KC Chiefs Blog

It wasn’t easy or pretty — probably what will end up being the story of the 2010 Chiefs — though Kansas City won their first preseason game since 2008 with a 17-13 win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Chiefs starters didn’t spend much time on the field and the Packers didn’t bother to even dress most of their first unit, instead choosing to guarantee health as they kick off what the fans in Green Bay hope will be a Super Bowl run.  That meant both sides of the ball for the Chiefs had a chance to earn their place on the team against second and third-teamers.

There weren’t any players that went from a sure cut to making the 53-man roster, but we definitely saw the versatility that Todd Haley has been looking for throughout the game.

In honor of Haley’s first preseason win as a head coach, here are the game balls for the best on offense, defense and special teams for Kansas City.

Offense: Derek Lokey

Hey, that’s the wrong side of the ball.  Lokey is a defensive tackle.

That was true, however it would appear he will now have the possibility of being listed on the roster as a DT/FB after serving as a fullback for both of the Chiefs touchdowns.  His performance in the backfield wasn’t earth shattering, so it’s unfair of me to say he was the best offensive player.  In fact on Jackie Battle’s touchdown run, the big man provided an escort into the end zone but without hitting any player with a Packers jersey on.

What Lokey did accomplish, however, is all but lock up a roster spot for the opener next Monday night against the Chargers.  He isn’t going to allow Todd Haley and Scott Pioli to go without a fullback but will give them the appearance of carrying two.

Defense: Demorrio Williams

Hey, remember how frustrated Haley got with the DJ/Demorrio questions last season and again early in training camp?  Looks like we’ll see/hear plenty of that after Williams capped a monstrous final two games of the preseason with a sack and 4 tackles while filling in for Tamba Hali at outside linebacker.

Haley hasn’t ever even suggested that Derrick Johnson could possibly get a look outside, yet there was Williams thrown right into Hali’s spot with his hand on the ground rushing the passer.  If you ever needed proof of who won the battle to start between these two, I think you now have it.

Special Teams: Javier Arenas

I don’t think I’m cracking any codes here: This kid is good.  Like scary good.

Arenas is still a mixed bag on defense, respectable when blitzing and a ways to go in coverage.  But there’s no denying that he can be a game breaker in the return game immediately.

He still has a long way to go on defense when it comes to coverage, but he’s a game breaker right now in the return game.  Teams will be able to kick away from him on punts, but the emergence of fellow rookie Dexter McCluster on special teams will make it more difficult to avoid Arenas on kickoffs.

Though most of the players that have already made the team will see very limited playing time tonight against the Green Bay Packers, there will be five inactives for the Kansas City Chiefs.

OLB Tamba Hali, RT Ryan O’Callaghan, CB Maurice Leggett, OLB Cameron Sheffield and G Darryl Harris all missed practice time this week and will be held out.

Barry Richardson is once again expected to start in O’Callaghan’s place on the right offensive edge.  O’Callaghan was injured in practice over one week ago and Richardson has repped in his place since.  Mike Vrabel stepped into Hali’s role at right outside linebacker in practice this week, likely bringing Andy Studebaker into the starting lineup tonight on the left side.

No surprises for the Chiefs tonight.  There is no need to push Hali and O’Callaghan, so there is no way to know how serious their injuries really are.  The other three are obviously more significant issues with Sheffield and Leggett a week and two, respectively, removed from being carted off the field and Harris spending most of the preseason on the sidelines.

We should get to see plenty of Richardson, though over the past week he likely locked up his roster spot.  If that’s the case then Colin Brown and Ike Ndukwe will be looking to impress in hopes of grabbing the final job along the offensive line.

Most in the media have stuck with the San Diego Chargers as the team most likely to win the AFC West this season.  Yes, there are also a few picking the Kansas City Chiefs as a sleeper.  But the Oakland Raiders?  If you listen to former Raiders coach and current analyst Jon Gruden, there is a real possibility that the Silver & Black could be back on top.

