Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 6/6

Prodded By Andy Reid, Chiefs QB Alex Smith Learning To Be More Aggressive from KC Star

Smith is in the process of being reprogrammed by Andy Reid, his new coach. Reid doesn't want to turn Smith into a turnover machine but wants him to be more aggressive, particularly during offseason practice.

"You want to get a feel for the offense now, particularly when you're new at it (and) if there are close throws, challenge it, see what you can get away with," Reid said. "If it ends up being an interception, OK, it's an interception. You learn from it. These are smart guys so they learn from it and once they get into the season, they're not experimenting with it on game day and they know what they can get away with and know what they can't.

"It's a new offense. I would tell any quarterback that comes in new that that's what you need to do. I've told them all that. Go ahead and take your shots and see what you can get away with, within reason. But if it's a close throw, there are going to be a few of those in the National Football League on game day so you need to know what you can get away with on each route."

Chiefs' Dwayne Bowe Not Backing Off His Prediction Of A Big Season from KC Star

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe predicted last month when offseason practice started that he would lead the NFL this season in receptions and touchdowns. He isn't backing off that claim now that the Chiefs are concluding their spring work with today's final practice.

"I feel good about it," Bowe said of his boast. "If I don't think it, who will? I'm just going to let my play show what I can do and leave it at that."

Chiefs Complete Competitive Wednesday Practice from The Mothership

Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers agreed with Lewis, saying the offense brought its "A" game.

"They definitely did," Flowers admitted. "One thing about our offense and our team, we love to compete. Defense had their day, but at one point, the offense, they came out, (Chiefs QB) Alex Smith was hot, seemed like he could not throw an incomplete pass, so, they came out and did their thing and I think we responded at the end of practice. Nice competition, out there. At the end of the day, we're getting each other better. Offense has their periods, defense has their periods, each side wants to dominate every time, but if it's going back and forth, that means we're both working."

Vermeil: "Andy Reid Does Things The right Way" from The Mothership

Now working for the Hunt family is Andy Reid, who has a wealth of knowledge that will benefit the Chiefs for years to come.

"There's no substitute for wisdom," Vermeil acknowledged.

"There won't be anything that happens on game day that he hasn't been exposed to. It's just like a long time ago as a young coach, I hired Sid Gillman. All of the sudden, I got a lot smarter because I had somebody with tons of wisdom and nothing surprised him. You're not going to surprise Andy Reid or his staff. He's seen it, he's done it, he's been there and he's proved he could do it in big games. Granted, they didn't win a Super Bowl, but there are a lot of guys that haven't done that, that doesn't mean you're not a better coach than somebody who's already won one."

Chiefs Aren't Quite Set At Middle Three Spots On Offensive Line from KC Star

Coach Andy Reid has said he will go with the five best players and what the Chiefs are doing with their line in practice indicates that search is continuing. Donald Stephenson is getting plenty of work with the starters at guard on both sides of the line. Allen will occasionally shift over to center, replacing Hudson.

Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck value versatility on the offensive line and having Stephenson ready to play either guard or tackle can't hurt. But this shuffling at both guard and center indicates the Chiefs are still looking at what might be their best combination for those middle three positions.

Chiefs RBs Serve Community from The Mothership

The Chiefs have volunteered at Cross-Lines for a number of years to help positively impact those in Kansas City.

"It was an exciting event," Swartwood noted. "We serve on-site breakfast and lunches, but today is a special treat because the Chiefs are here...You could see their eyes light up when the Chiefs players walked in; they were totally surprised and really enjoyed getting the autographs and the pictures from them. It was fabulous."

For Chiefs rookie and Kansas native Braden Wilson it was interesting being on the other side, wearing a jersey and representing a team he grew up admiring.

KCChiefs.com Video: Coach Reid Likes Alex Smith's Leadership

KCChiefs.com Video: Alex Smith: "We're Constantly Working"

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Minicamp - First Look

Faith: No Greater Love Than This from The Freeport Journal-Standard

Do any of you remember a professional football player named Joe Delaney? Delaney played the seasons of 1981 and 1982 for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Maybe you are thinking that Delaney could not have been very good if he only played for two seasons? No, in fact, Delaney was awesome, one of the greatest men ever.

