So, here's the deal. The feelings regarding our quarterback situation are mixed. However, I feel that a majority of folks are looking to make a change and then some of that group wants to make a change NOW.

I'm on record as saying there's nothing we can do to better the quarterback situation now.  Trade scenarios, while always an interesting discussion, almost never come to fruition.  There's a reason talented quarterbacks never hit the open market.

Below is a list of quarterbacks who are currently free agents.  Keeping this list in mind, I want to hear real solutions to the quarterback problem. Pretend as if trading is not an option (because realistically it's probably not).  Anyone can say 'Hey it's not working dump 'em all!'  But that's not the way it works. 

Tell us who you want and WHY.  The latter is key.  Would any of these players help us now?  Do we currently have the best options on staff?

Player Name	Years Experience	2007 Team
Daunte Culpepper	9	Raiders
Bruce Gradkowski	2	Bucs
Tim Hasselbeck	6	Cardinals
Kelly Holcomb	11	Vikings
Jared Lorenzen	3	Giants
Jamie Martin	13	Saints
Craig Nall	6	Packers
Tim Rattay	8	Cardinals
Lester Ricard	1	Jaguars
Brian St. Pierre	7	Jets
Chris Weinke	8	49ers

One thing I like to do after a sweet, sweet victory such as our Kansas City Chiefs' last night is go back and review what we thought needed to happen in order to win versus what really happened.

Go back to this post and review what everyone thought needed to happen.  I'd say we were spot on with a few of them.

We Must Protect This House!

Protect Arrowhead we did indeed.  I suggested the crowd wouldn't play much of a factor in the game considering the lack of impact it had on the first game against the Oakland Raiders.  However, at least from the TV broadcast, it appears that the crowd got into it and created some noise despite the level of attendance.

The Mike Shanahan coached Broncos moved to 3-11 all time at Arrowhead as we furthered our dominance over them at home.  For whatever reason, we've got the Broncos number when they come into Arrowhead.  We avoided the 3 year sweep with this victory and reaffirmed my belief that Arrowhead is the toughest place to play despite the team on the field.

Larry, Larry, Larry!

Dead on.  LJ started early with a 60+ yard run on the second play from scrimmage and continued to beat down the Broncos defenders all the way into the 4th quarter.  This moved him just 7 yards from the season rushing leader through 4 weeks.

LJ's performance was a great reminder that when it really comes down to it we're only going as far as he can take us.  Our quarterback situation combined with our less than innovative offense makes LJ moving the chains a necessity and he did that today.

He took the pressure off Damon Huard and the rest of the offense.  Just as importantly, he allowed us to hold the ball for over 33 minutes and I think we saw the advantage that created for our defense.

Early and Often

This was true to an extent.  We didn't get behind early but the Broncos gave us EVERY opportunity to pull away and we wouldn't take it.  We led 6-0 after the 1st quarter, 13-10 after the 2nd, 16-13 after the 3rd, and finished the game with a 33-19 advantage.

What I'm really excited about is the 4th quarter points.  When the pressure was put on and the Broncos pulled to within one score in the 4th quarter our offense responded big time on the shoulders of LJ.

Here are a few predictions from your fellow APers:

"What is success this week? Offense breaks 20 points and we lose by less than 10pts?"

"I can’t stress this enough – Damon Huard staying in the whole game and not being pulled is a big key."

"I cannot wait until Sunday so people might actually remember that Damon Huard is a pathetic quarterback. Thigpen is awful. Huard is pathetic."

Put me on board with that first comment.  I would have been happy to cover the spread but we did oh so much more than that.

So we know what we thought would happen.  Now that we look at what really happened, whose performance surprised you the most?

• Huard, in typical veteran fashion, is not saying whether his benching against the Raiders was fair.
• Arrowhead Addict has an idea for this Sunday's game and it involves paper bags.
• Adam Teicher looks at what's next for Tyler Thigpen.
• Damion McIntosh knows he's the old guy on a young guy's team.  [Ed. Note: More info on McIntosh here.]
• Bob Gretz makes a case for this year's version of the Broncos being the best yet.
• Good news for the health of our quarterback: Broncos search for sacks
• From the mothership: Damon Huard and Herm Edwards interviews.
• Mile High Report Chalk Talk Part 1 and Part 2.
• Herm Edwards would be wise to mimic Shanahan and his quarterback.

