Insider Forum with Josh Looney - Talk it up!

CHIEFS DEFENSIVE BACKS A STEADY, COMPETITIVE UNIT
August 27th – 5:03 PM

Where there is competition, there is a sigh of relief for head coach Todd Haley. Haley values having excellent competition across the board on this football team and the defensive backfield meets those demands.

“I think it’s an area on the team where we have very good competition across the board,” Haley said. “It’s not say I’m content with where at, but I think there is good competition and I think we’ve got some players in that area who look like they’ve improved consistently throughout the off-season, in OTA’s and into training camp.

“Again, not to say I’m content,” Haley continued. “I think there is excellent competition at the corners, at the safeties, the nickel back. It’s a good situation right now.“

The secondary has seen the same four faces roam the third-level for the first-team defense throughout training camp. Safeties Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page have paired with second-year corners Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr in that first unit. But plenty of players have made plays in reserve rolls, players like CB Maurice Leggett.

“I think that the biggest thing for our secondary is that we want to go out and compete in every way possible,” Pollard said. “We are just playing ball right now. I don’t know what is going to happen and I can only control what I do on the field.“

The Chiefs added a few new faces such as S Mike Brown and CBs Donald Washington and Travis Daniels to promote competition this offseason. Pollard also thinks that the changes to the Chiefs front office has paid dividends for the secondary this fall.

“The last few years wasn’t what we wanted and this year change is good,” Pollard said. “We are hoping that change brings us some wins and we are going to go out on the field and do the things that they want us to do.”

RETURN POSITIONS WILL AFFECT FINAL WIDE RECEIVER CUTS
August 27th – 2:59 PM

How many wide receivers will the Chiefs keep following final cuts next week? That seems to be one of the million dollar questions at Chiefs camp (yes, there are several). Head coach Todd Haley’s Arizona Cardinals kept six receivers last year, while Scott Pioli’s New England Patriots kept eight. The Chiefs held on to five receivers a year ago. Five, six, seven receivers? How many will the Chiefs keep this year?

“I think there is a general number, but that’s one of those positions,” Haley said. “It all depends on where they’re contributing and how many plays we expect to get out of them.“

How many plays Haley expects to get out of his receivers points to a bigger picture. Special teams.

“The kickoff return stuff could factor into that,” Haley confirmed.

The kickoff return position is one that will likely have direct correlation to the number of running backs and wide receivers that the Chiefs keep. Each position group has players competing for the same return jobs. Right now kickoff returners have been circling through Chiefs games with RBs Jackie Battle, Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage all logging returns, as well as WRs Quinten Lawrence and Rodney Wright. There are also players who have worked at up-back posts such as WR Terrance Copper and RB Javarris Williams.

Let the cards fall where they may.

QB ROTATION YET TO BE SET THIS WEEKEND
August 27th – 2:20 PM

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has yet to set Saturday’s playing rotation among the team’s four quarterbacks. QBs Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle have both received work with the second offensive unit this week, but it is undetermined who will be the first off the bench to relieve QB Matt Cassel.

“We’ll do that this afternoon,” Haley said of the playing rotation.

Even though most of the starters are expected to play through the first half and into the third quarter, Haley wouldn’t commit to the playing time of his starting quarterback either.

“Again, we haven’t talked about it as a staff,” Haley said. “We’ve got to talk that out and get it right.“

Saturday’s game is an important opportunity to evaluate quarterback play as Seattle will likely keep their front-line defenders in the game for a good chuck of time. Getting looks at the Chiefs reserve QBs is likely a focus as both Thigpen and QB Matt Gutierrez have only appeared in one game apiece.

LJ SAYS CHIEFS OFFSEASON RE-SHAPED LOCKER ROOM
August 27th – 1:07 PM

The man in the red socks has stood out this preseason. Chiefs RB Larry Johnson and his signature red practice socks have gone airborne over defenders at the goal line, finished runs 40-plus yards after the whistle and blocked head-to-head against some of the Chiefs quickest and strongest backers. We’re talking about practice, and Johnson has been leaving it all on the field this preseason.

Johnson said at the beginning of training camp that he had bought into the ways of Kansas City’s new leadership, but actions speak louder than words. Johnson’s actions have stood out this camp and, for Johnson, new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli’s actions this preseason are a big part of that.

“He’s definitely shed a different light,” Johnson said of Pioli. “We actually went out and got guys who have actually played in the league and who are successful in this league and want to play. I take my hat off to Todd Haley and Scott Pioli for not just settling for 2-14 with a group a guys that were okay or comfortable being 2-14. They went out and got guys that want to be 16-0.“

For Johnson, it’s all about finding winners.

“As far as what Pioli did in the offseason, he made it exciting to be a Chief,” Johnson said. “I never thought we’d get WRs Ashley Lelie and Amani Toomer or LB Zach Thomas. Those type of players, ever since I’ve been here, we wouldn’t go and get those type of players. Having those guys, including QB Matt Cassel, with the Chiefs made me excited to be a Chief.

