Kansas City Chiefs: 10 Observations from Preseason Week 1

The Kansas City Chiefs opened their 2011 preseason schedule with a home game against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Friday night.

Unfortunately for KC, it ended in a disappointing 25-0 loss at the hands of the visitors from Florida.

While some players impressed, others still need a lot of work if they are going to make the final roster when the Chiefs cut the team down to 53 players over the next month.

Here are 10 observations from the Chiefs/Bucs preseason game this past weekend.

Justin Cole Was Impressive

The former undrafted free agent was very active on in the game, picking up two tackles for the Chiefs.

He also had in impressive sack where he went straight up the middle and nailed Bucs backup QB Josh Johnson.

Cole was on the Chiefs' practice squad last season, and was unable to receiving any playing time when the games counted.

That could all change this season with more performances like that one he had last Friday.

Corey Greenwood Looked Like a Starting ILB

Former CFL draft pick Cory Greenwood had a huge night in the Chiefs inaugural preseason game this year.

The 26-year-old linebacker had eight tackles and nearly sacked Bucs starting QB Josh Freeman on a play where he went unblocked.

He was all over the field, and really showed why he was taken third overall in the CFL draft last year with a performance like this one.

He could be ready to get some playing time at one of the inside linebacker spots this season if he keeps it up.

The QBs Didn't Impress

The Chiefs headed into this game with a big question mark surrounding their backup QB for this season.

After the game ended, the question mark might have got even bigger for the team.

Journeyman QB Tyler Palko and rookie Ricky Stanzi managed to each go four for eight with 34 passing yards and got sacked a total of seven times between them.

When you consider that starting QB Matt Cassel didn't even attempt a pass, it was a very dreadful night for Chiefs' signal callers overall.

Thomas Jones Still Has Some Fire Left

Chiefs veteran RB Thomas Jones was one of the only offensive starters that got the ball on Friday.

When he did, the 12-year vet made the most of it.

He rushed the ball two times for 25 yards, and on one run, he nearly got in a fight with a Bucs defender after getting pushed on his way out of bounds.

Jones might have been one of the only Chiefs showing any emotion on this night, but at least he hasn't lost any desire to play that game at this point in his career.

The Special Teams Needs Some Work

One of the biggest areas were the Chiefs struggled on Friday night was their special teams unit.

They gave up a couple decent returns to Bucs rookie Jock Sanders, and it didn't help that Chiefs punt returner Chandler Williams made two returns for minus-one yard on the night.

KC's special teams have been very inconsistent for awhile now, and they didn't look very good against the Bucs this weekend.

Something clearly needs to change between now and when the season starts on September 11 if this unit is going to excel in 2011.

Todd Haley Didn't Play Many of His Starters

As mentioned earlier, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley didn't want to risk mass injuries, so he sat out many of his would-be starters on Friday night.

Some of the main players that didn't play for Kansas City included Pro Bowler Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Le'Ron McClain, Jared Gaither, Steve Breaston and a few others as well.

Even some of the starters that did play, such as Pro-Bowlers Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe, hardly got the ball at all.

It's just hard to get a solid grasp on the current team that KC has in place when they've only played one game with just a few starters on the field, but I do expect this to change in the coming weeks.

Many of the Team's 2011 Draft Class Played Well

The Chiefs' 2011 rookie draft class showed some promise against the Bucs in their pro debuts this weekend.

Led by DT Jerrell Powe, DL Allen Bailey and OLB Justin Houston, KC's newly drafted rookies were among the few to make any noise on the field at Arrowhead Stadium in this game.

Bailey registered a sack, while Powe had four tackles and a great play when he ran about 30 yards down the field to make a touchdown-saving tackle on Tampa QB Josh Johnson.

Houston had four tackles, while rookie receiver Jonathan Baldwin also got in on the action with a nice 14-yard catch on a slant route from Palko.

Jackie Battle Struggled to Distance Himself from a Crowded Backfield

On a night when RBs Jamaal Charles, Thomas Jones and Le'Ron McClain only combined for two carries, journeyman Jackie Battle was the man to watch in the Chiefs' backfield.

Unfortunately for Battle, it turned out to be a night that he would not like to remember as the feature back for KC's offense.

He fumbled the ball in the first quarter, which eventually led to the Bucs' first TD on the night, and he had a difficult time getting through holes once they opened up for him.

He finished the night with 13 rushes for just 40 yards and 27 yards through the air after playing most of the game.

The Offensive Line Was Horrid

Arguably the most disappointing thing about the Chiefs performance against the Bucs on Friday was the play of their offensive line.

The starters did alright on in their limited amount of snaps on the field, but their back-ups were just hard to watch.

It seemed like every time QBs Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi would drop back in the pocket, they would have to run for their lives just to survive back there.

Surely this was not the start the Haley and his new offensive coordinator/former offensive line coach Bill Muir had in mind.

The Chiefs Were Not Playing to Win

Although this may have been obvious to some fans, it is important to remember when assessing this preseason games.

Under the Scott Pioli/Todd Haley regime, the Chiefs have never outright tried to win preseason games; instead, they have mainly used them as extended practices and ways to fill out their depth chart.

It was clear from the beginning that Haley had no intention of winning this game when he benched many of his best defensive players and hardly let some of his offensive stars even touch the ball.

No need to worry, Chiefs nation; this is not the same team that we will see in four weeks when the regular season begins at high noon at Arrowhead Stadium.