Chiefs Camp Buzz: Talking with Willie
The Kansas City Star
One reason Willie Roaf has spoken with very few of the Chiefs players and coaches is that he doesn’t want anyone to talk him out of his decision to retire. Roaf still hasn’t talked with Edwards.
Edwards said he would like to talk to Roaf next week, when the Chiefs have broken camp and will practice in Kansas City.
“Training camp is over with all of a sudden,” Edwards said. “Sometimes guys decide to change their mind. And if he doesn’t, that’s fine. Kyle Turley is doing a great job, and (Kevin) Sampson has done a great job for the first game.
“I haven’t talked to him. Until I hear it from his lips … that’s a conversation I need to have.”
They might be Giants
The Chiefs were exposed defensively in last week’s game when Houston beat them with stretch running plays and quarterback bootlegs.
The offense could face similar problems in New York. The Chiefs watched video of the Giants’ preseason game against Baltimore and saw them make every attempt to disrupt the Ravens’ offense.
“It’s kind of interesting to see them play,” Edwards said. “They did a lot of things on defense as far as blitzing and different things. We have to be prepared for that offensively all of a sudden. These guys brought a lot of pressure and a lot of different fronts. We’ll have to be able to deal with that.
“They weren’t just playing one or two coverages. They brought the kitchen sink at times.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:
THE OFFENSE
Quarterback Damon Huard returned to practice after missing a few days because of a sore foot. He surprised coach Herm Edwards by how much he worked, so it’s possible Huard will play Thursday night against the Giants in New York. … Rookie center Rudy Niswanger is a long shot to make the team, and Monday’s practice is one reason why. Niswanger sent three shotgun snaps well over the quarterback’s head. One of the errant snaps resulted in the day’s most interesting play. Edwards, standing behind quarterback Jeff Smoker, caught the bad snap and fired a perfect pass to reserve fullback J.R. Niklos. “Did you see I kept my poise?” Edwards said. “It was probably about a 15-yard gain. Made the first down.”
THE DEFENSE
Two injured players who missed most or all of camp, cornerback Lenny Walls and tackle Junior Siavii, returned to practice. Both players worked in individual drills and then removed their pads and watched for the rest of practice. … Cornerback Patrick Surtain made the hit of practice when he flattened running back Derrick Ross on a sweep.
INJURY REPORT
Quarterback Brodie Croyle (shoulder), running backs Michael Bennett (hamstring) and Priest Holmes (neck), wide receiver Scott McCready (shoulder), offensive linemen Brian Waters (foot) and Peter Heyer (calf), defensive linemen John Browning (back), Tamba Hali (ribs), Carlos Hall (knee) and Stephen Williams (knee) and defensive back William Bartee (Achilles’) did not practice.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
The Chiefs will have a light practice in the afternoon.
HERMISM
“It’s tough to have (two daily practices) and then all of a sudden, you’ve got to play a game again. You’ve got to give them a rest. They’re not machines. We got (back to River Falls) at 3 o’clock in the morning (Sunday). They got Sunday off. That’s great.”