“You put veteran guys who know how to win know what it takes to go to the Super Bowl and to the playoffs,” Johnson continued. “The more and more of those guys that you put around, regardless of age, they know what it takes. Having those guys in this locker room helps everyone out.“

Johnson is an integral part of the Chiefs success going forward, but he knows that he’s just one piece of the puzzle. A lot of public inquiry was made about Johnson’s happiness with the Chiefs this offseason, but Johnson said that type of thing shouldn’t be the focus of this football team.

“It’s not based off my happiness or my sadness to be part of this team,” Johnson said. “It’s just the fact that we are organized to build this team to go to the playoffs. So this team’s rise and falls don’t stand on if I’m happy or if I’m mad here. Obviously we all have to do a job and my job is to do the best that I can on the field to make this team a better football team. Obviously guys that are taken in or taken out will be a part of that transition.”

PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS
August 27th – 12:05 PM

It’s almost been like a college game week schedule at Arrowhead this week (minus the two-a-days). Intense practice sessions were held earlier in the week and things were dialed down a bit today with a helmets and shoulder pads practice. There was definitely a Seattle emphasis today as each side of the football ran some plays off cards to give a Seattle scout look.

Today’s practice observations…

• Held out today were LB Derrick Johnson, LB Zach Thomas, TE Jake O’Connell and RB Kolby Smith
• LB Demorrio Williams took the majority of reps in Johnson’s post at inside linebacker
• The Chiefs have been addressing some weaknesses from the Vikings game this week with more short-yardage and goal line work going on today.
• The KC defense has done a good job this week recognizing screen plays. There have been lots of “screen” calls yelled out by the defense and it’s easy to tell that those plays have been an emphasis given the Chiefs struggles defending the screen over the first two preseason games.
• QB Brodie Croyle was in tune with his receivers during team blitz period. He had several nice passes thrown to spots before the break, allowing receivers to make catches under good coverage.
• WR Dwayne Bowe made a nice TD grab on a paired route that saw Bowe break into a wheel pattern during red zone work. He received Haley’s praise following the grab - “That’s being smart and disciplined. Good job.”
• LB Monty Beisel jumped an underneath route for a nice pick from his inside linebacker position during 7-on-7.
• K Ryan Succop might be on the hook for an extra football after his extra point sailed over the net and into the woods. Good luck finding that football.
  

NATIONAL CHIEFS COLUMN WORTH A READ
August 27th – 8:54 AM

Yesterday, Yahoo! Sports columnist Charles Robinson released, what I think at least, an excellent article about the regime change in Kansas City. It is not often a national columnists spends so much time analyzing the inner-workings of a franchise during a 32-team training camp tour.

Draw your own conclusion, but I think this is a must read for any Chiefs fans. Take some time to look it over if you haven’t done so already.

My favorite quote in the story is as follows…

“A day won’t go by here that Scott Pioli isn’t trying to make this team better through other players,” said Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel (notes), whom Pioli acquired from New England in the offseason. “I came to expect that from eight years with the Patriots. Guys are going to come and go, and there are going to be guys constantly brought in to challenge you at your position. That’s just the way it has been. … You’re going to get an opportunity, and if you make the most of it, chances are you’ll get a second opportunity. But if you don’t, you can bet they’ll be looking for somebody else.”

ART OF THE TRANSFER
August 27th – 5:58 AM

One of the toughest transitions this offseason seems to be flying a bit under the radar this preseason. The 3-4 defensive system has changed the way that the Chiefs do business, and caught in the crossfire have been OLBs Tamba Hali, Andy Studebaker and Turk McBride. With only three down linemen, the Chiefs have to play different techniques across the front. The changes have forced Hali, Studebaker and McBride out of their familiar defensive end positions and into outside linebacking posts.

Gone are the three-point stances with the hands dug into the dirt. It’s no longer acceptable to just pick up the hand and charge forward on the snap of the football. These three have to do more than rush the outside and collapse on ball carriers. They have to read run/pass plays at the snap of the football. They have perfect zone drops. They have to slow-play the backside rushing lanes and they have to honor the “deep of the deepest” on most every rush. But most importantly, they have to be able to play in space.

“You can’t just run,” McBride said. “Linebackers have to make adjustments and call things out with different formations. We have to adjust on the fly.”

Adjusting on the fly can be a difficult thing, especially when you’re dealing with multiple routes threatening your zone at NFL speeds. Taking disciplined pass drops has to be among the most difficult adjustments that the three have had to make. As a result, the outside backers have spent hundreds of reps during training camp in order to perfect the technique for regular season play.

“Dropping in space is all about repetition,” McBride said. “The more repetitions you get, the easier it is going to become. I don’t think I can do it, I know that I can do it; and I also know that Tamba can do it too. We have the athletic ability to do it and it is just about getting it done.”

A wild card in the middle of the transition is LB Mike Vrabel, a man who has been there before. Vrabel originally entered the NFL as a defensive end with Pittsburgh in 1997 and later made that same switch to outside linebacker. McBride says that he almost looks at Vrabel as another coach at the position.

“Having Mike there (is great). He’s seen it all and been through it all you can say. It is so easy for him to see things and it is so easy for him to teach us. He was in the same situation that we are in years back.”

The three were presented with a difficult climb, but seem to be charging at the transition head-on.

“I believe we are doing well,” McBride said. “We are doing the best we can do, but I think we are catching on well.”