Week 10 @ SD			Week 14 @ DEN
Offense	Defense		Offense	Defense
WR 82 D.Bowe	LDE 91 T.Hali	*	WR 82 D.Bowe	LE 91 T.Hali
LT 76 B.Albert	LT 93 T.Tyler	*	LT 76 B.Albert	RT 72 G.Dorsey
LG 54 B.Waters	RT 72 G.Dorsey	*	LG 54 B.Waters	RE 94 J.Babin
C 64 R.Niswanger	RDE 70 A.Boone	*	C 64 R.Niswanger	MLB 56 D.Johnson
RG 73 A.Jones	LOLB 59 D.Edwards	*	RG 74 W.Smith	OLB 50 R.Boiman
RT 77 D.McIntosh	MLB 55 P.Thomas	*	RT 77 D.McIntosh	CB 31 M.Leggett
TE 88 T.Gonzalez	ROLB 50 R.Boiman	*	TE 88 T.Gonzalez	LCB 39 B.Carr
WR 83 M.Bradley	LCB 39 B.Carr	*	TE 87 B.Cottam	LT 93 T.Tyler
QB 4 T.Thigpen	RCB 31 M.Leggett	*	WR 81 D.Darling	RCB 24 B.Flowers
TE 87 B.Cottam	SS 49 B.Pollard	*	QB 4 T.Thigpen	FS 44 J.Page
RB 25 J.Charles	FS 44 J.Page	*	RB 27 L.Johnson	SS 49 B.Pollard

What a difference in only five weeks.

The Chiefs have been battling tons of injuries all season long and they seem to have slowed down a bit over the past few weeks. Even still, this weekend the Chiefs will likely field seven starters that did not start against the Chargers in Week 10. The starters who did play in Week 10 who may not play this weekend are bolded in the table above.

WR Mark Bradley is fighting a stingy calf injury that has kept him out the last two weeks and much of the game against the Buffalo Bills.

Center Rudy Niswanger again injured his knee in Week 13 and will likely be done for the year.

G Adrian Jones fully participated in practice yesterday after missing four games with a sprained ankle. He'll likely start actually, if Wade Smith moves to center to replace Rudy Niswanger.

RB Jamaal Charles started in place of the inactive Larry Johnson in Week 10. Larry will get the starting nod this week.

LBs Pat Thomas has missed the last four games and Donnie Edwards has missed the last three. Thomas participated fully in practice yesterday and Edwards was limited. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs only listed two linebackers in their starting line up last week.

DE Alfonso Boone has up to last weekend been starting for the Chiefs in the latter half of the season. He's a player who you never hear about anymore.

The Chargers will likely face seven or so new starters on the Chiefs' team that they didn't face in Week 10. That's one third of the starting lineup.

Advantages of having the new starters? Disadvantages? What new starter makes the most difference, good or bad?

Herm is questionable for in-game management this weekend. Via NFL.com

And we have the final injury report of the week.

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
BUF
Jabari Greer	CB	Knee	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Aaron Schobel	DE	Foot	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Donte Whitner	S	Shoulder	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Marcus Buggs	LB	Ankle	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Josh Reed	WR	Ankle	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Bryan Scott	S	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
KC
Donnie Edwards	LB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Adrian Jones	G	Ankle	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Patrick Surtain	CB	Quadricep	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Patrick Thomas	LB	Thigh	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Mark Bradley	WR	Calf	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Brandon Flowers	CB	Thigh	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Derrick Johnson	LB	Thigh	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Jarrad Page	S	Groin	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Glenn Dorsey	DT	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Probable

Nice. Only nine players on this week's injury report for us. And only seven of them are starters! Things are looking up...

Primetime: "Nice, two throw away posts in a row." Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the sarcasm Primetime. I'm finally coming out of a hectic month at work and will be able to settle in before and after to write good stuff without having my mind obsess over what's happening at the office. Keep up the amazing job you guys do in the FanPost and FanShots.

Here's what little bit Herm had to say today about this weekend's game.

