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AN AFTERNOON WITH THE NORTH
January 25th – 5:45 PM

VIDEO: Media Center

North practice had an eerily similar sound to that of 2008 (and prior) Kansas City Chiefs training camp. The reason? The North squad is coached by the Detroit Lions coaching staff, which features former Chiefs head coach/defensive coordinator as its defensive coordinator.

If you’ve ever been to a Chiefs practice under Cunningham, then you know the sound. I’m pleased to report here in Mobile that these college prospects are getting a taste of what NFL coaching can be like.

Moving on to the practice, the Chiefs divided their staff between practices, but the North session was the place to be if you were looking to impress one of the Chiefs new coordinators on the first day of workouts. Both Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel attended the North team workout along with other Chiefs assistants, scouts and general manager Scott Pioli.

The practices were very business-like and run identically to what you’d see at an NFL training camp. Naturally, things looked a bit sloppy during the first day of work with a bunch of new faces and the defense appeared ahead of the offense. All to be expected.

So, on to the good stuff…

• Who looked like a “can’t miss” prospect?
• Who are the Chiefs going to draft?
• Who’s stock went up or down?

Easy now…it’s just the first day and we’re still a month away from the Combine. Those kinds of things can’t be determined from one Senior Bowl practice, but the day still yielded some good insight into elite players going one-on-one with shoulder pads and helmets.

Here’s a list of players from the North team that at least caught my eye and should maybe be added to your watch list for this weekend.

DL/LB O’Brien Schofield (6-3, 248 – Wisconsin): Only one hour into this afternoon’s practice, disappointment struck one of the most intriguing players on the North roster. Schofield went down with an apparent knee injury during one-on-one drills against the offensive line. It didn’t look or sound good and he was whisked away to the locker room.

The former Wisconsin defensive end was a standout at linebacker in Saturday’s East-West Shrine Game, but was working with the defensive ends for the Senior Bowl. His athleticism definitely showed during individual drills compared to the other d-linemen prior to the injury. His absence truly is disappointing to Chiefs fans who watched the Shrine Game and wished to see even more of Schofield this weekend.

In comparison to Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali, Schofield looks a bit thicker, but seems to have the movements to fit the size. This would have been a great week to compare/contrast him as a lineman vs. linebacker. He’s projected on many boards as a mid to late-round pick. Let’s hope he’s able to recover.

WR Danario Alexander (6-5, 215 – Missouri): Here is a guy to watch this weekend. The local collegiate player is the biggest receiver on the North team and creates obvious mismatches for defending corners. With a frame like that, we might get to see plenty of targets for Alexander this Saturday.

LB Sean Weatherspoon (6-2, 245 – Missouri): Missouri’s play-making linebacker took early control of the defense this afternoon. He was the on-field vocal leader from the start. It looks like his leadership qualities at Mizzou are transferring over to the Senior Bowl right away. Weatherspoon will see a lot of reps on special teams as well, something that is an important trait for linebackers in the eyes of NFL scouts.

QB Dan LeFevour (6-3, 238 – Central Michigan): When you’re a four-year starter at quarterback, you’ve got the look of a leader. LeFevour just seemed to have that “look” running in and out of the huddle today. A shotgun spread quarterback, tread lightly when watching him this weekend as five days of work with receivers will be difficult of the game’s QBs.

RB LaGarrette Blount (6-2, 240 – Oregon): When Chiefs fans talk about backup runners to Jamaal Charles, they seem to start by looking at the big backs in this year’s draft. Two of those players are in Mobile this week (Blount and Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon). Blount reached the end zone on three long runs today during team. Take it with a grain of salt as the workout wasn’t full contact, but Blount seems to be incredibly motivated for this weekend.

S Kurt Coleman (5-11, 195 – Ohio State): I’m not exactly sure why, but Coleman kept catching my attention today. He didn’t make any jaw-dropping plays, but he just seems like a smart, hard-nosed player who could help a team out immediately on special teams. He’s projected as a late-round pick or college free agent by many scouting services heading into this weekend.

G Mike Iupati (6-6, 325 – Idaho): It’s tough to watch line play, but if you’re going to watch the line this weekend, there are two very intriguing small-school offensive linemen on the North squad. He’s hands-down believed to be the best guard on the board, but some teams might think future tackle. Watching him go against talent outside the Western Athletic Conference could be an eye opener for NFL scouts.

T Vladimir Ducasse (6-5, 326 – UMASS): See Iupati’s write-up above. Ducasse is a tackle, but similar to Iupati, scouts want to see how this kid adjusts to the speed of elite talent lined up across from him. Everybody seems interested about this small-school kid who moved to the United States in 2002. Immediately after workouts he was whisked away to an interview with the NFL Network.

Check back on kcchies.com for video coverage of today’s practice along with exclusive interviews from the North team.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
January 25th – 3:19 PM

VIDEO: Media Center

Mobile, AL – Coaches convention meets training camp here in Mobile. It’s a little bit of both.

