The Kansas City Chiefs will hold the first practice of training camp this afternoon in St. Joseph. The work begins without veteran offensive lineman Brian Waters. The Chiefs released the five-time Pro Bowler on Thursday.
Organization and player are calling the separation a mutual decision. "There's no ill will," Waters, 34, told The Kansas City Star. "There's no bad blood."
Chiefs head coach Todd Haley foreshadowed the move in March. Applauding Waters for a "terrific" 2010 season, the coach all but made creaking noises as he went into a discussion about the toll that age takes on all players.
News of Waters' release pulled tears out of the gang at Arrowhead Pride. Joel Thorman wrote:
There's also part of me that has trouble processing move because, when it comes down to it, Brian Waters is the Kansas City Chiefs.Really? An offensive lineman is the Chiefs?He's been here for a decade, he might lead the team in goodwill around the community with all of his charitable efforts and he was one of the few players we could be proud of in the dark days of the two and four-win seasons.
Don't misunderstand: Waters has had a great career, especially for a guy who went undrafted out of North Texas. Fans felt they knew him because he spoke with sincerity when the notepad and microphones came out.
But he's a guard, for pete's sake, and an aging one at that. Training camp might feel a little different for a while, without Waters holding court. But when the real games start on September 11, ol' No. 54 is going to be missed only if his replacement sucks in a way that a casual fan would notice.
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