Of course, the 53 players on the team after 5 PM central time tonight won't be the exact roster for opening day. After the NFL roster deadline hits this evening, expect the Chiefs to pick up one or two players off of the waiver wire.

I've run through the roster and made my decisions on who I think will be cut. Interestingly enough, while researching this and reading others cut lists, most of them are in agreement about 95% of the time.

The only differences I've seen in people's cut lists are the tail ends of the linebacker and line rotations. A little LeRue Rumph here. A little Anthony Alabi there. Maybe throw in some Sippio.

QB: Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard

No surprises here. The Chiefs will carry three quarterbacks on the final roster no matter what and these are almost assuredly the three they will keep.

Cut: None

RB: Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles, Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage

Dantrell Savage hopefully makes this team as a kick returner but I've included him in the running backs section. LJ, Kolby and Jamaal Charles are all 100% safe. Battle may not make it because of roster numbers but he's probably safe too.

Cut: None

WR: Dwayne Bowe, Devard Darling, Will Franklin, Maurice Price and Jeff Webb

Despite not catching a pass this preseason, Devard Darling is still accomplished enough to get the nod over Arthur, Joachim, McMahan and Sippio. If you make an argument against Darling, you have to make an argument for one of those guys making the team and I don't think you can. Maybe you can make an argument for Bobby Sippio but I think you're splitting hairs at that point.

Cut: Jabari Arthur, Sergio Joachim, Kevin McMahan and Bobby Sippio

FB:Mike Cox and Chris Manderino

Word on the street is that the Chiefs like Manderino's special teams play, which is great for him because Mike Cox has the starting fullback spot nailed.

Cut: None

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Brad Cottam and J.P. Foschi

TG and Cottam are locks to make the roster and we'll give Foschi and his GA Tech roots the nod over the injured Mike Merritt and Michael "What happened to people being excited about me?" Allan. Allan may spend his final year on the practice squad before permanently falling off into obscurity. My future money says this is another D3 experiment that will not succeed.

Cut: Michael Allan and Mike Merritt

O-Line: Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion McIntosh, Herb Taylor, Barry Richardson and Wade Smith

I think those first eight offensive linemen I listed are definitely going to make the team. Beyond that, I think we could see another player dropped at a different position in favor of another offensive linemen. That linemen may not even be on the team right now and there is no way the Chiefs are satisfied with the depth they have on the offensive line.

Cut: Travis Leffew, Tre Stallings, Will Svitek, Anthony Alabi, Edwin Harrison and Rob Smith

D-Line: Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, Glenn Dorsey, Tamba Hali, Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards. T.J. Jackson and Brian Johnston

After Ron Edwards, you're entering a pretty blurry area on the defensive line. TJ Jackson and Brian Johnston both had their names called more than a few times last Thursday against the Rams and that may be enough to distinguish themselves from the other defensive linemen.

Cut: Johnny Dingle, Jason Parker and Derek Lokey

LB: Derrick Johnson, Pat Thomas, Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams, Weston Dacus and Nap Harris (Int'l player Aden Durde will be on the practice squad but not count for a spot)

Nap Harris seems to be on everyone else's cut list and he certainly is a possible roster casualty. One of the cuts listed below could out value Harris on special teams, making the decision to keep him even more difficult. Donnie Edwards of course makes the final cut but how durable will he be in his 13th season? He's already tweaked a hamstring.

Cut: EJ Kuale, Steve Octavien and LeRue Rumph

CB: Patrick Surtain, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Dimitri Patterson, Tyron Brackenridge and Maurice Leggett

The first four CB spots are taken with Brackenridge, Barksdale and Leggett battling for the final one or even two spots. Can't say I've seen much of any of those three this preseason, making my analysis a bit strained. Brackenridge will probably get the nod because the Chiefs liked him enough last year as an UDFA to play him a bit and neither Barksdale nor Leggett has distinguished themselves.

