And some of us listen.  Highlights from yesterday's session with the media.  I tried to highlight what Herm was actually saying and avoiding the fluff.

On how Brodie Croyle looks:

“Yeah, he’s just rusty. That’s what’s good about the bye week, we’ll have another day tomorrow and next week we’ll have three more practices. That’ll be good for him. He looks strong, his arm looks strong."

On the bye week with so many young guys:

I know it helps us a lot because there’s so many young guys. If you think it about it, they’ve played nine games already, that’s almost a college season.

On DaJuan Morgan's strengths:

“He’s a pretty good tackler, he’s very sudden when he reads it. I think he’s playing a little cautious right now, because he’s not confident. That comes with playing. You have to play these kids."

On Jamaal Charles not breaking a big one yet:

“He hasn’t been in the game a whole lot. He hasn’t touched the ball a whole lot. It has to do with a lot of things. Plays, lots of three-and-outs for us, too many three-and-outs. He’s dropped a couple balls when it could have been a big play, so that’s part of it too. I think he’s becoming more comfortable in what we want him to do.”

On 35 year old Muhsin Muhammad zipping past the defense:

“He took a bad angle. The guy caught it, cut across the grain and they made a big score. It’s part of the learning process too.”

On Tamba Hali and the rest of the pass rush:

“He helps you, no doubt. That and the inside guys making sure the pocket’s pushed. Our line has not been good at times on pass rush. You always have to keep the pocket tight, you can’t let the pocket open up. When you’re a tackle, the basic rule is you never want to rush outside the hashes because it expands the pocket too much. You want the pocket to close so the quarterback can’t step up. When you get your tackles outside the hashes, the quarterback can step up because he feels no pressure in the middle of the pocket. So we have to get that adjusted and try to do a better job about that too.”

Maybe Jamaal Charles could be utilized more to avoid three and outs?  And the guy is a track star, fast is fast regardless of the level of competition.  I'm just very anxious to see him in the game more and more.  You've got a weapon, now let's see what he's made of.

via img172.imageshack.us

McIntosh is starting again, Herm?  I said thanks, didn't I?

So, here's the deal. The feelings regarding our quarterback situation are mixed. However, I feel that a majority of folks are looking to make a change and then some of that group wants to make a change NOW.

I'm on record as saying there's nothing we can do to better the quarterback situation now.  Trade scenarios, while always an interesting discussion, almost never come to fruition.  There's a reason talented quarterbacks never hit the open market.

Below is a list of quarterbacks who are currently free agents.  Keeping this list in mind, I want to hear real solutions to the quarterback problem. Pretend as if trading is not an option (because realistically it's probably not).  Anyone can say 'Hey it's not working dump 'em all!'  But that's not the way it works. 

Tell us who you want and WHY.  The latter is key.  Would any of these players help us now?  Do we currently have the best options on staff?

Player Name	Years Experience	2007 Team
Daunte Culpepper	9	Raiders
Bruce Gradkowski	2	Bucs
Tim Hasselbeck	6	Cardinals
Kelly Holcomb	11	Vikings
Jared Lorenzen	3	Giants
Jamie Martin	13	Saints
Craig Nall	6	Packers
Tim Rattay	8	Cardinals
Lester Ricard	1	Jaguars
Brian St. Pierre	7	Jets
Chris Weinke	8	49ers

Brodie Croyle	Right Shoulder	Limited Practice
Tamba Hali	Knee	Limited Practice
Dimitri Patterson	Quadricep	Limited Practice
Patrick Surtain	Shoulder	Limited Practice
Branden Albert	Elbow	Out
Donnie Edwards	Ankle	Out

Jordan Gross	Concussion	Did Not Practice
Ken Lucas	Ankle	Did Not Practice
Matt Moore	Fibula	Did Not Practice
Jeff Otah	Ankle	Did Not Practice
Quentin Teal	Ankle	Did Not Practice
Jake Delhomme	Thigh	Full Practice

No surprises on the Chiefs end.  I still haven't determined the exact timetable for Brodie Croyle's return (Ed. Note: October 19th).  Donnie Edwards may be out longer than one week. 

No real surprises on the Broncos end either.  Defensive tackles Josh Shaw and Dewayne Robertson didn't practice.  Shaw suffered a torn groin is likely out 2-3 weeks but Robertson is expected to be back at practice today and ready to play on Sunday.  Several backups will be filling in in a reserve role along the defensive line which should bode well for LJ and Co.

