The Chiefs released Amani Toomer, Alfonso Boone and Cameron Goldberg.  The team also placed Devard Darling on the Reserve/Injured List and Kolby Smith on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform List.

Toomer was signed during training camp and saw limited action while with the team.

Boone was entering his 9th season in the league and was transitioning from defensive tackle to end in the new 3-4 defense.  He played in 15 games last season with 4 starts while registering 14 tackles and 1 sack.

Goldberg was a rookie free agent out of Duke.

Darling suffered a reported torn ACL during last week’s preseason game and is expected to spend the year recovering from surgery.

Kolby Smith is still trying to recover from a knee injury he suffered last season.  Being placed on the PUP list makes him ineligible for the first 6 games of the season.

No huge surprises here.

Boone is the only one that really jumps out since he was not only a starter for portions of the last two seasons, but had spent time with the first team in training camp.

I’ve already received emails from people upset that Toomer was let go and while I thought Haley would want as many veteran receivers on the roster, the coach feels Bobby Engram is all the veteran leadership the corps needs.  I think he showed enough in his short time to get a sniff elsewhere this year.

Goldberg was a long shot from the jump and might have a chance at the practice squad.  Darling and Smith were expected moves due to their injuries.

The Kansas City Chiefs returned to the practice field this morning for the first of two practices today.  As always, filing reports from River Falls are Josh Looney @ KCChiefs.com, Bob Gretz @ BobGretz.com & CBSSports.com and the staff at UWRF.

Sitting out practice today were Wade Smith, DaJuan Morgan, Kolby Smith, Tavares Washington, Zach Thomas and Jake O’Connell.  The 74 players that did practice were once again in full pads.  The Chiefs have yet to have a day of practice in which they were not in full pads at some point.

For the first time during training camp, the Chiefs are working on their onside kick coverage.

After drawing praise from Todd Haley yesterday, Amani Toomer made another two solid grabs this morning.  The highlight was an outstanding catch in traffic on a well covered, deep crossing route.

The executive director of the Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, was on the field watching Chiefs practice today.  One of Smith’s guests was former Chiefs safety Jason Belser.

Former Giants TE Mark Bavaro was also on campus and made his way onto the field to work with the tight ends.  He will be assisting the team through the first preseason game this Saturday.

During the red zone 7-on-7 session, Matt Cassel threw three touchdowns.  He connected twice with Terrance Copper and once with Devard Darling.

Red zone work continued for nearly 20 minutes, with the focus squarely on the passing game.

Practice wrapped up with a competitive 11-on-11 two minute session.  The first team defense won the day’s first battle when Brandon Carr knocked down a pass in the end zone intended for Terrance Copper.  During the second team’s run, Toomer made his third impressive catch of the day, coming down with a jump ball between two defenders.

Herb Taylor was working with the first team offense this morning at right tackle in place of Damion McIntosh, who left the practice field to work in the rehab zone.

Haley gave the team a surprise this morning when he cut practice short by 30 minutes.  It was the shortest practice the Chiefs have had in the two weeks they have been in River Falls.

Even with the shorter practice, it didn’t stop Tyson Jackson from getting in extra work with defensive line coach Tim Krumrie.  Jackson is making up for the time that he missed during his holdout.

Having a guy like Bavaro around these next few days is huge for a group of guys that have failed to have much consistency throughout camp.  If anyone knows about playing the “right way”, it’s Bavaro.  Hopefully his attitude will rub off not just on the tight ends, but the rest of the team as well.

Is it too early to give Toomer one of the starting jobs at wide receiver?  He’s only been with this team a short while, but he’s impressed every step of the way.  I was very slow coming around to his signing, but he has proven to this point that he definitely has something left in the tank.  Bobby Engram might be getting a little nervous.

Love seeing Jackson continue with the extra work after practice.  Instead of coming in and just busting his butt between whistles (or horns I guess in the case of training camp), Jackson is making sure he is up to speed with the other defensive linemen by the Saturday’s game kicks off.

Is this any way to rebuild?  Some would say no, but the Chiefs duo in charge obviously disagrees.  What appears to be at work here are two factors: the 2000 New England Patriots and the desire to win as many games as possible in the 2009 season.

