RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Observations from Kansas City Chiefs camp:
1. Nobody was worse rushing the quarterback than the Chiefs. Their 10 sacks were the lowest figure since the NFL started keeping the stat in 1982. The 10 sacks were fewer than 11 players throughout the league and they were half the number of NFL leader DeMarcus Ware. So the Chiefs will try to correct that with a hybrid 3-4 defense that has former defensive ends Tamba Hali and Turk McBride as outside linebackers. "We're going to try to move forward with a brand new start in terms of what we're doing scheme wise," said defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. "We're in the process of finding what kind of players we have now that we have the pads on and how we can utilize their skills to the best of their ability. Those guys (Hali and McBride) are obviously guys who are more productive on the edge and have rush skills. We have a long ways to go, but we have made progress."
| Out of Nowhere Man |
 At wide receiver there's Dwayne Bowe and … and … which is why Devard Darling might have a chance. He ran with the first team at Sunday afternoon's practice, and he's shown flashes of ability in the past. Remember the season opener against New England last season? It was Darling who cradled a catch over the middle and turned it into a 68-yard gain, the Chiefs' second biggest play of the season. That was the good news. The bad: He disappeared after that, winding up with 17 catches for 245 yards, an 18.1 yards per-reception that led the team. If he gets his opportunities in preseason he has a chance to make a name for himself. Remember this is the guy who produced three touchdowns for Baltimore in 2007 on only 18 catches. |
| aceziggi picks OLB Tamba Hali |
| The switch to the 3-4 helps him the most out of everybody. His speed and stength will overpower any RB or TE that gets in his way. I expect him to get over 10 sacks this year. |
| Who is your Out of Nowhere Man? |
2. Three months ago, running back Larry Johnson said he wanted out. Now, he's not only here, but he's in the best shape of his career, is on time for all meetings and doing whatever is asked of him and doing it well. Johnson dropped from 235 pounds last season to 223 when he reported, and he vows to be 220 by the end of camp. In short, he's the back the Chiefs need if they're going to make a dent in the AFC West. "I don't know what Larry was," said GM Scott Pioli. "You hear the stories, but we can only judge him by what he's done since he's come here. And since we've come here he's had some personal things he's had to take care of, and he's taken care of all of them. He's had some professional things he's had to take care of, and he's taken care of all of them. I think something I've learned over time is that we all need to be careful of how we judge people."
3. The Chiefs lost 96 catches, 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns -- all team highs -- when they traded away tight end Tony Gonzalez, so who will take his place? "I don't know," said offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. "To be honest with you, that's why we're in camp. You have to fill that void somewhere, and somebody has got to pick up the slack." Dwayne Bowe will pick up some of it. He was the team's second-leading receiver and produced 1,022 yards. Mark Bradley is a possibility. So is veteran Bobby Engram. But the Chiefs are thin at wide receiver, and while that's nothing new there is no Gonzalez to alleviate the problem.
4. Dante Hall, where are you? The Chiefs haven't had a decent return man since Hall left. They ranked 27th in kickoff returns last season and 29th in punt returns. That must change, only the question is: Who's going to change it? The candidates are Rodney Wright and Quinten Lawrence.
5. Look closely, and you'll notice something missing from this year's team, and I'm not talking about Gonzalez or defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who began camp on the active PUP list with an injured left shin. I'm talking about the arrowheads on their helmets. "We took them off in March," coach Todd Haley said. "We're just going to earn them." And how do you do that? "Making the team," Haley said. "Nobody's made the team yet."
