KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez wasn't around when Kansas City's newest wide receiver made an impressive debut during Friday's first day of mini-camp.

	Gonzalez

Johnnie Morton made three over-the-shoulder catches on fly patterns and consistently beat every cornerback the defense put on him. More than once after a play, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil ran over to compliment Morton.

"It was fun getting acquainted with the guys, running the plays," Morton said.

Signed as a free agent out of Detroit, where he had 77 receptions for 1,154 yards and four touchdowns last year, Morton was made the Chiefs' No. 1 wideout the minute he set foot on the practice field.

And that's just fine with him.

"That's the way I've always approached it since my rookie year," he said. "I don't count myself as a number, like one, two or three. I always try to play as a No. 1 and have my group play as a No. 1."

Gonzalez, embroiled in a contract dispute, did not surprise anyone when he chose to stay home in California.

"I love Tony Gonzalez and I respect him," Vermeil said. "But I did not even give it a thought. That's all part of the business and I respect his right to do what he's doing."

The versatile Gonzalez, who is sometimes split wide, believes he should be paid similar to a wide receiver. The Chiefs insist he is a tight end and will be paid as one. So he refused to sign last year, and the club gave him a franchise player tag, forcing him to play for the Chiefs or sit out the coming season.

Vermeil addressed Gonzalez's situation with the squad on Thursday night.

"I said this is not about Tony Gonzalez being absent. It's about the Kansas City Chiefs getting ready to play football," he said. "He'll be here in the fall. It'll get done."

Vermeil said Gonzalez's absence "hurts Tony more than it hurts us."

"We're going on," he said. "You treat it like he's got a pulled hamstring. In a way, it helps get the other kids further along. I said to the squad `I'm sorry he's not here so all you young kids can see a true superstar work like he works.' He's a great tempo-setter on the practice field. He is a high-energy, hardworking player. And he happens to be a great player."

Also absent from drills is left tackle Willie Roaf, the former New Orleans All-Pro who is still rehabbing after knee surgery.