Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 8/19

What We Learned From Thursday's Media Availability from Chiefs.com

Q: What did you say to your players as you broke camp today?

REID: "Well, first of all, you had a good camp and a productive camp. Second of all, the military had come up by the time I got that out that. We welcomed them in and gave out, actually, a few game balls to a few of the specific people out here, but to thank them for taking care of us, so we can do what we do and do what we love doing."

Q: Can you say this is the sharpest that your team has been since you've been here?

REID: "It was the sharpest, but again, it should be the sharpest having been together four years. You expect it to continue the longer you're around. They've done it and they kind of know the offense, and defense and special teams. So, I would tell you -€” yeah, they started off sharp and finished sharp. Do we have room to improve and things that we need to get straight before we play? Absolutely."

The "Sharpest" Training Camp in Four Years Concluded on Thursday from Chiefs.com

"It's bittersweet," Derrick Johnson, the veteran linebacker, explained of the end of camp. "It's a time where you [build] camaraderie with your teammates -€” on and off the field -€” but it's time to go home now and that's a good thing to lie in your own bed.

"We definitely got a lot of work done here -€” got a lot more to do. We still have another second preseason game, so we're still early in this process, but we're getting better -€” that's the best part."

The Chiefs will travel to Los Angeles, California, to take on the newly relocated Rams on Saturday night for the second preseason game for both teams.

Chiefs Conclude Training Camp By Honoring Members of the Armed Forces from Chiefs.com

The Chiefs recognized over 120 select military members including the Army, International Officers, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Air National Guard and soldiers stationed at local instillations in Chiefs Kingdom.

In addition to the military members present, the Chiefs held several static military vehicles and equipment displays for fan interaction throughout the training camp site.

Members of the U.S. Military from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth were escorted on the field at the conclusion of the workout, joining the Chiefs in their post-practice huddle.

Where do the Chiefs rank in the latest NFL Power Rankings? from Chiefs.com

It's that time of the year again.

The experts across the NFL rank each of the 32 teams from top to bottom, which allows fans to argue whether or not their team is properly positioned amongst the field.

It means nothing but it's always interesting to see how people on the outside feel about your favorite team.

The folks over at ESPN have put out their latest rankings, which have the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9.

Here's what they had to say:

Chiefs vs. Rams: Game Preview from Chiefs.com

The very first time the Kansas City Chiefs travelled to the Los Angeles Coliseum for a game, it was for the world's very first Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers.

While the stakes Saturday night, when the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams host the Chiefs in Week 2 of the preseason, are far lower, it doesn't take away from the history of the venue, or the fact that this could be the last time the Chiefs ever play there.

Last week, the Rams drew nearly 90,000 people, breaking the preseason attendance record.

Potentially in front of another big crowd, head coach Andy Reid will continue bracing his team for the approaching regular season.

Chiefs vs. Rams: Five Things to Watch from Chiefs.com

The game will air locally on KCTV5 and is being picked up nationally (in progress) by NFL Network.

While the Chiefs still won't game plan for the Rams on Saturday night as they continue their own evaluation in trying to cut down a deep and talented roster to just 53 players by Saturday, September 3, at 3 p.m. CT, the starters will generally see more action than they did in the first preseason game.

It's slowly building towards the regular season opener against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on September 11.

Here are five things to watch during the game on Saturday:

Two Arrowhead Concession Items Crack Top 10 Stadium Foods List from Chiefs.com

Arrowhead Stadium is already known for its crazy environment—the fans, the sea of red, the noise—but now people can also say it's also known for its crazy...foods?

According to USA Today's For the Win section and writer Andrew Joseph, Arrowhead Stadium has not one, but two of the craziest foods to offer as we approach the 2016 NFL season.

At number 3, the "BBQ Stak."

Chiefs training camp report, Aug. 18: Stray observations following a light practice from The Kansas City Star

To the naked eye, there hasn't been a ton of separation between Wilson, Chris Conley and Rod Streater in terms of performance throughout camp. All should see some targets throughout the season and are worthy of being rotated in behind Jeremy Maclin.

...However, Conley is someone who has really shown improvement over the last month. He's made a number of tough, contested catches — he had one Thursday on a slant with a defender hounding him — and might be in the process of earning quarterback Alex Smith's trust. ...

Alex Smith knows emotions of playing against a former team from ESPN

Alex Smith was once benched, replaced as starting quarterback and eventually discarded by his former team, the San Francisco 49ers. He vividly recalls two years later the emotions he felt playing against the 49ers after he had joined the Kansas City Chiefs.

So Smith knows what backup quarterback Nick Foles will be going through Saturday night when the Chiefs play the Rams in Los Angeles. Foles was benched by the Rams last season as their starting quarterback and was released this summer. He signed with the Chiefs early this month.

"I'm sure he'll be pumped up," Smith said. "You want to go out and show those guys, for sure, all those guys. There will be a lot of emotions. The nice thing is it's just a preseason game."