“The Raiders should be excited,” Gruden said in an ESPN conference call.  “I don’t just say this being former a Raider (he pronounced it ‘Raiiiiider’) myself, but I do like their defense.

“If you look at their front seven, I know all the years I was coaching, I’d love to have that group.  Adding guys like (Kamerion) Wimbley, (John) Henderson, trading for Richard Seymour (in 2009), (having) Tommy Kelly, getting (Rolando) McClain in the first round.  That’s a good front seven.  (Nnamdi Asomugha is) arguably one of the top corners in all of football.  I like everything about their defense. And I think I should. These are talented football players.”

Gruden did not just toot the defense’s horn, adding: “Jason Campbell, between he and Bruce Gradkowski, will do the thing they need to win there with this defense — protect the ball.”

Gruden had much kinder words for the Raiders special teams, with punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski the only holdovers from his Raiders tenure.

“They have maybe the best punter in history.  And I’m not kidding you.  His statistics make Ray Guy look normal.  Shane Lechler is an equalizer,” Gruden said.  “Janikowski can put points on the board.  They’re going to be outstanding in the kicking game, very good on defense.”

Both West divisions are likely the biggest mixed bags this season so it’s hard to count any team out.  However you can color me skeptical when it comes to the Raiders.

Their defense should absolutely be formidable, which will keep them in a lot of games.  I just can’t get behind the idea of a team coached by Tom Cable and constantly being meddled with by Al Davis getting things done in the thick of a playoff run.  One slight slip and either Cable will slug someone or Davis will find a coordinator to fire for no reason.

Say what you will about Josh McDaniels and the Broncos (or Haley and the Chiefs), they do things their way and don’t run into interference along the way.  For better or worse you know things are going to be done how they want it, without being forced to make concessions along the way.  That doesn’t mean either team will be successful, but I’ll take my chances there as opposed to a franchise known to fill their seasons with nothing but distractions.

The battle for the final spots on the Chiefs 53-man roster will conclude Thursday night in Kansas City as the Chiefs take on the Green Bay Packers.  We won’t see much of the first-team and might not even see a whole lot of the second-team, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to see when these teams hit the field.  With the Chiefs looking to get healthy for the season opener, fringe players will get a nice long look.

Here are the players from each team to keep your eyes on.

Chiefs

Offense: Brodie Croyle

He doesn’t have to worry about a roster spot, but after sitting out the last two weeks with an injury Croyle needs to show that he will be able to hold up physically if his number is called during the season.  With injuries possibly forcing the Chiefs to make some difficult roster decisions, being able to only carry two quarterbacks into the season would go a long way to help with the mixing and matching.

We’ve heard all of the “Brokie” jokes and there’s no ignoring his injury history.  That means there’s a good chance Todd Haley decides to hold onto all three of his signal callers.  Croyle will go a long way towards easing any worries about his health with 2 or 3 quarters of solid football — while taking a few hard hits along the way.

Defense: Pierre Walters

After spending all of 2009 on the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent, Walters is being squeezed by a numbers game in his second training camp.  The injuries to Tamba Hali and rookie Cameron Sheffield — who had jumped him on the Chiefs “unofficial” depth chart — will likely provide Walters with the most game action he has seen in his short career.

If he can go out against the Packers and show that he can deliver on defense along with his duties on special teams, it will be hard for the team to send him home in favor of David Herron.

Special Teams: Javarris Williams

After being overshadowed by Jackie Battle the last couple of weeks, Williams will need a big game both on offense and on special teams to try and secure one of the final spots on the roster.

The biggest problem for Williams is that Battle hasn’t only been impressive in the running game, but also on special teams.  Meaning that even if he plays well against the Packers, Williams’ fate may have already been decided.
Check Out The Packers Players To Watch

When a head coach is trying to find ways to use a rookie as much as possible, that’s usually a sign that you have a winner.  So as Todd Haley manages Dexter McCluster’s time on the field, the only question has been if the diminutive playmaker can hold up at this level.  As McCluster told Kent Babb, surviving a massive hit from Asante Samuel last weekend was a good first step.

