Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson
QB Alex Smith
OLB Dee Ford
S Husain Abdullah

ST. JOSEPH, Missouri (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is already getting the hang of being a veteran.

Never mind that he is only entering his third season in the NFL, and that Kelce missed most of his first season due to injury. When practice had ended earlier this week, James O’Shaughnessy dutifully picked up Kelce’s shoulder pads and helmet and trudged toward the locker room.

“He warned me during OTAs that I’d have to do a little bit of rookie stuff,” O’Shaughnessy said, “but it’s expected. Nothing I can complain about.”

A few years ago, it was Kelce toting shoulder pads off the practice field, going through a similar dose of rookie hazing. But after a breakout season in which the former Cincinnati star led the Chiefs in receptions, yards receiving and tied for the lead in touchdown catches, he has become the de facto leader of a tight end corps without much veteran presence.

Richard Gordon and Ryan Taylor may have a couple more years of experience, but neither has played many meaningful snaps in the NFL. Besides O’Shaughnessy, the only other tight ends on the Kansas City roster are third-year pro Adam Schiltz and second-year pro Demetrius Harris.

So, the responsibility as fallen on Kelce to speak up in position meetings.

“He’s great. He’s extremely knowledgeable for how young he is,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Everyone knows how talented he is, and as of late, he’s put the two together.”

Kelce had 67 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns last season, helping to mask the deficiencies of the Kansas City wide receiver corps. Only a handful of tight ends — Jimmy Graham, Martellus Bennett, Greg Olsen, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates — were more productive.

In a late-season game at Arizona, Kelce had seven catches for 110 yards. He also had eight catches for 93 yards and a score against New England earlier in the year.

But all that production only seemed to validate the third-round pick that Kansas City spent on Kelce, and made everyone forget the knee surgery that cost him most of his rookie season.

“A lot of balls headed to Travis because he came back healthy,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said. “Travis was a big part of our system last year.”

He figures to be an even bigger part this season.

Kelce split time with Anthony Fasano, a nine-year veteran and more adept blocker, a year ago. But with Fasano no longer with the team, the flamboyantly popular Kelce will be asked to shoulder more of the burden, particularly when it comes to blocking in the run game.

“I’ve stepped up to kind of be the No. 1 role, with Fasano leaving,” he acknowledged. “But other than that, it’s all focused on getting better every day. You work on your fundamentals, you go into the film room to see what you have to do. On top of that, there’s little things in terms of the schemes that we’re doing. It’s just putting everything together.”

As solid as Kelce may be as a No. 1 tight end, the Chiefs use plenty of two- and three-tight end sets in their offense. That means that someone else will need to step up.

It also means Kelce will need to continue to tutor them.

“Gordon and Taylor, Schiltz, there are some good guys there that can work in here for potentially a second or third spot,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ” We’ve got good competition there. For what we do, we’ve got some pretty good players there.”

The Chiefs could always make a move after cuts are made, and Harris — who has been out with a foot injury — has shown flashes of athleticism that make him an intriguing possibility.

Regardless of who earns the other jobs, Kelce at least makes them feel good about one.

“It’s a group effort,” he said. “I might be the name on the group, but it’s a cohesive effort. Everybody’s putting in the work together, everybody is helping each other out.”

NOTES: RB Jamaal Charles did not participate in 11-on-11 drills Friday while as the Chiefs try to limit unnecessary wear and tear. Knile Davis ran with the first team. … Taylor left with a left quad injury. DL Nick Williams left with a concussion. … S Ron Parker made the play of the day by intercepting Alex Smith and returning it for a touchdown.

— Associated Press —

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
AHead Coach Andy Reid
LT Eric Fisher
RB/WR De’Anthony Thomas
DB Ron Parker

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — On the first day of training camp, Alex Smith dropped back in a full-squad drill and lofted a pass toward Jeremy Maclin, who pulled it in and sprinted to the end zone.

Just like that, Maclin had scored more touchdowns — ONE — than all of the Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receivers combined last season.

He had also showed why the Chiefs were so eager to sign him in free agency.

