Players from both teams were on their best behavior Friday night and stuck to football rather than fighting.

“We kept it within the lines,” Edwards said. “We played football. The one thing you don’t want to do is have guys blowing a gasket out here.”

Page Shines
Rookie safety Jarrad Page is only a seventh-round draft pick, but he is playing as if the Chiefs drafted him much higher. The Chiefs are using Page in a variety of roles and has impressed them almost as much as their other rookie safety, second-round pick Bernard Pollard.

“A lot of people questioned why we should take another safety,” Edwards said. “He’s a good football player. He’s a very gifted guy. If you watch him in practice, he always makes plays on the ball. We’ve got him in nickel, we’ve got him in dime, he’s playing safety. So he’s at a lot of positions, and he’s going to play a lot of football for us.”

The Offense
Coach Herm Edwards was impressed with the way the Chiefs ran the ball, especially considering who wasn’t playing Friday night. Besides Larry Johnson, Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters also was out because of a foot injury.

“That was good to see,” Edwards said.

Chris Bober is playing left guard in Waters’ absence. Kyle Turley was solid at left tackle.

The Defense
The Chiefs greeted the Vikings with two new starting defensive tackles: Ron Edwards and James Reed. Ryan Sims and Lional Dalton were with the second team. Coach Herm Edwards indicated the Chiefs weren’t just trying to motivate Sims and Dalton. “That’s the way we’re going to do it. We’re going to rotate those guys in and find the best guys when the season starts,” Edwards said.

Linebacker Kawika Mitchell continued to play well in pass coverage by breaking up two passes.

Rookie safety Bernard Pollard flattened Minnesota fullback Stephen Jackson and forced him to drop a short pass.

Injuries
Quarterback Brodie Croyle (shoulder), halfbacks Priest Holmes (neck) and Michael Bennett (hamstring), wide receivers Craphonso Thorpe (shoulder), Scott McCready (shoulder) and Chris Hannon (groin), tight end Aaron Golliday (hamstring), Waters (foot), defensive linemen Junior Siavii (knee), John Browning (back) and Steve Williams (knee) and defensive backs Lenny Walls (hamstring), William Bartee (Achilles), Marcus Maxey (knee) and Alphonso Hodge (knee) did not practice.