Thursday PM Update: sunny d posted about the scrimmage, with a streaming audio link.
Good morning. Here are you updated links to the afternoon session.
WPI ($$$)
P.S to KCChiefs.com - In your training camp wrap ups, how about wrapping up the entire day of practice instead of just the morning? I know I can't get enough coverage of camp!Gunther Cunningham spent yesterday morning and afternoon with his linebackers, since he took over the coaching of them after the '07 season. The linebackers definitely seem like the position of the hour, with a lot of print and digital space being dedicated to them as of late. As you can probably imagine, there is a lot of yelling going on when Gunther is around. When the defense came together for drills, Gunther had this to say and I'm sure it was much more funny in person:
"In Spanish, they say ‘uno’, in German, they say ‘eins’, in English, we say ‘one.’ Got that?! ONE!"
Brian Waters, Brodie Croyle, Tony Gonzalez and Damion McIntosh all sat out the afternoon practice for rest. Tamba Hali, Brian Johnston and Trevor Johnson didn't suit up either but did participate in light drills. The latter three have minor injuries they should recover quickly from.
Damon Huard excelled in yesterday's afternoon session, prompting the UW-RF site to say he looked like a completely different player. I didn't think Huard had become too rusty. Like most NFL players, I'm sure he just needed a few days to get back in the rhythm. I know it seems like I haven't been giving Huard enough respect around here but that's more based on the fact that he doesn't fit into the Kansas City Chiefs long term plans. I guess I'm just anxious to move forward. He does make sense in the plan for this year I have to finally admit after some convincing from you guys.
Gretz mentions that after Bowe, Franklin and Darling, the fourth WR spot is wide open. Sippio will probably make the team at least as a special teams regular and occasional wide receiver. I think it's about time we put the Sippio craze to a rest. There is a reason the guy isn't starting - he's too slow. Sure, I'm sure he's great on goal line situations where speed is less of a factor but is it really worth it to give him a starting gig on the team based on that merit alone? I say no way. At the same time, because of the numbers game and the other WRs on the roster, Sippio may slip in there by default.
No practice this morning or in the afternoon. The Chiefs take the field to scrimmage the Vikings at 6:30 PM tonight. It looks like it may rain so we'll see how much scrimmaging actually gets done. It doesn't take much to make the coaches stop this thing.
Jared Allen and Benny Sapp return to face their old team. Here is a clip of Allen, beard and all, talking about playing against the Chiefs. He really strikes me as a team leader, something the Chiefs are still looking for.
Note: Forgot to add in this quote by Bob Gretz that every NFL fan should keep in mind during training camp:
There’s been great readership and reaction to these practice reports and it’s a pleasure to do them. But let me re-affirm something: these sessions as single elements that constitute only a moment in time. One day a guy is up, next day his legs are tired and he struggles through practice. Nobody in training camp has 11 great practices in a row. What I look for our trends, situations and performances that happen on a regular basis.
Memorize that last line and you'll be able to analyze camp that much better.