Cut: Rashard Barksdale

S: Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard, Jon McGraw and DaJuan Morgan

The safety position isn't difficult to figure out. Page and Pollard will start with McGraw and Morgan rotating in and out. The Chiefs don't need five safeties on the team.

Cut: Khayyam Burns

Special Teams: Nick Novak, Dustin Colquitt and J.P. Darche

Again, no surprises here. The Sams v. Savage competition is pretty much even but I'll throw my support behind the younger, less Drummond-like Dantrell Savage.

Cut: BJ Sams and Connor Barth (he's still on the roster so we'll include him for good measure)

We've already had a few threads about the roster cuts today so use this spot to make any last minute predictions. I'll update you on the cuts as soon as I hear about them.

I make no promises that this is going to be a regular segment. Absolutely none.

1. Finally, we face a real offense! Are we about to be exposed? I believe this team is on the path to redemption, but it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Particularly for our defense: we boast little passrush, our best DT is a rookie, our LB corps is thin and may have a massive hole at MLB, and our secondary is talented but incredibly young. Everybody could hold their own against the laughably lousy Bears offense, but the Cardinals offense is another level of trouble: their QBs are uniformly more talented, their OL is bigger and better, their rungame doesn't depend on a rookie, and little needs to be said about their WRs. This unit may be too much to handle.

2. Will we generate any pass rush? The biggest deficiency in the Chiefs' solid defensive effort against the woeful offense of the Bears was a complete lack of pressure on the QBs. Demoting Boone and placing McBride on the strong side will definitely help matters, but it will not fix them. Our pass rush is in serious condition, folks. Hali will do what he does, but this far in his career he's proven to be an every-down DE that's good at a lot of things, but not great at any. He is no sack specialist. McBride has not generated much excitement (from anyone other than Adam Best). And if Johnston emerges as a DE in this league, it won't be this year. He needs time. If you want to keep your eye out on a sleeper, there's been some buzz around the quick Jason Parker, so keep your eyes on #92.

3. Will the right side of the line get their act together? The only obvious sack that the Croyle-led offense gave up against the Bears' blitz-free, vanilla defense was McIntosh simply getting beat around the corner. The only stuff of LJ occurred when Adrian Jones allowed a DT to slide through completely untouched to slam into Two-Sev six yards behind the line of scrimmage. This right side is leaky, and for their one game so far, they've struggled.

4. Can our corners handle the best WR tandem in the NFL? Boldin and Fitzgerald are Pro Bowlers, with a pair of good QBs to get the ball out. They will likely only suit up for a couple series before retiring for the evening. But the time they are on the field will tell us a lot about the character of our young guys. It seems inevitable to me that someone is going to get utterly embarrassed. That's not the issue for me. I'm more concerned with how our young guys would react. It helps to have a short memory at corner, and we're going to see exactly how tough, how focused, and how intense our corners can be. (For the record, Flowers has a great record of rising to the occasion.)

5. Will Herb continue to play well? The most pleasant surprise of the Chicago game last week was the emergence of Herb Taylor at LT, filling in for the still-injured Brandon Albert. It was pointed out to me tonight that Mike Lombardi agrees. The possibilities behind this are serious. We may actually have legit starting talent in Herb Taylor. What if we have starting talent in Barry Richardson? Dare I dream of the day that the Chiefs actually fastened down the right side of their line with a pair of 6th rounders?

6. Will Darling finally emerge? Among the many reports emanating from River Falls, and the performance we witnessed against the Bears, Devard "DVD" Darling has not generated much excitement from anybody that I can tell outside of Warpaint. Here at AP, we've all lost a degree of faith in him as we continue to be underwhelmed. The good news, really to all of this, is that it's just one preseason game into the league. But DVD's route-running looked sluggish and I never spied a moment, rewatching the game, where he had shaken off his coverage.

