Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 8/6

Five Things to Know About New Chiefs QB Nick Foles from Chiefs.com

After an impressive rookie season, Foles had a breakout year for the Eagles in 2013, finishing with 27 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. It was the best single-season touchdown to interception ratio in NFL history.

His 119.2 passer rating that year led the NFL and was the third-best mark in NFL history.

He was named the MVP of the Pro Bowl that year as well.

Nick Foles' Connection with Chiefs Goes Beyond Andy Reid from Chiefs.com

Most of the coverage around Foles' decision to join the Chiefs has centered on his relationship with the head coach who selected him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Andy Reid.

It's there for good reason, as the two have a great relationship, but it wasn't him at the airport. It was one of a number of other members of Reid's staff who made the trip with him from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 2013, someone who had been with Foles during his rookie season back in 2012.

"(Head athletic trainer) [Rick] Burkholder picks me up at the airport and then I go over to (co-offensive coordinator) Matt Nagy's house," Foles explained of his Thursday night. "I got to see [Nagy's] wife and kids again. I saw them four years ago but I was able to see how much they've grown.

"It's really, really special. It just feels like family here."

Five Observations from Friday's Practice from Chiefs.com

At NFL training camps, it's common for teams to ease into full tackling during drills, and up until Friday's workout, the Chiefs had yet to do so.

That changed Friday.

During one-on-one drills and 11-on-11s, the defense was free to bring opposing offensive players to the ground.

"I think they got after it," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after practice. "That's why we play the game. We're still working on fundamentals, technique, tackling and all that. They're not taking cheap shots on each other. They handle it like pros so they can get a lot of good work put in."

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

Q: You've played with Nick Foles before, what'd you like about him back in Philly?

MACLIN: "I think his poise. He had some really big years in Philly, he's a guy who knows his offense, a guy who has some experience in this league, and he and I have had some pretty good moments together. I'm happy he's here."

Q: Does he [Foles] throw a pretty catchable ball?

MACLIN: "I think he's a big arm quarterback. He kind of reminds me of Tyler Bray. Him and Bray are kind of similar in their style, and the way they throw the football. Like I said, he's a guy who's played in this league, who's played at a very high level. I think he had 27 touchdowns and two interceptions one year. He's going to help us. Clearly this is Alex's team. There's no debate about that, but he's a guy who brings experience. Those guys are going to work well together."

Deron Cherry Reflects on Almost 40 Years of History with Tony Dungy from Chiefs.com

"Great coach, one of the best I ever had," Deron Cherry, who is one of the most revered players in franchise history, said of Dungy over the phone on Thursday. "He had a special ability to be able to put you in the right position and make you feel comfortable about what you were doing from a defensive standpoint.

"His knowledge of the game, and the fact that he played quarterback in college and knew how to read defenses and understand offensive philosophies, it was special.

"He always knew how certain offenses would want to attack certain defenses."

New Chiefs quarterback Nick Foles eager to work with Andy Reid and Alex Smith from The Kansas City Star

The process of stepping back and thinking took a week. And during that timeframe, Reid had seven practices to evaluate the three players battling for the Chiefs' No. 2 quarterback job — Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Hogan.

At the end of the day, the combination of Foles' desire to reunite with Reid — and the Chiefs' need for an experienced backup as they attempt a Super Bowl run — culminated Wednesday night, when the Chiefs reached an agreement with Foles on a one-year contract with a team option for 2017. On Friday, the Chiefs released nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu and added Foles to the roster.

Chiefs work Foles into quarterback stable from Chiefs Digest

In his first year in 2013 under Reid's replacement Kelly, Foles was nothing short of spectacular. He tossed 27 touchdown passes with just two interceptions and posted the third-highest season quarterback rating in league history.

In week nine against the Raiders, Foles tied the NFL record with seven touchdown passes in a single game. He also became just the second quarterback to achieve a perfect quarterback rating while throwing for more than 400 yards in a single game.

The run of trouble and misfortune for Foles began in week nine of the 2014 season when a broken collarbone suffered against Houston ended his season. During the offseason, Foles was traded to St. Louis as part of the deal sending quarterback Sam Bradford to the Eagles.