When Bill Belichick was hired to take over the New England Patriots for the 2000 season, he and Pioli assessed the roster they inherited and then went out and signed a bus load of veteran free agents.  They did not commit big dollars or lengthy contracts to those guys, but they raised the level of competition and also the chance to win games.  That didn’t happen with the 2000 Patriots, as they went 5-11 after finishing 8-8 the season before.  But the 2001 Patriots won the Super Bowl.

Of course, in early August we don’t know what kind of contributions that Toomer et al. will make to the ‘09 Chiefs. There’s no guarantee they all make the final roster, although right now with the state of the names on that roster, it would be a surprise if all five of those veterans are not part of the final 53-man group that gets ready to play Baltimore in the regular-season opener.

Last year, no matter if you were a fan of the Herm Edwards-led youth movement or not, it was hard to argue the team was doing everything they could to win ballgames.  This season, even in early August, you’d be hard pressed to make the same argument.  Again, we have a long way to go, but I would be very surprised if — barring injury — all of the veterans Gretz mentioned weren’t on the team when the Chiefs break camp.

Not everyone is as optimistic that all of those veterans will make the team.  Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star took to his Twitter account with who he thinks will be the odd man out.

People keep calling me crazy, but I think Toomer’s signing is bad news for Bobby Engram.  Or at least a wake-up call for him.  Engram has had as many drops as anyone, and Haley has called him out several times for falling during routes.

It just doesn’t add up to me that they’d add another aging possession receiver.  Bradley has looked pretty good.  Darling is a decent reserve.  My point is, there’s no reason to keep two aging, well-paid receivers if one clearly is better.

And with Engram having some early bumps, I think it compelled the Chiefs to bring in another veteran. I’d be surprised if they keep both.

Am I a jinx?  Seriously.   Coming into camp I was beating the drum for Derrick Johnson and he gets hurt right off the bat.  Then on the other side of the ball, Engram has been the object of my football affection and the Chiefs sign another veteran very similar to him.  Though I don’t think they are as similar Babb thinks they are.  Engram is 100% a possession receiver, but Toomer went deep plenty with the Giants throughout his career, even at the end.  With that being said, I could see this move more being used to send a message to Engram that his spot on the team isn’t set in stone.

Meanwhile, one player that seems to have cemented his status with the team is Larry Johnson.  And as John Marshall of the Associated Press notes, Johnson finally seems content.

The Chiefs are experiencing a new version: content Larry.

Well, maybe it’s not completely new.  Johnson claimed to be content before last season.  Turned out to be an impostor.  This time, though, Johnson, through his actions and attitude, seems to be serious.  And Todd Haley, for one, seems convinced.

“From the day I took the job, Larry Johnson has appeared to enjoy football and enjoy working at it, and I’m excited about it.  I’ve not had an issue with Larry Johnson and what he’s done.”

Impressed by the new regime’s vision, Johnson became a model player, working hard in the weight room, setting an example on the field, doing everything asked of him without a word back.  Away from the field, he stayed out of the news, kept his focus on the upcoming season, not the next nightclub.

Lean, quick and powerful, Johnson has been sharp through the start of camp, bursting through holes, punishing tacklers who dare try to stop him.  In other words, he has looked more like the Pro Bowler than the guy who spent the past two seasons running up the backs of his offensive linemen.

The contentment, though, is in his countenance and disposition.  The scowl has melted away, replaced by a determined glare on the field, smiles off it.  He’s been almost happy-go-lucky at training camp, ribbing teammates and bantering with reporters.

Johnson has goals, too.  He wants to set the Chiefs career rushing record — he’s 432 yards behind Priest Holmes — and wants to get the Chiefs back to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl.  This certainly appears to be a new Larry.

“I like the organization I’m in.  It just feels comfortable.”

And so far, content, Larry.

Maybe I can be a jinx in a good way (or maybe I’m just wrong a lot)?  Because there was no doubt in my mind that Larry Johnson had played his last game in a Chiefs jersey.  And unlike my rah-rah approach with Engram, there were plenty of people that felt the same way about LJ.  But he has proved all of us wrong at every corner ever since he settled his legal troubles.  Surely, no matter how much he has matured and loves the new regime, part of his new motivation has to be rooted in the massive base salary his is due this season.  But no matter the reason I hope he stay on the straight and narrow (and out of the clubs)!