7. How many minds will Sippio have blown by the final whistle? After Gretz's enthusiastic defense of reserve WR Bobby Sippio, how can you not pull for this guy? The battle for the 5th receiving spot is still completely up for grabs. (Bowe, Franklin, Darling, and probably Webb are locks.) Price has looked fast and great at running routes. Jabari Arthur and Kevin McMahan got on the board last week. Hell, the Chiefs might elect to fill the 5th spot with either BJ Sams or currently-injured rookie Kevin Robinson, who are returners but teams virtually never keep five receivers + a returning specialist. Can Sippio fend them all off? My brain says Price... my heart says differently.

8. Can Savage or Battle make enough happen to sneak onto the roster? After studying my crystal ball, I suspect that the Chiefs are going to be working the hell out of Savage for the remainder of preseason. He will probably garner more carries than any other RB, as the Chiefs either wonder if he's worth moving the earth to try and fit him in our crowded backfield, or to dangle him as preseason trade bait. Jackie Battle has run strong, but that's why I suspect we've got no room for him. We've already got a guy who can run that strong, maybe you've heard of him. I see Battle and I think practice squad.

9. Which kicker will make the most of his chances? Second verse, same as the first. Neither kicker has been able to reach the endzone on kickoffs, which hasn't been pleasant. Barth has had his game opportunity so far, and nailed a decent 37-yarder. Here's hoping for more chances come this evening. I'm sure the Chiefs have Feeley (and worse yet... Morten Andereson) on speed dial.

10. Who can make a name for himself returning kicks? Nobody has really shown a Justin Phinisee-like presense returning kicks this preseason, which has got to make Kevin Robinson happy. Sams doesn't even appear to want the job. C'mon BJ! Throw caution to the wind! (Phinisee, who looked phenomenal in the 2007 preseason returning kicks for the Chiefs, is a free agent. I'm just saying...)

The difficult decision. The folk hero. The long shot. The fan favorite.

This year, once again, thy name is WR Bobby Sippio, the star of Arena football, struggling to make himself known on a rebuilding Chiefs squad during training camp.

This is what training camp is all about. You've absolutely got to love this.

Sippio has won over no small number of fans on this blog as well as countless other Chiefs websites as we all puzzle over whether this guy has what it takes to make it in the NFL.

His detractors point to his lackluster 4.7 speed. His supporters point to his velcro hands. His detractors point to his inability to crack the lineup. His supporters say he has made the most of every chance he's received.

Now the debate has been elevated, from the trenches of blog comment sections to the lofty perches of KC Star beat reporter Adam Teicher, KC Star analyst Jason Whitlock, and the mothership's Bob Gretz. Teicher is irritated by the craze over Sippio, while Gretz supports it whole-heartedly. Whitlock is basically just Whitlock.

This.

Is about.

To get good.

Teicher...

One of the many negative aspects of last summer's visit to Chiefs camp of NFL Films and the Hard Knocks crew was that the show glorified a wide receiver of rather average talents by the name of Bobby Sippio.

Gretz...

How miserable must a person be to stomp on a player who goes out to practice every day and does nothing but bust his butt to make the team?  Fans got to know Sippio from the Hard Knocks series last year.  It was exposure that Sippio didn’t ask for.  Why hold that against him?

Teicher...

Sippio did his work in the fourth quarter of a preseason game. That's the domain of guys who will be looking for jobs in another few weeks. It's a sign, Sippio fans, that your hero is going to have a tough time making the team. And he caught his three passes against players who will soon be ex-Bears.

That may not mean much to you, but I guarantee that it does to the Chiefs.

Gretz...

Sippio will always struggle to make it in the NFL.  He’s got attributes every coach wants, like guts and heart and he catches everything thrown in his direction.  But Sippio lacks the kind of speed coaches want from their wideouts.  That means he’ll always be in a fight to keep his job.

Nobody knows this better than Sippio himself.

Teicher...

Sippio isn't fast. It's why he was playing in the Arena League when he joined the Chiefs. It's why he doesn't get more playing opportunities.

Whitlock going postive...

Thankfully, it appears Sippio is going to force his way onto the team and into the lineup. He’s a big, physical receiver with reliable hands. He has a swagger, too. And he can play on special teams.