Signing Nick Foles not a reflection of what Chiefs think of other QBs from ESPN

Here's my take on those subjects, first on backups Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray and Kevin Hogan: The knee-jerk reaction to the Foles signing was that the Chiefs must be unhappy with their backups. That's not entirely true. Bray, Murray and the rookie Hogan have never taken so much as one snap in an NFL game and the Chiefs were increasingly uneasy about going into a season they believe holds great promise with no experience behind Smith.

But the group of young quarterbacks, particularly Bray, has ability. The signing of Foles is more about the addition of a former NFL starting quarterback, one who played for a season under Reid in Philadelphia, than a reflection of what the Chiefs think about their collection of backups.

Chiefs training camp report, Aug. 5: Foles flashes, defense wins first ‘live' tackling session from The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs went "live" during one 11-on-11 session, and the defense dominated. Inside linebacker Ramik Wilson spilled Spencer Ware for a loss on only the second play of the period. ...

Defensive lineman Jaye Howard is proving to be very difficult to block. He blew up two consecutive plays for a tackle for loss, spilling Knile Davis each time. His combination of power and quickness makes him a tough matchup, and he's a little nasty, too — it appeared he wanted to go after center Daniel Munyer after one play before teammates stepped in. He's primed for a big season. ...

Travis Kelce has been serenading women since 2012 from ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will star in the upcoming E! reality TV dating series, "Catching Kelce," in October. Based on a tweet from the University of Cincinnati football team, Kelce has a history of serenading women.

Could this be a preview of the show, set to debut on Oct. 5?

A sneak peek at Travis Kelce's new dating game plan from The Kansas City Star

Other Kelce highlights from the trailer besides his dancing:

"I know I'm going to end up breaking one of these girls' hearts."

"I was definitely feeling that kiss."

And from one of the women: "You're honestly telling me one of them is going to have to move to Kansas?"

Maybe Missouri.

The secret of John Dorsey's sweatshirt, and some uncertainty around Justin Houston from The Kansas City Star

Dorsey sees the sleeves as protection from the sun, to avoid problems with his skin later. And while the sweatshirts he wears here in August look exactly like the ones he wears in Kansas City during the December freeze, there's a big difference.

"Feel this," he says. "The secret is, this cut is about as thin as your t-shirt."

This is symbolic, in many ways. Dorsey knows he can come across as a bit of a meathead, and there are times he plays that up. It's easy, he'd say. You don't have to think. So he'll keep things light when he can, joking about your alma mater or your middle name, and he prefers to answer questions in the simplest and vaguest ways possible.

But just like with that sweatshirt, everything has a purpose. You just have to pay attention to see it.

Chiefs sign safety Jeron Johnson from The Kansas City Star

To make room for Johnson, the Chiefs placed cornerback Shannon Edwards, a rookie free agent from Fresno State, on waivers. Edwards injured a shoulder in Friday's practice.

Kansas City Chiefs sign safety Jeron Johnson from NFL.com

With 60 appearances but just two starts as a pro, Johnson can't mask the loss of Berry, who chose not to report to camp after failing to reach a long-term deal with the club prior to the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players.

Report: Chiefs signing Jeron Johnson from ProFootballTalk

Eric Berry... ...can show up just before the start of the regular season in order to collect all of the $10.8 million he's due to make under the terms of his franchise tender.

That scenario would have Berry back with the team for the season, but he might need to be eased back into action. It has also left them shorthanded on the back end of the defense at training camp.

Chiefs aftermarket tickets are cheapest in the league from The Kansas City Business Journal

The average price for Chiefs tickets on the secondary market is $91 per seat, with the average game-day price varying from $70 to $146. If you don't care where you sit and basically just want to get in the door, you can buy Chiefs tickets on the secondary market for an average of about $21 per game.

Marshawn Lynch calls Pokemon 'Peekey-man,' which is now the correct pronunciation from SB Nation

It seems like former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has somehow avoided the Pokemon Go craze, because when Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters tried to explain it to him, Marshawn wasn't even sure how to pronounce "Pokemon."

Peters briefly described the whole phenomenon to Lynch, who had no idea what Peters was talking about.

The top fantasy football sleepers in 2016 drafts from USA Today

Late-round fliers

WR Kenny Bell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The speedy Bell could assume Vincent Jackson's role sooner than later.

WR Chris Conley, Kansas City Chiefs

Conley brings needed size (6-2, 213 pounds) to help Jeremy Maclin. WR5/WR6 target.