On ending up in Kansas City:

“You look at the situation here, young team with a new coach with a great quarterback.  It’s a great situation for me to be in and I’m happy to be here.  It’s like you can see the excitement coming through here and how the coaches are trying to change the environment.  It’s a good situation for me to be in.  Just getting the chance to be around a lot of younger players and we got a lot of talent on this team.”

Is it quicker for a WR to get acclimated:

“I don’t know if it’s quicker.  I’ve been in a lot of different offenses and this one’s another different one, but it’s going to be a challenge for me to get it all down in a quick period of time.  I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I’m excited and I’m up to the challenge.  I’m super excited to be here.”

A lot of veterans go to chase a ring, why come to a team rebuilding?

“This league is up and down, you never know, who says I’m not a chasing ring?  Who says we can’t win one here?  That’s kind of the way that I’m looking at it.  The way the NFL is set up you can go from a two-win season to the Super Bowl.  It’s possible, it’s happened and I think we have the players here and I think we have the belief here.”

On leaving the Giants:

“I think they are a great organization, I have nothing against them.  They felt like they needed to move on.  I agreed, I felt like I needed to move on.  I don’t think that it was a good situation for me.  I had 13 great years there, I can’t complain about anything. But they decided to move on, that’s it, and so did I.”

Have you picked up tricks of the trade in 13 years?

“I have a few; I have a few tricks up my sleeve.  You don’t stay around unless you pick up a few things.  I’m happy to be here and we have a receiving corps that I could help out.”

Were you confident that you were going to get a call?

“Yeah, I definitely thought I was going to play.  I kept working out like I was going to play.  It bothered me ego-wise, but other than that I kept going and doing my thing and I’m here now so it all doesn’t really matter.”

I’m starting to come around to this signing.  I’ve received roughly a dozen emails lobbying me and little by little it’s working.  You have to like that he is coming in here with a chip on his shoulder and maybe that helps to shave a couple years off his body.  Those are important years, because if he plans on being an offensive leader, he is going to have to prove it out on the field.  Just like Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas can make Derrick Johnson a better linebacker, Amani Toomer and Bobby Engram can make Dwayne Bowe a better receiver.

After the Chiefs only practice of the day at training camp, Todd Haley met with the media.  Here are the highlights:

On his two new players, Amani Toomer and Vince Redd:

“They were able to go through the meetings and actually got on the field and I think they both made a couple of plays each.  So, that was definitely a positive.”

What do you expect out of Toomer:

“We’re actually down a receiver from the numbers we wanted.  We had nine for most of camp, so we have been trying to make a decision if we wanted to bring someone else in.  As we’ve said, we’ll do anything to improve the competition and a guy of Armani’s caliber and what he’s done in the league fits that bill.  We worked him out and it looked like he had some gas left in the tank so we signed him.  I was excited to see him make a play and I thought the rest of the receivers actually picked it up a little bit.”

On the wide receivers as a group:

“It’s a work in progress.  I think that we have to eliminate drops, have to do a better job mentally in some of the areas, but today was a positive.  From what I could tell it looked like there was a little more focus and anytime you add a guy like I said of Armani’s ability and what he’s done in the league that will do nothing but help you.”

How far away is Glenn Dorsey:

“I think he’s probably pretty close.  He’ll probably need a few days to get into football shape because until you’re out there and actually going through the drills no matter how hard you’re working – and they’re working awfully hard – it’s still not football.  He’s going to need a couple of days of football, I think, but I think he didn’t look too bad for his first day out there.  Again, I didn’t look at the tape but I tried to keep an eye on him a little bit and he looked like he was moving around okay.”

On Derrick Johnson:

“Happy to get Derrick on the field finally and the play he made on the goal line was tremendous.  If you can run and hit like that, it’ll be a big help for the defense for sure.”