Teicher...

The wide receivers who will play for the Chiefs when the season begins will come from this group: Bowe, Devard Darling, Franklin, Price and Webb. Not Bobby Sippio.

And that's something the billions of Bobby Sippio fans out there will just have to deal with.

Gretz...

He did not survive all season because he had a cadre of fans. He hung in there because he did the thing Herm Edwards always says is the most important task for any player on his roster: he did his job.

Whitlock going negative...

The Chiefs would prefer Sippio, the former Arena League star, not make the team. It’s not personal. He’s just not a Bill Kuharich draft pick.

Gretz...

Kuharich is one of Sippio’s boosters.  Although he’s not a draft choice, he is a Kuharich guy.  It was Bill Kuharich’s brother Larry, who coaches in the Arena League, who tipped the Chiefs VP of player personnel to Sippio.  Rest assured that Kuharich is one of Sippio’s greatest supporters.

You couldn't script it any better.

Preseason football, folks. Catch the fever.

Poll

Who gets the best of the exchange?

• Adam Teicher
• Bob Gretz
• Jason Whitlock

  191 votes | Results

Thursday PM Update: sunny d posted about the scrimmage, with a streaming audio link.

Good morning. Here are you updated links to the afternoon session.

UW-RF

BobGretz.com

WPI ($$$) P.S to KCChiefs.com - In your training camp wrap ups, how about wrapping up the entire day of practice instead of just the morning? I know I can't get enough coverage of camp!

Gunther Cunningham spent yesterday morning and afternoon with his linebackers, since he took over the coaching of them after the '07 season. The linebackers definitely seem like the position of the hour, with a lot of print and digital space being dedicated to them as of late. As you can probably imagine, there is a lot of yelling going on when Gunther is around. When the defense came together for drills, Gunther had this to say and I'm sure it was much more funny in person:

"In Spanish, they say ‘uno’, in German, they say ‘eins’, in English, we say ‘one.’ Got that?! ONE!"

Brian Waters, Brodie Croyle, Tony Gonzalez and Damion McIntosh all sat out the afternoon practice for rest. Tamba Hali, Brian Johnston and Trevor Johnson didn't suit up either but did participate in light drills. The latter three have minor injuries they should recover quickly from.

Damon Huard excelled in yesterday's afternoon session, prompting the UW-RF site to say he looked like a completely different player. I didn't think Huard had become too rusty. Like most NFL players, I'm sure he just needed a few days to get back in the rhythm. I know it seems like I haven't been giving Huard enough respect around here but that's more based on the fact that he doesn't fit into the Kansas City Chiefs long term plans. I guess I'm just anxious to move forward. He does make sense in the plan for this year I have to finally admit after some convincing from you guys.

Gretz mentions that after Bowe, Franklin and Darling, the fourth WR spot is wide open. Sippio will probably make the team at least as a special teams regular and occasional wide receiver. I think it's about time we put the Sippio craze to a rest. There is a reason the guy isn't starting - he's too slow. Sure, I'm sure he's great on goal line situations where speed is less of a factor but is it really worth it to give him a starting gig on the team based on that merit alone? I say no way. At the same time, because of the numbers game and the other WRs on the roster, Sippio may slip in there by default.

No practice this morning or in the afternoon. The Chiefs take the field to scrimmage the Vikings at 6:30 PM tonight. It looks like it may rain so we'll see how much scrimmaging actually gets done. It doesn't take much to make the coaches stop this thing.

Jared Allen and Benny Sapp return to face their old team. Here is a clip of Allen, beard and all, talking about playing against the Chiefs. He really strikes me as a team leader, something the Chiefs are still looking for.

Note: Forgot to add in this quote by Bob Gretz that every NFL fan should keep in mind during training camp:

There’s been great readership and reaction to these practice reports and it’s a pleasure to do them. But let me re-affirm something: these sessions as single elements that constitute only a moment in time. One day a guy is up, next day his legs are tired and he struggles through practice. Nobody in training camp has 11 great practices in a row. What I look for our trends, situations and performances that happen on a regular basis.

