A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that the NFL preseason is like a bizarro world version of the NFL. Generally, it’s inconsistent play all around, which allows some players to look good while entire units look lost. Amid all that chaos, it’s really hard to judge anyone or anything accurately. The only way to get around it is with large sample sizes.

Two weeks into the preseason, I think there are only a few things you can assert confidently about the Chiefs:

1.)    Put very little stock in the fact that the Rams were able to get on the board quickly this weekend. As Paddy rightly pointed out, the best indicator of how teams are going to fare in preseason games isn’t the quality of the talent on each side, but rather which coach actually cares about winning the game. Many coaches couldn’t care less. They are throwing darts randomly at a board. “Hmm, ok, let’s see this guy in this play against a first-team defense and see what happens.” “Mmm, ok, let’s see what this guy can do.” They’re not game-planning, they’re not scouting matchups on the other team, because to do so would be a waste of valuable time coaching up players and refining general techniques.

There is an argument for trying to win preseason games if you are a very young team, and/or a team with lots of new players and you are trying to foster team-spirit and get the band of strangers in a winning attitude before the regular season starts. That is the exact situation St. Louis is in right now. Not only do they have more new players on their 90-man list than any other team in the NFL at 56, but they are also the youngest team in the league. Furthermore, Jeff Fisher is known to like to win preseason games. He has the second-best career record in the preseason among active head coaches at .608, beaten out only by Mike Shanahan with .681. Not to mention, the Rams got mauled 38-3 the week before by the similarly young and hopeless Indianapolis Colts. Fisher knew he had to get some good vibes going with his team, and give young quarterback Sam Bradford some confidence.

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

On both the big opening pass to slot receiver Danny Amendola, and the subsequent touchdown pass to TE Lance Kendricks, LB Jovan Belcher was covering. In both cases, I couldn’t really tell if it was zone coverage or man-to-man, because, quite frankly Belcher was so far off. Both times, a safety rushed in to try and break up the play but even Berry couldn’t get there in time. Now, I, of course, can’t prove that Fisher game-planned the first couple series or scouted the Chiefs. All I know is that if you were going to design plays to attack the Chiefs’ defense – that’s exactly how you would do it. By far our biggest defensive weakness is when Belcher is caught in pass coverage on fast, pass-catching tight ends or slot receivers. As stout as he is in the run game, he is just not fast enough to keep up with those guys. As such, Belcher is never put on those guys and is generally not even on the field on likely passing downs. Even in situations where Belcher would be on the field, the Chiefs would have likely adjusted from the beginning to put a safety on the TE or slot guy. The Chiefs started the game in standard base defensive sets and not only did the Rams’ play-calling target Belcher for big gains right off the bat, they ran the plays on 1^st down when he was likely to be on the field as a probable rushing down.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I believe that often times when something happens where motive and opportunity meet, well, it’s no coincidence. They got what they wanted — two quick, injury-free scores, and an ego-boost for their QB. Immediately afterwards, their starters left the field feeling like they had won. And again, it’s not like it’s a crime to game plan in the preseason to try and show something against soft competition with nothing on the line. There’s a chance Brian Daboll was doing the same thing to boost Cassel’s confidence and make sure the Chiefs came out with a bang against the Cardinals last week.

2.)    Unless Matt Cassel has a total meltdown or gets injured, he is going to go into the regular season with strong momentum. Hidden among the general Chiefs’ shock about how good the Rams played against the Chiefs’ first-team D is the fact that Cassel has hit on 75 percent of his passes so far. Against the Rams, he even nailed the kind of play that we have seen very rarely out of him – flushed from the pocket on 3^rd and long, under heavy pressure, he chucked a dart to McCluster (his smallest target) in tight coverage for a first down.

