From the FanPosts. We'll replace the morning update with this. Enjoy. -Chris

so, looking at the chiefs defensive roster, a few things jump out at me. we have gotten some help on the interior DL w/ dorsey. we have become weak at end losing jared allen. we added athleticism and pass-rushing ability (ask nebraska fans, don't consult nfl stats) with the addition of demorrio williams at LB. and we have replaced ty law w/ a youthful multi-coverage first-round talent CB in flowers. so what does this personnel lend itself to? the 3-4. hear me out.

DL:

Hali: Always considered more than a pass rusher. But teams routinely ran at him in 2007. Hopefully his foot injury was a fluke and he can return to rookie form or better in 2008. If he doesn't, it will be a terrible season for the chiefs. He also may have always been a 3-4 end in making.

Dorsey: Consensus best pick in the draft. He has been most compared to Warren Sapp (Herm was an assistant on that defensive staff). Let's hope everyone is right and this guy can immediately dominate opposing lines. In many schemes this guy is the cornerstone, and this can't be more true in the cover 2. I'll get to the 3-4 in a second.

Boone/Edwards/etc.: These guys are role players that are bottom-feeders in the NFL DL rotation. Sure, they will succeed, but none of these guys can contribute to the pass rush w/o killing run-stopping, or the other way around. I hate this DE situation for a 4-3...and this is why we need a shift.

Conclusion: We have the talent at linebacker and in the secondary to change schemes.

LB (the best position group on the team)

Edwards: The veteran leadership and expertise. He is the class of our defense and, arguably, the league. This guy can play OLB, ILB, probably DE if we needed it. But we are apparently attempting to move him back to the middle to remove Napoleon Harris, whom I'll get to in a minute. But Donnie is a great player mostly out of instinct. It doesn't take a real football expert or statistician to see his best and most productive years came as an inside linebacker in san diego's 3-4. He played this role to near perfection, and i think we may need it out of him again due to our dearth of talent on the DL. He CAN and WOULD succeed in any system we put him in.

DJ: Athleticism has never been questioned. He also is a prototype Will LB. He is not much for rushing the passer straight up, but he can be an effective blitzer and run-stopper. He is a freestyle player best-suited for a freestyle system, not a disciplined cover-2 style. The classic OLB role would work for him, but a 3-4 might work better. He might be the guy consistently in coverage, but he has proven a good run-stopper and penetrator. He also has the athleticism to make up for any pressure-lapses from the front 7 w/ his coverage. Screams Derrick Brooks to me, if we can ever muster the rest of the defensive talent.

Harris: There could never be a bigger challenge to your job than an employer hiring someone for another job and moving that person occupying that position to yours. That said, Harris did not do all that poorly last season. Problem is, he didn't do well either. Maybe there is a gray area here...mix schemes to get your best players on the field. I think Harris fits this group and would be benefited by the move. While it's true he wouldn't hold up in the Jeremiah Trotter big 3-4 ILB mold, he has the athleticism to at least make it worthwhile. Donnie Edwards will help him, and If Glen Dorsey is THE MAN, this move makes a ton of sense.

Williams: A small LB. He has outstanding speed but limited experience in pass-rushing. He was used as a coverage linebacker, something he excelled at. Our problem is that we have one of those, DJ. In college, Williams was an excellent stand-up pass rusher. This makes him an ideal transition LB for the 3-4. The only thing i'm concerned w/ him about is his size.

CB

Surtain: Elder statesman and overpaid FA signing. He is still a good cornerback, and i think people lose sight of this. He isn't playing the position the way he did in Miami, when he was a lockdown man corner. To be fair, this has taken some of the aggressiveness out of him that made him an all-pro player. But also, he has not played up to the standards we held for him. He will at worst be a league average corner next year, but that would be a problem, b/c he is the best we have at this position.

