ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — This isn’t a training camp for the leisurely.

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Armed with the best roster the franchise has seen in years, the Kansas City Chiefs are moving quickly under new coach Romeo Crennel. For those who visited the Chiefs camp last year, this pace is foreign.

“There are no wasted moments,” said quarterback Matt Cassel….More at Camp Confidential: Kansas City Chiefs – ESPN (blog)

 

Chiefs Head Coach Romeo Crennel says Dwayne Bowe WILL play friday night against the Seattle Seahawks. Hear from… http://t.co/aqPWezZD

— fox4sports (FOX 4 Sports) (@fox4sports) Wed Aug 22 2012

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The theme following Saturday’s 31-17 loss to Saint Louis was overwhelming disappointment. Chiefs Head Coach Romeo Crennel was very upset with the effort he got from his team in a game that is known as the “Governor’s Cup,” an interstate rivalry game.

“Well, it was not very good tonight. And that's being a little generous to say that,” Crennel said. “When you're breaking camp and doing all those kinds of things, it just shows we're not mature enough yet. No one really played good.”

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Crennel’s anger was also in relation to the Chiefs turning the ball over four times in the game. “We've got to do a better job of protecting the football and have to be more consistent,” said Quarterback Matt Cassel. “But, all in all there are some positives to take away.

One of those positives was the scoring drive led by Matt Cassel. On a drive where Jamaal Charles contributed 17 yards on three carries Cassel led the team down to the one yard line before newly acquired RB Peyton Hillis scored. Charles would finish the night with just the 17 yards rushing, but also added two receptions for 18 yards.

Another good sign for Chiefs’ fans was the production of Tight End Kevin Boss. Boss had four receptions for 62 yards. Second year WR Jeremy Horne also had a good night with 2 receptions, one was a 38 yard reception from backup QB Brady Quinn. Horne who signed with the Chiefs in 2010, played in six games last year, before being sent to the practice team.

But with the monstrous turn over number of four, everyone in Chiefs camp, knows there is more work that needs to be done. The Chiefs’ first drive ended on its second play, WR Jonathan Baldwin fumbled on the Chiefs’ 31 yard line. The second play of the third quarter didn’t start out well either for the Chiefs after Ricky Stanzi was intercepted by Matthew Conrath. Stanzi was also accredited a fumble in the game, as well as Running Back Nick Eachus, a player who is fighting to make the team.

“Obviously not good enough at all,” Cassel said, “and we're back in training camp mode again on Monday.”

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Making the night worse was the injury to starting safety Kendrick Lewis.  Lewis, who has been troubled with a shoulder injury in the past, has re-aggravated the injury. The Chiefs said today that the injury is considered minor, and that he wouldn’t be listed on injury reserve. The plan moving forward is for Lewis to wear a sling, and miss a couple days of practice, before reevaluating where he is later in the week. 

Sam Bradford threw touchdown passes on his first two drives, and the St. Louis Rams made marked improvements on the other side of the ball in Week 2 of the preseason in a 31-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the annual Governor's Cup game Saturday night….More at Rams 31, Chiefs 17 – CBSSports.com

 

Also, Jamaal Charles looks good so far w his cuts. Averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 10 yards per reception #PreSeasonStats

— ChiefsMU (Kevin Webster) (@ChiefsMU) Sun Aug 19 2012

 

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….More at Kansas City Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe signs contract, ends holdout – Examiner.com

 

RT @jaboijames: YES! Dwayne Bowe finally signed his tender! We officially have a very solid team! #AFCWESTCHAMPS

— TheNJayC (thenjayc) (@TheNJayC) Sat Aug 18 2012

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• McCluster at His Best with Multiple Roles – Bleacher Report
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The Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders will be hosting a watch party beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 18^th at the Kansas City Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City. Kickoff in St. Louis isn’t until 7:00 p.m., but the ladies will be unveiling their new 2013 swimsuit calendar at the event….More at Chiefs Cheerleaders Set To Host Governor's Cup Watch Party – Missouri Sports Magazine

 

@brookemcfab good luck Brooke! Amazing that my 'lil cuz is a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader! #VeryProudOfYou

— BlakeMcTweeters (Blake McPheeters) (@BlakeMcTweeters) Fri Aug 10 2012

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Often times it is easy for the common NFL fan to look over the preseason games. After all, once the starters leave the field, most fans couldn't name a single player on the field. The Sport's Networks' Scott Gabarini is going to help us with that today in his NFL Preseason Preview article about the Chiefs and Cardinals' matchup. Gabarini lets us know the status of KC's MCL3, the battles for playing time by the back up QB's and an update on the Arizona Quarterback battle for the starting spot. ["Image by Jeffrey Beall via Flickr"]http://flickr.com/31437555@N00

City begins its preseason slate with some sorting out to do at quarterback as well, though its competition is at the No. 2 job behind established starter Matt Cassel. The combatants for the spot are veteran Brady Quinn, signed by the Chiefs in March, and 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi, with neither gaining a distinct advantage on the other during offseason workouts.

