Breakdown: Training camp is drawing to a close,
making every available opportunity more critical for players on the bubble.
League rules mandate that all NFL teams trim their rosters to 75 players no
later than 3:00 PM (CT) on Tuesday, August 29, making Saturday night’s game
against the Rams vital for player evaluation.
“It’s always hard cutting players, but you have to,” Edwards commented after
the team’s 11:35 AM practice on Wednesday. “That’s part of our business, but the
thing you want to do is you have to make sure if it’s a veteran guy you’d rather
cut him earlier than late so he can get some offers – so he can go get a
job.”
“I said this in the spring: you want to have a competitive training camp,
competitive off-season,” Edwards continued. “We’ve had it very competitive at
certain positions and I think we’ll be better for it. Some positions weren’t as
competitive as we thought they would be. That’s when you gotta go see who’s
going to get cut.”
Roster turnover is a fact of life in the NFL every year, something that the
Chiefs head coach is well aware of. “There will probably be at the end of the
day 10 news faces here at least,” Edwards said referring to the probable makeup
of the club’s 53-man roster. “I said that when I first got here. Most teams are
going to turn over at least 10-12 guys; that’s what happens. As it looks right
now, there will be some new faces here whether they came from (unrestricted)
free agency, whether we drafted them, whether they were a free agent, they’re
going to make the football team. That’s good, that’s a good thing. That means
you upgraded your team.”
Wednesday’s spiders (flap-jackets and helmets) practice was a turning point
for the club in terms of getting a feel for how Edwards runs his regular season
practice schedule. “The key that guys are going to learn about this schedule is
they’re going to learn that they have to get here in the morning and eat
breakfast,” Edwards remarked. “Lunch is not until (after 2 o’clock) so they have
to change their way of thinking and eat breakfast and go out and practice.”
Look Who’s Talking: “He’s been our most valuable
player the last two games. He’s a weapon and can create field position when
you’ve lost some field possession.“
- Herm Edwards on P Dustin
Colquitt
Look Ahead: The Chiefs will replicate a typical
in-season Friday schedule with their practice set for 11:15 AM on Thursday.