Flowers: I love everything I've heard about him, and he tackles well from what little I've seen. He also seems to have played a lot of different coverages in college and has good ball skills. If he likes Beamer-Ball and is the video rat i hear about, he will be fine and could be a steal. If he busts, I'll be stunned.

Patterson/Brackenridge: Hope you make the roster. Herm certainly loves you. As for actual field skills, a lot remains to be seen.

Carr: This guy could be a total steal. But until we hear how he does in camps, he is still just a rookie w/ lesser-college experience. I hope he competes for a top job, but he is a total unknown here, w/ a reputation that certainly exceeds what we know of him.

S

Page: Pure ball hawk. This guy seems to be a playmaker, on the good and bad side. He can end games with picks or missed tackles. That said, I do think he is developing well and will be a productive safety in the league for a long time. Certainly a serviceable starter for us.

Pollard: Some work needed, but overall a good player. Pollard is ideal for a cover 2 scheme in that he could kill any receiver over the middle at any time. He is a punishing hitter (overall tackling could use work). He also could use work in overall coverage discipline, and i think this will happen. He is a raw talent, and keeping the next guy around might help. But it might not....

Wesley: I wish we would have traded him last year before/after the houston game to start the year. He is washed up in my opinion. He has been beaten on blown coverages far too many times in his career to be considered a veteran help. He does have the reputation of a hitter that Pollard already has, but having that w/o considerable success does not help. Wesley is a ball hawk, and still a good player, but i think he is a hindrance and unnecessary player in our defensive development. I have not mentioned his spotty health record either. (Not that Pollard's is better)

Other S: I don't know anything about the other guys, other than McGraw is a special teams guy who should never see the field on defense. Additional depth at safety would help.

Analysis:

Our defensive personnel leads me to think we need a 3-4/4-3/cover-2 combo scheme that is probably more detailed than most teams care to get into. We are seriously weak at DE while deep at LB. This screams 3-4. The issue is whether or not that 3-4 group could consistently stop the run. I think it could if it is mixed in with 4-3 groups that include the bigger guys, including new DE boone (HA!). It would be a challenge, but i think it could work. the secondary would be afforded new coverage opportunities with additional coverage help w/ the LB, which would enormously benefit surtain by putting him in more man situations or mixed coverages, things he excels at.

I love the idea of the 3-4, and i think we could blitz more out of it to get pressure to account for the loss of Jared Allen. I just think we are at a huge disadvantage using the 4-3 version of the cover 2 w/o any kind of DE at one spot. Even if the coverage holds steady, the lack of a pass rush leads to holes in the zone and open receivers. We are better suited for a 3-4 setup for the front 7 to get whatever pressure we can. Mixed coverages and more detail can only help. Further substitutions in and out of the 3-4/4-3 schemes can only hinder, not help, opposing offenses attempting to prepare for us.

As any coach should, a coach should not apply a system to personnel that does not fit. Rather, a coach's personnel should steer his planning and coaching, especially in terms of systems and schemes. I know Herm is a big cover-2 guy, but the front 7 has pretty little to do with this. Even alternating or rotating which linebacker goes back in coverage in the tampa-2 can only confuse defenses. Other than that, i just think what i have suggested really could work and would be innovative, not for us, but for the league. Teams need to further detail and specify what systems and schemes work for certain personnel groups....not the other way around.

Poll

Which Chiefs' draft pick is going to be a bust?

• Glenn Dorsey
• Branden Albert
• Brandon Flowers
• Jamaal Charles
• No one!

  391 votes | Results

Mini Arrowhead Stadium (via erikrasmussen)

• The Kansas City Chiefs will have the highest rookie pool this year, meaning they'll have the most money with which to pay their draft picks in the 2008 salary cap year. (H/T The Football Wire)



• Cuts: WR Sean Bailey, CB Chad Johnson, OT Joe Lobdell, LB Mickey Pimentel and QB Ricky Santos. We had previously reported only Bailey and Santos were gone.

