Former Chiefs offensive lineman Rich Baldinger will not face charges after being involved in a traffic accident that left a woman dead. Investigators have determined that the Saturday crash in Blue Springs, Mo. between Baldinger and Marilyn Walters, 61, of Grain Valley was accidental.

Patriots receiver Wes Welker is "very happy" that former teammate Matt Cassel has landed in Kansas City with the Chiefs. "I'm very happy for him because now he can pick up all the restaurant bills and things like that," Welker said Saturday. "If I ever need a loan, I can always come to him." Cassel will make almost $15 million this season as the front-runner to be the Chiefs' starting quarterback.

Former Chiefs lineman Richard Baldinger was involved in a traffic accident that left a woman dead on Saturday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 61 year-old was killed when the car she was in collided with a car driven by Baldinger. Baldinger was an offensive lineman for the Chiefs from 1982-93, and has also worked as a television analyst.

The Chiefs have signed veteran safety Mike Brown to a contract. Brown is a nine-year veteran and made the Pro Bowl with the Bears in 2005. He has missed 44 games over the past five seasons because of injuries and Chicago made no effort to re-sign him after last season.

The Chiefs will retire the number of late Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas during a ceremony this season. The ceremony will take place on Dec. 6 during halftime of Kansas City's game against Denver. Thomas wore No. 58 during his 11 seasons with the Chiefs. He died in February 2000 of injuries from a car accident.

The Chiefs have lost a combined 340 pounds this year thanks to the instruction of new head coach Todd Haley. "We were out of shape and not really strong," said Haley. "I talked to our strength coach at Arizona [where Haley was offensive coordinator last season] and he said if you're a highly efficient team that's working, you lose about 120 to 150 pounds in the off-season." Kansas City was 2-14 last season. "The players understood that to be around, we weren't going to have a fat team," the coach said. "And if you were fat, we'd probably just move on at some point as soon as we could." Haley dropped serious weight himself, going from 217 to 192.

The Chiefs are adjusting to new head coach Todd Haley's fiery style. Haley's style is vastly different than that of Herm Edwards, who was often friendly with his players. "It's been like night and day," fullback Mike Cox said.

The Chiefs have signed kicker Ryan Succop to a three-year contract. Succop was a seventh-round pick and the final selection in April's NFL Draft, playfully known as Mr. Irrelevant. He is expected to compete with Connor Barth for Kansas City's kicking job.

The Chiefs are impressed with the way Matt Cassel has adjusted to his new role as starter in Kansas City. This weekend's mandatory minicamp brought the team together for the first time this offseason. "We're building chemistry, we're building rapport and everybody's working hard," Cassel said. Kansas City coach Todd Haley refuses to name a starter, but it's clear that it's Cassel's job. "He's running the team," said wide receiver Bobby Engram. "And I'm very impressed. He's a very sharp guy. He's watching film, he's drawing up plays, he's coaching everybody up. He's shown early on that we're going to be able to rely on him."

Chiefs coach Todd Haley has already eased up a bit, according to Pro Football Talk. Haley began the team's offseason workouts with his typical loud, in-your-face style. However, word out of Kansas City is that he has softened his approach as time wears on, and the players are reportedly appreciative of the change.