As the football season gears up, here's a reminder that the Kansas City Chiefs have a great group of bloggers/writers covering them throughout the year. You can find all of these sites on the blogroll to the left. If I forgot about you, e-mail me at chiefssportsblognation AT gmail.com. Enjoy.

Chiefs Coalition asks: Do You Smell What the Gun is Cooking?

That's a wrap for River Falls ladies and gents. The Chiefs will head back to Kansas City today to prepare for the Dolphin game tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who covered camp!

The Kansas City Chiefs' final practice at River Falls, WI, was pretty standard. Reading the UW-RF report and the official site's wrap up, I get the feeling that yesterday's practice was a like the last day of middle school. People were anxious to leave, making jokes and probably pretty distracted throughout the day. You gotta love that Bernard Pollard is known for giving people water bottles with loose lids. I'm sure Gunther Cunningham was not pleased when Pollard pulled that prank on him.

The defense put up 5 INTs yesterday and continued its dominance of the Chiefs' offense. Besides the usual drills, no one was injured today and nothing of significance happened. All eyes are turning towards the Miami Dolphins and the return of Trent Green to Arrowhead Stadium. Chandler Bing Damon Huard will get the start tomorrow and Herm Edwards plans to play the starters most of the first half, along with most of the starters on both sides of the ball. Next week against the Saints, Herm plans to play the starters into the third quarter.

Herm on what he learned about the team over camp:

More to come later today. Enjoy some pictures after the jump, including a picture of a woman with a James Hasty hat.

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Count it down. Today is the last practice for the Kansas City Chiefs in River Falls, WI. After today, the Chiefs will head back to Kansas City to prepare in the hometown for the Dolphins preseason game on Thursday at 7 pm.

Check out the Chiefs official coverage of the second to last practice here. The Star's Camp Buzz is here.

Final practice of the year at River Falls tomorrow: 11:15 A.M. to 1:15ish P.M

News and notes for the Kansas City Chiefs' practice on Monday, August 13th:

• Dwayne Bowe worked out for the first time yesterday. His first catch of camp? A TD from Casey Printers. Bowe will play on Thursday by the way.
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• Michael Bennett and Casey Printers teamed up for a "perfectly orchestrated flea-flicker play that found a wide open WR Chris Hannon in the back of the end zone for a touchdown."
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• Herm Edwards hinted at Priest Holmes returning for the final preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.
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• Tony Gonzalez injured his knee at the end of practice but it doesn't seem to be serious.
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• Justin Medlock is still knocking down the field goals at a very high rate of success. May not be a bad fantasy pick up this year.
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• DT Alfonso Boone should play against the Dolphins this Thursday.

Last training camp update is tomorrow. I hope you've enjoyed the bit of coverage I've been able to garner, despite not being in River Falls this year. I want to give a big shout out to Warpaint Illustrated for their coverage of camp. Without them, I would have been lost. Thanks guys!

You can check out all of the training camp coverage here.

I said I wasn't going to report on "imminent" deals with the Kansas City Chiefs until something solid came along. I'll give Adam Teicher a little credit here though. It seems like the Larry Johnson holdout could be ending soon.

With that said, let's finish this deal up. We've got Broncos, Chargers and Raiders to stomp all over this season.

Note: I attached a poll so click through to vote.

Note: Check the comment section for Monday's latest updates on LJ.

I bless my future contract negotiations with...the power of Jay-Z!

I've been blogging about the Kansas City Chiefs intensely for just over a year now and one thing I've learned to take with a grain of salt is contract negotiation updates. So and so are X amount of dollars apart...the player and team only need to work out the details...player X is close to signing. I've read it all.

We had about a dozen false alarms with the Trent Green trade that made me just hold off on reporting anything new until it was solid. The same is true with the Larry Johnson contract situation, especially when one report comes out saying one thing and another comes out saying the exact opposite. For example, check out this article from Adam Schefter of NFL.com titled "Chiefs, Johnson getting closer to agreement":

Football season is almost here and the Kansas City Chiefs only have two training camp practices left until they break camp on August 15th. For those of you who say that preseason doesn't mean a whole lot (myself included), this year is a little different because we have that pesky QB situation to deal with. I think I'll have to create a "Huard v. Croyle" button on my keyboard to save time. Get ready Kansas City. Football season is quickly approaching.

After twenty practices in the summer heat and two scrimmages against the Vikings, the Kansas City Chiefs begin the preseason tomorrow when they take on the Cleveland Browns at 6:30 pm central time. Some questions to ponder before I post a little Q&A with Chris Pokorny from Dawgs by Nature:

