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WHO WILL STEP UP AT WIDE RECEIVER?
August 25th – 5:11 PM

With just 10 days standing between today and final cuts on September 25th, the Chiefs battle for wide out positions remains unresolved. It’s one of the hottest topics of any conversation involving Chiefs fans because, quite honestly, it appears to be anybody’s game.

Ten receivers currently fill the Chiefs roster, and it’s likely the Chiefs will keep five or six (although New England kept eight to open the season a year ago) after the final cut. Excluding WR Dwayne Bowe, one can make an argument for/against the roster value for nearly any of the other nine players bidding to become permanent Chiefs.

Eight different players have logged a reception this preseason. The only two that haven’t caught a pass are WRs Ashley Lelie and Bobby Engram. Lelie has barely been part of the team for a week and Haley noted in his press conference today that he thinks Engram is stepping up. So stats can only tell you so much.

There was also the day in River Falls when WR Devard Darling was sent inside for botching his alignment on a situational emphasis (victory formation if i remember correctly), but since that day he has been working primarily with the first-team offense.

The point is that just when you think you know something about how this position battle is shaping up, you don’t. That’s what keeps people talking and, quite frankly, it’s what keeps players competing.

I’ve kept a practice sheet of pluses and minuses for each receiver on the roster throughout training camp based on positive/negative plays produced and encouraging/constructive comments towards players from the head coach. Each player has plenty of both.

This receiving battle is becoming a crap shoot to handicap. The only way to fully break down the competition is to have access to practice film and/or game/practice grade sheets. We have neither.

This position battle will continue for another 10 days (and likely into the regular season for that matter). At that point the coaching staff and front office will choose the final roster spots, based off far more information than either you or I can see or hear.

Until then, let the talks at the water cooler and on the message boards continue.

EVOLUTION OF THE KICKOFF RETURN
August 25th – 3:05 PM

The NFL will usher in a new era of the kickoff return game this regular season as rule changes regarding wedge blocking on the kickoff return units have already been implemented for 2009.

The NFL has eliminated the extended wall of blockers in what is commonly known as the wedge formation — as many as five rock solid backers or linemen nearly linking arms to form a wall. It was a wall that saw cover men rushing towards with a full head of steam for 40 or more yards, crashing into it in a kamikaze-like style. The new rules state that wedges cannot be formed with more than two players, obviously an effort to protect players from serious injury.

The changes to the NFL rules have pushed Haley towards developing a strategy of hard, up-field running, rather than east-west darting ability in his return men.

“The returner that we have back there will not be a finesse guy,” Haley said. “It will be a guy who will take it up the field and hit the hole. That part of the game is going to change a little bit and it’s an area that I’m looking forward to watch and see how it plays out.“

The latest return men to get a shot at kickoffs for the Chiefs have been RBs Jackie Battle and Jamaal Charles, a difference from many teams who use wide receivers or defensive backs as deep men. I don’t think Haley has restricted returners to a certain position, but he has definitely restricted his returners to a certain mentality.

On the surface, the new wedge rules seem to offer an advantage to coverage units, but Haley isn’t sold on that assumption just yet.

“I don’t know that,” Haley said referring to the rule changes limiting long kickoff returns. “There might be more long kickoff returns. I’m just saying that it’s going to be interesting since this is the first time through for everybody. Some of the teams who haven’t used the wedge in the past probably have a better advantage that the teams or coaches who have always used a four-man wedge.”

Evaluating the new era of kickoff returns is a wait-and-see process. By week five we should have a sample size large enough to determine the impact of the rule change, if any.

LEARNING ON THE RUN
August 25th – 1:34 PM

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said today that it is a goal to see new offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe, acquired yesterday via trade with Miami, in action on Saturday vs. Seattle.

“I would expect these guys to integrate in fairly quickly,” Haley said. “The program’s not going to be a lot different (than Miami). I know a lot of those people down there, lot of those coaches. I know the way the practices go and they’ll get that pretty quick.“

Haley has a history coaching under Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning while with the N.Y. Jets (1998-2000). His background with Henning will hopefully make the transition smoother for Alleman and Ndukwe. Alleman says it’s all about getting down the new terminology.

“In the NFL most everything is the same,” Alleman said. “It’s the terminology that is different. You call one thing something here and another thing a different name elsewhere. It’s more or less one of those things of picking up on terminology. You can kind of concepsionalize things and see the big picture, so it’s just a matter a getting repetition, hearing the play in the huddle and getting guys to do it and watch the tape on it. Just get a little experience on it and it’s not a big deal.“

“System-wise, terminology a little different but still a lot of same thought process,” Haley explained. “I worked with Coach (Dan) Henning for four years, so we think a lot of the same way. Again, some of the terminology will be a little different but these are both smart guys that I think should have a chance to pick it up fairly quickly.“

PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS
August 25th – 12:47 PM

The Chiefs concluded a two-plus hour full-padded practice this afternoon that included both players acquired in yesterday’s trade - Gs Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe. Today’s practice had a heavy dose of team blitz period and concluded with a competitive two-minute drill. Field goal and kickoff teams were the special teams emphasis.