More to come later today APers.  Don't forget about the Game Day Thread on Sunday amongst other items this weekend.

 

 

A quick note from Adam Teicher at The Red Zone:

Herm Edwards said the Chiefs haven't decided whether Tyler Thigpen or Damon Huard will start at quarterback Sunday against Denver at Arrowhead Stadium. It won't be Brodie Croyle, who most likely won't play until Oct. 19, when the Chiefs play Tennessee at Arrowhead.

Herm has to be doing this out of deception, right? The equivocating by the Chiefs coaching staff is really making them look like amateurs. On a side note, do you think that this waffling on the QB decision the last two weeks is part of some power struggle in the front office? I haven't heard anything even remotely about that but it helps explain some of Herm's behavior.

****

In other Chiefs news, the Star has a clip of Tony Gonzalez after yesterday's game. He's pretty frank about his frustrations with the offense but he still manages to do it without sounding like he's complaining.

Herm's thoughts on the team's performance yesterday:

"I don’t know. I think we went in phases. We battled back in the second half. We made it kind of interesting but they drove right down the field after a long kickoff return and that got us out of the game. We came back twice but we couldn’t put any points on the board."

Herm needs to stop trying to act calm and collected like his best bud Tony Dungy. We're not winning. Get fired up about it.

Poll

Who will the Chiefs start at quarterback this weekend?

• Damon Huard
• Tyler Thigpen
• Ingle Martin
• Marques Hagans

  308 votes | Results

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Despite going 4-12 last season like our beloved Kansas City Chiefs did, Atlanta Falcon fans are feeling pretty good about this game. You know when your team isn't very good and a worse team comes on the schedule and you're like, "Finally, we'll get back on track this week"? That's the Chiefs this week for the Falcons.

Beyond just "The Chiefs are a bad team" reasoning, the Falcons also have another very good reason to assume confidence this weekend - DE John Abraham and the Atlanta pass rush.

John Abraham, formerly coached under Herm Edwards in New York, already has four sacks on the season and is undoubtedly licking his chops to get after Tyler Thigpen this weekend. As Bob Gretz noted, the Atlanta pass rush is a major reason why Tyler Thigpen is getting the nod this weekend over Damon Huard.

Let’s be honest, if they move Abraham over to the left side and have him rush against RT Damion McIntosh, then whoever is playing quarterback for the Chiefs is in trouble. Better to have somebody with some mobility, who can get away from that kind of pressure. Huard can’t do that. Thigpen can.

Thigpen, despite his other shortcomings, is relatively more mobile than Damon Huard meaning he can avoid the pass rush. Then again, who isn't more mobile than Damon Huard?

Let me take one second to talk about Thigpen's touted mobility. I guess I don't see why it's such an asset for him. Thigpen did make a few plays with his legs last week against the Raiders (1 rush for 6 yards and a few dodges) but I would hardly call him a mobile quarterback. He's only seems "very" mobile compared to Damon Huard, who is practically a statue in the pocket. Compared to Huard, Thigpen is younger and less stiff. Croyle has a bit of mobility too when he needs to use it. Thigpen isn't Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick when it comes to running the ball. He's more like...Steve Bono.

Plus, does mobility matter if the pocket dissolves a half second after snapping the ball?

Abraham will have his choice of going up against Branden Albert on the left side of the line or Damion "Sackintosh" McIntosh (I hate nicknames like that but this one is too good) on the right side. Albert should be able to at least partially contain Abraham but I'm quite concerned about Abraham literally running past Damion McIntosh on the right side of our line. We saw the Raiders' defensive ends do it last week and I don't think McIntosh has improved much from last week to this week. The man is Chris Terry version 2.0 and I don't want to remember those visions of last season.