Without question, their pass-catching corps was among the least productive in the NFL last season, a big reason the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. Tight end Travis Kelce led the team in receptions and yards receiving, and five of the top six in receptions were either fellow tight ends or players listed as running backs.

The only wide receiver to crack that top six? Dwayne Bowe, who was jettisoned along with his massive contract after catching just 60 balls for 754 yards — and no touchdowns.

The Chiefs signed Maclin as an upgrade, one that fits their system better. Andy Reid traded up to draft him when Reid was running the show in Philadelphia, and the two remained in touch when the coach moved on to Kansas City and Maclin was rehabbing a torn ACL two years ago.

Last year, Maclin bounced back with 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, proving not only that he was healthy but — at least to the Chiefs — that he was a No. 1 wide receiver.

“I consider myself to be an all-around receiver, doing a little bit of everything,” Maclin said. “Being able to go downfield, run intermediate routes, run show routes — be able to take 1-yard passes and be able to take them to the house. I’m excited about that.”

Take them to the house? That would make the Chiefs excited, too.

To put Maclin’s season a year ago into perspective, consider this: Only once has a Chiefs wide receiver ever had more catches in a season (Bowe with 86 in 2008), and Derrick Alexander and Carlos Carson are the only ones to have more yards receiving in a season.

No wonder just about everyone on the field, and the fans in the stands, where whooping it up when Maclin took that pass from Smith to the end zone on the first day of camp.

“We were just getting work in. It was part of what we installed today; me and Alex just happened to hit,” Maclin said. “Every day is going to be a different story. We’ll continue to go out here and get work in. if it’s down the field, it’s down the field. If it’s anything else, it’s anything else. All we can do is go out there and execute the plays that are called.”

Maclin acknowledged there is some familiarity in those plays that are called. It’s been a couple years since he’s been in Reid’s system, and there have been tweaks to it along the way. But it’s not as if he’s learning a foreign language, or even a different dialect.

“You know, he didn’t skip a beat coming back into this,” Smith said. “He’s really smart and sees coverages, and when you go through receivers like that, they can anticipate when the ball is coming and you kind of like that. They know the little adjustments to make.”

Maclin will be counted on for more than just production. The Chiefs still have a young and relatively unproven wide receiver corps. So despite turning 27 in May, Maclin is one of the elder statesmen.

“He understands defenses, complexity of defenses, and what they’re trying to do to stop him,” said Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson, who also worked with Maclin in Philadelphia. “He brings a level of competitiveness that group needs and a veteran leadership within that room.”

So far, Maclin has embraced the burden that comes with his five-year, $55 million contract. He realizes that all eyes will be on him this season, especially if the Chiefs have any hopes of returning to the playoffs. He knows defenses will key on him. He is fully aware that fans expect him to not only catch passes, but score touchdowns.

One in training camp was a good start.

NOTES: S Eric Berry, back in camp after dealing with lymphoma, made a nice interception of a tipped pass in practice. Berry has been working mostly with the No. 2 defense while he gets back up to speed. … The Chiefs have their first day off from camp on Thursday. They resume practices Friday leading up to next week’s exhibition opener at Arizona.

— Associated Press —

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton
Special Teams Coach – Dave Toub
OL Mitch Morse
WR L’Damian Washington
K Cairo Santos

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have demonstrated a willingness under general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid to give players who have run into trouble a second chance.

They’ve also proven there’s no such thing as a third.

Take the case of Justin Cox, a defensive back from Mississippi State. He went undrafted after missing the final three games and the Orange Bowl last season following a domestic violence arrest — a charge that was ultimately dropped — and the Chiefs gave him a shot. But when Cox was arrested again this summer, it took them less than 24 hours to send him packing.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a hard and fast policy because every situation is different,” Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt said. “It’s up to John and his staff to do the research when a player has an incident and make a judgment call whether it’s going to work out. That particular situation, it didn’t, but John is very aware we don’t want guys who are going to be a problem.”

The Chiefs do want players who can help them win, though, and therein lies the balancing act that all NFL teams face: Who do you take a risk on? When do take a pass?

