River Falls Recap: 8/1 AM Practice

Saturday, August 1, AM Practice - 9:00 - 11:00 AM.

It was a windy and slightly cold first practice for the Chiefs. With the temperature just over 60 degrees and cloudy skies, the fans who stood stationary as they watched the Chiefs work up a sweat were chilly. Still, they were in good spirits as they showcased their pride wearing Chiefs apparel and taking photos.

Eight players did not practice today after failing to pass a part of their physical examination. On defense, Glenn Dorsey, Dion Gales, Ron Edwards and Demorrio Williams worked out with assistant strength and conditioning coach Brent Salazar. On offense, it was Damion McIntosh, Brian Waters, Mike Goff and Kolby Smith. Smith and Edwards have suffered ongoing injuries throughout the offseason.

The players worked on their conditioning in front of the fans. They were instructed to do line drills with weights and ride stationary bikes.

With media members more restricted in roaming range than in past years, the view of practice was lacking. As 80 players scrambled on the field, watching from afar made getting details difficult.

The players wore pads, but drills were not run at full speed and hitting was as far as it went. No tackling occurred.

Kicker Ryan Succop worked on his steps and timing his kicks as the offensive line worked on staying low and planting for the block without defenders. Succop hit seven of eight field goal attempts. His attempt from the 20-yard line, from the left hash mark, was blocked by cornerback Brandon Flowers and recovered by safety Jarrad Page. His longest kick came from 40 yards out from the left hash.

Quarterback Matt Cassel took reps with the first-string offense. Tyler Thigpen came out with the second string and Brodie Croyle with the third during an 8-on-7 (eight defenders, seven on offense) drill. Thigpen had one interception and one knockdown during the drill. Cassel and Croyle completed every pass.

The quarterbacks threw during a drill that paired one cornerback or safety against one wide receiver. Rookie receiver Taurus Johnson had a nice-one handed grab for a 40-yard gain up the left sideline from Croyle.

Agility was the theme for the defense. Ends, tackles and linebackers were run through a series of drills using barriers and cones that stressed lifting their feet off the ground and maneuvering over and around stand-in offensive linemen to make the tackle. Cornerbacks and safeties worked on their responsibilities, running through different schemes while keeping their opponent in front of them and avoiding separation.

A majority of the practice was spent running position-specific drills. Coaches were vocal and the team practiced up tempo. An 11-on-11 drill was run on the middle of three practice fields. A barrier of players and the distant spots for viewing the drill from the provided bleachers kept fans and media members from viewing the drill with clarity.

At the conclusion of practice multiple players spent extra time out on the field honing their receiving and blocking skills.

River Falls Recap: 7/31