  When you hear the name Santos, does anyone else think of that Simpson's episode where Bart got a credit card in his dog's name? Santos L. Halper was the name on the card.


• Herm Edwards had some interesting thoughts on the radio yesterday.


• Remember when free agent WR DJ Hackett got a ton of hype around here? I always contended the guy wasn't that good and the Panthers seem to agree.


• Morgan St. TE Rohnie Sykes signed a free agent deal with the Chiefs yesterday. He's a former junior college transfer, developmental type of player.


• Michael Ash of WPI -- KC's defense getting an attitude adjustment.

The rookie pool is nice in theory but unsurprisingly agents and teams get around it pretty easily. Here is a good read on that from the NFL Player's Association.

A $2 million signing bonus on a five-year contract, for example, while paid in the first year, would only count $400,000 against the Rookie Pool as the full amount is spread out over the term of the contract for cap purposes. Another method to guarantee money to players is through option bonuses which allow for a club to extend the length of a player’s contract upon payment of a bonus. Clubs typically exercise this right to extend in the second year of a player’s contract and therefore the bonus paid has no effect on the first-year Rookie Pool. In 2007, 28 of the 32 first-rounders received an option bonus.

The rookie pool is yet another obstacle that draft picks have to negotiate around, no doubt contributing to longer negotiations.

The Kansas City Chiefs have not filled the void created by fullback Tony Richardson after he left in 2005 and current Chief Chris Manderino intends to change that in 2008. Chris signed with the Chiefs back in April and he was kind enough to come by and answer a few questions for us. I can't thank him enough for not only giving up his valuable time for this interview but also for giving us such fantastic and insightful answers.

You graduated from California in 2006 and spent some time on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad before making your way to Kansas City. What's the day to day life of an NFL practice squad player like?

Day to day life as a practice squad player can be very challenging both physically and mentally. It is physically challenging because you must give great physical effort all the time and make sure that you are putting your best effort forward because the guys on the other side of the ball are relying on you to give a good simulation as to what to expect on game day. Also, because you are practicing another team’s plays, you don’t have the same chemistry and execution as a unit as you do with your own offense. It seems to be most challenging for the offensive linemen to correctly execute the schemes. This can lead to breakdowns on the line of scrimmage and thus mismatches in the backfield (i.e. a running back on a defensive tackle) which can take a toll on the body and become frustrating because it doesn’t allow you to completely execute your responsibility.

Outside the physical aspects is the mental and emotional roller coaster you go through as a practice squad player. In Cincinnati, although I was the back-up fullback, I was still on the practice squad. Simply because of the "numbers game" they had there, as far as roster spots were concerned, they kept an additional TE instead of two deep at FB. So although I was a practice squad player, I had to remain keyed in to what the offensive game plan was each week because if something were to happen to the guy in front of me, I would be activated for the game and expected to step in and perform.

Also, as a practice squad player, you know that you are available to become activated by any of the other teams in the league. It is mentally tough to be thinking about whether you will be activated the next week with either your own team or another one throughout the league. You have to try to keep from getting distracted because it is your job to perform your role in helping the team prepare to win. It is mentally tough to be watching on the sidelines on game day when you prepare all week long and do not get to play. All in all however, you have to remind yourself of the many talented players out there who are not with a team at all and be thankful for your opportunity take full advantage of it.

As a four-year college starter who walked on to the team, what were your expectations when you initially tried out to be a Golden Bear?

Coming out of high school I was labeled a "Tweener." I had started at QB and LB my junior year and then started the season as QB and LB my senior year but then got moved to Tailback because that is where my coaches felt they needed me to play in order to put the team in the best position to win. I had tremendous success and accolades both as a team and as an individual by the end of my high school career; however the scholarship offers were not coming the way I thought they would.

