onejayhawk Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 It's just OTAs right now, but the many changes of this offseason are starting to work through the system. Bear in mind that OTA play is non contact. Pride has an article. Here are some quick takes:https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/5/23/18637748/observations-and-notes-from-day-three-of-chiefs-otas I think the #Chiefs like Blake Bell and Deon Yelder for [TE]2, but don't sleep on former QB John Lovett. People may be saying WR Sammy Watkins "looks incredible" but to me, he looked the same as last year -- and that's good enough. Andrew Wylie has switched from RG to LG on the first-team offensive line. Reid: "[Wylie] is one of the better athletes we have up front there... I don't think people know that. He's a good athlete. He gets out there, and he runs...[He's] able to lock on people, glue on to people in the screen game...I don't think that's a huge adjustment for him." Mahomes, for what it's worth, was in midseason form when it came to mixing in different receivers. It didn't matter if your name was Sammy Watkins, Damien Williams or Gehrig Dieter. Like last year, Mahomes finds whoever is open. Mahomes also said that watching video cuts has opened his eyes. Sometimes he tried a fancy downfield throw when a shorter one was available for a 1st down. I wish we were getting more from the defense. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 Very good article on the offseason. It starts with ESPN editor Mike Sando's grade on the offseason--C. This is lower middle of the league and it takes into account all the talent which has departed, the talent coming in and the context for everything. I have to agree. We had to shake things up, which meant losing a ton of veteran talent. But, the defense will be much younger, faster and hopefully more aggressive. The offense lost Hunt and is dealing with the issues with Hill. It is not a settled situation but the team has dealt well with it. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 OTAs are winding down with the final day on Friday. While some refer to the drills as playing pajamas, it is always possible to spot things to watch for when the pads go on. First on a lot of lists are the WRs. Unlike most positions, the interplay of WR and secondary is primarily non-contact, so things can be almost full speed. This is important because Tyreke Hill's status is in limbo. Two names are cropping that made noise last year before injuries cut things short. The first is Sammy Watkins. With Hill out, he would need to step up and be the go to outside receiver. Watkins has shown the ability to do that and also leadership traits the team was hoping for when he signed. The second name is Byron Pringle, originally UDFA out of Kansas State. He was on his way to making the 53 man roster when an injury. Pringle is an exceptional ST player (join the crowd) and is showing excellent ball skills. The coaching staff is gaga about him right now, so big step forward. A bit older than normal for a second year player at 25, Pringle is another Chiefs WR with a criminal past. Here is a good article on his background.https://www-1.kansas.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article231069913.html Sticking with the offense an intriguing story is John Lovett. He's a QB to TE conversion which may actually work. He's also a scary smart guy (Ivy League where there are no football scholarships). On defense, the thing everyone talks about is energy. To say things got passive under Sutton is an understatement. Everyone knows that all the jobs are open this year and it shows. Chris Jones, Anthony Hitchens and Kendall Fuller are likely the only guys with secure jobs and they are all learning a new scheme. Rashad Fenton and Ben Niemann have been mentioned as particularly active. Special Teams for the Chiefs are going to separate practice squad guys from roster guys. Competition is always nasty and may even be a notch higher this year. There is a raft of young, athletic, fast, hungry guys for the return and coverage teams. Don't discount the kickers. Dustin Colquitt is already the oldest Chief and Jack Fox graded out very well. It looks like this will be a real competition. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 Minicamp is on. Not much yet. Here are some observations from day #1.https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/6/11/18662026/observations-notes-and-videos-from-day-one-of-chiefs-mandatory-minicamp J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) This one is interesting. Wire did an article on Chiefs positioned to make their first Pro Bowl.https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/18/4-kansas-city-chiefs-players-who-could-make-first-pro-bowl/ Last year Dee Ford, Anthony Sherman and Eric Fisher made the game. The Wire's candidates are Frank Clark, Sammy Watkins, LDT, and Tremon Smith. The last is a bit of a red herring, since it is for return specialist. Still, it's easy to see why Clark and Watkins were picked. Both are stepping into major talent