3.)    In limited action, Charles has shown he still has it. Chiefs fans likely won’t be happy with Jamaal Charles’ recovery until he busts out a huge gainer, but, with the additional weapons that KC has accumulated, we no longer need him to be THE dynamic threat. Hillis has shown himself to be worth every penny, and the Chiefs have a plethora of receiving options. So far this preseason, Charles has had 6 rushes and 3 receptions for 6.4 yards per touch, including 9.7 yards per catch. If we are facing 2^nd and 4 every time by getting to ball to him, I don’t think anyone will be complaining even if he’s not streaking down field for big plays. But don’t worry, he will be.

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

4.)    Glamorous he is not, but Brady Quinn looks like he can help us in a pinch. Look, he’s not Tyler friggin’ Palko, alright? Do I need to say anymore? Ok, fine. 12/19 151 yards 1 TD, 1 INT, good for a 83.44 passer rating. Amazing? No, but how good does a backup on a run-heavy defensive team need to be?

5.)    The Chiefs are going to have to make their hardest roster decision on the D-line this year. KC will probably only keep six or seven defensive linemen on their 53-man roster. I think it is safe to say that Glenn Dorsey, Dontari Poe and Tyson Jackson are staying with the team. So, who gets the remaining three spots? Allen Bailey is probably not going anywhere either as the team’s only true nickel rusher. That leaves two spots for a number of standout backups. Anthony Toribio currently holds the starting NT job and presumably the Chiefs want another passing-down rusher. Amon Gordon was the consistent jack-of-all-trades last year, but he hasn’t shown it so far in camp or in preseason games. Ropati Pitoitua has impressed in camp and has seen the field early preseason action (there’s also an unwritten NFL regulation stating that every team must carry at least one scary dude with an unpronounceable name). Brandon Bair has also shown some sparks in that role too, however.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

And finally, although it may not make the most sense at the moment, I like the idea of keeping Jerrell Powe. He has finally come on as a penetrating NT, which is what they want Poe, his homonymal brother, to become. He was consistently getting pressure in the last two games, and may also be effective as a rotational guy at the other positions. Who knows, with another year of development Powe might even turn out to be straight-up better than Poe, and these types of man-monsters don’t grow on trees. The painful part is that I know that at least a couple of these guys are going to be scavenged off the Chiefs as soon as they’re moved to the practice squad because there is a league-wide demand for such players and a DL-deprived team like the Broncos will be more than happy to take them off of our hands.

Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

Preseason games are like candy corn – they’re pretty much garbage, you know they’re garbage, but every year you’re suckered into consuming them while actively thinking, “Man, this really is just unremarkable fluff.” This will be particularly true for Chiefs fans, who face a slate of three underwhelming NFC West teams before finishing at Green Bay. Purchase requirements for season ticket holders make these awful match-ups even more annoying, but such is the price we pay. Each of these games can offer something to learn, so let’s pretend preseason games will provide at least one full half of starters, open playbooks, and useful insight to a unit in question.

Preseason Week 1: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona doesn’t sport any strong areas and should not be able to hang with the Chiefs in a regular season game, making this an opportunity to test weaknesses rather than strengths. The Cardinals ranked 31st last season in sacks allowed at 54 and did little to remedy this problem over the offseason.

On the other side of the ball, one of KC’s most glaring weaknesses last year was the generation of a pass rush, tying for 30th in the NFL at 29 sacks. With the tank known as Dontari Poe clogging the middle, a season under Justin Houston’s belt, and the return of Eric Berry’s safety blitz, anticipate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. However, there’s still no proof KC’s defensive linemen will play together like three first round draft picks. If the front seven can generate more sacks and hurries this year, Brandon Flowers will look even more superhuman while any potential drop in quality from Brandon Carr to Stanford Routt will be masked. But if we can’t even pressure Kevin Kolb into unwanted plays, watch out, because it’s going to be another frustrating year for the defense.