Observations from today’s practice include…

• RB Larry Johnson returned to action and did not seem to be bothered by any injury that would have kept him out of Monday’s PM session.
• RB Kolby Smith and LB Zach Thomas did not participate today. Rookie TE Jake O’Connell had to leave practice early after an apparent leg injury. He went into the team facility via cart.
• New additions Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe spent most of the team portion of practice talking over plays with assistant offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris.
• Alleman worked in at right guard, while Ndukwe saw some action at right tackle.
• It was a merry-go-round for the team’s centers with Rudy Niswanger and Eric Ghiaciuc both seeing time with the first-team. G Wade Smith took some reps at center with the second-team.
• There was lots of pressure on the Chiefs QBs during blitz periods, with the two most impressive plays being LB Andy Studebaker and DE Tyson Jackson staying home on two separate bootlegs.
• WR Dwayne Bowe started team periods with the first-team offense. Opposite Bowe was WR Devard Darling.
• G Brian Waters had the hit of the day as he collided with a charging LB Corey Mays on a screen pass.
• LB Mike Vrabel blew up a screen in the backfield by dropping RB Jamaal Charles to the ground after Charles was carrying out a fake hand-off and setting up for the screen. The play broke up and the offense was to try it once again. When one of the players said, “But they know what the plays is,” head coach Todd Haley responded with, “so what, make it work.”
• CB Maurice Leggett had his second INT is as many days when he took a red zone pass in 7-on-7 back for a pick six. Haley yelled, “Great play 3-1” after the play.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

August 25th – 10:02 AM

In less than an hour the Chiefs will take to the practice field for Tuesday’s practice (just one today). The two new faces acquired in yesterday’s trade may be on the field as well, getting to know their new teammates. Let’s get to know new Chiefs offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe as well.

Alleman (6-4, 310) was originally a third-round pick by New Orleans in 2007. He landed with Miami last year off waivers and played in 15 games (four starts) at left guard for the ‘Fins. The Chiefs are officially listing Alleman as a center/guard.

Below is a scouting report on Alleman after his collegiate career at Akron in 2007.

5.07 40 time at Combine (electronic) 30 Bench Press Reps Wonderlic Score: 26 NFLdraftscout.com notes Alleman as the 65th-best player available and as the 4th-best guard, which puts him in the 2nd-3rd round range. After cross-checking Combine and Pro Day numbers, he is the top-ranked guard in measurable draft workout categories. With the exception of strength reps, 225 pounds 30 times. Inexperience at guard — two years at Akron after he played on the defensive line at Pitt. Mel Kiper of ESPN has him as a second round pick by Seattle. Had private workouts with New England and Kansas City. Had visits with the Cowboys and Saints.

Ndukwe (6-4, 325) is entering his fourth NFL season (Baltimore 2006-07 and Miami 2007-08) after entering the league as a rookie free agent with New Orleans in 2005. He made 15 starts at right guard for the Dolphins a year ago. Ndukwe was a four-year player at Northwestern, starting the final 25 games of his collegiate career.

Although Ndukwe has primarily seen action at guard, he was in the middle of making a position switch to right tackle during training camp with Miami. We’ll see which position each get the most time at in practice.

STARTERS TO SEE PLENTY OF ACTION ON SATURDAY
August 25th – 6:03 AM

Saturday’s third preseason game will be the best stage for Chiefs starters to showcase their talents this preseason. The first-team offensive and defensive units are expected to see their most extensive playing time this preseason. Even though the Chiefs won’t fully scheme the Seahawks, fans will get the closest thing they’ve seen this preseason to a regular season performance on Saturday. Inside the Arrowhead offices, the players will see something similar as well.

“This will be a run-through on how the regular season will be traditionally,” head coach Todd Haley explained. “They’ll get their real game plan books, whereas the first two games were a little bit more scaled down. It might have been hand drawn plays as opposed to a computer drawn play in a hard cover book. It’ll be a like an in-season game as far as how we present everything.”

Haley has yet to publically state how long he expects each of his starters to play on Saturday, but fans can expect to see some front-line players play into the second half. On the final day of camp in River Falls Haley indicated that the starters would see their most action of the preseason against Seattle. Most of the team’s starters played until halftime on Friday at Minnesota.

Chiefs players haven’t been told about their playing status for Saturday just yet, but they are preparing this week to play for the long haul.

“I expect to play the whole game if they want me to,” T Branden Albert said. “I don’t know the situation and I don’t ask. If I play the whole game, then I play the whole game. I’m just going out there prepared and am going to keep working hard.”

LB Derrick Johnson is one of many Chiefs players excited to get back on the Arrowhead turf this weekend. He looks at Saturday’s game as a preview of what might be to come for the Chiefs defense this season.

“Every time you get out there its fun,” Johnson said. “During the week, that’s where you grind and get down all of the mental preparation stuff. I think that they starters are going to play most of the game on Saturday and I just can’t wait for everybody to jell together and just to see what this 2009 season is going to hold for us.”