Abraham's three sacks in the Falcons opening game against the Lions was undoubtedly bolstered by the fact that the Falcons got up 21-0 on the Lions within twelve minutes of the game and forced Detroit into passing attack mode. But a quickly declining Damion McIntosh won't be much of a match for John Abraham. The Chiefs will need to set up more help on the right side of the line for McIntosh and that will have a serious affect on their game plan. We will have to either put another tight end on the right side or commit fullback Mike Cox to that side on almost every down. The Chiefs are already short on talent and to have to overcompensate on one side is a terrible point to have to concede to he Falcons.

The game changes necessary for the Chiefs to contain the Atlanta pass rush will spell bad news for KC. I predict that the game will be won or lost on the right side of our offensive line. And right now I don't have much confidence the Chiefs will win that battle. Thigpen's mobility will not be as big of an asset as people are making it out to be and the Chiefs will suffer dearly on Sunday.

To sum up this rambling, Tyler Thigpen's mobility is overrated and will hardly help him avoid a solid Atlanta pass rush. I hope I'm wrong.

Poll

What do you think about Tyler Thigpen's mobility?

• Overrated
• He's got some moves that we should respect
• He hasn't been unleashed yet!
• Doesn't matter with the curent o-line

  297 votes | Results

And the bottom of the AFC, and possibly even the bottom of the NFL.

I compare this loss to last year's second loss to Denver on December 9th. We were dealt a demoralizing blow by a division rival who isn't even good. No use suffering too much over this loss so let's jump right in. DJ has his take on the game coming up in just a bit so make sure you check back.

Lack of a Strategy

There was little to no organized plan by the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff going into this game. The schizophrenic offensive attack of recent practice squad member Marques Hagans, Damon Huard, a completely unprepared Tyler Thigpen and an uninspired Larry Johnson was a complete dud for the Chiefs on Sunday.

The need to get Jamaal Charles the ball more, which Herm Edwards mentioned earlier this week, was completely ignored. Charles was handed the ball three times and caught only one pass. I'm still at a loss for an explanation for this.

Along with getting Jamaal Charles the ball more, how about getting it to Larry Johnson a few more times than twelve for the entire game? I'm puzzled by this one.

Dwayne Bowe, who caught six passes for 90 yards, was far and away the most productive player on the field. Tony Gonzalez caught a touchdown and five passes but never really factored into the "rhythm" of the offense. There was no varied attack employed really at any point during the game. Again, poor planning in my opinion.

Finally, Marques Hagans' entrance and play during the game felt weird. Is this a Herm Edwards offense? It felt like Herm was trying to show how off how experimental he can be but he never pulled it off.

Too invested in the youth movement

I have repeatedly mentioned in the previous weeks my extreme skepticism of Tyler Thigpen's ability to play quarterback in the NFL. That skepticism was confirmed yesterday as a confused Thigpen passed for 151 yards (14/33) and one interception. The major issue I had with that move was that Thigpen was completely unprepared for yesterday's game, much like the Chiefs' offensive strategy. I know he's the third string quarterback but at the very least you need that player to know the nuances of the position and read defenses. Thigpen did none of that yesterday and should have, really should have had at least two interceptions, if not more.

The problem with experimenting so heavily with the quarterback is that position is one of the few if not the only positions that can negatively affect the rest of the entire team. Again, I know that the Chiefs' hand was forced into playing Thigpen but I am making the argument that his roster spot alone is a serious personnel mistake. He shouldn't have been in there in the first place.

Savage Inactive

So, how do you like B.J. Sams? Dantrell Savage was inactive and since I haven't heard any other reason to suggest why he was, it seems like the Chiefs are starting to prefer B.J. Sams in the kick return game. Who knows, Savage could be active next week and Sams could sit. Whoever plays, the Chiefs special teams attack is boring. We will fight bad field position all year long and it will hurt us every game.

Rush defense has become a major problem

See, the Oakland Raiders actually watched the last few Chiefs games it appears and found out that if you want to, your team can run all over this defense.

The Raiders dominated, completely dominated the line of scrimmage. Oakland topped 300 yards rushing on 47 attempts. Check out the balance of this attack, which likely would have been worse if Justin Fargas had not left the game with an injury early in the first half.