I got a lot of attention from some smaller schools, but it was always a dream of mine to play big-time Division 1 football. I grew up hearing stories of my dad’s playing days at Michigan State and had desired to one day play at that level. Outside the interest I was receiving from the smaller schools, I had other options to either go to a junior college for a year or two or be a "preferred" or "recruited" walk-on at several different major college programs.

My final decision was between Cal, UCLA, and USC. I chose to walk on at Cal because it just seemed right. Despite being a walk-on, I felt that they really wanted me there and felt that I could make a contribution to the program. I remember that once I was at Cal as a red-shirt freshman, I would look down at the stadium from the practice field above each and every day. I would look down at the stadium and think to myself that all my hard work would be worth it if I just get the opportunity to be on that field and play in front of the thousands of people that would be there on game day. I achieved my dream much sooner than I had imagined and found myself starting my first collegiate football game as a red-shirt freshman for the University of California, Berkeley.

My expectations at first were to hopefully be playing on special teams my first and second year and then be in a position to compete for the starting job by my junior and senior year. I was playing a new position- fullback, so I thought it would take me a little while to adjust to the new role and to also put on the necessary size and strength to be a starter. It turns out I far exceeded all the expectations I had and achieved want I initially desired much sooner than I dreamed I would. I earned a full athletic scholarship after just one year at Cal and was also the starter at fullback. This inspired me to make new expectations and goals and is part of the reason why I now have the opportunity and privilege to be a player in the NFL.

Fullback isn't a stat heavy or limelight intense position. What motivates you as a fullback to better yourself?

As a fullback you must take a lot of pride in what you do. You have to be physically and mentally tough and you have to find joy in doing your part to contribute to the ultimate goal of WINNING. As a fullback, I am motivated by seeing my running backs excel. When they have great games and seasons, it usually means that I have done a good job in helping them attain good statistics. Also, as a fullback, you encounter many one on one matchups. I am motivated by competition. Each play, I am motivated to compete against my opponent and to dominate him so that he does not make a play on the ball. Mostly I am self-motivated. As a fullback, I have a job to do just like everyone else on the field.

It is not personal accolades that I seek but rather the respect of my teammates and coaches and knowing that I did a job well done and thus proving my worth as an essential part to the team as a whole.

What football moment are you most proud of?

The football moment that I am most proud of is earning a scholarship as a walk on. I had many people stacking the chips against me and telling me how difficult it was to walk on and try to play let alone earn a scholarship. I made it my personal vendetta to prove them all wrong. I felt that it wasn’t up for anyone else to determine what I could or could not do, but rather was up to me to decide.

Needless to say, achieving this goal did not come without hardship and turmoil. Several times throughout my first year at Cal, before achieving this goal, I felt like giving up and that all the hard work may not be worth it. I was working my butt off with no guarantees of what the future held. Fortunately, I pushed through the tough times and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. It reminds me of something that someone once told me, "Anything worth having in life, is worth working hard for and worth waiting for." We all want results NOW, NOW, NOW, but it is not the end result that makes it all worth while but rather the journey in getting there.

How has your experience in Kansas City been? Have you done anything quintessentially Kansas City yet?

I’ve had a great experience in Kansas City thus far. I have only been here about a month or so, but I immediately had a good vibe about the city. Most people seem to be very friendly, the city has a lot to offer as far as things to do, and the guys on the team were all very receptive and welcoming. I found a great place to live on the Plaza which is nice because when I’m bored I can get out and walk around because there are a ton of places just a few blocks away.

As far as doing anything quintessentially Kansas City, I have had KC barbeque from a few different places, tailgated and watched a Royals game, walked around statue park at the Nelson Museum, been to Power and Light District, and checked out the Harrah’s Casino. I still have many things that I want to do and see including checking out the Body’s Revealed exhibit, going to the river market to get groceries, finding a nice Kansas City Girl to go on a horse buggy ride through the plaza with (haha) and whatever else KC has to offer…I’m open for suggestions.