Quinn is expected to follow Cassel, who'll be making his first appearance since having last season cut short after nine games by a broken hand suffered in November, in Friday's pecking order….More at NFL Preseason Preview – Arizona (0-1) at Kansas City (0-0) (ET) – MiamiHerald.com

 

@nfl jamaal Charles is comeback player of the year … Bank on it

— amfad84 (Adam Faderewski) (@amfad84) Thu Aug 9 2012

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The Arizona Cardinals opened up the 2012, NFL preseason by facing the New Orleans Saints in the anual Hall of Fame Game. The Cardinals apparently didn't get enough live reps Sunday night, so they are joining the Chiefs in practice this afternoon. 

The two teams will limit contact in the joint practice, the only joint practicing will 7 on 7 drills. This means no defensive, or offensive lineman; it's a real boost to the offensive players who get to make plays against another defense without a pass rush. 

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The defense benifits by praticing different coverages, seeing different receivers and practice being in position to make tackles in the passing game.

Early on in the 7 on 7 Drills, the Cardinals started out on offense, and QB John Skelton led the first team Arizona offense. Rookie WR Michael Floyd made a few nice grabs, including a heavily contended reception over the middle where Kansas City's Javier Arenas gave the rookie a little, “Welcome to the NFL tap.”

Much like the Chiefs and Cardinals co-operative practice today, the other team in the Hall of Fame game, the Saints practiced today with the New England Patriots after their short week of practice leading into thier matchup in New England Thursday night. 

Chiefs Saftey Eric Berry made a couple of pass deflections, and held up well against the Cardinals WRs at the line of scrimmage in bump and run coverage. Berry, the former 5th over all pick for Kansas City, is a member of Kansa City's injured knee team. Berry was injured on the first drive of the season in 2011, after making the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2010.  Yet today, Berry looked sharp in practice, he was going hard in the 7 on 7 drills, not wearing a knee brace or any support on his knees, a great sign for Chief fans. 

In football, it's always frustrating for a team to do too much intrasquad scrimmaging and practicing. It's not like in basketball where 5-on-5 makes your team better. Intrasquad play doubles the risk of injury with the offense and defense going against each other.

to Missouri on Tuesday with open, and hopefully tackling arms. It's not going to be an actual scrimmage, since the Cardinals did just play in the Hall of Fame game on Sunday….More at Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp: Arizona Cardinals Bring Fresh Faces To … – SB Nation

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Today the Kansas City Chiefs are hosting the Arizona Cardinals at training camp for a joint practice.

— RulingSports (Alicia Jessop) (@RulingSports) Tue Aug 7 2012

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It’s finally back; the Chiefs will kickoff the 2012 preseason this Friday Night at Arrowhead Stadium, at 7 p.m., with a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2011, the Chiefs went 5-8 to start the season and fired Head Coach Todd Haley. The Chiefs then looked to assistant coach Romeo Crennel to be the interim coach for the last three games of the season. Crennel’s led Chiefs went 2-1 in those three games, including a defeat of the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers in Crennel’s first game as coach. In the Offseason, Kansas City named Crennel the team’s Head Coach for 2012.  

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The Chiefs welcome the return of starting QB Matt Cassel, RB Jamaal Charles, TE Tony Moeaki and S Eric Berry, who all missed significant playing time in 2011 due to injuries. The Chiefs are one of the NFL’s youngest teams, and with the aforementioned veterans returning in 2012, the Chiefs should have a good shot at winning the AFC West.

Friday’s opener with the Cardinals marks the 25th time that the franchises have played in the preseason. Arizona has won the last four preseason games against the Chiefs, including a 27-17 victory in the last matchup on Aug. 16, 2008.

While the Cardinals’ have the upper hand in recent history against the Chiefs in preseason play, the Chiefs have won 13 of the 24 games against the Cardinals, and the teams have tied once. Arizona has not been so lucky though in recent history’s regular season seeing that the Chiefs have won four straight games going back to 2001.

Some of the things to watch for in Friday nights matchup will be both starting battles, as well as reserve spots. The most intriguing battle is probably up front on the defensive line for the Chiefs. Nose Tackle is a very important role in plugging up the running lanes, and opening up gaps for linebackers to blitz through. The Chiefs coaching staff will have their eyes on the production of Dontarie Poe, Jerrell Powe and Anthony Toribio. Poe was a former first round pick for the Chiefs who has the advantage going into camp, but hasn’t shown his first round talent yet.

Elsewhere in the defense, there is a battle brewing for the starting Middle Linebacker position. Javon Belcher beat out Brandon Siler last year, after Siler suffered an Achilles injury for the starting job. This year the two could see a lot of split time, but both players have the opportunity to become the starter.

The other battle to watch is who will be the number two wide receiver, assuming that Dwayne Bowe will be in uniform this year. Free Agent Steve Breaston, from the opposing Cardinals has more proven NFL talent then second year WR Jon Baldwin. However, Breaston’s size and skill set make him more suitable as a slot receiver in the NFL.

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More importantly than WR, if Matt Cassel goes down who will replace him?

Free Agent Brady Quinn and second year QB Ricky Stanzi will see the majority of the snaps Friday night. Neither has stood out as being the number two QB, but play in the preseason games will be a major factor of who will get the backup role. 