Tiger Woods, Roger Federer Top Forbes' Highest-Paid Athletes from USA Today

The biggest surprise in the top 40: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who ranks No. 38 with $24.9 million (almost all of which came via his 2012 tender salary and the $15 million signing bonus on his new contract).

Michael Vick Making The Best Of An Unusual Situation With Eagles from The Delaware County Daily Times

Kelly has repeatedly said he wants to let the competition at quarterback play out during training camp and the preseason. Kelly was much more specific Wednesday about the criteria he'll use to evaluate the position, intimating the guy who starts the first game against the Washington Redskins might not be the guy who starts the third game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Mathews Among 10 Guys Who Must Step Up from NFL.com

McCluster is the only player on this list who wasn't selected in the first round -- just barely, as Kansas City scooped him up with the fourth pick of Round 2 back in 2010. McCluster was supposed to add juice to the Chiefs' offense, but he has yet to make a significant impact as a running back/receiver. Now, the departure of Todd Haley and the inept game-planning of former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll certainly hindered McCluster's ability to provide a spark, but a closer look at the film reveals an undersized playmaker without an explosive burst.

Peyton Manning 'Felt Like A Rookie In Some Ways' During Comeback Season With Broncos from Yahoo! Sports

"I think the hardest part was when you're so ingrained in one place, embedded in the city and in the community, and all of a sudden it changes. [Some of] these players that change teams and coaches a lot, I mean, they kind of get used to it. It's probably not what you want to do as a player, but you kinda know how to do it.

"It's not only just one uniform and one city; it's one offense. Up until that point, I'd played in three offenses-one in high school, one in college, one in the NFL. I think [Kansas City Chiefs quarterback] Alex Smith has played in (seven NFL) offenses, which is not what he wants - I know he's said that before - but you probably learn a little bit how to [adapt]. Unlearning an offense is very difficult."

'Hard Knocks' Revisited: Best Of NFL's Summer Drama from NFL.com

The Kansas City Chiefs' "Hard Knocks" season seems to get lost in the shuffle. A few very attractive wives (October Gonzalez, Kelli Croyle) got a lot of attention, but it was another budding romance that stole the stage.

Clark Hunt Can See A New Energy In Andy Reid from ProFootballTalk

"Andy Reid put a standard on us when he first walked into the meeting room," longtime linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "It's to win a championship and it you're playing for anything else, you're not doing justice to the game.

"You never look at it as a rebuilding year. That's college talk. You always reload."

And Reid, apparently, has reloaded his tanks in the short time it took to get to the Midwest, which can only be good for him personally as well as the team he's coaching.

Trading In A Different Perspective from AZCardinals.com

After the initial minicamp under new coach Andy Reid in Kansas City, Javier Arenas didn't see a future there.

"I felt like I was put on the backburner, just to lay it out plain and simple," the cornerback said. "I voiced that to the people I needed to voice it to, in a subtle-type way."

After that, being traded wasn't necessarily a surprise. But for Arenas, the deal that sent him to Arizona "was where the shocking part came in."

Q&A: Tyler Palko from TimesOnline.com

On Friday at the Green Tree Doubletree Hotel, Palko will receive yet another honor for his accomplishments at West Allegheny. A former star QB at Pitt who played briefly in the NFL, Palko is among the inductees in the WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2013. The Times' Mike Bires spoke to Palko, who turns 30 in August, about his latest honor. Following are portions of the interview:

Five Reasons To Root For The Oakland Raiders from Golden Gate Sports

If you don't consider yourself a part of the Raider Nation, it's not too late to join. But the longer you wait, the more you risk being labeled as a bandwagoner (and we don't take kindly to bandwagoners).

Perhaps the Raiders' 49-111 record since 2003 won't earn your respect, but the team stands for more than wins and losses.