If you weren't playing in the NFL, what would you be doing right now?

If I wasn’t playing in the NFL, I’m not sure EXACTLY what I’d be doing right now. Some options may include getting my MBA, traveling the world and maybe even playing football abroad, working in real estate or in investment banking, growing and running the company that a friend of mine and I have started, or a combination of some of these things. Not to sound that I don’t have a plan or outside options because I know I do. I have a great education, have done many things outside of football to continue building my resume to which I credit the Chiefs for the emphasis they put into their Player Development sector. I have taken advantage of several of the programs they have to offer and they have proven to be extremely beneficial.

I don’t know what I’d be doing and I’m glad that as of right now I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play in the NFL so that I don’t have to make that decision right now.

Many, many thanks to Chris for taking the time to let us get to know him a bit better. AP wishes him the best of luck in his career.

Yikes, this week is slow on football news. At least we've got something to talk about today.

Of the seventeen UDFAs the Chiefs signed last week, fifteen still remain on the roster. Here's the original group of 17:

WR Jabari Arthur, WR Sean Bailey, K Connor Barth, FB Mike Cox, G Ian-Yates Cunningham, DE Johnny Dingle, S Ron Girault, CB Maurice Leggett, DT Derek Lokey, G Chris McDuffie, RB Kalvin McRae, DT Maurice Murray, LB Steve Octavien, DE Jason Parker, DE Jonal Saint-Dic, QB Ricky Santos and WR Luke Swan.

QB Ricky Santos and WR Sean Bailey no longer appear on the official roster, which leads me to believe that they have been released.

At least for now, Ricky Santos' Tony Romo-esque NFL dreams are in limbo.

• In the Bahamas, his home country, Kansas City Chiefs WR Devard Darling is a big deal.


• A local KC area beer vendor wrote a book about his experiences. Any beer vendor blogs out there?


• Speaking of beer vendors in KC, I went to the Royals game last night. In the third inning or so, a woman passed out All-Star game ballots, which she would pick up in a few innings. I grabbed mine and immediately started smelling the newly printed paper and ink, which I don't feel like I'm alone in doing. I glance up at the monster high def screen they have at Kauffman Stadium only to see myself with my face buried in my All-Star ballot. I did the customary, "Where is the camera?!?!" head swivel before everyone else laughed.


• Stripe Hype, a Cincinnati Bengals blog, is being threatened with a lawsuit by the Cincinnati Bengals.


• Hashmarks says that RB Travis Henry may be out in Denver, depending on whether or not the team brings another running back on. If Henry is cut, he'll actually have the time to make all of children's visitations.


• Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star -- "What do any of us really know about what went down -- or didn't go down -- last week in Harrison's childhood neighborhood in Philadelphia?"


• A lot of people were clamoring about drafing OG Eric Young out of Tennessee. I believe I even saw a few mock drafts with him going in the 5th round. Well, he was waived by the Browns yesterday, after a brief flirtation with the NFL. He may be back somewhere else but I wanted to point out how fans group think can accelerate so quickly without rhyme or reason.

I believe it was swift who asked for an updated list of the undrafted free agents (UDFA) the Kansas City Chiefs had signed. Here are the 17 initial UDFA signings, which were announced on May 2.

WR Jabari Arthur, WR Sean Bailey, K Connor Barth, FB Mike Cox, G Ian-Yates Cunningham, DE Johnny Dingle, S Ron Girault, CB Maurice Leggett, DT Derek Lokey, G Chris McDuffie, RB Kalvin McRae, DT Maurice Murray, LB Steve Octavien, DE Jason Parker, DE Jonal Saint-Dic, QB Ricky Santos and WR Luke Swan.

The Chiefs invited over 40 players to their rookie camp this past weekend, in addition to the players listed above. The only new signing I've come across is Arkansas LB Weston Dacus, who was invited to camp without a contract and left with a two-year deal.

More to come later today.