With the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Alex Smith had a low turnover rate partly because he was reluctant to throw deep. With the Chiefs, Smith is being reprogrammed by his new coach.
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe predicted last month when offseason practice started that he would lead the NFL this season in receptions and touchdowns. He isn’t backing off that claim now that the Chiefs are concluding their spring work with today’s final practice.
Chairman Clark Hunt, who watched minicamp practice Tuesday, wasn’t necessarily predicting a Super Bowl in the Chiefs’ first season under general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid, but his outlook was surprisingly upbeat for a team that won just two games last season and wound up with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
Jamaal Charles, who injured a toe after a teammate stepped on his right foot Friday, showed no ill effects from the injury as the Chiefs began their three-day minicamp on Tuesday. Dexter McCluster was a full practice participant Tuesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring two weeks ago.
Former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, who has long been a fan of new coach Andy Reid, will visit practice on Tuesday as the Chiefs begin their final week of offseason work with a three-day minicamp. Vermeil had a hand, however small, in arranging the union between the Chiefs and Reid.
Dexter McCluster brought back a punt 94 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL game in 2010, sparking hope he could surpass Chicago’s Devin Hester as the NFL’s next great return specialist. That hasn’t happened yet, but the Chiefs and new special teams coach Dave Toub aren’t giving up on the idea that McCluster can become a special returner.
Running back Jamaal Charles left Chiefs practice early Friday because of a toe injury on his right foot. Charles was taken for X-rays, which came back negative.
The trade for quarterback Alex Smith might take another year or more to adequately assess, but at least from their part, the Chiefs may not feel the need to wait. Quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy after practice Thursday came close to calling it a success.
Wide receiver Jon Baldwin was absent from practice Thursday because of the same illness that prevented two other starters, tackle Branden Albert and cornerback Brandon Flowers, from participating. Devon Wylie received many of the snaps that would have otherwise gone to Baldwin.
The Chiefs are hoping to make big improvements in their kicking game. They hired Dave Toub, long considered one of the best in the business, as their new special teams coach and Kevin O’Dea as his assistant to specifically work with punter Dustin Colquitt and kicker Ryan Succop.
The Chiefs practiced today without two starters, left tackle Branden Albert and cornerback Brandon Flowers. Both players were sick and sent home from the Truman Sports Complex practice facility before practice began. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was taken from the practice field shortly before the end of the session because of leg cramps. Bowe left practice early two weeks ago for the same reason.
New Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton talked about defensive end Tyson Jackson, the target of frustration for many Chiefs fans since he was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 draft. Sutton argued with the contention that Jackson hasn’t played to his lofty draft status.
The Chiefs got back to work Tuesday after their Memorial Day break and defensively at least picked up right where they left off. Coordinator Bob Sutton called plays designed to disrupt anything the offense was trying to achieve. “That’s the M.O. of this system, to pressure the quarterback and make him feel uncomfortable, which is easy to say and hard to do,’’ Sutton said.
Between numerous dropped passes and false-start penalties, the offense had a sloppy workout as the Chiefs began their third straight week of full-squad practice.
Chiefs players took part in Celebrity Waiter Night on Tuesday night at Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Leawood. The event raised money for the Derrick Johnson Defend the Dream Foundation, which provides low-income inner-city youths with opportunities and resources to help them reach their potential.
The defensive end, a first-round pick in 2009, gave a stunning demonstration on how well he’s picking up the new defense during a six-play sequence in last Thursday’s offseason practice session.
The Chiefs have revealed plenty of two-tight end formations during their offseason program and spent plenty of time at least trying to throw the ball to both of their new tight ends, Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce. The signs are everywhere that the tight end as a pass receiver is back in the Chiefs offense under new coach Andy Reid.
New Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah, a practicing Muslim, elected not to return to the Minnesota Vikings last season and instead took his wife, parents and two older brothers on a monthlong pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last October. “To get back out here and to have a second chance, not a lot of people get one,” Abdullah said. “So this is a blessing.”
Week two of offseason practice for the Chiefs concluded with the end of Thursday’s session. Counting an April mini-camp, the Chiefs have now had nine full-squad practices and coach Andy Reid said he was pleased at how far they have come. The defense, which has been relentless with its pressure, appears to be ahead of the offense.
Tamba Hali, who had nine sacks last season, one fewer than Justin Houston, isn’t ready to concede his Chiefs sack title permanently, but didn’t sound confident he would get it back this year, either. “As an athlete, I can’t compete with the kid,” Hali said of Houston. “He’s that much better.’’ But Hali also says the Chiefs as a whole will have more sacks this season.