Preseason Week 2: At St. Louis Rams

Whenever Chiefs fans start feeling bad about their plight, they sneak a quick glance East on I-70 towards Edward Jones Stadium. There resides the worst team in the league over the past five seasons with a mere 15 wins. As the only team to give up more sacks than Arizona last year, St. Louis truly is a sad franchise. However, I promised to give something to watch every game (and talking about generating sacks again would be Randy Moss lazy), so this is the game we learn how much of an upgrade T Eric Winston is over Berry Richardson and what immediate impact can be expected from rookies Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson.

The Rams defense is anchored by DE Chris Long and MLB James Laurinaitis and promises to keep its lackluster offense in several games. Their front seven will achieve equally potent penetration against the run and pass. Starters often play the entire first half in game two, and expect both Kansas City draft picks to see extensive time against the Rams number one defense.

Preseason Week 3: Seattle Seahawks

Providing a slight talent upgrade for week three, the Seahawks ranked 28th in sacks allowed at 50 in 2011, extending the theme of not getting too excited if the front seven generates good pressure while considering a lack of sacks as reason for major concern. The strongest part of Seattle’s defense is its secondary, which sports one of the league’s best safety duos (Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor) and a solid pair of aggressive corners (Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman).

This game will present the first challenge to the Chiefs’ receiving corps in however it manifests itself (as of this writing, Bowe remains a no-show at camp). The Seahawks played an aggressive man-cover defense last year that will force Cassell to make tight throws to receivers pressed to seriously fight for separation. Among the potential things to watch: how Baldwin performs as a number one receiver; if Devon Wylie’s quickness can translate into success on the professional level; and if Junior Hemingway was the seventh round steal many are hoping for. Starters often play a full half and sometimes into the third quarter during preseason game #3, and this test could provide quality information if Bowe remain MIA or if his current absence leaves him under-prepared at this stage in the season.

Preseason Week 4: At Green Bay Packers

The last week is the least week from a fan’s perspective, serving primarily as a final audition for marginal players to win a roster spot with vanilla play calls from the sideline. First teamers are typically pulled after one or two series (if they play at all) in anticipation of the regular season. However, the Packers are a group of warriors and should they be interested in playing their starters to extract a little revenge for last year’s upset, and should Crennel demonstrate his departure from the Haley regime by matching their intensity, watch the Chiefs’ secondary.

While Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are superb talents, seven receivers caught at least 25 passes for the Packers last year. Aaron Rodgers will attempt to exploit Routt’s overly aggressive reputation and Berry’s ability to rapidly change direction while backpedaling will be tested (although this action relies more on hip fluidity than knee support, Green Bay’s sets demand Berry demonstrate more range than the three prior opponents). Both sides will put an array of exciting talent on the field, and if the Chiefs can shut down Green Bay’s receivers, Peyton Manning is in for a rough introduction to the AFC West.

Well Addicts, with this entry I complete my trial period for the website. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity over the past month to contribute my thoughts on what I anticipate will be an exciting and successful season while gaining a little more respect for the writers that provide consistent material for me to surf rather than finish the tasks my boss assigns me. I also maintain my rightness to anyone that disagreed with me. Except for the reader that called me out for describing Arrowhead Stadium as a sea of red and yellow – it is, for the record, red and gold (I blame Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Black and Yellow’ being stuck in my head at the time). Red and gold, Taz Mosis, red and gold.

Okay, I’m not going to lie to you. The game against the Rams on Friday night was a BIG disappointment for me. I stated last week that I thought the team needed to come out and beat up on the Rams in order to get the team in the right state of mind headed into the regular season. Yes, it was only a 4 point loss, and in the preseason that doesn’t always tell you who would win in a regular season game. However, the fact that their offense marched down and got two quick scores while KC’s first string offense continued to sputter didn’t help the thousands of Chiefs fans who have been worried about their team’s slow start to the preseason to feel any better.