vacuums. IF the unit works at all, they will get a lot of the credit. The interesting one is Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. He is one of the few Canadian educated players in the NFL. when he came to the Chiefs he was incredibly raw. Each season has seen a level of advancement. He went from an outright liability to a reliable starter in three years. Last year he was the best interior player until he was injured. Simply returning to that form for a full year is worth an PB nod. One note. Tyrann Mathieu was All-Pro in 2015. This is not his first rodeo. J Edited June 19, 2019 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_Guy Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 He's one of those "finds" ... I think the OL really is a place to look deep into the pile to dig up gold ... Lots of late draft picks or UDFA who made it a great career. Coaching (especially technique) and strength may be the issue at the college level. I'm surprised how often I read about the "intelligence" required by ALL offensive linemen. Hardly ever read about that other than in reference to QB and "the leader of the defence" (usually a LB) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 Pride did an article on injured players. Armani Watts, S is a popular name but I gravitate toward Buyon Pringle, WR. Both finished on IR and both should be full speed for camp. Unfortunately, there is nothing new on Travis Kelce. https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/6/19/18691775/chiefs-injury-outlook-ahead-of-training-camp J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 Here is an after mini-camp roster projection. Some interesting names--Ryan Hunter OL, Tanoh Kpassagnon DL, no Tremon Smithhttps://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/6/21/18693924/chiefs-53-man-roster-projection-1-0 J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedLavie Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 On 21/06/2019 at 10:20 PM, onejayhawk said: Here is an after mini-camp roster projection. Some interesting names--Ryan Hunter OL, Tanoh Kpassagnon DL, no Tremon Smithhttps://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/6/21/18693924/chiefs-53-man-roster-projection-1-0 J Not bad at all. Only thing that would surprise me is keeping only 2 TE if Lovett makes it. I think Yelder, who is probably a safer pick for #2 TE, makes it instead of either Lovett or a 4th RB (Hyde or Williams) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 There are other issues, but they are all fringe. A 3rd TE and one less DB is certainly possible. Fox is here to make a run at Colquitt. How many speed players make the team to primarily play ST? Still, a good first effort. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_Guy Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Not too far from my projection - but I definitely think they'll keep Custis. They didn't make that investment in an UDFA to let him walk. Redshirt season, similar to McKenzie. There may be a pattern - using one of the inactive slots as an "high value practice squad" kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 The baseball All Star game is always a sign that spring training camp is near. Some questions I want answered: Who plays where at LB? Will they be any good? Mini-camp and OTA had Ragland at MLB, Hitchens at WLB and Damien Wilson at SLB. Who plays in the Nickel? I am guessing Ragland comes out. Wilson too, with Lee coming in? Who is the first off the secondary bench? How good will the pass rush be with Houston, Ford and their 28.5 sacks gone. That number was more than the Chiefs allowed. How will the restructured secondary do with the new coverage scheme? Will Fuller be better with fewer man-coverage responsibilities? Who is CB2? Who is TE2? Seriously, is he on the roster yet? Will the OL take a step forward? Fisher is finally a stud LT, Schwatrz is still very good at RT, LDT may be our best lineman. Who plays the other two slots and how well? Is the the year of the new P? Will ST rise to historic heights? There is a freaking raft of talent. J 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 Here is the training camp schedule. https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/gallery/full-15-day-schedule-for-chiefs-training-camp/ Barely a week. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingseanjohn Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) Dieter has a youtube channel. He put up a video of Mahomes working out with himself, Watkins, Robinson, Hardman, and Hill. It's great to see Hardman out there with them. But it makes me wonder why the other WRs aren't. Edited July 21, 2019 by kingseanjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_Guy Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Looks like Dieter worked out with Tyreek quite a bit .. there's a second video of the two (alone) dated 10 July. Wouldn't be surprised if Tyreek received a playbook some time ago ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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