Wide receiver Chris Chambers, a former starter, wasn’t active for the second straight game. Chambers, who has just seven receptions for 76 yards this season, hasn’t had much of an impact and coach Todd Haley appears tired of waiting for him to produce. Chambers has a sore finger that is heavily wrapped when he practices, but he wasn’t listed on the injury report at the end of last week. — KC Star

Javier Arenas is a Chiefs rookie, 22 years old, quick and tough. He’s a cornerback and kick-return specialist, and he’s good at that. Maybe the thing he’s best at, though, is bouncing back. That’s what he did when he was 13, when he first got that scar. A cardiologist discovered that young Javier had been born with a double aortic arch, a congenital disorder in which the aorta is forked near his heart, and the arches were suppressing his windpipe. It explained why the youngster kept needing breaks when he ran around at school; why activity was so exhausting to him. His esophagus was being pinched by his heart’s fingers, and surgery was necessary. “I thought it was all over for me,” he says now. About six weeks after the abnormality was found, an 8-inch incision became a pathway to the boy’s heart. The cardiologist repaired the problem, easing pressure on the boy’s esophagus. Javier spent a week in the hospital, and he carried a heart monitor to make certain his body was recovering. It was a long process, he had been told, and after about a year, he’d be fully recuperated, breathing better and maybe playing football again, but he’d just have to … — KC Star

Chiefs and coach Todd Haley continues to show uncommon patience with wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. His third-quarter dropped pass in the end zone was a key play in the Chiefs’ first loss of the season Sunday in Indianapolis. A catch would have given the Chiefs a 13-9 lead, but instead they settled for a field goal on the possession and eventually lost 19-9. Dropped balls have been a problem for Bowe almost from the day he joined the Chiefs in 2007, but Haley didn’t sound on Monday like a coach ready to give up on Bowe anytime soon. “Dwayne Bowe did so many good things in that game, so many good things,” Haley said. “He played smart, he understood the game plan and what he was supposed to do, and he did it at a high level in the run game and the pass game. It just so happens that he had an opportunity to make a big play, which is part of his job description . . . and he didn’t make it. That ends up being a not-so-good thing, but Dwayne Bowe’s arrow is going up. There isn’t a doubt in my mind. “We have won with Dwayne, and we will continue to win with Dwayne.” Haley also aggressively defended quarterback Matt Cassel, who hasn’t taken the Chiefs to a touchdown in either of their two road games. — KC Star

Chiefs defensive lineman Shaun Smith said Wednesday that he would appeal the $10,000 fine the NFL handed him for striking an opponent in the groin area. Smith was accused in consecutive weeks by opposing offensive linemen for grabbing their genitals during plays. Both times, Smith’s alleged actions drew 15-yard penalties against Cleveland and, a week later, San Francisco. Smith said that was the first time the NFL had fined him in his eight seasons. He didn’t deny grabbing Cleveland’s Alex Mack or San Francisco’s Anthony Davis. He said the fine, regardless of whether it’s reduced, wouldn’t affect the way he plays. “Why should it?” he said. “If you get stuck with the 10 grand, that’s a lot of money. That’s some people’s salaries. It is what it is.” — KC Star

Chiefs DT Shaun Smith, of course, hasn’t admitted to anything. He did tape a strongly worded letter from a Browns fan near his locker, in which he was called names far worse than the nickname making the rounds: Shaun Smith, the “Genital Giant.” For now, Smith’s teammates won’t discuss the topic of dirty play and whether Smith, the loudest and brashest Chiefs player, would be capable of grabbing someone down south. Coaches aren’t saying much, either — but Bill Maas says that doesn’t mean they don’t value that Smith listened to his coaches way back when, remembering now that his job is to stop his opponent by any means necessary. “Don’t think for one second that Todd Haley isn’t glad he has a guy like that on his team,” Maas says. “He can’t say it. He’ll never say it. He likes the guy. Because he brings a nastiness to his defense. “You have to say things politically correct. It’s no different from the gladiators in the Roman days. Same thing. People are there to see violence. Violence is going to happen. But you can’t talk about it. … You play in a frenzy, and you really don’t care about much else.” — KC Star