The question is simple. Is this poor play in the preseason a sign of misery to come or simply worthless preseason fodder that won’t have any bearing on how the team plays in the regular season. Obviously, Todd Haley and his team would like us to believe that they are saving up and building for September 11th and that there is no reason for alarm. Meanwhile, some in Chiefs Nation (fans, media, bloggers, etc.) are starting to address some real concerns that they believe could carry over to the games that count and might prevent the Chiefs from repeating the success they had last season. MAYBE, the Chiefs will come out in their final preseason game (at the Super Bowl champs) and put on a show that will set all their fans at ease, but given their approach to the preseason thus far, I doubt it.

The simple truth is that we won’t know for sure until the Chiefs take the field against the Bills. However, we can look at both at the talent on the roster and the play of individual players on the field to make an educated guess. That is exactly what I will try to do after the break.

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Okay Addicts, I sat down and watched the Ravens game for a second time yesterday and came up with several specific observations on what I saw. I’ll share those with you (if you’re interested) after the break. However, the end result that I have come to after watching the first two preseason games and even seeing and reading about training camp is this: The Kansas City Chiefs need to beat the bean poles out of the St. Louis Rams this week. I don’t mean they need to win. I don’t mean that they need to “play well” or “look good”. I mean they need to walk into Arrowhead Stadium on Friday night and put a beat down on the Rams. The kind of game that is over at halftime. The kind of game where the shots of the sideline in the fourth quarter show the starters smiling and laughing with each other.

Why?

Well its not because we have some proud desire to win the Governor’s Cup. It’s not because the third preseason game is suppose to be the measuring stick of how your team will look in the regular season. It’s not really even the fact that we are 0-2 so far in the preseason (but I guess that is part of it).

Find out why and see my Ravens game observations and Tyler Palko pic of the week after the break.

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So we’ve all had a few days to digest the Kansas City Chiefs first preseason game. The 25-0 beating by Tampa Bay wasn’t much fun. The real question is, did we learn anything? We learned that winning this game was not at the top of Todd Haley’s goals for the week. Is that a bad thing? I’ll give my thoughts on that a little later on. This week I had too many random thoughts to try and string together into one cohesive piece. So without further ado, here are my Armchair Ramblings on the Chiefs first preseason game.

☞ The fact that Kansas City’s starting offense didn’t move the ball well doesn’t mean anything. Matt Cassel never threw a pass. Jamaal Charles and DeWayne Bowe never touched the football. This may have technically been KC’s first string, but it certainly wasn’t the offense we’ll see in week one of the regular season.

☞ The fact that TB moved the ball against our “first string” defense means even less. Yes, TB looked good going against a “first string” defense that included Dion Gales, Pierre Walters, and Anthony Toribio. Whoopee!!!!! Tamba Hali, Brandon Flowers, Derrick Johnson, Glenn Dorsey, Kelly Gregg, and Wallace Gilberry didn’t play at all. That’s 6 of our top twelve defenders and those first 4 I listed are 4 of our top 5 (along with Berry). I’m kind of surprised that TB didn’t score more then they did with their first string players in so long.

More ramblings after the break.

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Double D Says:

Rookies to watch on the other side of the ball:

RDE – Chris Long
RT – John Greco
RG – Roy Scheuning (will likely play 2nd half)
WR – Donnie Avery; to the surprise of many, this 4.43 speedster out of Houston was the first WR selected in 2008 draft. He’s making his NFL debut tonight.

Footnote: Avery’s 4.43 time at the combine was slowed a tad by a pulled hammy. He ran 4.34 on his Pro day.

The main reason I highlighted this comment was to reemphasize how much everyone will be watching not only Chris Long, but Glenn Dorsey as well. The Rams damn near picked Swamp Thing, so I’m guessing that Rams fans will constantly compare the two to each other, and Chiefs fans might, too. You know, Magic-Bird-type thing. Personally, I’m glad we got Dorsey and not Long. I think Long is overhyped because of his daddy.

