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Chiefs Rookie Minicamp Day Three Recap from The Mothership
Play(s) of the Day
The Chiefs' fourth-round pick, linebacker Ramik Wilson, out of Georgia made a couple of nice interceptions during team period on Monday—with one coming in red zone work.
On the other pick, Wilson showed some nice athleticism by turning his body back the opposite direction he was headed to adjust to the ball, picking it off on a pass attempted across the middle.
First-round pick Marcus Peters made a nice interception after staying with third-round pick receiver Chris Conley on a double-move in red zone work.
Chiefs Stay Healthy During Rookie Minicamp from The Mothership
In what can sometimes be regarded as infrequent in football, another positive to report was that the team made it through the minicamp injury free.
"The guys worked hard," he said. "I have to give them credit for the effort they put out here and they did stay healthy.
"I'm sure they're sore, but they stayed healthy and worked hard and my hat's off to them."
Coach Reid Impressed With ILB Ramik Wilson from The Mothership
Ramik Wilson, the Chiefs' fourth-round selection out of Georgia in this year's NFL Draft, noticed the difference between college football and the pros almost immediately.
"Everybody's great," he said after the Chiefs' last rookie minicamp practice Monday afternoon. "Everybody's fast; everybody's strong."
Though Wilson comes from one of the country's premier college football teams and conferences in Georgia and the SEC, he quickly relinquished the idea that it could make competing in the NFL any easier. He realized that the professional realm is a whole different animal entirely, so his strategy was to place special focus on the details over the course of the past three days.
"All the little things are going to help you," he said. "That's why I have to study my playbook harder, know my plays, my adjustments and I have to make all the calls, so I have to be on point for everything."
Chiefs WR Appreciates Life, Football More after Battle with Cancer from The Mothership
As a senior in 2009, Cook caught 29 passes for 597 yards and two touchdowns from an offense centered around the wishbone. He also intercepted eight passes at cornerback, which led to him being named to the All-State team by the S.C. High School Sports Report.
That same year, the Red Devils finished with a 12-3 record and won the Class 3A State Football Championship.
If that wasn't impressive enough in itself, it's what happened three years prior that puts this championship into greater perspective.
"I woke up one morning and my neck was swollen," Cook explained of a summer morning in 2007, right before his sophomore season. "After that, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma."
Just like that—everything had changed.
Chiefs' Visit to the KC Community Gardens Takes Center Stage from The Mothership
"The Chiefs came out and we harvested our spring garden," schoolyard gardens coordinator Mary Anna Henggeler said. "We harvested lettuce, spinach, onions and radishes. They're all fast-growing crops, so they did a great job harvesting that."
After gathering the vegetables with children ranging from kindergarten to second grade, Grunhard and Kush continued to help, teaming to plant the students' summer garden—one filled with tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.
The mission of Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) is to assist low-income households and community groups in the Kansas City metropolitan area to produce vegetables and fruit from garden plots located in backyards, vacant lots, and at community sites.
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Rookie Mini Camp Day Three
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: DJ's Celebrity Waiter Night
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Chiefs Help Schoolchildren Plant And Harvest Garden
KCChiefs.com Video: Rookie Mini Camp Mash Up
Coach Andy Reid happy with results of Chiefs rookie minicamp from Chiefs Digest
...Reid took a few minutes to mention a few players who stood out, including wide receiver Kenny Cook, an undrafted free-agent signing, and linebacker Ramik Wilson, the Chiefs' fourth-round pick.
The 6-2, 237-pound Wilson showed plenty of energy and a nose for the football on the practice field throughout the weekend.
"He's got strong hands and he's got a knack for making plays here," Reid said. "He's done a nice job, a very nice job."
The 6-4, 218-pound Cook made his presence felt with his size and receiving skills.
"He sure is a big target with a big catch radius and made some plays for us," Reid said.
Chiefs wrap up three-day look at rookies in minicamp from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
Mitch Morse would have been hard-pressed to find a better opportunity.
Start with the fact that the rookie offensive lineman was drafted by the Chiefs, just down the road from where he played in college at Missouri. Throw in the fact that he was picked well before most experts anticipated -- and what that meant for his first contract.
Then consider this: The Chiefs watched their starting center sign with the Oakland Raiders in free agency, leaving a gaping void in the middle of their offensive line.
Suddenly, the second-round draft pick could be counted on by a playoff contender.