On Bills QB Trent Edwards...

They’ve got the perfect coach: Coach Jauron. I know Dick and he’s very patient and he understands that when you start a young quarterback like that there are going to be some growing pains. (Edwards) won five games for them out of the gate. He was hot and now he’s struggling a bit. We’ll find out more about him in how he reacts in the next six (games). But when you start young guys they have a tendency to have some games you wish they wouldn’t have. But that’s part of it.

On the Bills recent woes...

Those things, but they’re still in every game for the most part, kind of like us. In the fourth quarter they don’t make a play or two to find a way to seal it. Before that they were making those plays and weren’t turning the ball over as much.

Quick notes

• Tamba Hali will play this week
• Tony Gonzalez is "moving around pretty good."
• Did not practice today: Donnie Edwards and Adrian Jones
• Limited: Jarrad Page, Pat Surtain, Pat Thomas and Mark Bradley
• Full participation: Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali

I...I...no words...H/T Chiefs Planet

• Kent Babb's been busy as he pens this article about Chiefs fans avoiding going to Arrowhead Stadium for the games.
  
  Question for this morning: Is attendance at the stadium, especially in a poor economy, the best gauge of fan interest? I'd put more stock in television ratings.


• Looks like the Bills are currently 3 point favorites over the Chiefs this weekend.


• Chiefs injury notes: Not working at all were receiver Mark Bradley (calf), tight end Tony Gonzalez (knee), linebacker Donnie Edwards (hamstring) and guard Adrian Jones (ankle). Working limited were defensive end Tamba Hali (ankle), safety Jarrad Page (groin) and linebacker Pat Thomas (thigh).


• Bills LB Kawika Mitchell returns to Kansas City this weekend and if came back to the Chiefs, he would easily be the best linebacker on the team.


• Some of The Star columnists- Jason Whitlock and Adam Teicher - have been going back and forth about whether the Chiefs need to pursue a QB or a DE in the first round of the '09 draft. Kent Babb says it should be neither. He wants a middle linebacker. It's really pretty cool how much debate we're getting out of those guys and it makes the conversation that much better.


• Kansas City Chiefs Draft Report II: The Trade Down for Maualuga.

Enjoy the links. I'll be back in a bit, talking about Larry Johnson's future role with the Chiefs.

Poll

Do you prefer to make fun of the Rams or AFC West opponents?

28%

Rams

45 votes

71%

AFC West

113 votes

158 votes | Poll has closed

via NFL.com

I feel like it's been a haphazard week of coverage here at Arrowhead Pride so I wanted to take a minute to recap all the going ons of this past week. We've had roster moves, injuries and all that other good stuff to talk about. Here we go...

Injuries

I'm sure you saw Kolby Smith go down in last Sunday's game clutching his knee and it turns out he is done for the season and has been placed on injured reserve.

LB Derrick Johnson strained his hamstring against the Bucs and is out for this weekend's game.

S Jarrad Page (groin) and CB Pat Surtain (quad) both did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Surtain has already been ruled out for Sunday's game and the team has left open the possibility of Page playing.

S Dajuan Morgan tweaked his leg a bit in yesterday's practice, prompting Herm to say, "We’ll see where he’s at." Finally, DE Turk McBride is also listed on the injury report with a shoulder problem and both are questionable to play this weekend.

Roster moves

Because of recent issues with corner back play, the Chiefs signed CBs Richardo Colclough and David Macklin this week. They also added RB Omar Cuff to the practice squad and DE Wallace Gilberry to the active roster.

WR Kevin Robinson and TE Michael Merritt, both 2008 rookies who have yet to see the field, were activated this week. Merritt was placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury on August 30th, while Robinson had been on Reserve/Physically-Unable-To-Perform since August 26th. Merritt won't play this week but may get a chance later on in the season. Robinson is currently third on the depth chart for the kick return position, making the possibility of him taking the field small.