Kansas City Chiefs:

Name	Position	Injury	Status
Patrick Surtain	CB	Shoulder	Limited Practice
Brodie Croyle	QB	Right Shoulder	Out
Donnie Edwards	LB	Ankle	Out

 

Denver Broncos:

Name	Position	Injury	Status
Darrell Jackson	WR	Calf	Did Not Practice
Dewayne Robertson	DT	Knee	Did Not Practice
Boss Bailey	LB	Ankle	Full Practice
Elvis Dumervil	DE	Finger	Full Practice
Louis Green	LB	Hamstring	Full Practice
Marquand Manuel	S	Thumb	Full Practice
Patrick Ramsey	QB	Right Elbow	Full Practice
Eddie Royal	WR	Ankle	Full Practice
Josh Shaw	DT	Groin	Out
Ryan Torain	RB	Elbow	Out

 

A quick note from Adam Teicher at The Red Zone:

Herm Edwards said the Chiefs haven't decided whether Tyler Thigpen or Damon Huard will start at quarterback Sunday against Denver at Arrowhead Stadium. It won't be Brodie Croyle, who most likely won't play until Oct. 19, when the Chiefs play Tennessee at Arrowhead.

Herm has to be doing this out of deception, right? The equivocating by the Chiefs coaching staff is really making them look like amateurs. On a side note, do you think that this waffling on the QB decision the last two weeks is part of some power struggle in the front office? I haven't heard anything even remotely about that but it helps explain some of Herm's behavior.

****

In other Chiefs news, the Star has a clip of Tony Gonzalez after yesterday's game. He's pretty frank about his frustrations with the offense but he still manages to do it without sounding like he's complaining.

Herm's thoughts on the team's performance yesterday:

"I don’t know. I think we went in phases. We battled back in the second half. We made it kind of interesting but they drove right down the field after a long kickoff return and that got us out of the game. We came back twice but we couldn’t put any points on the board."

Herm needs to stop trying to act calm and collected like his best bud Tony Dungy. We're not winning. Get fired up about it.

Poll

Who will the Chiefs start at quarterback this weekend?

• Damon Huard
• Tyler Thigpen
• Ingle Martin
• Marques Hagans

  308 votes | Results

It's all need to know info, right?

• One of the unverified rumors circling KC this week has been that Damon Huard asked to be taken out of the Raiders game, or that he had gotten on Herm's bad side and coach got fed up with him. Not sure if either of those is true but I wanted to throw them out there.


• Brodie Croyle and Pat Surtain are the only Kansas City Chiefs not practicing according to the injury report. Looks like Nap Harris and Will Franklin are a go this weekend but I'm unsure of how much they'll play, if at all.


• Harm Edwards? It could stick.


• Within two weeks, Tony Gonzalez should surpass Shannon Sharpe on the all-time receiving yards for a tight end list. He needs 85 yards to do it.That would give TG the most touchdowns by a tight end; the most receptions by a tight end; and the most receiving yards by a tight end. Greatest. Ever.


• Eh, why not? Early Look: NFL Draft Top 100 Prospects from Rivals.com.


• I suppose it's about time to start using this phrase - "The Nextel portion of Sprint Nextel has been losing subscribers even faster than the Kansas City Chiefs have been losing starting quarterbacks lately."


• Jeffrey Flanagan says: "Be patient. It will get better."



• One more item of note from the Comment of the Day on Flanagan's blog - "My family has had season tickets for 35+ years. I would like a partial credit towards next year, please."

  No. No you should not get a freakin' partial refund. Do you know how exchanging money for a product works? You paid to see a football season. Not a winning football season. A season. You did not pay for a specific football strategy. No team can guarantee wins. It was your decision to buy the season tickets. The Chiefs did not make you do that. Maybe if you paid an ounce of attention to the team you would know that the expectations for this year were zero. At least for the educated fans they were.

  You wouldn't demand a refund on your wedding because you and your wife got in a fight, would you?

  The reader comment ends like this: "How great would it be if all the fans boycotted and stayed in the parking lot for a whole game?" Seriously dude? You just lost your Chiefs' fan privileges. Give your tickets to someone who actually wants to watch football and stay the hell away from me.




• Speaking of wives and the Chiefs...