Memorize that last line and you'll be able to analyze camp that much better.

It was a rainy morning in River Falls, WI, and because of that, the Kansas City Chiefs worked out inside. Here are a few updates from UW-RF site and WPI. The AM practice pictures are here. The Chiefs should be taking the practice field around 3 PM for a more robust practice session.

• "Kansas City’s starting five on the offensive line remains, left to right, Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones and Damion McIntosh. Albert, KC’s second first-round pick, showed no ill effects from the ankle he sprained earlier this offseason, and was light on his feet."


• "The Chiefs rotated wide receivers with the first-team offense. Dwayne Bowe, Bobby Sippio, Devard Darling, Jeff Webb and Will Franklin all received reps with Brodie Croyle under center. Oliver Hoyte, Mike Cox and Chris Manderino split reps at fullback."


• "Dwayne Bowe is full of energy. With Jared Allen gone, he’s definitely the heartbeat of this year’s Chiefs team. Today he played free safety with the walkthrough defense (normally comprised of offensive backups), and playfully acted like he might deliver a big hit to anyone who caught a ball in front of him, including his cousin Bobby Sippio. Bowe stayed after the walkthrough for an energetic game of catch with tight end Tony Gonzalez and linebacker Donnie Edwards."


• "Head Coach Herm Edwards held a press conference at the close of practice. He discussed the importance of holding a walk-through versus a full-strength practice. "We have so many young guys; it’s good to give them a walk-through like this," Edwards said. He also said this morning’s walk-through would settle the players’ anxiety and serve as a teaching session. Walk-throughs also give the special teams’ players an opportunity to run more drills. The only injury Edwards said was affecting the team right now was the recovery rookie wide receiver Kevin Robinson. Edwards said that Robinson had his knee cleaned out about a month ago. "He’s on the mend," said Edwards, "but he should be ready to play in the preseason game at Chicago.'"


• "Tamba Hali and Ron Edwards were two of the defensive linemen who saw quality time during the mock-snap drills. Rookie DaJuan Morgan was also seeing some first-string time in the safety position. Throughout the practice, the defense seemed more leisure than the offense, primarily focusing on one drill, using only two strings of players."

Oh man, it felt good to post this. Training camp has officially started! More updates later tonight and don't forget about AP's birthday tomorrow! We're turning two!

Smells like...training camp!

The Kansas City Chiefs currently have 86 players on their roster, meaning they'll have to cut six by the time training camp starts on Thursday. Until this season, the minimum used to be higher than 80 players but with the folding of NFL Europe, teams now have on average eight players less to take to camp. Before, teams could take those extra eight players and ship them off to NFL Europe before the regular season roster deadlines would hit.

By August 26th, teams will have to trim their roster to 75 players and by August 30th the roster has to be down to the regular season maximum of 53 players.

So, six need to go. Who are they? Who knows, really. Here's a rundown by position, using a blogger's best friend - a list! I've also put the number of cuts next to each position. Predicting cuts is a terribly inexact science, so I'm hoping for a lively debate. In fact, you can make solid arguments against some of my choices below.

Quarterback (0) - The Chiefs only have three quarterbacks on the roster now, which means they're almost assuredly taking all three currently on the roster to camp with them. You'd even like to have four QBs but it doesn't appear that's going to happen before camp. No cuts from this group.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Fullback (0) - I think the Chiefs will take all four fullbacks to camp but only one will be on the regular season starting roster. They're all safe for now.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Offensive line (1) - Of the fourteen offensive linemen on the roster, five of them will be starters and we know who they are - McIntosh, Albert, Jones, Niswanger and Waters. That leaves nine and we'll need at least one backup in each spot for the regular season. That leaves four guys out and here's a guess on who they are - Tre Stallings, Ken Shackleford, Travis Leffew and LJ Anderson. Stallings has been on a couple of practice squads before so maybe he has a chance to make it but I don't think so. The Chiefs probably take almost all of these guys to camp but four will likely have to go for the regular season. One possible cut here but I doubt it.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: Travis Leffew, Ken Shackleford, Tre Stallings, Edwin Harrison, L.J. Anderson or Rob Smith.

