Kansas City Training Camp Battles

I've been following the word from Missouri Western State University pretty closely. It seem like camp has been pretty exciting from just about every point of view. So here's a position by position run down of the current battles.

QB - Cassel is the starter. You know it, I know it, the American people know it. But it seems like Brodie Croyle hasn't gotten the memo. Of course this is nothing new for KC. Training Camp Brodie belongs in the HOF while game time Brodie usually ends up in the trainer's room. Tyler Palko is a distant third and there are thoughts that he might not even make the team.

RB - It's like watching a couple of titans go at it. Oh, and Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles are there too. That's right, the guys turning heads right now aren't the ones you'd expect. Keshtahn Moore and Jackie Battle know they have an uphill battle, and so far they've performed well. McCluster has taken a few snaps in the Wildcat and performed about as expected, but I doubt he lines up very often in a traditional RB position.

WR - BOWE!!! He's catching everything. He's running crisp routes. He's beating every defender thrown at him. He's even taking time to do a little posing for the crowd. The only thing he isn't doing is talking. It looks like Larry Fitzgerald's receiver camp was exactly what he needed. Chris Chambers is picking up where he left off from last year. He looks solid and is showing some athleticism you wouldn't expect from a guy his age. McCluster might just be unstoppable. He's embarrassed every defender on the roster. Well, not every one. He got some alligator arms on a crossing route when he heard footsteps. The rest of the receiver corps has been pretty average with flashes of talent here and there.

TE - With Cottam's injuries, Leonard Pope looks to be the #1 TE for the Chiefs to start the season. Moeaki has looked good so far and this battle could heat up once the Chiefs get to preseason.

T - Branden Albert is the starting LT and looks to be playing with some confidence. He's leaner than he was last year and has handled the role well so far. Ryan O'Callahan looks to be the starter on the right side but still has some learning to do. Barry Richardson would appear to be the #3 tackle and has seen time rotating in on both sides of the line.

G - With Brian Waters on the sidelines with what is rumored to be an inflamed calf, Daryl Harris and Jon Asamoah have gotten plenty of time on the field. Neither projects to start this year, but this is a valuable opportunity for both players. Ryan Lilja looks set on the right side and is the probable starter.

C - Rudy Niswanger is currently edging out Casey Weigmann for the starting role. You can tell that Coach Haley doesn't want to start Weigmann because of his age, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore the facts. Niswanger is playing hard, but Weigmann is playing better.

DE - Glenn Dorsey is continuing to show improvement. It's hard to measure DEs in the 3-4, but he has continuously chewed up double teams to free up pass rushers. Tyson Jackson remains the starter and seems to have improved. He's being pushed by Alex Magee and Wallace Gilberry. This could become one of the better battles as camp goes on.

DT - Ron Edwards will likely retain his role as the starter. But with Derek Lokey and Shaun Smith continuing to earn praise from the staff on the field, I would expect all three to see about equal time this season. There is no clear cut leader in the group, but they all seem to be playing solid.

ILB - This is the battle that's got everyone talking. It seems clear that the Chiefs are going to go with a tag team mentality here. Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays were the starters coming into camp and are constantly lined up next to each other. But Derrick Johnson and Jovan Belcher have recently started seeing more time with the first team. Both sets are playing well together and clearly they are able to pump each other up. It looks like the Chiefs will go with the best tandem and not necessarily the best individual players. An interesting idea.

OLB - Tamba Hali is going to kill somebody. The only player to continuously give every lineman a hard time. He looks to pick up where he left off as the Chiefs leading sack man. On the other side there could be a real competition between Mike Vrabel and Andy Studebaker. So much so that the Chiefs have lined Vrabel up on the inside in certain formations to get Studebaker more time on the field.

CB - Flowers and Carr have been playing some tight coverage. And fortunately for them, they've been getting a chance to deal with some great passes and catches. That's the kind of thing that will help them in the upcoming season. Arenas has gotten his nose around the ball consistently when he's on the field. And Maurice Leggett has been aggressive and tough against everyone he's lined up against. He'll need that attitude if he wants to see the field this year.

S - If you didn't know any better, you'd think Eric Berry was an 8 year veteran. The kid carries himself like a professional both on and off the field. John McGraw started camp as the other first team safety, but Kendrick Lewis has started to get some time in. Rashard Langford seems to be penciled in on the second team.

K - No competition. Ryan "Mr. Irrelevant" Succop continues to outplay his draft status.

P - Again no competition. Dustin Colquitt is pretty much locked in as the team's punter. If ain't broke, don't fix it.

Coaches - The word is you can hear Charlie Weiss and Todd Haley really rip into people followed by a roar of approval from the crowd. Weiss is apparently toughing out a leg injury and has a cart that drives him around the field. Romeo Crennel seems excited about what the front-7 are doing. He looks happy to be back doing what he's good at.

Overall it's the defense that is shining. The front-7 look much improved, but it's the secondary that is above and beyond the best group on the field. The RB battle could be even more exciting than we had originally anticipated. And the top 3 WRs (Bowe, Chambers, McCluster) seem to be able to impose their will on just about anyone.

They're probably still a year or two from making a serious playoffs run, but this team is headed in the right direction.