Andy Reid: Chiefs may go to camp with three healthy quarterbacks from ESPN
The Chiefs had four quarterbacks participating, all on a tryout basis: Bo Wallace of Ole Miss, Michael Strauss of Richmond, Cody Sokol of Louisiana Tech and Chris Bonner of Colorado State-Pueblo. One would seem to be a prime candidate to receive a contract from the Chiefs and therefore an invitation to full-squad offseason practice that begins next week and training camp afterward. The Chiefs have three healthy quarterbacks under contract: starter Alex Smith and backups Chase Daniel and Aaron Murray. Tyler Bray is rehabbing from a torn ACL and the resulting surgery. But coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs could go through offseason work and training camp with just three QBs.
Chiefs to keep communication open with CBs Marcus Peters, Steven Nelson during absence from Chiefs Digest
Peters and Nelson won't return to the field until the mandatory minicamp on June 16-18, but Reid didn't appear too concerned.
"You wish they were here just for the reps," Reid said. "But can it be done when they're not here? Yeah, it can be done."
Kansas City's coaching staff knows how to handle a rookie's absence from recent experience in 2014 when running back/wide receiver De'Anthony Thomas missed the OTAs based on the quarter system.
The Chiefs stayed in touch with Thomas to ensure he didn't fall too far behind. The team also got creative with the use of Skype to keep Thomas up to speed during the month-long break between the end of the mandatory minicamp to the start of training camp.
Hell, yes, Eric Berry can beat cancer -- and this Chiefs rookie is living proof from FS Kansas City
Cancer is cancer, and cancer sucks. Even the highly treatable, highly beatable kind sucks. Because even if you win, because even if you're built like a Mack truck, because even if you're tougher than John Wayne's chaps, because even if you're Chiefs safety Eric Berry, cancer makes it a point to kick your backside first.
"Chemo really breaks you down," new Kansas City wideout Kenny Cook told FOXSportsKansasCity.com Monday afternoon after the Chiefs put a bow on the final day of their 2015 rookie minicamp. "I was throwing up all the time. Lost all my weight. Lost my hair. It just makes you tired because you're burning the rest of the cancer cells.
"And it pretty much makes you tired all day, and you have to do it every day."
Before Cook joined the Chiefs as a priority free agent, before he caught 21 touchdowns in 33 games at Gardner-Webb (N.C.) University, Cook stared down Hodgkin lymphoma -- Berry was diagnosed with the same cancer of the immune system last fall -- and got that bad boy to blink first.
James O'Shaughnessy willing to go all-in special teams from ESPN
With his team kicking off and trying to protect a four-point lead in the FCS championship game against North Dakota State, O'Shaughnessy got a concussion when he led with his head in bringing down the return specialist.
"Earlier in the season in our one (defeat), I chose not to go in on a kickoff and I told myself if we had an opportunity like that, I wasn't going to let it happen again because they ended up scoring on that kickoff,'' O'Shaughnessy said of Illinois State's regular-season loss to Northern Iowa. "We lost the game.
"I wasn't going to allow that to happen again. Obviously we were up at that point and I wanted to make sure I made a play, which I did. I'll take the tackle, but I kind of wish I had a little bit of a better-form tackle so I didn't knock myself out."
Chiefs WR Da'Rick Rogers pleads guilty to DUI from Chiefs Digest
Chiefs wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers on Monday reached a plea agreement in the Marion County Municipal Court in Indianapolis for a DUI that occurred in 2014, according to documents received from the court.
Rogers pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with alcohol concentration equivalent to at least .08, but less than .15, according to the court.
The charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person was dismissed, according to court documents.
Another Chiefs player likely faces suspension after DUI sentence from FS Kansas City
The Chiefs knew what they were getting into when they latched onto Da'Rick Rogers: A sky-high ceiling. And a long, long, long, long rap sheet.
They probably just walked into a multi-game suspension, too.
The 23-year-old Rogers, signed off the street by Kansas City in January, was sentenced Monday for his DUI arrest on Sept. 29, 2014, after reaching a plea agreement, WISH-TV in Indianapolis reported.
Da'Rick Rogers sentenced to one day in jail, six months' probation from ESPN
He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2013 but was cut at the end of training camp. He later joined the Indianapolis Colts, where he caught 13 passes that season. He had a 46-yard catch that year in a playoff win over the Chiefs.
He was released by the Colts last year after the DUI arrest.
Chiefs waive OL Curtis Feigt from Chiefs Digest
Feigt, who was listed on the official rookie minicamp roster, wasn't present on the practice field for the three-day camp.
Coach Andy Reid said Saturday, the first day of the minicamp, Feigt was dealing with "hip issues."