The final numbers for Oakland were Darren McFadden (164 yards); Michael Bush (90 yards); and Justin Fargas (43 yards). Talk about letting anyone and everyone run over your defense.

Let's take a quick look back at how teams have fared on the ground against our defense, starting with Week 1 of the 2007 season.

Turk McBride was injured yesterday and walked off the field under his own power. I haven't heard anything on him but I do know that the backups at defensive end are weak. Alfonso Boone is an alright replacement but I had a hint of a feeling that McBride was on the path to exciting things this season. I hope he's back soon.

You can't say much more than it was a total failure by all parties when a team gives up 300 yards rushing.

Special teams led by Pollard

Two fumble recoveries and a knack for almost blocking many a punt has made Bernard Pollard the player on special teams. Pollard also chased down a speeding Darren McFadden to make a last ditch tackle and forced a fumble out of bounds. Unfortunately, the Chiefs' offense went three and out after the first recovery and then Thigpen threw an INT on the second possession after the fumble recovery.

Bright spots

Dwayne Bowe made those of you who bad mouthed his talent last week look bad this week. 45 of Bowe's 90 yards receiving came on the team's only scoring drive. His 30-yard catch down the sideline in the 4th quarter was the catch of the NFL season, without question.

If I'm going to rag on the rush defense I might as well point out that the Chiefs defense held the Raiders passing attack to 55 yards. Although I suspect this was about 25% effort by our guys and 75% because the Raiders' passing offense is worse than ours.

Should rebuilding be this painful?

No, it should not be. To a certain degree you can blame this loss on the inexperience at many key positions but I believe that most of the blame for this loss is on the coaching staff. As I've mentioned before, what was the plan of attack on offense? Why weren't there adjustments made to stop the Raiders' rushing attack? 233 of their rushing yards came in the second half.

Last week, when Brodie Croyle was injured, I finally found myself admitting that he likely wasn't the quarterback of the future in Kansas City. It had taken a long time for me to do that in face of a lot of evidence to the contrary and I'm nearing that point with Herm Edwards. I need to see some improvement and not total breakdowns. Herm needs to stop repeating the same mistakes everyone always says he makes.

The Basement

The Raiders suck and we suck even more. NFL teams have shown in the past how quickly they can turn things around but I'm skeptical with this group.

More so than any other feeling, I'm confused by yesterday's loss. What were the objectives on offense and defense to stop the Raiders? What were the conversations happening between the coaching staff? Why are there seemingly no logical explanations for a lot of what happened yesterday?

**UPDATE SAT. 5 PM** Final cuts have been made. Head here.

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 Kansas City 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. (Update: Sippio apparently has been cut)

There isn't anything groundbreaking in this post because it's pretty easy to pick about 90% of this roster with about that same certainty.

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.(Update: Sippio has apparently been cut)

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. My gut says Sams makes the team though but I can't bring myself to post that.

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 so use this spot to make any last minute predictions. I'll update you on the cuts as soon as I hear about them.

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.

Good afternoon, Kansas City Chiefs fans. Here are your AM practice update links.

BobGretz.com

UW-RF

Warpaint Illustrated

Jonal Saint-Dic, an UDFA defensive end the Chiefs signed and then released this off season, is back on the team. That puts the roster at 81, which is the max number including our international player.

Herb Taylor, a 2007 6th round pick, is playing backup left tackle but Bob Gretz says he is a ways away from a full time starter. It's been a full year and I'm wondering if Taylor will ever develop into a serviceable o-linemen.

Tyler Thigpen played inconsistently in place of the resting Brodie Croyle. On paper, QB may be our thinnest position. Thigpen went down last year and David Greene was signed but currently the Chiefs only have three QBs on the roster.

C.E. Wendler of WPI says that the team is practicing executing and defending the bootleg. If I see our Chiefs blow more than two bootlegs this year on defense, I'm going to be pissed. It seems like it's a franchise problem with the bootlegs. We can never defend it. I just don't get it.

Check out the links and let us know what you think. Updates are still coming as I prepare to leave the country next Monday. Many thanks to all of you keeping up the discussion in the FanPosts section as my trip increasingly takes up more of my time.

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?