The Chiefs have begun to have out victims of the recent tornados in nearby Joplin, Missouri. The more than 130 players, coaches and staff who traveled to the city in four buses Thursday had trouble finding the words to describe their awe at seeing the devastation for the first time. "It's overwhelming," general manager Scott Pioli said. "I was on the bus with all the coaches and players, and it went from a talkative bus to dead silence." "The reality really sits in when you come over that hill," said quarterback Matt Cassel. "You see a 2-by-6-mile radius of pure destruction. It's like a nuclear bomb went off."

Brian Waters has starred on the offensive line of the Chiefs for the last decade, but his time in Kansas City may be running out. Chiefs management is very high on reserve guard Jon Asamoah, a third-round pick a year ago, according to team sources.

The Chiefs held three days of workouts this week with more than 40 players present. The players got together Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since the NFL lockout. The workouts were organized by quarterback Matt Cassel, safety Jon McGraw and linebacker Derrick Johnson. "This was more of a mental practice, not a lot of physical going on," said Johnson. "You're running around, everybody working out. It's just a good time to get back with your teammates, get the camaraderie going, to freshen up on the mental aspect of the game and some basic plays."

Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope, whose nickname is "Champ," lived up to the moniker last weekend when he saved a 6-year-old boy from drowning in a swimming pool. Pope saved the son of a longtime friend from drowning in his hometown of Americus, Ga.

NFL employees have had their salaries trimmed by 12 percent since April. Those reductions will increase if there's no labor deal by August and seven teams have instituted pay cuts or furloughs since the lockout began March 12. The teams are the Bills, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets and Lions.