The Kansas City Chiefs are on their 5th day of training camp practice and the intensity continues to rise as players are putting all their efforts in to get this team better. Chief players continue to impress their head coach Andy Reid with their intensity on every play on the field. From veterans, to rookies, the whole team seems to want to get better and prove that they are not the 2-14 team from last season.
“It was a good work today. The guys came out and busted their tails, got a lot of reps in the last three days. It’s been tremendous work,” explains Reid, “You’re seeing the effort, the intensity and finishing plays. You’ve got D-Poe (Dontari Poe), just a big fella, and he’s chasing the ball down the field 50 yards. That’s impressive stuff. The linemen are right there, (Branden) Albert who’s a seasoned veteran he’s down the field trying to find someone to block. That’s impressive stuff.”
As fans continue to come to training camps on wet and rainy mornings, it is evident to them that their team is getting better. Today the defense had many swatted balls and 2 interceptions during 11v11’s while offensively the Chiefs were not defeated, as on many plays they would strike back with a run or screen-play to Jamaal Charles for many yards downfield
“One play it is the defense, the next it’s the offense,” continued Coach Reid, “and as long as it’s going back and forth like that, that’s a good thing.”
One thing to notice at this Chief camp is that Coach Andy Reid is having his players tackle to the ground as if it were a pre-season game. It is very interesting to see hard tackling this early in practice especially with the thought of players possibly getting hurt before the preseason starts. However, players like Jamaal Charles seem to think otherwise.
“It’s football, so you’re going to get hit. I think we need to get hit as early as possible. We don’t need to wait until the last minute to get hit. I think it’s good to get hit because it’s football and we need to get back in football shape and get hit.”
Tackling the quarterback in training camp is a big no-no but even Alex Smith got some action today as he seem to get hit on a play during the 11v11 scrimmage today. He mentioned that he just got bumped into however and “ probably could have been much more athletic and kept my feet. But yeah, not a big deal.”
Linebacker Justin Houston seemed to stand out in practice today and addressed the media at the end of practice today. His prolific ability as a pass rusher is what coaches like about Houston on the field but as a linebacker he is looking to elevate his game to a level beyond only pass rushing.
“I try to be good at everything I can do and not just be a guy who does just one thing. I try to do more than one thing. I came in with my mindset on just being a pass rusher, but I started watching films when the other guys did. A lot of great players can do more than one thing and that’s what I want to do.”
Players and coaches are putting full effort out on to the field but want to make sure they stay healthy and safe during camp. A couple of big players for the Chiefs came out of practice with some injuries today. Among those players include DB’s Eric Berry and Dunta Robinson both with hamstring tightness. Dwayne Bowe came out of practice early with a cramp in his calf. Offensive lineman (Colin) Kelly hurt his knee and rookie Mike Catapano strained a calf muscle.
There is no practice tomorrow for the Chiefs so players are looking forward to taking a day off and getting healed up. Practice continues Thursday at 8:15am and players will be ready to get back out on the field to get physical.
The Chiefs first pre-season game is a week from Friday and they are ready to get out there on and show off what they have been working on in practice.