A couple of important players mentioned today.  Toomer isn’t here to sit and watch, and he certainly got his feet we quickly.  Bobby Engram seems destined for the slot position, so Toomer is going to be fighting for that No. 2 spot and if he wins that then the Chiefs will have transformed one of the youngest WR corps in the league to one of the oldest with Engram and Toomer.

On defense, we’ve talked about how important Johnson will be, but Dorsey could also have a huge impact if he can get himself together.  Clearly Haley wasn’t happy with the shape Dorsey showed up in and wanted to send him a message these first few days.  If last year’s first round pick received the message, he can give the defensive line a huge boost during the transition to the 3-4.  But if he isn’t going to play ball then Tyson Jackson (whenever he gets to River Falls) will have to be a quick study.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed WR Amani Toomer to a one-year deal.

Toomer, who played all 13 of his seasons with the New York Giants, has 668 career receptions for 9,497 yards and 54 touchdowns.  Last season he caught 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns.

The veteran is participating in this afternoon’s practice, wearing #13.

The Chiefs now have 1o wide receivers on the roster.  I have to imagine at least one of them will get the boot either today or tomorrow, though the exact day will depend on how quickly the health of the team changes.  I mentioned earlier today that this move isn’t exactly exciting and that I’d rather have one of the young kids step up, but clearly Scott Pioli and Todd Haley don’t want to wait around to see if that is going to happen.  I wonder if Toomer has to complete the Haley conditioning test before he can practice.

Toomer could be signed as soon as Tuesday if the Chiefs follow through their current thinking.  Toomer was one of three veteran receivers Kansas City worked out Monday as their early training-camp work showed the team they may need more help for new quarterback Matt Cassel.

Kansas City also looked at receivers DJ Hackett and David Terrell.  Toomer is the most accomplished of the three.  Despite the fact that he will turn 35 next month, Toomer can still be productive.  He had 48 catches for the Giants last season, which was his 13th with the club.

Adding Toomer would be similar to what the Chiefs are doing on defense: Loading up on veteran leadership.  With the core of the Kansas City roster on the young side, new general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley, are adding leadership at key spots.

He has a reputation as being a leader who helps young players.  He has 668 career catches and a Super Bowl ring to show his young teammates if he ends up in Kansas City.  He is less than two years removed from winning a Super Bowl (over Pioli’s Patriots).  That type of veteran experience can only help.

Hard for me to get excited for Toomer.  At the same time I realize he immediately becomes the team third best receiver behind Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Engram, so it’s tough to get upset over the move either.  Clearly the Chiefs are looking for more consistency out of that position, but I’d much rather they try to get it out of young guys like Taurus Johnson and Quinten Lawrence.

Yesterday, the Chiefs claimed LB Vince Redd off waivers from New England.  Meanwhile, one of the players the Patriots cleared room on the roster to sign is former Chief Eddie Freeman.

Freeman appeared in 20 games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2002-03 and played in NFL Europe in 2005-06.

He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft out of Alabama-Birmingham.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Chiefs got the better of this “trade”.  As we all know, Freeman was one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history (right up there with current Cowboy Junior Siavii) and Redd has some big-time potential as a 3-4 OLB.

One of the surprises in camp so far is that the only long snapper on the roster is rookie Tanner Purdum.  He’s had some shaky moments early on, but seems to have impressed punter Dustin Colquitt.

“He’s one of the best field goal snappers that I’ve seen in awhile.  Just his location and the calmness that he brings to snapping.”

If anyone would know what long snapping, it’s former Chiefs specialist and current radio broadcaster Kendall Gammon.

“You have to have a short memory.  In camp everybody is looking at it.  And you just don’t want to do it.  I had a bad snap one time in a camp and it just gnawed at me.”

Purdum learned the craft from his father.

“My dad was a deep snapper and a line coach.  He just taught me when I was little and I’ve been doing it forever.  It just naturally to me.”

The only thing that would surprise me more than Purdum being the only specialist in camp with the Chiefs would be if he’s still the only one in River Falls in two weeks.  I think I’ve made it clear that I’m the first one to root for a young guy to win a roster spot, but I’m not sure Todd Haley is going to feel comfortable putting that big of a responsibility on the shoulders of a rookie.