In the three years since Dorsey and Reid have been in charge, the Chiefs have added numerous players with checkered pasts, and so far they’ve mostly steered clear of trouble.

Tight end Travis Kelce was their third-round pick a couple years ago, even though he had been suspended in college for violating team rules. Not only has Kelce developed into one of the most dynamic tight ends in the game, he has also matured into a locker room leader.

“A little bit more accountability,” Kelce replied, when asked how he’s changed.

The Chiefs also took a chance on cornerback Phillip Gaines in last year’s draft. He had run into trouble at Rice, but his size and speed made him an intriguing prospect. Fast-forward to this year’s training camp and Gaines is competing for one of the starting jobs.

But perhaps never have the Chiefs taken on so many players with spotty pasts as this past season, beginning with the draft and continuing right on through free agency.

Their first-round pick, Marcus Peters, was thrown off his team at Washington because he could not get along with new coach Chris Peterson. But the Chiefs insist that they researched the star cornerback, who might’ve been a top-10 pick had he stayed out of trouble, and came away confident that Peters had learned from his mistakes and was unlikely to repeat them.

“It was an emotional situation and he didn’t handle it the right way. I think he’s learned from it, just from our experience with him,” Reid said. “He was up front with us. He said, ‘I goofed,’ and that’s half the battle.”

Defensive lineman David Irving has also acknowledged his mistakes, a big reason Kansas City was willing to give him a shot as an undrafted free agent.

The former Iowa State standout was suspended after he was charged with domestic abuse against the mother of his child, a charge that was later dropped. Then, during a riot near campus during a student-run festival, Irving was photographed holding a stop sign that he argued was handed to him by another person. He was charged with theft, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.

When he did make it onto the field, Irving was one of the best defensive linemen in the Big 12, and he could help the Chiefs absorb the loss of nose tackle Dontari Poe to injury.

“We knew he was a good football player,” Reid said. “He had some issues, obviously. John Dorsey and his crew, I thought, did a nice job getting in there and making sure with him that he would fit in here and that he kind of had things going in the right direction.”

Dorsey and Reid also thought that Cox was headed in the right direction, only to proven wrong. But that is the tightrope they are willing to walk — star potential on one side of a very thing line, and more trouble looming just on the other.

“John and I talk about it, and he knows that we want to be a leader in the NFL,” Hunt said, “not a team that has a lot of guys that are getting in trouble.”

NOTES: Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Suttons said Tuesday that LB Derrick Johnson “is back to where he was” before his season-ending Achilles injury. … Gaines left practice early with an injury. It did not appear to be serious. … WR L’Damian Washington, who signed with the Chiefs on Monday, participated in his first practice.

— Associated Press —

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Head Coach Andy Reid
CB Marcus Peters
RB Knile Davis
OL Ben Grubbs
OL Eric Kush
DE Mike Catapano

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Jamaal Charles had holes in his shoes on the first day of training camp.

The Chiefs running back was trying out a new pair, and they apparently were a bit tight in the toes. So Charles made incisions on each shoe that allowed his big toe to poke though.

Entering his eighth year in the league, they might be the only holes in his game.

Charles is coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, despite battling nagging injuries all year. He also had at least 35 receptions for the third straight year, even though he was the constant focus of opposing defenses on a team with few offensive weapons.

“It’s a compliment,” Charles said of the attention. “As long as I play in this league, and play on a high level, I always feel like a team is going to have to stop me. I feel like sometimes I’m the LeBron (James) of football, especially at my position, because I can do so much.”

Provided Charles is healthy, of course.

He missed most of the 2011 season after tearing his ACL, then dealt with one injury after another last season, even if he never let on to them.

It began during the offseason program when he first picked up some bumps and bruises. It continued in training camp, when he bruised a foot while carrying a box out of Scanlon Hall when the team was wrapping up workouts at Missouri Western. And then when the season began, it seemed like just about every week there was a new ailment, some more serious than others.