• More Quinn talk: Brady Quinn Will Not Be A Member of the Kansas City Chiefs.


• No TV blackout in Atlanta. Get used to hearing about Chiefs blackouts this year. It's the lazy story to file on Wednesday for reporters because the sell-by date for the NFL is Thursdays at 1 PM for Sunday games.


• I forgot where I read it but someone compared Damon Huard to a few of the guys in the cart in this clip.


• styg50 from MHR picked the Chiefs to win this weekend!


• Finally, and I'm stretching a bit here, does it bother you that Tyler Thigpen's alma mater's football program is only five years old? It has no bearing on his play in the NFL today but I'm just saying. That's a young program.

Wooh..that's a lot of links. Come back throughout the day if you don't get to read them all this morning. Enjoy those and we'll have this week's Know Thy Enemy coming up shortly. Also, please take part in our demographic poll below. Thanks!

Poll

Where do you live?

• Northeast (PA, MD, DE, NJ, CT, RI, MA, NH, ME, VT, NY)
• Southeast (WV, VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA, AR, FL, TN, KY)
• Southwest (AZ, NM, TX, OK)
• Midwest (ND, SD, MN, IA, WI, IL, IN, OH, MI, NE, KS, MO)
• West (WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, CO, UT, NV, CA)
• Hawaii or Alaksa
• Europe
• Asia
• Australia
• Somewhere else

  293 votes | Results

**UPDATE SAT. 5 PM** Final cuts have been made. Head here.

Of course, the 53 players on the team after 5 PM central time tonight won't be the exact roster for opening day. After the NFL roster deadline hits this evening, expect the Kansas City Chiefs to pick up one or two players off of the waiver wire.

I've run through the roster and made my decisions on who I think will be cut. Interestingly enough, while researching this and reading others cut lists, most of them are in agreement about 95% of the time.

The only differences I've seen in people's cut lists are the tail ends of the linebacker and line rotations. A little LeRue Rumph here. A little Anthony Alabi there. Maybe throw in some Sippio. (Update: Sippio apparently has been cut)

There isn't anything groundbreaking in this post because it's pretty easy to pick about 90% of this roster with about that same certainty.

QB: Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard

No surprises here. The Chiefs will carry three quarterbacks on the final roster no matter what and these are almost assuredly the three they will keep.

Cut: None

RB: Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles, Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage

Dantrell Savage hopefully makes this team as a kick returner but I've included him in the running backs section. LJ, Kolby and Jamaal Charles are all 100% safe. Battle may not make it because of roster numbers but he's probably safe too.

Cut: None

WR: Dwayne Bowe, Devard Darling, Will Franklin, Maurice Price and Jeff Webb

Despite not catching a pass this preseason, Devard Darling is still accomplished enough to get the nod over Arthur, Joachim, McMahan and Sippio. If you make an argument against Darling, you have to make an argument for one of those guys making the team and I don't think you can. Maybe you can make an argument for Bobby Sippio but I think you're splitting hairs at that point.(Update: Sippio has apparently been cut)

Cut: Jabari Arthur, Sergio Joachim, Kevin McMahan and Bobby Sippio

FB:Mike Cox and Chris Manderino

Word on the street is that the Chiefs like Manderino's special teams play, which is great for him because Mike Cox has the starting fullback spot nailed.

Cut: None

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Brad Cottam and J.P. Foschi

TG and Cottam are locks to make the roster and we'll give Foschi and his GA Tech roots the nod over the injured Mike Merritt and Michael "What happened to people being excited about me?" Allan. Allan may spend his final year on the practice squad before permanently falling off into obscurity. My future money says this is another D3 experiment that will not succeed.

Cut: Michael Allan and Mike Merritt

O-Line: Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion McIntosh, Herb Taylor, Barry Richardson and Wade Smith

I think those first eight offensive linemen I listed are definitely going to make the team. Beyond that, I think we could see another player dropped at a different position in favor of another offensive linemen. That linemen may not even be on the team right now and there is no way the Chiefs are satisfied with the depth they have on the offensive line.

Cut: Travis Leffew, Tre Stallings, Will Svitek, Anthony Alabi, Edwin Harrison and Rob Smith

D-Line: Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, Glenn Dorsey, Tamba Hali, Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards. T.J. Jackson and Brian Johnston

After Ron Edwards, you're entering a pretty blurry area on the defensive line. TJ Jackson and Brian Johnston both had their names called more than a few times last Thursday against the Rams and that may be enough to distinguish themselves from the other defensive linemen.

