Football wins over baseball
Deal with safety Page, who was drafted by the Angels, leaves just Hali and Croyle unsigned.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs agreed to terms Wednesday with former UCLA safety Jarrad Page, ending his flirtation with professional baseball.
Page was a seventh-round NFL draft pick in April, then was picked by the Los Angeles Angels in the same round of the baseball draft.
Page’s three-year deal means he’ll make the trip to River Falls, Wis., today when the team leaves for training camp.
As of late Wednesday, the Chiefs still had two rookies who hadn’t reached contract agreements: first-round choice Tamba Hali, a defensive end from Penn State, and quarterback Brodie Croyle, a third-round pick from Alabama.
Hali’s wait isn’t that unusual. As of late Wednesday, just five first-round draft picks were signed: No. 1 Mario Williams, No. 4 D’Brickashaw Ferguson, No. 7 Michael Huff, No. 13 Kamerion Wimbley and No. 19 Antonio Cromartie.
The Chiefs went to camp last year without several rookies, including first-rounder Derrick Johnson, who ended up signing in the first week.
No more waiting
Johnson has one piece of advice for Hali and any other rookie still waiting to be signed:
Keep working out. And he’s glad he’s not them.
Johnson, who did some charity work Wednesday in his final day before the team left to camp, said he’s excited to play without the burden of contract negotiations. He’s also confident Hali won’t miss a step.
“It’ll be good,” Johnson said. “He’ll be in camp pretty soon.”
Johnson was at the Eastside unit of the Boys & Girls Club to help design a new playground. The project will be completed in October and will give children a safe place to play.
New uniform
It’s official — Ty Law will wear his traditional No. 24 for the Chiefs this fall, and safety William Bartee will switch to No. 21.
Where Law will line up is still anybody’s guess.
Law was a Pro Bowler at left cornerback last year for the Jets. That’s the same position Patrick Surtain plays for the Chiefs.
“That’s a good problem to have,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “He’s played both sides and so has Surtain. Lenny Walls has been a right corner for the most part, so we won’t stir him. But the other two guys have flipped and flopped and have both played inside, too.
“I think there are a lot of things we can do with them, and now it’s a matter of getting into camp and competing and we’ll see what’s best for our defense.”