They never caused him to miss a game, but they certainly curtailed his production. He carried just seven times for 19 yards in the season opener against Tennessee, then carried twice for 4 yards the following week against Denver, when he had to leave with an ankle injury.

“Last OTAs, I hurt my heel. I wasn’t showing anybody that I was hurt. Then I hurt myself before the preseason game. Then I got hurt in the second game. It was a struggle up and down,” he said, “right from the beginning of the season.”

It certainly wasn’t the way Charles, a two-time All-Pro, intended to celebrate his two-year contract extension that will earn him an additional $18.1 million through the 2017 season.

The Chiefs understand how important Charles is to a successful season. Nobody else on the roster can change a game as quickly. So to ensure he’s on the field late in the year, when Kansas City hopes to be in the playoff hunt, the teams’ brain trust spent much of the offseason dreaming up ways to keep him healthy, not only in training camp but beyond.

“You want to make sure he is healthy late in the season,” offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said, “so if that means giving a guy like Knile Davis some reps — whatever you have to do, number one, to keep him healthy for 16 games, and you do that each week.”

Pederson said one of the biggest challenges is noticing when Charles is operating at less than 100 percent. The former Texas standout hates to take time off, even from practice.

“We have to be smart and work with our training staff and our medical staff to just stay in tune,” he said. “Communication is obviously the utmost importance when it comes to those kinds of situations. We have to be smart and give him that proper rest, you know? And he has to communicate with us and tell us when he may be a little banged-up or maybe can’t go here or there.”

For now, Charles feels the best he has in a year, maybe even longer.

As for those new shoes? Well, the star running back doesn’t seem to be taking any chances with so much as a blister. Two days later, he was in a better-fitting pair.

NOTES: The Chiefs waived DE Jerel Worthy and signed former Missouri WR L’Damian Washington. … Practice was moved indoors Tuesday because of lightning in the area. … WR Jeremy Maclin and CB Phillip Gaines briefly left practice with minor injuries. Both returned. … First-round pick Marcus Peters is shining at CB, picking off three passes in practice. He’s competing for a starting job with Sean Smith suspended the first three weeks.

— Associated Press —

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Chiefs’ Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt
Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson
TE Travis Kelce
LB Derrick Johnson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The massive linebacker with the sweat-drenched biceps insists he never took a day off this offseason, even if he never showed up for one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ workouts.

Early in training camp, it’s easy to believe him.

With his familiar No. 50 stretched across his broad shoulders, Justin Houston has wasted no time in terrorizing quarterbacks again — even if they happened to be his own teammates. While the Chiefs worked out in only shells during the first couple of days, and hitting the QB is always taboo this time of year, more than once Houston could have easily leveled the boom.

“I just made sure about being busy at all times,” said Houston, who often posted videos of his offseason workouts on social media while his representatives worked on a long-term contract.

The deal was consummated just over a week ago, a six-year, $101 million pact.

“I knew the guys here were working, and I knew the strength coaches were going to have these guys in shape,” Houston explained, “so I didn’t want to show up out of shape. Whenever I got that call, I wanted to make sure I was ready.”

The Chiefs will certainly be counting on him.

After piling up a franchise-record 22 sacks a year ago, Houston will have to anchor a defense that is already without two starters for Week 1, and that is getting older by the day.

Defensive tackle Dontari Poe, so critical in tying up offensive linemen and giving Houston a clear path to the quarterback, will miss all of training camp and likely part of the season after surgery for a herniated disc. Poe is on campus at Missouri Western, but the 350-pounder is nowhere close to being ready to step onto the practice field.

Then there’s cornerback Sean Smith, who’s suspended the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. It was Smith’s ability to lock down the opponent’s top wide receiver that often gave Houston time to get to the quarterback.

“Instantly, it’s kind of like a bulls-eye on your head,” said fellow linebacker Tamba Hali, who was in a similar situation when he signed a big contract a few years ago. “Everybody is going to scrutinize everything you do. Twenty-two sacks? People think that’s easy to do, so if he even gets 12 or 14 sacks, people are going to scrutinize. But that’s hard to do.”