• Is Brodie Croyle prepared to lead an NFL offense? After some careful analysis and soul searching, I've come to the quite obvious conclusion that Brodie Croyle isn't ready to be a NFL starting QB. Yet. This preseason game, even if he only plays a quarter or so, will go a long way in determining at what point in his development the former Alabama QB is at. Playing against your own guys is one thing. Playing against another NFL team is a whole other beast. As much as I've pushed for Croyle around here (and will continue to do so), he has proved little in the field of play. I wish him good luck tomorrow as the Chiefs starting QB.
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• Who is our third string running back? With the LJ holdout still looming over our heads, the question of who will sit behind no. 2 RB Michael Bennett is becoming more important by the day. I fully expect LJ to be in a Chiefs uniform come the regular season but that doesn't mean his backups aren't important. If you recall, LJ once sat at no. 3 on the depth chart too. The battle for the spot is between Kolby Smith, Marcus O'Keith and Derrick Ross. Based on camp alone, the nod would have to go to Smith at the moment. If Derrick Ross can play like he did in NFL Europe sans fumbling, you could see his stock rise as well.
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• Just how good are our young safeties? Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page are quickly becoming Kansas City favorites. The second year duo has virtually locked up the starting safety gigs. Both were fantastic during training camp but are they prepared to play at a high level for 16 games?
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• Does Donnie Edwards still have it? Yeah, Donnie Edwards still has it.
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• Is Will Svitek capable of filling in for Damion McIntosh at left tackle? McIntosh is out 4-6 weeks which means he'll probably be back for an early regular season game. Svitek is virtually unproven on an NFL field, having played in a grand total of three NFL games. Svitek will probably be the main guy I'll be keeping an eye on offense tomorrow.

I highly suggest watching Hard Knocks if you get the chance. I watched nearly the whole show and I kept thinking to myself how lucky we are that HBO chose the Kansas City Chiefs. As is the norm with HBO shows, it was extremely well done and uncensored. Tailgateandwin live-blogged the whole thing here and did a hell of job. Carl Peterson is funnier than I ever thought he could be and Bernard Pollard dances like a teenage cheerleader. All in all, I can tell its going to be a great show.

Today's practice: Practice 3:53-5:26 p.m.

Warpaint Illustrated's coverage of the PM practice is here. The UW-RF notes are for the AM slot are here and the PM notes are here.

News and notes for the Kansas City Chiefs' practice on Wednesday, August 8th:

• It was a special teams only practice in the morning. Justin Phinisee, Samie Parker and Ean Randolph all returned punts.
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• Tank Tyler popped RB Derrick Ross to stop him from scoring.
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• Old man WR Rod Gardner caught a 20+ yard TD catch and is keeping afloat in camp this year.
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• Justin Medlock hit field goals from 25, 30, 34, 42 and 53 yards in the PM practice.
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• Rod Gardner did have a fumble after a Damon Huard pass.
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• Check out Josh Looney's camp report. It has a great story about a fan Herm invited on the field.

Kendrell Bell: C.E. Wendler from WPI said it about succinctly as possible: "We may be seeing the beginning of the end for Kendrell Bell. Tonight Keyaron Fox was playing with the second team at weakside linebacker. Not only that, he was making plays, too."

You can check out all of the training camp coverage here.

Come on Priest. Really?

We wish you the best Prie$t Holme$. But that statement just showed the world why you decided to come back to the NFL. Stop catering to our sentimental side with your I Had a Dream speech and let your actions on the field speak for you. Like you used to do...

Today's practice:Family Fun Night; Practice 10:30-11:18 a.m. and 7-8:22 p.m.

Warpaint Illustrated's coverage of the AM practice is here. The UW-RF notes are for the AM slot are here and the PM notes are here.

News and notes for the Kansas City Chiefs' practice on Tuesday, August 7th:

• Will Svitek took the majority of the reps at left tackle in Damion McIntosh's absence. Kyle Turley is currently battling for the right tackle spot. Herm said, "We’ve got Svitek and it’s his turn. He’s got to go play now. I’ve always said that when guys go down the next guy has got to step up. That’s opportunity, and when opportunity presents itself you have to be ready to do it. I anticipate he’s going to go in and going to play well." McIntosh will miss 4-6 weeks with his knee sprain.
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• I caught part of Metro Sports last night and saw that Will Shields showed up in River Falls yesterday. He worked on blocking technique with the guys and signed some autographs. Doesn't Will Shields just seem like the nicest guy you could ever meet?
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• Herm on game planning for this weekend's contest against the Cleveland Browns: "Hardly do that at all. We do a little bit in the third game. We use some cards just to get them used to going with cards. Right now we’re just practicing our offense and defense and going to line up and go play."
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• Sounds like Brodie Croyle will start this week against the Browns and Damon Huard will start the week after that against the Miami Dolphins.
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• Rookie Dwayne Bowe ran a bit and caught a few passes in the AM practice (not live passes, just playing catch). He will not be playing this weekend against the Browns.
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• Damon Huard threw a pick to Ty Law in the 11 on 11 drill in the AM practice. Brodie Croyle stepped in and dominated, throwing a couple of TD passes and making tight, accurate passes.
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• Jared Allen picked off a Damon Huard screen pass and took it to the house.
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• Don't forget that Hard Knocks has its premiere episode tonight on HBO. I'll be heading over to my brother's parent's house to catch it at 9 pm central time. Should be interesting, albeit everything we see will be old news.