I’ll also be watching Avery, because like Double D pointed out, he was surprisingly taken over receivers who were much more heralded coming out of college than he was. The Rams may have reached big time, or they may have found a diamond in the rough. Hard to say.

Will Branden Albert play? The Chiefs’ rookie left tackle will be in uniform tonight, but if he plays, it would be a handful of snaps at the most. The Chiefs are being careful with Albert and his sprained foot, but they also want to get him some game action before the opener Sept. 7 at New England. Albert is undoubtedly rusty, and coaches will need to weigh risk versus reward.

Regardless if Phat Albert plays tonight or not, this report indicates that his recovery is at least on schedule, if not ahead of schedule. Good news if you ask me. I think what’s even more important than our final win-loss record is guys like Albert and Glenn Dorsey playing the full schedule and making huge strides over the course of the season.

I think Tyler Thigpen and most of the second-tier receivers need to play well to secure their jobs. The Chiefs‘ passing game needs help, especially with Will Franklin on the mend. If nobody steps up, I’m almost positive we’ll import help when some decent players get cut later this week. Our linebackers will also be watched closely, as will our two kickers. It should be interesting. Well, at least for a half or so.

Which players need to play well tonight in order to make the roster of 53?

The barber may be the same, but not their game.

Speaking of drilled, if Herm Edwards was a drill instructor–and he might have it in him, because his pops served in WWII–here’s what he’d be saying right now :

“24-zilch? You call that football, you pond-sucking scum?! You gang-greenified maggot f***ers! You little girls don’t even deserve to be in the pink panty club! We’re going to have to make you purple panties with little pink flowers on on them, you pansies! I have seen bigger sets of testicles hanging from those Powder Puff bimbos! At least they pop somebody every now and then! You know what?! If a bomb hit this sorry-ass locker room right now, it would be a waste of a bomb! Do the world a favor and choke yourself to death with your chinstraps, you germ-infested puss pockets!”

OK, now that I’ve had my Full Metal Jacket glory, I’m going to cut myself off before I go too overboard, if that hasn’t already happened (um, pretty sure it has, but OK, Adam). At least I feel better after that rant. Hopefully, we all feel better.

Now on to a rapid-fire freestyle about our beloved Chiefs (it hurts to claim them tonight, folks):

Even Brian Waters played like complete ass tonight. Not only was he tippy-toeing around on L.J.’s near-TD plunge (hit somebody, B!), but he was making excuses for the Chiefs’ offense in an interview. Now that’s leadership, 5-4!

Dwayne Bowe may call himself Mr. Awesome now, but tonight he was Mr. Craptastic. His cousin Bobby Sippio was Booby Droppio. His confidence is completely busted after choking against Arizona (thanks for the assist, Thiggy Smalls). Thanks for making me look bad, Sipp. Appreciate it! The catching cousins were the dropping dunces tonight. Their hometown fans want their money back. Now.

I may have been wrong on Sippio. He still has the tools, but I’m man enough to admit I was wrong and that he doesn’t deserve to be on the team. But I definitely wasn’t all wrong. I was right about our QB situation and need for more beef on the line (remember the Where’s the Beef campaign), among other things…

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10. Our young quarterback also can pull some good-looking wool…that hasn’t already slept with half of Hollywood.

9. Ken Whisenhunt is the Wiz of Odds…long odds. The Cardinals are never going to make the playoffs again. EVER.

8. Speaking of playoffs, how many freakin’ years in a row will the Cards be everybody’s sleeper team? Give it up already.

7. Brenda Warner (she was scary enough before I knew she was a Marine–yikes!) can beat her hubby Kurt Warner in arm wrestling. Not in sacking groceries, though.

6. Dennis Green once screamed “they are who we thought they were” as Cardinals coach. Well, the Cards are who we think they are–losers! And they always will be.