Houston insists he can handle the weight of his massive contract, just as easily as he pushes up the countless plates he puts on the bench-press bar. It doesn’t matter that he will be double-teamed all season, or that the focus of opposing defenses will be squarely on him.

“I’m going to continue to do what I do,” he said. “Be ready for every game, continue to stay focused and continue to work like I’ve been working. Nothing changes.”

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt certainly hopes that’s the case.

After all, he opened his checkbook to write the largest check in franchise history, one that will pay the 26-year-old Houston $52.5 million in guarantees. It is the second-richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, trailing only the $114 million, six-year deal Ndamukong Suh landed from the Miami Dolphins this past offseason.

“That’s part of today’s NFL,” Hunt said. “Just is a great player. He’s a great leader, he’s great in the community. He’s the type of player we want associated with the Chiefs for the bulk of his career. We always want to reward players we draft, that have grown up in our system.”

Hunt said he wasn’t in touch with general manager John Dorsey on a day-by-day basis, but the value of the contract naturally kept him in tune to negotiations.

Nor was Hunt worried about giving the deal to Houston, who fell from a potential first-round pick to the third round after testing positive for marijuana at the scouting combine. In the years since he was draft, Houston has proven to be the consummate professional.

“He’s turned into a great player,” Hunt said, “and a great leader.”

NOTES: It was Alumni Day at training camp. Among those on hand were former GM Carl Peterson, seven-time Pro Bowl OL Ed Budde and two-time Pro Bowl DT Bill Maas. … WR Albert Wilson had the highlight of the day, torching CB Sean Smith for a long touchdown catch. Smith promptly dropped down and did pushups as punishment for getting beat.

— Associated Press —

Click the links below to hear press conferences from the Chiefs first practice at MWSU Saturday.

Head Coach Andy Reid
QB Alex Smith
RB Jamaal Charles
WR Jeremy Maclin
LB Justin Houston
LB Tamba Hali

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — There was already going to be plenty of competition for one of the starting cornerback jobs in Kansas City, even before the Chiefs learned Sean Smith would be suspended for the first three games of the regular season.

Now, there are two jobs up for grab.

The battle began in earnest Saturday, when the Chiefs had their first full-squad workout of training camp on the campus of Missouri Western. Nearly a dozen players on the roster are capable of playing cornerback, and nearly half have a realistic shot at a starting job.

That makes the competition one of the most intriguing of camp.

“We rotate guys in there anyways, and it really doesn’t matter the side,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve got enough guys there, including the rookies, that can come in and work into the rotation. We’ve got plenty of guys to work through that.”

Phillip Gaines appears to have the edge on the rest of the crew after starting five games as a rookie a year ago. But he’ll be pushed by a pair of rookies, including first-round pick Marcus Peters, and a host of more experienced players — Marcus Cooper, Jamell Fleming and Ron Parker, who is capable of playing safety along with cornerback.

Gaines, a former third-round pick, got off to a slow start as a rookie. But he came on late in the season, then made perhaps the biggest strides of anyone in the Chiefs’ offseason program.

Cooper has started 10 games over the past two seasons, but he struggled so much late last season that he was eventually benched. Fleming took over the job after bouncing through Arizona and Jacksonville, and played reasonably well. Parker is more adept at safety, but he has the kind of speed and athleticism that the Chiefs wisely re-signed him in free agency.

Then there are the rookies, the complete unknowns.

Peters, once thought to be a top-10 talent, was chosen 18th overall out of Washington, even after he was kicked off his team for what amounted to insubordination last season. Peters insists that all his off-the-field trouble is in the past, and the Chiefs have been pleased by the way he has carried himself since arriving in Kansas City.

“It’s a job that you have to do,” Peters said. “For me, it’s a sacrifice that I placed upon my family for me to come out here to do certain things to provide for them in certain ways.”

The other rookie with a shot at the starting job is Steven Nelson, a third-round pick out of Oregon State — though he may be better suited to the nickel position.

