RIVER FALLS, Wis. — New Chiefs coach Todd Haley is running one of the toughest and hardest-hitting training camps in the league.

The Chiefs have been in pads for all but one day since camp opened on Aug. 1. Veteran observers of the team say it’s the most hitting the Chiefs have done in camp since 1998, Marty Schottenheimer’s final season as head coach.

However, the contact has taken its toll. Several players have been out with injuries, most notably veteran linebacker Zach Thomas, who missed his 11th day of practice today with a suspected injury to his left hamstring or quadriceps.

Thomas was one of four players who watched the workout while riding a stationary bike in a secluded area far from the field that Haley calls “No Man’s Land.” It was the smallest gathering there since camp began.

– Vic Carucci