Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 8/11

Good morning. No practice today as the team prepares for tomorrow night's preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead. To pass the time, we have today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.

The Chiefs pulled a mild surprise when they took Jonathan Baldwin in the first round of the 2011 draft. And they created a buzz with the signing of unrestricted free agent Steve Breaston from Arizona.

But guess who is expected to start opposite Dwayne Bowe in Friday night’s preseason opener against Tampa Bay?

It will be Jerheme (pronounced Jeremy) Urban...

Receiver Jerheme Urban Aims to Rebound from Injury from KC Star

But a stroll through the roster on a position-by position basis and there does not appear to be an overall increase in talent at the majority of positions. We speak here of additional talent, not the growth of players already on the roster.

In this case, we are judging the new talent that could pay dividends in the 2011 season. There were roster moves and additions done with the idea of the bigger picture of the franchise, that may pay off two or three years down the road, but not pay off for this season.

The question is – Are the Chiefs better at (position) than they were last year?

Here are this man’s answers.

Roster Evaluation Time... Thursday Cup O'Chiefs from Bob Gretz

KC Star Photo Gallery: Chiefs training camp | Wednesday, Aug. 10

News-Press Photo Gallery: 08/10/11 Chiefs Training Camp

KC Star Video: Todd Haley | The running game

In preparation for Friday’s game, Haley put the Chiefs through a full-padded practice that featured the first live takedown period of camp. The session consisted of two offensive series with some of the Chiefs younger players.

"It really felt great, it was the first time hitting in a while," rookie LB Justin Houston said.

Over 7,000 fans turned out to watch the workout under the lights at Spratt Stadium.

Heartland Health Practice Report: Heading to Arrowhead from The Mothership

Justin Houston spent a lot of time battling against Barry Richardson and Ryan O’Callaghan. The edge went to the rookie, as both OTs had trouble dealing with Houston’s speed. Rookie LB Gabe Miller was again impressive and made some of the young tackles look bad.

– But the pass rush of the night belonged to DE Wallace Gilberry. He came flying out of his three-point stance and ran right through rookie OT Butch Lewis. I swear Gilberry went between the 7 and the 9 on the front of Lewis’ jersey and out the back. What power?

Training Camp Practice Report - 8/10 from Bob Gretz

Q: Will you learn more about your team Friday night than maybe you have in the last two weeks?

HALEY: "I think that all just depends on how much you see certain guys and what situations are they in. You could have a corner that sits out there and plays a coverage; because obviously we don’t have everything in that we will have in at some point, and they might not throw the ball over there. So, that evaluation might not be as good, or you might not have as much information out of this game as you would’ve hoped. That’s why we say, you’re being evaluated every day, in everything you do.

Q&A with Todd Haley 8/10 from The Mothership

But on Wednesday, the team announced the addition of another kicker and another receiver, pushing their pre-season roster to 87 players.

Claimed on waivers was K Todd Carter, released earlier in the week by the St. Louis Rams.

Signed as a street free agent was WR Keary Colbert, a former second-round draft choice, Colbert has not played in the NFL since the 2008 season.

Why? Good damn question.

Roster at 87 with Strange Additions from Bob Gretz

Perfect weather, save for a brief rain storm seemingly concentrated on the northwest end of Spratt, drove attendance up to by far the largest crowd of this training camp. The first night practice drew just more than 3,000.

Practice looked more normal, and that’s especially good news to Pioli.

Camp Normalcy from The St. Joseph News-Press

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has signed nearly four dozen players since the NFL Lockout lifted, but said today that the Chiefs aren’t done adding players.

"I think we’re encouraged because we’ve brought in some players that fit our system, not only philosophically and scheme-wise, but makeup wise," Pioli said. "And we’re not done; we won’t be done in September either, we won’t be done in October or November."

Pioli Addresses Free Agency, Backup Quarterback Competition from The Mothership

Josh Freeman’s earliest memory of attending a game at Arrowhead Stadium was as a 5- or 6-year-old. It had nothing to do with the game.

"I remember vividly, the first national anthem I heard at Arrowhead Stadium when they got to the end and the ‘Home of the CHIEFS’ played, it scared the (heck) out of me," Freeman laughed during a phone interview on Wednesday.

Buccaneers' Josh Freeman Eager to Return Home, Play at Arrowhead from KC Star

Stanzi has tried to pick up the offense quickly since training started in late July. Like most rookie quarterbacks he’s had his share of solid moments and erratic play. Picking up the pro terminology and applying it to the field has been a whirlwind process.

"At first it definitely seemed like a lot," Stanzi said. "Once you start to get familiar with the terms and you go out there and you practice the reps, it feels more comfortable. Then each practice you can see yourself progressing and you start to feel a little bit more comfortable and relaxed back there. The game slows down a little bit for you."

Rick Stanzi Remains a Workaholic in Chiefs' Quaterback Competition from The Gazette

McCluster’s big impact this season will probably be as a kickoff and punt returner.

The Chiefs like Javier Arenas in that role, but Arenas is the nickel back and because he’s only 197 pounds, the Chiefs are sensitive about not overworking him.

Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp: McCluster Has a Smaller Role from SportingNews

The Kansas City Chiefs don’t get as much respect that the AFC West champions would normally get because they have only done it once. The Chargers have the star quarterback so they have a higher ranking but I’m not buying it this year. Look for the Chiefs to repeat as division champs.

Did ESPN Get Their Preseason NFL Power Rankings Right from The Tucson Citizen

Two of the biggest surprises of the 2010 campaign start up their respective preseason schedules Friday at Arrowhead Stadium, where the defending AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs play host to the up-and-coming Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kansas City and Tampa Bay combined for a paltry total of seven victories in 2009, but each managed to make dramatic turnarounds in their head coach's second season in charge.

NFL Preseason Preview - Tampa Bay (0-0) at Kansas City (0-0) from The Miami Herald

Kansas City coach Todd Haley has been reluctant to put pads on his players during the first two weeks of training camp, unsure what kind of condition they were in after the NFL lockout wiped out supervised offseason training. He scrapped any sort of scrimmage before the Chiefs' first preseason game for the same reason.

Gazing around the league, Haley's cautious approach is making him look smart.

Is Lockout to Blame for Camp Injuries? from The Sacramento Bee

The biggest move for a Week 1 game this year has come in a Friday matchup when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City has switched from a 3-point favorite to a 3-point underdog in some spots.

Colbert said Tampa Bay had attracted the most action of any team so far at Cantor books. Lawrence supports the shift.

He mentioned the Chiefs’ Todd Haley as one of the least successful preseason coaches. Lawrence reported Haley was 0-8 against the exhibition spread after two seasons in Kansas City.

NFL Betting Season Starts in Las Vegas Sports Bookswith Preseason Slate from The Las Vegas Sun

The Bucs held a final day of practice on Wednesday before a Thursday travel day to Kansas City for their preseason opener with Chiefs.  The team moved their morning walkthrough from a soggy One Buc Place to Raymond James Stadium, where they also held their evening practice in helmet and jerseys.

Buccaneers Insider from ESPN 1040