Both of them have some ground to make up. Washington and Oregon State are among the schools on a different academic schedule than most colleges, so the rookies had to return to finish their classwork after they were drafted. That means they missed out on much of the offseason program, though Peters and Nelson remained in touch, helping each other grasp the system.

“We help each other out whenever we can,” Nelson said, “just going over the playbook or anything. Whenever we have questions off the field we might go to each other since we’re right next door and talk to each other.”

Smith, the Chiefs’ top cornerback, was suspended last week after pleading guilty to drunken driving. First-time offenders are usually given a two-game suspension from the NFL, but Smith was hit with an additional game because he crashed his car into a light pole.

Reid said that Smith will still get repetitions in training camp, but it remains to be seen how the coach will split up snaps in preseason games, beginning Aug. 15 at Arizona.

As for Smith, he plans tutor the rest of the cornerbacks as much as possible.

“That’s been my role since I’ve been in the NFL with anybody that’s younger than me,” he said, “because all it takes is one play for me to be hurt, and then they have to step in anyway. My job is to make sure everybody around me is better, regardless of first-team, second-team, a safety, a linebacker. If it’s anybody that I can help out on the field, I’m going to do it.”

NOTES: WR Jeremy Maclin made a couple of deep catches, giving the Chiefs exactly what they wanted when they signed him in the offseason. … Thousands of fans showed up for the first day of training camp, forming a line into the practice facility that stretched nearly half a mile. … Rookie WR Chris Conley (knee) did not participate in the practice.

— Associated Press —

Click to listen to part one of Eric Berry’s press conference

Click to listen to part two of Eric Berry’s press conference

Click to listen to Andy Reid’s press conference

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – There was a moment in the early stages of chemotherapy when Eric Berry was having breakfast with his father, and the enormity of what faced him was so great that he broke down and cried.

For 30 minutes, one of the toughest players on the Kansas City Chiefs wept.

Then, he resolved to beat cancer.

Eight months later, Berry walked triumphantly onto the practice fields at Missouri Western State University, joining rookies and select veterans Wednesday for the start of training camp.

Six merciless rounds of draining, debilitating drugs had rid his body of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but they had also stoked the passion that Berry still harbors for the game.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” he said, “but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Flanked by his father, James, and his mother, Carol, Berry spoke publicly for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer last December. He recalled the terror that gripped him when the mass was first found in his chest, and the dark days that immediately followed.

The days he didn’t want to get out of bed. The days he struggled to choke down food, all of it tasteless. The seemingly endless trips to the hospital for each round of treatment.

“In the beginning it was hard, it really was,” James Berry said. “Those possibilities go through your mind – ‘What if he can’t play again?’ You think of those types of things, but then you kick those to the side. And when you looked at Eric you said, ‘This guy is a fighter.'”

Such a fighter that he chose to receive treatment through an IV rather than a PICC line, a semi-permanent catheter that would have prevented him from training.

Between each round of chemo, Berry would squeeze in 10 to 12 workouts, sometimes struggling just to do five push-ups. But he never lost sight of an audacious goal: Be back with the Chiefs by the time their season opens Sept. 13 in Houston.

“Everybody wants you to be strong in this situation,” Berry said, “but you can’t be strong every day. If you want to be mad today, be mad. If you want to be sad, be sad. But the thing is, don’t stay that way. Get it out of your system and go back to work.”

Berry passed a battery of tests before he was cleared to practice late Tuesday, but it remains unclear when he’ll fully participate in practice. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Berry will be monitored constantly, especially during the early portion of camp.

Veterans report Friday. The first full-squad workout is Saturday.

“One of the things Eric and I talked about was just being honest with us about how you’re feeling out here,” coach Andy Reid said, “and sometimes that’s hard for a player to do, especially with his makeup. He’s been great with that up to this point and I think that will continue through.”

After all, he’s in a much better place than he was eight months ago.

The three-time Pro Bowler first knew something was amiss in November, when he felt oddly out of breath after a couple of games.

When things got worse during a game against Oakland, Berry was put through a series of tests that revealed a mass in his chest. The diagnosis was Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a treatable form of cancer that affects about 9,000 people in the U.S. each year.