5. Nice pass coverage last week, Cards. You guys made draft bust Robert Meachem look like Randy Moss.

4. Has anybody told Calais Campbell that he has a chick’s name? Someone, please, help a brother out.

3. Every time I think about Junior Siavii or Ryan Simms, I just think about how we could have drafted Alan Branch, too, and the pain goes away.

2. Even if Edgerrin James and Larry Johnson are both washed up (and L.J. is definitely not), at least L.J. can read. Have you ever heard Edge speak? He makes Shawn Kemp look like Barack Obama.

1. The Cardinals couldn’t hack it in the Show-Me State.

What will you be watching for when the Chiefs play the Cardinals at Arrowhead tonight, fellow Addicts?

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) take the field this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) on Saturday evening.

What to Watch For: Cardinals QB’s. Coach Ken Whisenhunt still has not announced what the QB rotation will be. I’d look for Kurt Warner to get some playing time this week though after sitting out the New Orleans game last Thursday. As of Thursday, although nothing is official, it is looking like coach Whisenhunt is leaning towards Warner getting the start.

Key Offensive Match-Up: The third receiver spot (fight between Steve Breaston, Lance Long, Jereme Urban, and Early Doucet) vs. the Kansas City secondary. The Cardinals have a good competition going for the third receiver spot, which was vacated by Bryant Johnson, who bolted for less money to play in San Francisco. Breaston and Long have impressed, while Doucet has been hurt during the early weeks of camp.

Key Defensive Match-Up: Cardinals’ secondary vs. Brodie Croyle. This will go one of two ways. Either Croyle will continue to expose a poor pass defense, or the Cardinals will have found a way to keep Croyle and his back-ups in check. Whatever happens, it should be an improvement of the almost 300 yards the Cardinals gave up in the opener against the Saints.

However, this does not mean all is well. Let’s put this Chiefs‘ win into some context. First of all, who are we playing? Chicago has an excellent D and a mediocre O. So, we need to read the results considering the competition.

I was mixed on the O. I liked Brodie‘s poise and arm. He showed why I like him. I question his decision making, however, he made good decisions against the Bears. Chan‘s play calling was good. I loved how the ball was spread around. People like Franklin, Charles and Cottam got into the act. Now, what I didn’t like was all the rollouts. Why? What’s wrong with that? Well, think about what that tells you. Why do you roll out a QB? You are cutting the field in half, so why do it? The answer is to cover for weak pass protection. The fact that Chan is calling a lot of rollouts makes me nervous. It’s a tacit admission that the line is not good. This was against a good D, but it bears watching.

I had generally poor feelings about the play of our D. DJ played well, but it’s what I didn’t see that bothers me. I didn’t see D-line penetration against a poor Bears line. Plus, the corners played soft. Hopefully Dorsey will make a difference. However, it bears watching and I will be watching, thanks to Matte and the stoogetv link.

- Merlin

What a way to kick off the Chiefs‘ 2008 season, huh? Here are my thoughts…

The star of the first half was undoubtedly Brodie Croyle. People have it twisted about Croyle; we like him and are pulling for him, but we just didn’t possess the blind faith in him that some Chiefs fans do. Tonight, he definitely made us believe a little bit more than we did yesterday. His opening drive was the perfect way for him to start this season, not to mention put last season behind him. The drive was 16 plays, but that wasn’t what impressed me the most. What impressed me the most was that he was 5-5 on third down conversions. I also liked that broken play he turned into a scramble for a first down. A sharp performance overall.

The star of the second half was Arrowhead Addict favorite Bobby Sippio. Say what you will about his speed, but the guy could catch a bullet blindfolded with chopsticks. He’s also one helluva load to bring down in the open field, every bit as hard to drag down as Dwayne Bowe or Tony Gonzalez. He led the team in receiving with three catches for 57 yards and a TD, and simply took over the game during the game-winning drive. It was good to see Sippio given a chance, as I have always felt he’s a better player than either Jeff Webb or Sammie Parker. All the guy needs is an actual shot. Hopefully, Herm will look at what he did and get him some burn with the first and second strings next game. Regardless, he took a huge step towards making the team tonight.