Jason Dunn: No one was really deserving of the down nod on Tuesday but its about time to mention Jason Dunn. He's a veteran who wouldn't practice much even if he wasn't injured. But I feel like Dunn's time playing football is slowly slipping away each day. Our younger, faster (but not bigger) TEs are getting constant looks from the coaches while Dunn works on the sled.

Hermism: Long version of his famous mantra: "You don’t always do everything right but, at the end of the day, when they turn the scoreboard on and people come in the stadium and you smell the popcorn and they put a score up there you need to try and win. I’m serious. I believe that."

Photos, after the jump...

You can check out all of the training camp coverage here.

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After 10 days in training camp, the Chiefs have given us their first depth chart of the season. Keep in mind this chart is subject to change- a lot. Some guys at the bottom of the chart are injured, rookies or just getting to camp in Dwayne Bowe's case. Is Bowe our 6th or so WR? Of course not but for the purposes of this chart, at this time, he is.

Notably, there is not a listing for QB and Larry Johnson is not listed. That should give you some indication of just how serious the Chiefs are making this chart. For now, we'll use this chart as a jumping off point to discuss some general position battles within camp. We certainly won't be attaching any sort of credence to the chart right now.

You can check out AP's depth chart for the beginning of the season here.

On to the offense...

I just mentioned that the Chiefs didn't release a depth chart for the QB position. At the moment, if they did decide to include it, it would probably have Brodie Croyle at the head of the chart with the understanding that Damon Huard is directly behind him but barely so. Neither QB, Croyle or Huard, has established himself as the no. 1 QB in the first 10 days of camp. It will probably be this way throughout most of the preseason. Damon Huard has been around this league for a long time and can play at an acceptable but not exceptional level pretty much all the time. I'm a little surprised that Boomer Grigsby is the no. 3 fullback on the chart, since he's been getting a lot of reps at that position in training camp. Boomer is far from a lock for the starting FB position. I expect Kris Wilson to be our main FB.

I've been noting Derrick Ross' fumble woes throughout camp and its obvious they've affected his position on this team. I don't want to play down Cal RB Marcus O'Keith's contributions but its obvious that its Ross that's fallen, instead of O'Keith rising that much.

Keep an eye on the TE position this year. Obviously, Tony Gonzalez is our no. 1 but Keith Willis has quietly been impressing the coaches at camp. Jason Dunn hasn't been involved in training camp aside from some conditioning drills due to injury. Keith Willis could be Dunn's potential blocking TE replacement.

My biggest question about this chart- Where is Brad Eckwerekwu? Has he already been relegated to practice squad status in the minds of the coaches? Hopefully we can keep him around even if it is on the practice squad. Always nice to have local talent make its way to the top.

The injury to LT Damion McInstosh's knee has put him out indefintely, with Will Svitek taking his spot. Kyle Turley could potentially move to left tackle depending on Svitek's play. When Willie Roaf left the New Orleans Saints in 2002 to come to the Chiefs, Turley moved from right to left tackle to replace him. Despite his injury troubles over the last few years, the former no. 7 overall pick has put in his fair share of time on both sides of the O-line.

Defense please...

As a Chiefs' fan, how do you not love this defense? Sure, we have a few holes on the defensive line and our starting corner backs have a combined age of 67. But I'll be damned if Tamba Hali, Jared Allen, Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page don't have me wanting to photograph all of them in tribal headdress in a field of tall grass somewhere circa 1995.

Its good to see Pollard ahead of the underachieving Greg Wesley. Another young guy replacing an outdated veteran. Despite having two former Pro-Bowl corners in our, ahem, corner, Law and Surtain simply don't have many seasons left. They'll be fine this year but those names behind them on the depth chart don't mean much to me. I know the coaches at training camp have been liking rookie Tyron Brackenridge but its way too early to be talking about a long term solution at CB for the Kansas City Chiefs. Benny Sapp and Michael Bragg will provide decent back up at best.

Derrick Johnson, Donnie Edwards and Napoleon Harris round out the most solid LB corps in the AFC West. While our current LB corps is damn solid, we have little left in the tank once all of those guys step on the field. Kendrell Bell just doesn't cut it for me anymore and my knowledge on the others is limited at the moment. Note: See Direckshun's fantastic LB write up for more info.

And the battle for the return positions...

The only interesting competition and truly the only competition on special teams is for the return positions. For some reason, I've been analyzing this depth chart without thinking much of WR and kick returner Samie Parker. Once Dwayne Bowe gets going in camp and with Ean Randolph getting a lot of reps, I expect to hear Parker's name less and less. At the moment, Jeff Webb appears to be our kick returner and I wouldn't be surprised if rookie Ean Randolph is our punt returner.

I am completely comfortable with Dustin Colquitt as our punter and rookie Justin Medlock as our kicker. The Tennessee kid will be a Pro Bowler this year and Medlock has been doing exactly what he needs to do in camp- kick the ball through the uprights.

We'll come back to the Chiefs depth chart as necessary throughout the preseason. You can already see how one change- Damion McInstosh getting injured- can put a whole front line in flux. In a few weeks, we'll be able to weed out a few more slackers and get closer to that magic roster number of 53.