The Mobile Convention Center was packed with literally hundreds of NFL personnel men, scouts and head coaches for this morning’s scouting weigh in. There isn’t much to the everyday person seeing a man in shorts stand on a scale (we can see that at any heath club in the metro), but that isn’t so in the NFL.

Seahawks new leader Pete Carroll and 49ers head coach Mike Singletary headlined the press line following weigh-ins, but they were just two in a long list of general managers and NFL assistants present for the “opening ceremony” of the 2010 Senior Bowl. The Chiefs were well represented as well with a full load of personnel people and plenty of assistant coaches.

If you’re involved with an NFL front office and you’re not in Mobile yet, you’ll likely be shortly. Both teams will practice at 2:45 PM today in separate locations in Mobile. Here at kcchiefs.com, we’ll be taking in the North practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This is the only day that the teams will practice in separate locations (most practices are morning/afternoon with alternating teams).

A single snap has yet to take place here in South Alabama, but the atmosphere is already buzzing. It’s no surprise that the Senior Bowl is professional football’s most prized collegiate gathering outside the NFL Combine.

As things ramp up here in Mobile, we’ll keep you updated on kcchiefs.com with the happenings. Over the next three days we’ll bring you practice footage, media conference tidbits and features on unique players involved in the game as well as interviews with Chiefs staff members on site.

Everything will wrap up with an hour LIVE call-in show back at Arrowhead on Thursday afternoon (12:00 –  1:00 PM).

Look for an update following today’s North squad practice in video format and right here in the blog.

SENIOR BOWL – DAY 1
January 25th – 5:53 AM

Championship weekend is all wrapped up and we’ve got our Super Bowl matchup squared away. Problem is, we’re two weeks away from the big game. Now what?

How are Chiefs fans supposed to bridge their football appetite from January 25th until February 7th? The Pro Bowl?

In the words of Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.”

The Chiefs have no Pro Bowl representatives, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something in store for Kansas City fans next weekend. In fact, Chiefs fans can sit back and enjoy a full week of meaningful football. These next six days could very well help determine the faces, jersey numbers and personalities that the Arrowhead faithful will call their own heading into the sixth decade of Chiefs football.

Today is the official kickoff of Senior Bowl week; a gathering place for hundreds of pro football scouts.

The rosters have been set and the work begins later this morning in south Alabama with the official scouting weigh-in. There are plenty of “tomorrow’s NFL stars” participating in Saturday’s game. National names like Florida’s Tim Tebow will be part of the action, putting weeklong practices in the center of the NFL’s offseason spotlight.

There are also plenty of prospects on hand mentioned by excited Chiefs fans over the past few weeks – Alabama’s Terrance Cody, Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon, USC’s Taylor Mays and Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon will all be in Mobile this week.

Then there are the underdog first-round prospects from smaller schools like UMass’ Vladimir Ducasse and Idaho’s Mike Iupati. How will they fare against elite talent from major programs? Could one of these guys be available to Kansas City at the top of the second round? This week’s workouts will definitely play a role.

The Senior Bowl promises to be the NFL’s premier pre-draft event outside the NFL Combine in February.

The Chiefs may be “off” this week, but there is so much going on involving the organization it’s incredible. General manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley are just two of the many football minds who will be parked in Mobile analyzing the prospects of future Chiefs this week.

With two new coordinators already in place for 2010, the Senior Bowl will be part of countless hours of evaluation, analysis and debate involving the direction Kansas City takes whether it be in round one, seven or college free agency (never underestimate the power of a final Chiefs draft pick – Ryan Succop, Jarrad Page, Tom Barndt and Mike Garrett come to mind).

We’ll be in Mobile this week for the first few days of Senior Bowl practices, getting relevant interviews with Chiefs-specific coverage of the workouts. Maybe we’ll be treated to a few guest interviews that can give us all something to sink our teeth into until the Combine and beyond. The end of January doesn’t have to feel like an eternity of football wasteland.

Can we get to 2010 already? For the Chiefs, it’s already here.

The sun isn’t up yet, but it’s already time to board the plane to Mobile. Look for today’s first impressions to kickoff Senior Bowl coverage on kcchiefs.com in the evening, following today’s late afternoon practices.

Until we get started later this afternoon, here’s something to chew on…

2009 Senior Bowl First Round Selections
Player - Position - School - Pick - NFL Team

B.J. Raji - DT - Boston College - 9 - Green Bay
Brian Cushing - LB - USC - 15 – Houston
Larry English - LB - Northern Illinois - 16 - San Diego
Robert Ayers - DE - Tennessee - 18 – Denver
Brandon Pettigrew - TE - Oklahoma St - 20 – Detroit
Alex Mack - OC - California - 21 – Cleveland
Michael Oher - OT - Ole Miss - 23 – Baltimore
Peria Jerry - DT - Ole Miss - 24 – Atlanta
Clay Matthews - LB - USC - 26 - Green Bay
Eric Wood - OC Louisville - 28 – Buffalo
Ziggy Hood - DT - Missouri - 32 - Pittsburgh