Chiefs DE Shaun Smith not sure he likes the national media attention he’s received after an opposing player accused Smith of grabbing his opponents’ testicles for the second straight week. “I have no comment on that,” Smith said. “Football is a contact sport. I’ve been playing football since I was 6 (years old), and it’s always been a contact sport. I don’t get into the national publicity or pay any attention to that. I’m here to play football and help my team win games.” — KC Star

Coach Todd Haley has said that Tamba Hali, in his fifth year, has a chance to become one of the league’s best pass rushers, and he showed Sunday that he’s capable. Hali had three sacks in a game against Denver last year, and before that, the Chiefs had gone without a three-sack performance since Allen did it against Washington in 2005. Hali might not say much, but that doesn’t mean he’ll go unnoticed the rest of this season. If Crennel’s scheme keeps working, you can be certain of that. That much showed in one afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. “That is a really good day,” Haley said, “and that is good for the Chiefs.” – KC Star

Kansas City QB Matt Cassel is running out of excuses for his poor play. They can run the ball, and they’re playing better on defense. Sure, there isn’t an abundance of playmakers, but they didn’t give Cassel his big contract to win despite him. I continue to think the Chiefs will strongly consider getting out of this contract in the offseason. — NFL Network

There’s plenty of angst in Kansas City over the Chiefs and their liberal use of Thomas Jones as their featured running back instead of Jamaal Charles. The one place where it’s seemingly not much of an issue is at the Chiefs’ coaching offices at their Truman Sports Complex practice facility. “It is in no way a problem for us,” coach Todd Haley said. “So far, through two games in the first quarter of the season, I would grade us as being successful.” That’s a reference to their 2-0 record as the Chiefs prepare for Sunday’s game against San Francisco at Arrowhead Stadium. But because the Chiefs are having problems passing consistently, there’s an awareness they may need to squeeze even more from their running game. The Chiefs are undefeated in part because of what they’ve been able to accomplish on the ground. They’re fifth in the league in rushing yardage. — KC Star

Outside linebacker Andy Studebaker confirmed Thursday that he and the Chiefs agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Kansas City for “hopefully a long time,” he said. Studebaker, a converted defensive end who joined the Chiefs in 2008, agreed to the deal earlier this week. Neither Studebaker nor his agent, Josh Wright, would reveal the terms of the extension. Studebaker’s previous contract was set to expire after this season, and Wright said it was important to get something worked out early. “Nobody wanted it to be a distraction,” he said. — KC Star

A day after the Chiefs organization’s most successful day in years, the team announced that its president was stepping down. Denny Thum began his long career with the Chiefs in 1974, and it ended Tuesday evening, when the team issued a vague statement that stated neither the reason for Thum’s departure nor an explanation for the move’s unusual timing. Only that he was leaving the organization — immediately. — KC Star

The Chiefs apparently had a player taken away from the practice field by ambulance after the media members watching the opening portion of the workout were escorted from the field Monday. An ambulance arrived at the practice facility in the latter stages of the workout. Coach Todd Haley didn’t confirm the Chiefs had an incident at practice other than to indicate something might have happened to one of the team’s injured players. “There’s nobody I know of right now,” Haley said when asked about the issue after practice. “The guys out there practicing practiced hard. I didn’t see anything occur where … We’re fighting through some things with some guys you’ve been aware of.” Tackle Ryan O’Callaghan, defensive end Alex Magee and linebacker Cameron Sheffield are the three players on the active roster who were conditioning rather than practicing during the media access portion of practice. O’Callaghan and Magee were spotted in the locker room after practice. The Chiefs don’t have to file with the league an injury report for Monday night’s game against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium until later in the week. — KC Star

Chiefs backup quarterback Brodie Croyle returned to practice last week, but he threw his first passes Monday after missing most of the last two weeks because of a right arm injury. In a team drill Monday, Croyle handed off on his first two snaps and then threw toward tight end Leonard Pope, who dropped Croyle’s pass. Croyle completed two passes to Pope before the end of the session, and one of those was in the end zone. “It was good to see him out there,” coach Todd Haley said of Croyle. “He’s one of the guys that has to get better to help us become a good team. To see him out there and get through, with no issues, I thought it was a good sign. “He didn’t look overly rusty, although we all had cans of Rust-Oleum in our pockets.” — KC Star