To make room for these new additions, the Chiefs cut P Steve Weatherford, because Dustin Colquitt will play this weekend. TE John Paul Foschi and WR Nate Hughes were let go as well. Finally, just-signed CB Tyron Brackenridge was let go and DT T.J. Jackson was put back on the practice squad after spending time on the active roster.

For a full list of recent transactions, click here.

Depth chart

With Kolby Smith out for the rest of the season and Larry Johnson suspended this weekend, Jamaal Charles steps into the starting role, with Dantrell Savage backing him up. Right before last week's game against the Bucs, RB Jackie Battle was promoted from the practice squad which now makes him the #3 running back.

The full depth chart is here.

The Chargers

The 3-5 San Diego Chargers are coming off of a bye week and Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune gives us a quick synopsis of what's happening in San Diego:

The location of the bye week couldn't be any better, what with the Chargers precisely at the halfway point of their season, coming off two straight losses, road-weary from a trip of more than 11,000 miles across eight time zones. They've used the break to install a new defensive coordinator, Ron Rivera, and get themselves back into their best physical health of the season.

The Chargers literally are in the best team health of the season, with only WR Chris Chambers and CB Antonio Cromartie limited in practice and their center is out with an illness. Both Chambers and Cromartie are likely to play on Sunday.

Of course, the biggest news coming out of San Diego over the bye week was the hiring of inside linebackers coach Ron Rivera as defensive coordinator. The Chargers' 25th ranked team defense caused former Charger DC Ted Cottrell to be fired after giving up 37 points in Week 8 to the New Orleans Saints.

Quick look at the Chargers:

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Misc News and Notes

• Last night on Thursday night football, the Broncos defeated the Browns on the strength of three 4th quarter touchdown passes by Jay Cutler.


• I have to feel for the Broncos as a Chiefs fan when I read that they will likely place their 4th running back on injured reserve this season.


• If you've got time today, check out this CBS preview of the game this weekend.


• Wow, 19 rookies on the Chiefs' roster right now.

That's what I've got for this morning. The Kansas City Chiefs play a rare 3:15 PM central time game this weekend so make sure you come by for the open thread.

Since I love lists of ten, let's do that, shall we?

Provide me feedback, let me know if you agree or disagree.

1. First string offense has a lot of promise. Hard to tell if Herb Taylor or the right side was up to the job because Gailey's playcalls didn't trust them at all. Lots of misdirection, lots of bootlegs. Croyle and Thigpen have proven to be effective when mobile. When Huard comes in, the offense reverts to 2007. That's not coincidence, and it leads me to believe that pass protection will still be a problem.

2. All RBs look solid, almost all WRs looked solid, too. Only significant WR I was not impressed with was Darling, who was invisible. But the depth of WRs who made plays yesterday was mindboggling. Sure, Sippio(!!!) won the game, but he had another tough catch-and-run earlier in the game. Franklin looked like the best non-Bowe WR. Webb got waaaaay open a couple times. Maurice Price looks like he's in incredible shape after recovering from a broken collarbone. Even Jabari Arthur and Kevin McMahon looked great.

3. I think Lovie and Herm had a gentleman's agreement to not blitz each other's QB. I don't think I saw a single blitz.

4. LJ is going to LOVE the zone blocking system. The guy gets to crunch linebackers and secondaries way more often, now. LJ finally gets to earn yards the way he likes: initial explosion, crunch some folks at the second level, and take off. Loved that touchdown run.

5. DJ looked good, but all other linebackers failed to play the right gap or play tough. Only DJ made a truly powerful play, and he made several. Pat Thomas just about embarrassed himself at the Mike. I think the Chiefs will be stewing over putting Donnie in the middle of the field and putting DeMorrio and DJ on either side. This team will struggle with depth at LB all year.

6. Our secondary was schooled several times over, but not without promise. Maurice Leggett was beat on two obvious plays (one of them being a TD), but only because he made minor, correctable mistakes. His coverage was otherwise pretty strong. Morgan got beat a couple times as well, but his speed is undeniable. Page needs to wrap up better, still. Flowers and Carr both look like rookies, and I continue to have high hopes.