His treatment began Dec. 10 at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, near his home in Atlanta.

And it wasn’t easy: “It literally feels like you’re dying,” Berry recalled, “but you’re not really battling chemo, you’re battling yourself the whole time. It was me versus me.”

The final round of treatment was May 13, followed by a month of recovery.

“He tolerated chemotherapy extremely well,” said Dr. Christopher R. Flowers, who directs the cancer institute’s lymphoma program. “He achieved a complete response to treatment.”

On June 22, a follow-up PET scan showed Berry was cancer-free.

The Chiefs had just finished their mandatory minicamp, so he headed to Florida, where he trained with teammates. Then last week, Berry headed back to Kansas City for another round of testing to make sure he was in football condition.

“It was a battle, every day, to the point where I had to set goals to get out of bed,” he said. “But I had a great support system, between my mom and dad being in the trenches with me, day in and day out, making sure I had everything I needed.”

The Chiefs are cautiously optimistic Berry will be ready for the regular season, and such a rapid return would not be without precedent: Reid said they looked at case studies involving other athletes, such as Mario Lemieux, in deciding how to proceed.

The Hall of Fame hockey player was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993, went through a similar course of treatment and returned to finish his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

There is plenty of work ahead for Berry.

But on a warm, humid morning in northwest Missouri, as he trotted out of the locker room, he had already surpassed nearly all expectations.

“At the beginning, you kind of put football aside. Your mind goes to, ‘Hey, we’re hoping and praying he can be healthy and live a good life,'” Reid said. “Anything else is icing on the cake.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After several rounds of thorough testing and a process that concluded late Tuesday evening, Chiefs safety Eric Berry has been cleared to take the practice field with the club for Wednesday morning’s practice with quarterbacks, rookies and injured players.

Head Coach Andy Reid and Head Athletic Trainer Rick Burkholder will address Berry’s medical and football timeline post practice on Wednesday. Following their address, Berry will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. in the Presidential Room at Blum Union on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

Media members are asked to please visit Blum 220 prior to the availability to be credentialed and directed to the proper location. All media outlets are permitted to carry the events live, however, please plan accordingly as cabling will not be allowed.

Berry (6-0, 211) was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December of 2014 following Week 12 of the regular season. He began treatments immediately and wrapped up his final treatment this June. He has played in 60 games with the Chiefs (53 starts), recording 323 tackles, 5.5 sacks and eight interceptions. Berry joined the Chiefs as the club’s first-round draft pick (fifth overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Click here to listen to Head Coach Andy Reid

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are facing a potentially devastating loss on defense, even though training camp doesn’t begin for veterans until this weekend.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe will miss camp and likely part of the season after undergoing surgery last week on a herniated disc. The injury initially occurred during the Chiefs’ voluntary offseason program, but Poe aggravated it during a workout at home on July 8.

Poe had surgery to remove the disc on July 15.

“He’s not doing a whole lot of rehab or treatment. He’s just resting,” Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Tuesday as rookies and select veterans reported to training camp at Missouri Western. “I’ve told the coaches we won’t talk about any more activity with Dontari until we get out of training camp.”

Poe is expected to report with the rest of veterans Friday, but he will spend his time with Burkholder and the training staff rather than on the practice field.

Coach Andy Reid said Jaye Howard will be first in line for repetitions, but veteran Mike DeVito and sixth-round pick Rakeem Nunez-Roches could compete for time.

Asked whether he expects Poe back for the season opener Sept. 13 at Houston, Reid replied: “I think he stands a reasonable chance the early part of the season, whether it’s the beginning or somewhere early in the season for his return. You just have to see, see how he recovers.

“It’s a positive thing,” Reid insisted, “and it’s something he needed to get done, as opposed to have that other deal antagonize him throughout the season.”

The two-time Pro Bowl selection is coming off arguably the best season of his three-year career. Poe had six sacks despite facing constant double teams, and he was invaluable in slowing down the running game, something that plagued Kansas City all season.

The Chiefs at least have reasonable depth at his position.