Cut: Johnny Dingle, Jason Parker and Derek Lokey

LB: Derrick Johnson, Pat Thomas, Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams, Weston Dacus and Nap Harris (Int'l player Aden Durde will be on the practice squad but not count for a spot)

Nap Harris seems to be on everyone else's cut list and he certainly is a possible roster casualty. One of the cuts listed below could out value Harris on special teams, making the decision to keep him even more difficult. Donnie Edwards of course makes the final cut but how durable will he be in his 13th season? He's already tweaked a hamstring.

Cut: EJ Kuale, Steve Octavien and LeRue Rumph

CB: Patrick Surtain, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Dimitri Patterson, Tyron Brackenridge and Maurice Leggett

The first four CB spots are taken with Brackenridge, Barksdale and Leggett battling for the final one or even two spots. Can't say I've seen much of any of those three this preseason, making my analysis a bit strained. Brackenridge will probably get the nod because the Chiefs liked him enough last year as an UDFA to play him a bit and neither Barksdale nor Leggett has distinguished themselves.

Cut: Rashard Barksdale

S: Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard, Jon McGraw and DaJuan Morgan

The safety position isn't difficult to figure out. Page and Pollard will start with McGraw and Morgan rotating in and out. The Chiefs don't need five safeties on the team.

Cut: Khayyam Burns

Special Teams: Nick Novak, Dustin Colquitt and J.P. Darche

Again, no surprises here. The Sams v. Savage competition is pretty much even but I'll throw my support behind the younger, less Drummond-like Dantrell Savage. My gut says Sams makes the team though but I can't bring myself to post that.

Cut: BJ Sams and Connor Barth (he's still on the roster so we'll include him for good measure)

We've already had a few threads about the roster cuts so use this spot to make any last minute predictions. I'll update you on the cuts as soon as I hear about them.

Of course, the 53 players on the team after 5 PM central time tonight won't be the exact roster for opening day. After the NFL roster deadline hits this evening, expect the Chiefs to pick up one or two players off of the waiver wire.

I've run through the roster and made my decisions on who I think will be cut. Interestingly enough, while researching this and reading others cut lists, most of them are in agreement about 95% of the time.

The only differences I've seen in people's cut lists are the tail ends of the linebacker and line rotations. A little LeRue Rumph here. A little Anthony Alabi there. Maybe throw in some Sippio.

QB: Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard

No surprises here. The Chiefs will carry three quarterbacks on the final roster no matter what and these are almost assuredly the three they will keep.

Cut: None

RB: Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles, Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage

Dantrell Savage hopefully makes this team as a kick returner but I've included him in the running backs section. LJ, Kolby and Jamaal Charles are all 100% safe. Battle may not make it because of roster numbers but he's probably safe too.

Cut: None

WR: Dwayne Bowe, Devard Darling, Will Franklin, Maurice Price and Jeff Webb

Despite not catching a pass this preseason, Devard Darling is still accomplished enough to get the nod over Arthur, Joachim, McMahan and Sippio. If you make an argument against Darling, you have to make an argument for one of those guys making the team and I don't think you can. Maybe you can make an argument for Bobby Sippio but I think you're splitting hairs at that point.

Cut: Jabari Arthur, Sergio Joachim, Kevin McMahan and Bobby Sippio

FB:Mike Cox and Chris Manderino

Word on the street is that the Chiefs like Manderino's special teams play, which is great for him because Mike Cox has the starting fullback spot nailed.

Cut: None

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Brad Cottam and J.P. Foschi

TG and Cottam are locks to make the roster and we'll give Foschi and his GA Tech roots the nod over the injured Mike Merritt and Michael "What happened to people being excited about me?" Allan. Allan may spend his final year on the practice squad before permanently falling off into obscurity. My future money says this is another D3 experiment that will not succeed.

Cut: Michael Allan and Mike Merritt

O-Line: Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion McIntosh, Herb Taylor, Barry Richardson and Wade Smith

I think those first eight offensive linemen I listed are definitely going to make the team. Beyond that, I think we could see another player dropped at a different position in favor of another offensive linemen. That linemen may not even be on the team right now and there is no way the Chiefs are satisfied with the depth they have on the offensive line.