“As I was catching the ball,” McCluster said this week,  “I kind of had a gut feeling, like: ‘You know what, Dex?  You’re hit.  Hold onto the ball.’  And he hit me.  He got a great lick on me, but if you’re able to get up, get up.  That’s what I did, and everything is all right.

“A lot of people asked me, ‘Are you all right?’ I’m good, let’s roll.  It was good to get that hit and kind of put it to rest.  I’m not going to fold, no matter who hits me.”

Haley hasn’t said how the Chiefs will use McCluster most frequently, but the coach admitted that it’s good to have such a problem.  McCluster said he’s just glad to have so many chances to make an impression and prove the first thing on his list of priorities.

“I’ve shown that I’m not the biggest guy out there,” he said, “but I can play with all my heart…. I want to make sure that when my number is called that, you know what, I’m going to make something happen.

“At the end of the night, they’re not going to see me as a small guy.  They’re going to see me as maybe the quickest or the guy who’s going to give it all up for his teammates.”

The best thing to happen this preseason for McCluster is fellow rookie Javier Arenas’ success in the return game.  If for some reason Arenas was unable to handle return duties, it would have meant more time required of McCluster on special teams.

Against the Eagles, McCluster showed that if needed he can be explosive returning kicks.  Luckily for Charlie Weis and the rest of the coaches on the offensive side of the ball, Arenas will allow McCluster to focus his efforts during the season on his various positions on offense.  Keeping special teams out of the equation could easily mean an extra 4-5 snaps per game with McCluster on the field.

If you are a Chiefs fan then you know just how important Bill Grigsby has been to the franchise.  The Star’s Randy Covitz delivers the sobering news that the radio veteran has suffered a setback.

Grigsby, 88, told me he is battling a form of prostate cancer.  Grigs has undergone treatment for the disease and, like everything in his life, he is optimistic about beating the illness.

Grigsby was part of the Chiefs’ radio team from the time the franchise moved to Kansas City from Dallas in 1963 before bowing out after the 2009 season.

His role had been reduced in recent years.  Grigsby’s fulltime presence in the booth was eliminated in 1999 and replaced with live, 30-second cut-ins to open the second and fourth quarters.

After only missing roughly 8 games since the Chiefs moved to Kansas City, Grigsby stepped away from the games completely this past December.  To me, Grigsby’s voice has been just as much of the radio broadcasts as Mitch and Lenny.

Get well soon!

The Kansas City Chiefs reached the league-mandated roster limit of 75 this morning by releasing WR Lance Long.

Long played in seven games (one start) with Kansas City in 2009, catching 20 passes for 178 yards.  The Macomb, Michigan native saw action in 26 games (seven starts) at Mississippi State, recording 46 receptions for 321 yards with one TD.

Long was originally signed to the Chiefs practice squad on September 16, 2009 and was promoted to the club’s 53-man roster on October 24, 2009.  He had previously played in Arizona under Chiefs head coach Todd Haley.

There was little chance that Long made the final roster, but I’m mildly surprised that he didn’t last until this weekend’s final cuts (due by Saturday).  Haley was Long’s biggest fan when he was first signed to the practice squad and then to the active roster last season.

The beginning of the end for Long was in Week 9 last year against the Jaguars.  With the Chiefs down 8 in the final minute of the first half, Long had a chance to step out of bounds after catching a ball down the sideline, but instead cut inside for a couple extra yards and in the process cost the team it’s final timeout.  The Chiefs ended up settling for a 56-yard field goal attempt that was missed by Ryan Succop and nearly returned for a touchdown by Jacksonville.

Long never had more than two catches in a game after that mistake and was inactive for the final three games of the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs made their first cuts over the weekend and will make another roster move this afternoon on the way to next week’s 53-man roster limit.