Tight End (0) - Of the five tight ends on the roster, Tony Gonzalez is a definite yes, followed by Brad Cottam and maybe Michael Allan to make the final roster. The Chiefs will have at least two tight ends on the active roster and may keep another one on the practice squad. In fact, we'll likely end up with three on the final roster, with the last spot going to a big time blocking tight end. For now, I think all of them make it to training camp because of the uncertainty surrounding who will be our blocking tight end.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Wide Receiver (2) - We have a glut of wide receivers now (nine total) and I think two of these guys are definitely gone. This is an expendable position because of the preference of defensive players over offensive ones to play on special teams. A couple of these guys won't be able to hang on as a special teamer. I think Kevin McMahan and Jabari Arthur bite it from this group because of their "Who the hell am I?" status. You can also throw Bobby Sippio in there as well. The guy didn't catch a pass last year and sat on the practice squad for a little over a week with no interest from other NFL teams who were allowed to sign him at any point during that time.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: Jabari Arthur, Kevin McMahan or Bobby Sippio.

Running back (0) - Johnson, Battle, Smith, Charles, Savage and McCrae all make the training camp squad but only three make it to the regular season. Savage, Battle and McCrae will be the odd men out come September. The Chiefs have solid #1 and #2 backs with Charles and Johnson but I think they're unsure beyond that. That explains the glut of solid backups.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None but leaning toward one of these guys being let go this week. That's a lot of running backs.

Corner back (1) - There are nine CBs on the squad now and a lot of uncertainty after Surtain, Flowers and Carr on the depth chart. Herm and co. will probably take all but one of these guys to River Falls, with a few others being cut by September. Expect some to stick around strictly as special teamers.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: Will Poole, Jason Horton or Maurice Legget.

Linebacker (1) - There are ten linebackers on the roster and two tiers have clearly developed. The top tier is Derrick Johnson, Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams and Nap Harris. Below that are a half dozen special teams/backup types, almost all of whom will be on the practice squad or strictly special teams. The numbers don't require the Chiefs to cut many here, so just one probably goes from this group.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: Steve Octavien, E.J. Kuale, Nate Harris, Weston Dacus or LeRue Rumph.

Defensive Ends (1) - The Chiefs haven't settled on their Jared Allen replacement because they have seven defensive ends currently on the roster. Because of the large number of players at this position, I think one of these guys doesn't make it to River Falls. Turk McBride, Tamba Hali and Alfonso Boone are locks to make the team, with UDFAs rounding out the rest of the crop.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: Trevor Johnson, Johnny Dingle or Jason Parker.

Defensive Tackles (0) - All six d-tackles will be going to River Falls, considering that six isn't really that many to have on the roster at this point. The rotational nature of the position means you'll always have a few extra around, making it easier to slip into camp as an UDFA. Dorsey, Edwards and Tank likely make up the starting three.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Kicker (0) - Do you think Herm Edwards will ever go into camp with less than two kickers after the disappointment Justin Medlock was last year? Novak and Barth both go and I'm not sure which one makes it out as the starter.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Safety (0) - Safety is another good position for filling special teams. Page and Pollard are the starters and Herm's boy John McGraw is also a lock to make the team. DaJuan Morgan is another lock and a future starting contender.

Potential pre-training camp cuts: None

Those are my general positions that I think the cuts will come from. They're based on a mixture of number at that position, stability of the starters and historical precedent.

Your thoughts on who stays and who goes this week before camp starts?

Last summer, as the cameras of HBO's Hard Knocks series rolled on the fields of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, former Arena League wide receiver Bobby Sippio flashed across the screen and entered our minds forever. It wasn't his speed (or lack of it) that got our attention but the fact that he apparently didn't drop a ball thrown to him in training camp.

