Chiefs Training Camp Updates

The Chiefs have one preseason game under their belt, and the 2012 NFL regular season is only a few weeks away. The team is still practicing, and there are several important updates that have recently come out of camp.

The biggest concern the team has is the foot injury of starting cornerback Brandon Flowers. Flowers has a bruised heel which has kept him out of practice since July 31. Initially, the coaching staff thought Flowers would only miss a few practices; however now the team is worried that he might not make it back for the team’s regular season opener on Sept. 9 against the Atlanta Falcons. Flowers is a critical component to the Chiefs defense, and it is very concerning that his foot has yet to heal properly. Time is still on the team’s side, and hopefully Kansas City’s top corner can get healthy before the regular season starts.

One of the biggest position battles has been at nose tackle, where Anthony Toribio continues to impress coaches and hold down the starting spot. This has drawn the ire of many Chiefs fans, as Poe was considered a reach by many and now it appears that the team’s first round pick isn’t good enough to win a starting position. Kansas City has done a poor job of drafting defensive tackles in the past, which is likely part of the reason Chiefs fans are so on edge, but this seems like an overreaction. Poe has talent, and Toribio has had an extremely productive camp. The rookie should be given a little more time to learn the ropes, and Chiefs fans should be happy there is good depth at a position that is critical to the team’s 3-4 alignment.

Finally, it appears that Brady Quinn is still the second string quarterback – although this could change in the near future. Quinn was not impressive in the team’s first preseason game against the Cardinals, and he has rotated with Ricky Stanzi in practice lately as the number two QB. If Quinn has another unimpressive performance in the team’s next preseason game, Stanzi will likely get a shot to win the backup QB position behind starter Matt Cassel.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Kansas City Chiefs 2012 NFL Draft Recap

The 2012 NFL Draft is over, and the Kansas City Chiefs have added eight new players to its roster. Most draft experts have pegged the Chiefs draft as below-average, and ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. gave Kansas City a C+ grade overall. Despite the pessimism, the Chiefs have added several players who could start as early as next season and addressed several areas of need.

Most of the criticism Kansas City is facing revolves around the Chiefs first round selection of DT Dontari Poe. While he was a workout freak at the combine, Poe did not have much of a career at Memphis, which plays in Conference USA. The Chiefs needed help at NT, but many feel that Poe was a reach and that the Chiefs may have once again whiffed on a defensive line draft pick. Poe certainly has all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, and the criticism leveled at Scott Pioli may be a bit premature.

The Chiefs needed to add depth to the offensive line, which is precisely what Kansas City did with its second and third round picks. Jeff Allen appears to be a very strong candidate to start next season, and could hold down a guard spot on the Chiefs’ offensive line for the next decade. Kansas City nabbed Oklahoma’s Donald Stephenson in the third, who could develop into a starting tackle in the future while providing some much-needed depth and youth at the position in the meantime.

Allen and Stephenson were not the only additions the Chiefs made to their offense via the draft. Kansas City added WR Devon Wylie in the fourth round, RB Cyrus Gray in the sixth round, and WR Junior Hemingway in the seventh. Wylie projects to be a useful slot WR, while Gray will add depth to a RB rotation that has seen its share of injuries over the past couple of seasons.

Apart from Poe, the Chiefs also added some depth to its defense in the later rounds of the draft. Alabama CB De’Quan Menzie was drafted in the fifth round, while San Diego State DT Jerome Long was drafted in the seventh. Menzie may be a step too slow to play CB at the NFL level, but has great instincts, and could be a candidate to move to safety. Long should push Poe and the rest of Kansas City’s underachieving defensive line.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs Select Dontari Poe In First Round - Kansas City News

The Chiefs took Dontari Poe with their first round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, addressing a need at nose tackle with a talented, but raw prospect. While Poe was projected to fall into the later portion of the first round, Scott Pioli felt that the Chiefs need for a NT was too high, and grabbed the former Memphis standout.

Poe is a bit of a mystery coming out of college. He had an insane combine, showing off strength and speed that would merit a high draft choice. Despite all the physical tools, Poe did not produce at a high level in college. Considering that Memphis plays in lowly Conference USA, that has to be somewhat concerning for Kansas City fans.

The big question now is did the Chiefs grab someone they could have gotten later? It is hard to say; after his extraordinary combine, many thought Poe would be a top 5 pick. However, after scouts dissected his college game and saw his on-field struggles, many thought he would fall to the 20-30 range. It is very possible that Pioli could have traded down 5-10 spots and still been able to select Poe, while picking up an extra second or third round pick in the process.

The Chiefs have had some big whiffs at defensive tackle in the past, and Kansas City fans have to be concerned with Poe’s lack of production in college. However, the team addressed a glaring weakness and nabbed a player that has all the physical tools to play at a high level in the NFL.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.