Over the past month, we have taken a look at which players will likely make up “The Right 53″ and today the Kansas City Star tries to predict what Scott Pioli and Todd Haley will do.  Here are the only differences between Adam Teicher’s list and ours with some thoughts.

Offensive line: Ike Ndukwe over Colin Brown.

The offensive line still could have some shifting as we find out just how much Pioli and Haley value Colin Brown in his second year.  It doesn’t look good that when Ryan O’Callaghan went down with an injury that Barry Richardson jumped him on the depth chart, but I still keep going back to the amount of time that the team has invested in Brown’s potential.  Unless they feel he will make it to the practice squad, I think Brown is a keeper.

Defensive line: Goes with six instead of seven, no Alex Magee.

As I said last week, Magee looks every bit of a camp casualty.  If he makes the team, it will be awfully hard for Haley to continue preaching that he doesn’t care how a player got on the roster.  Right now it looks like he will make the team due to being taken in the third-round last season.

Linebackers: David Herron over Pierre Walters.

The Chiefs might like Herron’s play on special teams, but don’t forget that he was flagged for a 15-yard penalty on a 41-yard Dexter McCluster kick return this past weekend.  The Chiefs cannot survive if they commit stupid taunting penalties.

Defensive backs: Takes ten instead of nine, Mike Richardson as the extra player.

I would be surprised if they decided to take an extra DB over a seventh player along the defensive line.  If Maurice Leggett is a few weeks away from practicing, maybe they keep ten initially.  But if he can get cleared to play by Week 1, I think nine is the magic number in the defensive backfield.

The Kansas City Chiefs had five players in the rehab area for injured players during today’s practice.  All were expected, except one: LB Tamba Hali.

The other four missing practice were Darryl Harris, Ryan O’Callaghan, Maurice Leggett and Cameron Sheffield according to Josh Looney.

Hali was the surprise player to be held out of practice on Monday morning, working out on the stationary bikes alongside O’Callaghan.  Hali played a considerable amount of snaps vs. Philadelphia and did not appear to leave the game injured at any point.

O’Callaghan suffered a leg injury nearly a week ago and has not practiced since.  In his absence, Barry Richardson has received the first-team reps at right tackle and continued to do so on Monday.  Harris has been out since early August with a leg injury, while both Leggett and Sheffield are recovering from head/neck injuries suffered in the past two games.

Sheffield’s situation looked bleak when he left the field on Friday night, but he is now expected to make a full recovery.  It’s news that everyone is rejoicing in.  The Chiefs, however, will ease the rookie back into things.

“He was lifting yesterday and everything looks real good,” Haley said.  “It’s really encouraging.”

Obviously the most important note from today’s practice is that both Sheffield and Leggett were healthy enough to do their conditioning work int he rehab area.  No one would have been surprised if they stayed indoors after such scary injuries.  Having them out with their teammates is a huge first step.

We can all hope that Hali’s time on the sidelines is just Todd Haley giving one of his veterans the day off.  On the list of players the Chiefs cannot afford to lose, Hali would be in the top 5.

Over the past couple of seasons, it seems the Detroit Lions have made a habit of signing former Chiefs players.  Today it seems they are ready to add another one.  According to PFT, the Lions will sign LB Rocky Boiman.

Boiman played six games for the Steelers last year.  He has previously played for the Chiefs, Colts and Titans.

Boiman, who played for Lions head coach Jim Schwartz when Schwartz was the Titans’ defensive coordinator, worked out for the Lions this summer and was mentioned as a possible replacement for linebacker Jordon Dizon, who was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Not exactly the former Chief that the Lions had in mind just a couple weeks ago.  Back then it was Derrick Johnson as the potential answer to their injuries at linebacker.

When it comes to depth, you can do a lot worse than Boiman, but he isn’t going to help much when it comes to your first and second team defense.