Sippio cleared the NFL waiver wire in early September and made his way to the Kansas City Chiefs active roster just a week later.

In retrospect, its clear why Sippio chose the Chiefs as much as why the Chiefs chose Sippio. He'll get the chance to start. Not that he will start mind you but our current WR situation is that wide open. Here are the wide receivers curently on the roster:

Dwyane Bowe
Devard Darling
Will Franklin
Kevin McMahan
Maurice Price
Kevin Robinson
Luke Swann
Jeff Webb

So, going just by the talent listed there, Sippio will be battling for a #3 spot with a fourth or even fifth spot the most likely. If Sippio doesn't play much again this season, I'll be dumbfounded as to why he's on the team. He's not that good of or even a particularly good special teams player.

He didn't register any catches last season and I think he may have actually touched a live game ball once on a punt or kickoff return. You can't really go by his previous Arena League stats for any indicators because he gained like 5 million yards in his career there.

I'm going to say Sippio ends the 2008 season with approximately 20 catches for 220 yards. Not sure why I like the "twos" this morning but I do.

What numbers do you think Bobby Sippio will put up in 2008?

Note: I'll have more community projections coming out over the next few weeks, unless they turn out to be uninteresting. Also, these posts are great for first timers to jump in and comment. No pressure on these.

Poll

Your thoughts on Sippio?

• Just another WR body
• Are you crazy? Sippio just needs a chance!

  337 votes | Results

Without the emergence of rookie Dwayne Bowe last year, the Chiefs wide receiving corp would have been in shambles. Bowe ended '07 with 995 yards receiving, which was nearly 60% of the total yards gained by all of the Chiefs' wide receivers. Jeff Webb, Samie Parker and veteran Eddie Kennison were nearly non-existent in 2007, with their 65 catches combined not even surpassing Bowe's own 70 catches. Parker and Kennison are no longer on the team, which means that the Chiefs most experienced WR on the roster is Devard Darling who is entering his fifth season. However, Darling has only started one game in his career so take his "experience" with a grain of salt. After that, the most experienced Chiefs receiver is Jeff Webb, who is entering his third season.

In other words, the Chiefs needed some help at the wide out position.

That help began with the signing of former Baltimore Raven Devard Darling this off season, who saw little action in Baltimore during his four years there. He came to Kansas City looking for an opportunity to start. Darling appears to be a quick, hard-working receiver who will battle for the #2 spot behind Dwayne Bowe. His signing isn't major by any means. He's an unproven wide out to throw into the mix with the others.

More than likely, Jeff Webb will be called on to be the #2 receiver but the job won't come without major competition. Webb's talent appears to be on roughly the same level as former Arena League player Bobby Sippio, who spent a mix of time on the active roster and practice squad last season. Neither have shown much of a spark, even when judged by #2 spot standards. Sippio didn't even catch a pass last year.

That brings us to the two receivers the Chiefs drafted this past weekend, Missouri's Will Franklin and Utah State's Kevin Robinson. Franklin should be familiar to most here - a burner who makes the occasional drop. He'll likely battle Jeff Webb for the #2 spot and there is no foreseeable winner in that fight. Franklin was a fourth round pick, which makes him a bit more touted than Jeff Webb, who was a 6th round pick back in 2006. Kevin Robinson initially appears to have been drafted for his fantastic return ability, something the Chiefs sorely need, even with the signing of another former Raven B.J. Sams this off-season.

The Chiefs receiving corp has only eighteen combined NFL starts. That receiving game is bolstered by the greatness of TE Tony Gonzalez but there is a dramatic drop off in "seen" talent after that. We have a clear cut #1 WR in Dwayne Bowe, with all four of our other receivers theoretically fighting for the #2 spot.

What happens when defenses key on Bowe and Tony Gonzalez? Who steps up? Will the Chiefs' receiving corp be another major problem for the development of QB Brodie Croyle? Does he have the help he needs to succeed?

Croyle better be living with his receivers and his offensive line this summer. He's going to need that chemistry.