Cut: Travis Leffew, Tre Stallings, Will Svitek, Anthony Alabi, Edwin Harrison and Rob Smith

D-Line: Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, Glenn Dorsey, Tamba Hali, Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards. T.J. Jackson and Brian Johnston

After Ron Edwards, you're entering a pretty blurry area on the defensive line. TJ Jackson and Brian Johnston both had their names called more than a few times last Thursday against the Rams and that may be enough to distinguish themselves from the other defensive linemen.

Cut: Johnny Dingle, Jason Parker and Derek Lokey

LB: Derrick Johnson, Pat Thomas, Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams, Weston Dacus and Nap Harris (Int'l player Aden Durde will be on the practice squad but not count for a spot)

Nap Harris seems to be on everyone else's cut list and he certainly is a possible roster casualty. One of the cuts listed below could out value Harris on special teams, making the decision to keep him even more difficult. Donnie Edwards of course makes the final cut but how durable will he be in his 13th season? He's already tweaked a hamstring.

Cut: EJ Kuale, Steve Octavien and LeRue Rumph

CB: Patrick Surtain, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Dimitri Patterson, Tyron Brackenridge and Maurice Leggett

The first four CB spots are taken with Brackenridge, Barksdale and Leggett battling for the final one or even two spots. Can't say I've seen much of any of those three this preseason, making my analysis a bit strained. Brackenridge will probably get the nod because the Chiefs liked him enough last year as an UDFA to play him a bit and neither Barksdale nor Leggett has distinguished themselves.

Cut: Rashard Barksdale

S: Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard, Jon McGraw and DaJuan Morgan

The safety position isn't difficult to figure out. Page and Pollard will start with McGraw and Morgan rotating in and out. The Chiefs don't need five safeties on the team.

Cut: Khayyam Burns

Special Teams: Nick Novak, Dustin Colquitt and J.P. Darche

Again, no surprises here. The Sams v. Savage competition is pretty much even but I'll throw my support behind the younger, less Drummond-like Dantrell Savage.

Cut: BJ Sams and Connor Barth (he's still on the roster so we'll include him for good measure)

We've already had a few threads about the roster cuts today so use this spot to make any last minute predictions. I'll update you on the cuts as soon as I hear about them.

I don't know about you but I'm more than ready to start talking about the New England Patriots and the start of the regular season. Last night, Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez didn't play. Brodie Croyle was in the game for sixteen plays, only attempting four passes within that period. The Rams made similar personnel decisions - the majority of what will be their regular season starters did not play.

In other words, this Kansas City Chiefs team will not resemble the one that will take the field two Sundays from now at 12 o'clock.

Regardless, here's quick rundown of what happened last night.

Offense

The Chiefs rolled in the first half and most notably in the first quarter. After halftime, the offense was basically a no-show.

Calling the offense a no-show isn't a criticism. This was the final half of a painful preseason and I'm sure everyone on the field, aside from the bubble players, were ready to leave at any time.

The running game was the most pleasant surprise of last night. Jamaal Charles, Jackie Battle and Kolby Smith all ran the ball effectively. Smith scored two touchdowns in the first quarter on runs of fourteen and four yards. Get used to Chiefs fans saying Jamaal Charles is fast. Charles zigged and zagged his way past a number of Rams defenders on his way to rushing for 43 yards on six carries.

One stat that makes me overjoyed to see was the thirteen rushing first downs versus the three passing first downs. Usually, the ratio has been reversed.

Defense

The defense was able to force two turnovers, one on a big hit delivered by Bernard Pollard and the other on a fourth quarter interception by DaJuan Morgan. Nothing about the play of the defense was especially spectacular. The game leaders in the box score are all second to third string players. Like with the offense, the Chiefs starting defense didn't spend much time on the field.

Kicking Game

Connor Barth kicked two successful extra points and Nick Novak kicked one. Both made all of their attempts and I suspect had their been another touchdown scored by the Chiefs, Novak would have come in and kicked that point after. It appeared that the coaching staff was going to rotate the kickers as opportunities arose. The race for the starting spot is still a dead heat. And Nick Novak has just been announced as the Chiefs kicker in Week 1. Barth will be put on waivers.

It's finally time to look forward to a meaningful, regular season game.

We'll be monitoring the cut situation throughout the day and the weekend so stay tuned.