07-25-2007, 11:32 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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Chiefs sign Turley to contract ahead of training camp
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2949349
Quote:
Veteran offensive tackle Kyle Turley, who only a few years ago was rated among the NFL's top right tackles, will get another opportunity to resurrect his career.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who are to report Friday to training camp, have signed Turley to a contract, the details of which were not immediately available. While the return of Turley to the league and to the Chiefs, who released him earlier this spring, probably isn't as big a headline item as the comeback of Kansas City tailback Priest Holmes, it is still a significant development.
ESPN.com first reported June 22 that Turley, 31, hoped to give football another try and had auditioned earlier that week for Chiefs coaches and personnel officials.
Turley missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons because of a herniated disc and related back woes, then signed with Kansas City and actually opened the 2006 campaign as the starting left tackle. He was released, however, early in the offseason.
A few other teams were intrigued by Turley, but the Chiefs demonstrated the most interest and the veteran linemen felt he had unfinished business with the franchise.
A onetime ironman, Turley appeared in seven games for the Chiefs in 2006 after signing a two-year contract with Kansas City. He was the No. 1 left tackle for the first two games last season and then lost the starting job and suffered through a stretch of injuries, but he had a five-game stretch beginning in early November in which he started at right tackle.
Clearly, the eight-year veteran had plenty of rust in 2006 and it didn't help that he attempted to play with his weight in the 280s. There are tight ends in the NFL bigger than that, and the tough-guy Turley was tossed around at times by defensive linemen he would have handled easily in the prime of his career.
But Turley has built his weight back up and was 302 pounds and is said to be motivated to make up for lost time.
Turley wanted to sign with a team that will provide him an opportunity to play right tackle, the spot at which he starred for New Orleans (1998-2002) and St. Louis (2003-04). The former San Diego State star, a first-round pick of the Saints and the seventh overall player selected in the '98 draft, was always a natural right tackle because of his blend of power, nastiness and drive-blocking skills.
The Chiefs, whose once-stable offensive line is suddenly in a state of flux with the retirements of tackle Willie Roaf and guard Will Shields over the past two offseasons, are inclined to give Turley a shot at the right tackle spot. The current projected starter at right tackle is veteran Chris Terry, who played well after assuming the starting job last season but has suffered some off-field problems in the past.
Whether Turley can return to the form of his early career, when he was among the NFL's most feared and notorious blockers, remains to be seen. But the fact his weight has returned near his previous levels, when he typically played at 309 pounds and was able to maul defensive linemen, is certainly a plus.
Having been released by two franchises in two years -- the Rams jettisoned him in June 2005 after two years of inactivity and then the Chiefs dispatched him this March -- has provided Turley a source for rededicating himself.
He has played in 102 career games, all as a starter. During the six-season stretch from 1998-2003, Turley missed just one of a possible 96 games.
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Chiefs sign Turley to contract ahead of training camp
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