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BY: Curt Adams

MBTickets.com Writer

Eleven time Pro Bowl selection, and nine time All-Pro Offensive Tackle, William (Willie) Roaf will be honored Saturday, August 4 2012, as one of five new members of the Professional Football Hall Of Fame.  

Roaf was drafted in 1993 by the New Orleans Saints where he played for nine seasons making the Pro Bowl seven times. In 2001, Roaf suffered a knee injury in the seventh game of the Saints season, after that season, New Orleans traded Roaf to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 3^rd round draft pick.                                                                                                            ["Image by Harpers470 via Flickr"]

In Kansas City, Roaf continued his dominating ways making the Pro Bowl in all four of his seasons in a Chiefs jersey.

Roaf is considered to be one of the greatest Offensive Tackles ever to play in the NFL. He was a member of the 1990’s and 2000’s All-Decade team.

Roaf’s induction into the Professional Hall of Fame is probably his most prestigious honor to date, but Roaf is a member of the Arkansas and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fames, as well as the New Orleans Saints Hall Of Fame.

Roaf grew up in Pine Bark Arkansas, and upon exiting high school he only received scholarship offers from Arkansas University at Pine Bluff and Louisiana Tech. With a more prominent football program being at Louisiana Tech, Roaf decided to play his college football at LA Tech, just a five hour drive from New Orleans. That proximity made selecting Roaf with the 8^th overall pick in 1993 that much easier.

Now that his polished football career is over, Roaf is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton OH, by his father Dr. Clifton Roaf. Th.is is only Roaf’s second year of eligibility to be voted into the Hall.

Roaf will be introduced Saturday along with Defensive Tackle Cortez Kennedy, Line Backer Chris Doleman,Center Dermontti Dawson, Running Back Curtis Martin and Corner Back Jack Butler.

Jamaal Charles is ready to get back to playing football. IN 2011, Charles suffered a knee injury that sidelined him during the second week off the season. Charles essentially missed the whole 2011 season, which saw the offense that was built around him struggle to a disappointing 7-9 record.

In 2009, Charles busted on to the scene carrying the ball 190 times, amassing 1,120 yards on the ground and finding the end zone on seven of those carries. Most of Charles’ production came late in the season after it became evident it was time for Chiefs and long time running back Larry Johnson to separate ways.

The following season, Charles became a fantasy stud, and a regular feature on sports highlight shows. Charles accumulated 1,935 yards total offense and scored eight touchdowns on the season. Entering in to 2011, there was a lot of expectations set, not only on Charles, but the whole Kansas City team. Unfortunately for Chiefs fans and Charles, things didn’t go as planned. After Charles was injured in the first game, the wind was almost gone from Kansas City’s sails.

The only positive from 2011 for Charles was his injury happened early, and he has had ample time to recover for this season.

Charles production has increased in each of his four NFL seasons. (Until the injury) As the primary weapon in Kansas City, Charles should have a monster year in 2012 both on the ground and by air. Questions still surround the status of Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs number one receiving target, meaning  Charles may become even more featured in the passing game.

Newly acquired Peyton Hillis will probably snag goal line and short distance carries from Charles. This will limit Charles’ touchdown numbers, but a player with the dynamic skill set that Charles possess, should still carry your team to the Fantasy Football playoffs, and very possibly the young Kansas City Chiefs to the NFL playoffs where the Chiefs haven’t won a game since 1994. 

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Less than a year removed from suffering a torn anterior cruciate that ended his 2011 season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles feels as though he has regained something that eluded Austin Powers in “The Spy Who Shagged Me” and currently is missing from Mike Mularkey’s first training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Charles said Wednesday, via the Kansas City Star. “I feel happy, I feel comfortable out there and I’m ready to go.”…More at Jamaal Charles ready for return with Kansas City Chiefs – NFL News                         ["Image by kansas_city_royalty via Flickr"]

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Nick Toney KCChiefs.com Reporter, talks with Chiefs position coaches about players who are developing and making the team better as a whole. QB Coach Jim Zorn talks about the improvements he is seeing in the passing game. There is also mention of how Rookie Dontari Poe is fitting into the Defensive Line. 

Following Thursday’s OTAs at the Chiefs training facility, positional coaches and coordinators met with media to discuss all things Chiefs.

From the improvement of players during OTAs to mandatory Chiefs minicamp next week (June 12 to June 14), here’s what Romeo Crennel’s staff had to say about the team so far:

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Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on adapting his offense to fit his new players:

“You come to a new place where you have a big play book, and what you have to do is install something new every day–each rep counts to learn the offense better. It’s our job too, to look at the players and really dissect who is getting the offense and who we have to spend a little more time on. Everyone has a system and everyone has plays in a playbook they are usually pretty big on. But it’s your job as a coach to adapt the system to your guys on the team. These guys are all getting reps for the first time and it’s our job to see them and make little changes if needed, that’s just your job as a coach.”

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• KC Chiefs sign Dontari Poe to contract; also sign free agent OT Tony Ugoh – Examiner.com
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