7. Our DL is in trouble, even if Dorsey returns. We might be okay in the middle when he returns (a rotation of Edwards, Tank, Dorsey, and sometimes Boone could be a LOT of fun, although our scrub DTs -- particularly Lokey and T.J. Jackson -- were slaughtered), but we're going to be hurting on the outside all year. Boone is not fast enough to get around the corner at DE, Hali was shut down on sacks but he didn't play too bad, and no other DE made noise other than Turk and Jason Parker on a couple of chases.

8. Barth was money on his kick, so that's good. But neither kicker could get the ball to the endzone on kickoffs.

9. No major kick returns. Sams didn't even return one. Charles was iffy. Savage was actually the best returner of the night.

10. I think our offense will get into the lower 20s or upper teens, and I think our defense is going to be in the mid to lower 20s. I think our defense has lots of talent, especially in the secondary, but we're going to get killed from having no depth at LB, and no talent other than Hali at DE.

The Kansas City Chiefs are finally settling into a rhythm on the fifth day of training camp. Nine practices are behind the team with only nine days left until the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Also, don't forget that the Chiefs scrimmage the Vikings tomorrow at 6:30. And you know who is coming to town with the Vikings - Benny Sapp.

Here are your links to the coverage of yesterday's PM practice.

UW-RF

Warpaint Illustrated

KCChiefs.com

BobGretz.com

Red Zone

LB Pat Thomas played with the first team linebackers yesterday, which KCPriest is talking about here. I wouldn't expect Thomas to become the starter. Now, if Thomas plays with the first team for the rest of camp, then you can start talking about him starting. But one practice with the first team doesn't mean much.

Damion McIntosh was back at practice after tweaking his knee a bit. I hope it's not the same knee that he injured last year. Even if it is, he's still fine to play.

According to the reports I've read, it appears that Devard Darling is doing a heckuva job. It's very possible he lines up as the #2 wide receiver. I'm excited to see him play because there is zero video out there on him.

Jarrad Page nearly had an interception. Like him or not, Page's value as a 7th round pick is simply incredible. When I went back and analyzed our last ten drafts or so, The only other player I can think of that was a 7th round draftee turned starter is Eric Warfield.

Sounds like every chance Jamaal Charles gets to use his speed to get through a hole, he does. I keep repeating myself but I really cannot wait to see him play. Also, Charles is the one guy I can talk about here in Austin, TX, with the other football fans. Cowboys fans are so damn annoying down here. One Cowboy fan actually asked me, "You don't even like Cowboys a little bit?" I said, "That's not how being a Chiefs fan works." [Ed. note: The guy was freakin' stupid.]

The consensus between all of the outlets covering camp was that the offense had one of its best days yesterday. Are you ready for this Chicago???

After exhausting all trade possibilities for Greg Wesley, the Kansas City Chiefs will release him.

"They told me after the draft that if they couldn’t trade me before the minicamp, they would release me then," Wesley said, referring to the June 6-8 minicamp. "Since then, they told me they would release me sooner than that.

"This would be great. I feel like I’ll be in good shape as far as getting a job even if they don’t do it until June 1. Some teams have shown a lot of interest in me. There’s not a big supply of safeties. I guess you could say the demand is bigger than the supply, so I’m not worried about getting a job. They’re just waiting for me to be released."

Wesley lost out to the younger crew of Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page, despite, in my opinion, playing just as well last season as that pair if not better.

Greg Wesley spent his entire nine-year career with the Chiefs, leaving Kansas City with 29 interceptions and 497 tackles.

There was no reason to keep Wesley on with the current conditions of the team, making him less a casualty of his play and more of his age. Arrowhead Addict has a post on Wesley too.

That should be it for me today. Packing and organizing my life before I head out tomorrow is top priority. I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the help I've brought on.

In the meantime, FanPosts, FanPosts, FanPosts. I'll be checking in over the next few days but I'll definitely be around less.