez.

The starting offensive linemen included left tackle Jordan Black, left guard Rudy Niswanger, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Will Shields and right tackle Kevin Sampson.

Quarterback Damon Huard received 13 snaps in 11-on-11s, completing 8-9 passes. Tight end Kris Wilson registered three receptions from Huard, while wide receiver Jeff Webb caught two. Huard also connected with tight end Tony Gonzalez, running back Quentin Griffin and wide receiver Nate Curry.

During the drill, offensive coordinator Mike Solari complimented the play of tackles Jordan Black and Jeremy Parquet.

The final drill of the afternoon was the two-minute drill. Each quarterback had an opportunity to run the drill once. Quarterback Trent Green was very successful in his session. During the first play, Green handed the ball off to running back Larry Johnson, and the second play Green delivered the ball to wide receiver Eddie Kennison for a short gain. For the next five plays, Green threw the ball to tight end Tony Gonzalez each time, ending the run in a quick touchdown.

Quarterback Damon Huard also tried to score as quickly as Green’s unit, but did not complete the task. Huard connected with running back Dee Brown on three passes and tight end Kris Wilson on two, but could not finish the run in time.

Fans

Duane Mckee and Betty Kerns of Independence, Mo., have enjoyed the nice Wisconsin weather since they arrived in River Falls on Saturday morning. McKee has been a season ticket holder for over 30 years. He and Kerns love attending games in their amazing seats, which are only 14 rows back on the 30-yard line. They are in the area for a car show that was in Minneapolis, Minn., and they are making it a trip by staying to watch camp practices until Sunday. Kerns feels strongly about making sure the Chiefs have a good coach. She’s not yet sure how she feels about Herm Edwards: “We’ll give him one year. If he can get us to the playoffs by grinding it out playing the running ball, I think fans will be happy.”

Justin Jarocki is a student at UW-River Falls who has been coming to camp for the last two years. The Pre-Vet Science major said he’s a Packers fan, but he comes to camp because he likes watching football. Jarocki said he watches how the Chiefs do in training camp and pre-season, doesn’t follow them during the year, then looks at their record at the end of the season to see how they did. He likes to make predictions about what he thinks will happen. So far this year he’s said, “It looks like the defensive backs could use some work. It’s good to change coaches though. They’ve had opportunities with the offense in the past and not produced. Maybe the new coach will help.”

Kevin and Lynell O’Bryan, from Monroe City, Mo., are in their 10th year at River Falls for summer training camp. Kevin enjoys coming to camp each year to see what the team looks like and to see the draft choices for the upcoming season. Kevin also likes getting close to the players and prefers coming to River Falls for camp because it is smaller and more relaxed than most NFL training camps. Some of the O’ Bryan’s favorite players include tight end Tony Gonzalez, running back Priest Holmes, running back Larry Johnson, wide receiver Dante Hall and safety Greg Wesley. Kevin is impressed with Coach Herm Edwards’ skills and thinks he will be a great asset to the team. However, Gunther Cunningham was Kevin’s favorite coach, whom he named his dog after.

Mark and Greta Hendricks, from Olathe, Kan., traveled to River Falls this summer for their third year at training camp. The Hendricks love coming to camp each summer because they enjoy seeing their favorite NFL team up-close. They also enjoy seeing how the team will perform during the season. The Hendricks have been paying close attention to Coach Herm Edwards and think he is doing a great job as a leader. They also enjoy watching quarterback Trent Green and wide receiver Dante Hall.

Jack and Barbara Jean Craft were at this afternoon’s practice with their son, Scott. They have been coming to the Chiefs summer training camp for five years now and always enjoy their stay here. Jack, a former college football player for the University of Southern California, had a lot to say about this years’ team. He especially likes what he has seen thus far from free agent quarterback Casey Printers. Jack feels that because he can throw very well and pass with speed and accuracy, he is a very viable backup to starting quarterback Trent Green. Besides that, Jack is a little skeptical of this year’s team. He thinks the team needs to run more in practice to get in better game shape, they need harder-hitting safeties, and also some bigger running backs. Coming to River Falls has always been a delightful vacation for the Crafts. Being able to go for drives in the countryside, and see the beautiful farms has been a treat for the family when they come here.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez made a kid’s day today as he was exiting the practice fields. The youngster kept yelling, “Tony, Tony,” from behind the rail, when Gonzalez turned around and flagged the kid to come over. Bewildered, the kid looked at his parents like he didn’t know what to do. The parents said to go out there. The kid, without hesitation, went under the rail and dashed towards Gonzalez. He received a hand shake and an autograph from the Pro Bowl tight end. Now he can go back home and brag to all of his friends about who he got to meet.

Extra...Extra

Ramer Field Sports Complex seems to be the place to take your dog for a walk. During the two practices today there was a combined total of nine dogs, mostly puppies, that were seen by UW-River Falls Public Affair interns. A few of the breeds were Labradors, Brittanies, Cocker Spaniels, and Jack Russell Terriers.

After practice today, wide receivers Kyle Brown, Samie Parker, Darrell Hill, Jeris McIntyre and Jeff Webb, cornerback Chris Johnson and running back Michael Bennett were working on catching balls from the jugs for 15 minutes before heading to Hunt Arena.

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.