Chiefs wrap up training camp feeling strong from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

Quarterback Alex Smith doesn't like comparing teams, but one thing sticks out to him that differs this 2016 team from previous squads.

"Across the board, whether it be the receiver group, the tight end group, the running back group, when you look at the skill positions, just we're so deep, I feel like," Smith said. "I feel like we got a lot of guys that can make plays no matter who's in there. That's what you want."

Optimism, questions swirl as Chiefs break camp from Chiefs Digest

The team's depth and cohesion are big reasons the Chiefs hold optimism for the 2016 season. The Chiefs enter year four of the Andy Reid era as head coach, and this year's team appears more confident and relaxed than in years past.

"We have a pride about ourselves when we get on the field that we're the best defense in the league," Johnson said. "When we go out on the field, we have to prove that every time."

He credits Reid for creating the winning atmosphere.

"When you can have a steady coaching staff, a steady core group of guys that you can build off of and we've been getting additional other people to the team, that's great," he said. "We're a pretty good team. I've been here for 12 years, and I know a good team and this is definitely a good team."

Optimism reigns, as usual, as Chiefs break training camp from ESPN

The possible unavailability of some key players continues to nag at the Chiefs. They concluded camp without getting so much as one snap from three of their top defensive players -- linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali and safety Eric Berry. Running back Jamaal Charles practiced only the final three days of camp, and even then in a limited way. He's not at the point where the Chiefs are ready to use him in a game, and he won't play in Los Angeles.

As long as they continue, the absences of Houston and Hali, their top pass-rushers for the past several seasons, have the potential to cancel out the many things the Chiefs have going for them. Their best available pass-rusher is Dee Ford.

Chiefs backup QB Kevin Hogan used to dominate Jared Goff from ESPN

Stanford's Kevin Hogan was always the favorite in college for his annual game against California's Jared Goff. Things will be different in Los Angeles on Saturday when the two former Bay Area rival quarterbacks meet again, this time for a preseason game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Rams.

Goff, as the No. 1 overall pick in this year draft, is the focus of attention. Hogan, a fifth-round draft pick by the Chiefs, is at this point in training camp, almost an afterthought. He is fifth and last on the depth chart among the Chiefs' quarterbacks and may not play on Saturday.

Chiefs defense will have trouble living up to 2015 standards from ESPN

The Chiefs have yet to have any of three key defensive players -- linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali and safety Eric Berry -- on the practice field at training camp. The Chiefs are also trying to cover for the free-agent loss of cornerback Sean Smith. While Hali and Berry could be available when the regular season starts, it's still unrealistic to think the Chiefs will be as strong defensively as they were last season, particularly early in the year.

Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles back at practice from UPI

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was on the practice field this week and was a limited participant in the workouts. But his presence was enough to energize his teammates. Charles made his first training camp appearance on Tuesday, after passing the Chiefs physical and being moved off the physically unable to perform list. The running back was held back as he recovered from surgery on his torn ACL that he suffered last October.

His move back to practice while limited was the first step in what the Chiefs hope is a full return to activity for Charles.

The Kansas City Chiefs welcome brave guests on Military Appreciation Day from FOX4KC

The Kansas City Chiefs hosted members of the U.S. military at training camp Thursday for  Military Appreciation Day.

The Chiefs and Mosaic Life Care provided VIP treatment to invited members of the armed forces, including soldiers stationed at local installations throughout Chiefs Kingdom such as Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, Whiteman AFB and Rosecrans Reserve ANGB.

On closing day of Chiefs Training Camp, the Chiefs players and coaches invited the military guests onto the field to interact with them.

Rams running back Todd Gurley to make preseason debut against Chiefs from The Los Angeles Times

Gurley will probably play a series or two, Coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday.

"A couple carries, maybe some protection stuff and ... get him out," Fisher said. "It's the motions of going through and getting ready.

"Last week, he knew he wasn't going to play. This week it's getting ready, getting focused and make some plays."

Gurley said during off-season workouts that he intended to improve all parts of his game, including catching the ball out of the backfield. Last season, he had 21 receptions for 188 yards.

Center of attention: Morse helps anchor Chiefs O-line from The St Louis Post-Dispatch

Although he started eight games at center earlier in his Mizzou career, he was an offensive tackle his final two seasons in Columbia. Teams talked to him about playing center at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015, and that's where he ended up after joining Andy Reid in Kansas City.

"The great thing about Coach (Reid) is that he didn't put any pressure on," Morse said. "He wanted me just to get better every day, focus on competing, and let the chips fall as they may."

The chips ended up falling with Morse as the Chiefs' starting center.

"And we didn't look back after that," Morse said.

What to watch for: Chiefs-Rams from NFL.com

We here at the NFL had so much fun watching the return of football last weekend that we decided to do it all again this week. Around The NFL's Conor Orr dissects what you can expect to see from the 16 games this weekend.

Here's what to what to watch for ...