Howard started 10 of the 16 games he played in a year ago, and DeVito is returning from a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him in Week 1. Nunez-Roches is a raw prospect out of Southern Miss, but his size and athleticism made him a favorite among coaches this summer.

Yet replacing Poe is a 6-foot-3, 346-pound task. His bulk and the physical demands of his position combined with the nature of the injury make any return uncertain.

“He’ll have extensive rehab and treatment,” Burkholder acknowledged.

The news put a damper on what has been an upbeat offseason for the Chiefs.

After barely missing the playoffs a year ago, they upgraded their offense by signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in free agency. They also return Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson from a season-ending injury, and signed All-Pro linebacker Justin Houston to new contract.

There also have even been positive reports on the status of safety Eric Berry, who missed much of last season after he was diagnosed with lymphoma. It remains unknown whether Berry will be able to play at all this season, but Reid said Tuesday that he is undergoing more testing this week and that there should be news on his status soon.

“He’s kept himself in good shape, believe it or not. He’s done a really good job there. But like I’ve said, he has to go through all the formalities here,” Reid said.

If nothing else, the return of Berry to the team — even as an observer — could lift the spirits of team that could be without Poe for much of the season.

“We’re all fans of his in this situation,” Reid said. “He’s getting the tests done and we’ll take it from there. I know everyone is chomping at the bit, Eric more than anybody.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that for the first time in the 24-year history of the event, the tradition of Red Friday will become Red Thursday on September 17, in conjunction with the team’s 2015 home opener against the Denver Broncos on CBS’s Thursday Night Football.

“This year, Red Thursday is going to capture all of the annual Red Friday excitement from around the city and match that with the energy and vigor that our fans and all of Chiefs Kingdom feel on gameday,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “This tradition is a highlight for the organization every year, and we are looking forward to sharing an exciting day of Chiefs events with our fans, culminating in our primetime contest against the Broncos at Arrowhead.”

To honor the long-standing tradition of selling special-edition newspapers started by Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt and the Chiefs Red Coaters more than two decades ago, Chiefs executives, former Chiefs players, Chiefs Cheerleaders, Red Coaters, local business leaders, dignitaries, media personalities and hundreds of volunteers will be selling “This is Chiefs Kingdom” flags at select street corners throughout the greater Kansas City area for the second year in a row.

A minimum donation of $5 is encouraged for fans wishing to obtain the official 2015 edition “This is Chiefs Kingdom” flag, which will be available at more than 170 locations, including all Kansas City and St. Joseph-area McDonald’s restaurants. Through a partnership with McDonald’s, the net proceeds from this year’s flag sales will again benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City.

Since the inception of Red Friday, newspaper and magazine sales have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities, with an emphasis on assisting youth in need. Last year alone, the sales of “This is Chiefs Kingdom” flags resulted in a donation of $135,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City, the largest Red Friday donation in the history of the event.

In addition to purchasing a “This is Chiefs Kingdom” flag at participating locations, fans are also encouraged to show their Red Thursday spirit by wearing Chiefs gear all day in preparation for the team’s 2015 home opener at 7:25 p.m. vs. the Denver Broncos. For fans who are unable to attend the game at Arrowhead, the AFC West showdown will be broadcast locally on KCTV (CBS) and nationally on both CBS and NFL Network. Additional information, including a map of all sale locations, will be available in the coming weeks on www.chiefs.com/redthursday.

To celebrate the home opener, there are a number of game entertainment elements scheduled to showcase both the Chiefs and Kansas City on the national stage. Highlighting the overwhelming sense of Kansas City pride during the nationally televised game, the Kansas City Symphony will lead Arrowhead Stadium in the National Anthem.

In addition, the Chiefs will recognize players from the club’s two Super Bowl teams (I and IV) during a special halftime ceremony as part of the NFL’s celebration of 50 years of the Super Bowl in 2015. The Chiefs represented the American Football League in two of the first four Super Bowl games, including Super Bowl I, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015-16.

Additional game entertainment details will be announced closer to the start of the season.

— Chiefs Media Relations —