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Instead of taking it on faith, I went to NFL.com, and looked up the correlation between winning/losing and making/missing the playoffs. I did not count teams that went 2-2 in the preseason, only winners and losers. Here’s the result of what I found.

53 teams had winning preseason records during that period. Of those 53 teams:

Winner in preseason and made postseason: 19
Winner in preseason and missed postseason: 34

So a winner in the preseason made the postseason 36% of the time during that time.

65 teams had losing preseason records during that period. Of those 65 teams:

Loser in preseason and made postseason: 12
Loser in preseason and missed postseason: 43

So a loser in the preseason made the postseason 18% of the time during that period.

So what can we conclude on actual facts. A winner is twice as likely to make the postseason. However, the chances of a winning record meaning regular season success only happen a little better than 33% of the time.

Now that your all bored with a ton of numbers, I’m done, and if you don’t believe me, go and crunch the numbers yourself.

I can see this one from all the angles. I think it is definitely important to play well and at least win a game or two in the preseason, but I don’t think it’s the ultimate harbinger for the regular season.

The 1969 Chiefs (of Superbowl fame) tantalized their fans with a 6-0 preseason record. By contrast, last year’s 4-12 record was preceded by an 0-4 preseason.

Coaches, pundits, and fans will argue until they’re blue that pre-season wins/losses are totally meaningless as an indicator of what to expect during the regular season. They will tell you that the only value of the pre-season (aside from ticket sales & broadcast/advertising royalties) is that it provides coaches with a bit of film and a couple of stats that help justify why such and such rookie, veteran should be kept/cut.

Even if the playcalling is pure vanilla, I would still maintain that what a team does during the pre-season can be fairly good harbinger of things to come.

I believe that if the Chiefs do better than .500 this pre-season, that there is at least a 50-50 chance they make it into the post-season and that if they go .500 or worse, we will be about the same for the regular season.

Winning is part philosophy, part preparation, and part habit; talk amongst yourselves . . .

I think it depends on where a team is as far as its evolution is concerned. If the Colts or Patriots drop all four preseason games, it’s no biggie. But we’re a team that needs confidence, needs to experience winning. I do think for the Chiefs the 2008 preseason will be extremely important, possibly more important than for any other team.

If you want to submit a piece to be considered for Addict Angles, e-mail me at arrowheadaddict@gmail.com.

(No Hard Knocks this season)

Friday, July 25: Begin training camp

(Starts two days earlier than last season, what does this mean? I have no idea.)

Thursday, July 31: Practice with Minnesota, River Falls

(I bet Jared Allen is buying the meal for his former teammates)

Saturday, Aug. 2: Family Fun Night

(Are you going to River Falls?)

Thursday, Aug. 7: Chiefs at Chicago, 7 p.m.

(Meet Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert)

Friday, Aug. 15: Break training camp

(Hopefully, the Chiefs will be arrest free at this point in the offseason)

Saturday, Aug. 16: Chiefs vs. Arizona, 7 p.m.

(I am thinking about attending this game with a new Glenn Dorsey jersey)

Saturday, Aug. 23: Chiefs at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

(This is always the best preseason game)

Thursday, Aug. 28: Chiefs vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.

(Trent Green getting his last shot at Arrowhead)

I am more excited about this preseason than the last few. Most of the time, we are trying to see who will win a few starting spots or who will be a good back-up. This season we will get to see a bunch of young guys fighting for almost every spot on the team, and that excites me! There will be around seven spots on offense potentially up for grabs, and about the same number on the defensive side of the ball. I love competition and I think it will help build a young team. Continue the discussion at our forums…

• 2008 Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp Dates Set – KC Chiefs
• Training Camp Link – University Wisconsin-River Falls