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Comes Home to Work (And Relax) Ahead of the 2015 NFL Season from Stack.com
Born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Kelce took some time this off-season to return home and prepare for the season ahead. First, he took care of a few aesthetic issues, getting a fresh haircut and chowing down on a healthy meal. Then he headed to his old high school to work out, both in the weight room and on the football field.
Alex Smith Wasn't the Kansas City Chiefs' Problem in 2014 from Today's Pigskin
The Chiefs did not get a touchdown from a wide receiver last year, which, on the surface, makes it look like they had a pretty horrible passing game. However, a closer look at the stats shows that the dismal numbers really weren't Alex Smith's fault.
The fault fell on the wideouts alone.
Andy Reid knows this, and it's why he's been cutting, signing and drafting wideouts all offseason. Dwayne Bowe is out and Jeremy Maclin is in. Fringe wideouts have been dropped and new project players, like third-round pick Chris Conley, have been added. That's Reid's way of showing that he knows exactly where changes have to be made if the Chiefs are going to get the ball into the endzone.
So, how does Reid know? The stats tell the story.
Irving ready to seize opportunity with Chiefs from KC Star via The Wichita Eagle
Perhaps the happiest player on the football field during the Chiefs' rookie camp this weekend was also the tallest — and one of the most athletic.
At 6 feet 7 and 272 pounds, defensive end David Irving looks the part. Throw in an impressive 4.84-second 40-yard dash time and 38-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jumps, and it's easy to see why the Chiefs were one of seven teams to trek to San Jacinto, Calif., to watch Irving's personal pro day in March.
Irving, who signed with the Chiefs as a priority free agent, showed flashes of that talent this weekend. His size-speed combo stands out, at least until he starts getting tired: He was dismissed from the Iowa State football team in April 2014 and last played in a game nearly 18 months ago.
THREE AUBURN GREATS INDUCTED INTO ALABAMA SPORTS HALL OF FAME from AuburnTigers.com
Auburn greats Chris Gray, Bobby Hunt and Tony Richardson were among eight individuals inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on May 16 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel...
...A native of Lanett, Ala., Hunt played both quarterback and defensive back for the Tigers from 1959-61. In 1959, he was named SEC Sophomore of the Year, was named to Auburn's Team of the Decade for the 1960's as a defensive back.
Drafted by the Dallas Texans of the AFL in 1962, he was First Team All-AFL his rookie year. Hunt also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals from 1963 to 1969. During his nine year professional career he had 42 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He was Second Team All-AFL in 1964 & 1966; and was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game in 1964. He played in the first Super Bowl with the Chiefs. After his playing career, he was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills.
Eagles' QB situation ranks 27th in NFL, per Rotoworld from CSN Philly
After all, are the Chicago Bears honestly in a better situation with Jay Cutler? Or the Cincinnati Bengals with Andy Dalton? How ‘bout the Kansas City Chiefs with Alex Smith? Statistically, those might be better passers, not to mention they're healthy and under contract, but haven't their respective teams proven they've gone about as far as they can with these guys under center?
At least Bradford—injuries and lack of long-term contract aside—brings some semblance of upside to the Eagles, in an offense that has led numerous quarterbacks and skill players to enjoy career years.
Media timeout: Shawn Johnson finds balance as broadcaster from The Des Moines Register
Johnson is living in Nashville, Tenn., but she may spend more time in Des Moines now that her boyfriend, Andrew East, has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
East is a long snapper from Vanderbilt.
One of the things they talk about: Dealing with the media.
"I definitely feel like we now share that insight and that kind of connection," Johnson said. "It has been a lot of him asking questions and me telling him my experience.
"For the most part, though, the NFL is completely different."
Brees among big names missing in latest mock draft from NFL.com
3. Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: Charles experienced a decline in statistics across the board last season, but he still ranked among the top fantasy running backs in the league. A speedster who can take it to the house any time he touches the football, Charles, 28, is a lock to remain one of the first five players picked at his position in all drafts.
Tuaau graduates in special ceremony from The Commerce Journal
When former Texas A&M University-Commerce defensive lineman Charles Tuaau was signed by the
Kansas City Chiefs, it was a dream come true.
The only problem? Charles was set to graduate on Saturday, and the Chiefs needed him in Kansas City today. Charles' family, who lives in Hawaii, had already booked flights to Texas to see him graduate.
During the Lion Athletic Awards on May 4, Charles discussed the situation with A&M-Commerce head football coach Colby Carthel, who suggested that Charles walk during the winter or fall commencement ceremonies. But A&M-Commerce Athletic Director Ryan Ivey had a better idea:
A&M-Commerce would hold a special ceremony for Charles Thursday night, which would allow him to make his early Friday morning flight.