Good morning! An early Arrowheadlines so I can get to the airport. Here is today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy!
"I saw some players improve as we went through this," head coach Romeo Crennel said. "Now we'll put on the pads, and we'll see what they really can do. It won't be long. It's five-and-a-half weeks until training camp. It's all the way live, and it's for real. They have to understand that and everybody has to put their best foot forward to give us the best chance."
The next step for Baldwin and the rest of Kansas City's young, emerging players is to carry the progress made over the past month into the opening of training camp some six weeks from today.
Minicamp Notebook: Chiefs Wrap-up Offseason Program from The Mothership
With Dwayne Bowe still absent, the Chiefs finished minicamp with 12 wide receivers present. Nine of them are in their first or second NFL season.
The Chiefs will need at least a couple of those younger guys to develop into reliable players eventually, if not immediately. The team expects that one of those players will be Jon Baldwin, who starred in the offseason practices and was their first-round draft pick last year.
The eight other young receivers fall into the hopeful category.
Chiefs Counting On Progress Of Young Receivers from KC Star
KC Star Video: Brandon Flowers Talks About The Chiefs Secondary
KC Star Video: Adam Teicher VLOG: Chiefs Get Work In, But Still Have Issues To Resolve
The Chiefs are maintaining a locker for former center Casey Wiegmann, who is retiring. Wiegmann left behind a couple pairs of shoes, and in the locker hangs his practice jersey and a pair of football pants. But other than that and some neatly stacked towels, the locker is sparse.
Bowe also has a locker, but his has the look of someone intending to use it. Bowe's locker also contains a helmet, shoulder pads, and numerous pairs of shoes.
Chiefs Notebook: Minicamp Concludes from KC Star
Quarterback
Ricky Stanzi on working with Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn: "It's awesome to have those guys, Matt and Brady have been in the league for a while, and they know the game. Just to learn from them, pick their brains. They've been tremendous. They're both really good guys who are very willing to help out and teach you the game. To have that as a young guy is huge because they teach you the little things you might not be seeing or that otherwise might go unsaid. To have that is a big help."
Overheard: Players Break From Minicamp from The Mothership
Matt Cassel misfired on a couple of throws, and the Kansas City defense stuffed the offense during a mock 2-minute drill that ended with a missed field goal Thursday - an ominous conclusion to the Chiefs' mandatory three-day minicamp.
Unless, of course, you were wearing the red jerseys of the defense...
...The haphazard performance by the Chiefs' offense on a steamy June morning notwithstanding, coach Romeo Crennel said he was pleased with Kansas City's entire offseason program.
Kansas City Chiefs' Offense Struggles During Conclusion Of Minicamp from The Associated Press via The Columbia Missourian
When speaking with the Kansas City Star, Charles stated, "When they let that cape off me, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to put my cleats back on and punish everybody in my way." In his absence, running back Peyton Hillis has been taking first team reps during OTA workouts. The two could form one of the better running back duo's in the league. The Chiefs are likely to lean on the run game this season, giving both backs fantasy value. Charles will be the back you want to select in fantasy drafts as a No. 2 running back with top tier potential.Three And Out: Charles Ready For Return from NFL.com
As Matt Cassel prepares to play in Brian Daboll's offense, the Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback is dealing with another major adjustment.
Facing a new rear end.
The Chiefs are transitioning from center Casey Wiegmann to second-year center Rodney Hudson. Cassel and Hudson have spent major time this offseason, getting acclimated with each other.Matt Cassel Getting Used To New Center from ESPN
He invites you into his office, mesh shorts and a T-shirt, feet propped up on his desk, to talk about why a powerful man in a super macho sport is so drawn to gender equality.This is why he has been involved with the Women's Intersport Network, or WIN for KC, since his first month in town, and it's why he's funding an annual scholarship for a graduating high school senior who is, too...
...Scott's older sisters were standout athletes. Their hometown was a soccer hotbed, and Lisa played four years of varsity, Laura five. Both were captains. But neither could earn a college scholarship because this was the 1970s and Title IX was in its infancy.
Scott, meanwhile, played linebacker well enough to attend college for free. His sisters were at least as good in soccer as he was in football, but neither went to college.
"Unfair," he says. "It seemed unfair then, and it seems unfair now."
Pioli Shows Commitment To Gender Equality from KC Star
Vyron Brown had applied unsuccessfully to numerous teams each of the past few summers for one of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship positions.
The Grambling State offensive coordinator sent his information to just one franchise, the Kansas City Chiefs, this year and said he prayed for the best.
GSU Coaches Excited For NFL Fellowships from The News Star