***The Official Chiefs OTA's Thread***

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Might as well get this started since we are within a week of it beginning.


OTA offseason workouts: May 27-29, June 3-5, June 10-13
Mandatory minicamp: June 17-19


Feel free to post Chiefs camp updates here.

https://twitter.com/ChiefsCamp/lists/kcc

[planetdoc]

Reid pleased with progress during OTAs
by Herbie Teope

The Chiefs closed out the second set of organized team activities (OTAs) Thursday, giving the team a total of six offseason workouts under their belts.

Given a steady morning rain, the team moved indoors for Thursday’s session. But the dreary outdoor conditions didn’t affect the mood of coach Andy Reid, who appeared satisfied with the progress he’s observed from his players.

“Good work this week,” Reid said during the post-workout media session. “We’re glad (about what we put) into those six practices, we’re about at the halfway point. Feel good about the competition; it’s going back and forth. Offense and defense, each one of them making plays, which is a positive. Good special teams work in. Young guys, it looks like they’re improving.”

Outside linebacker Justin Houston and cornerback Brandon Flower continue to be absent since voluntary OTAs began on May 27.

Cornerback Sean Smith, present for the past five workouts, was absent Thursday.

But Reid said Smith “had been excused for personal reasons,” before quickly stressing the voluntary nature of the current workouts.

“It’s not a mandatory camp,” Reid said.

Players are off Monday before returning to the field Tuesday through Friday for the final set of voluntary OTAs.

The Chiefs’ final segment of the offseason workout program is the mandatory minicamp on June 17-19 before training camp, which will be announced at a later time.

Running back/specialist De’Anthony Thomas, who has missed OTAs due to Oregon’s academic quarter system, is scheduled to return for the mandatory minicamp.

Starting wide receivers growing into second season

Dwayne Bowe comes off a disappointing 2013 season from a statistical point of view, but the second season in the Chiefs’ offense should help.

Another factor surrounds how Bowe has looked physically and mentally to his head coach.

“Dwayne came back in phenomenal shape,” Reid said, “that’s one thing. It looks like it out there. He’s really moving around well.”

While other wide receivers like Junior Hemingway, Weston Dressler or Albert Wilson have turned heads, Bowe has also consistently made tough catches look easy throughout the OTAs.

“Look forward to getting to camp and getting to where it actually counts,” Reid said. “He’s in the right frame of mind.”

The Chiefs head coach also complimented Donnie Avery,

“Donnie looks good,” Reid said. “Really looks good, running fast. Remember this time last year he had the high ankle, so there was something there. He really missed all the OTAs, and then he came back and he had he scapula that he hurt. He’s in good shape right now.”

Injury updates

Linebacker Ben Johnson, an undrafted free agent from Tennessee-Martin, is dealing with a “slight hamstring,” Reid said.

Cornerbacks and first cousins, DeMarcus and David Van Dyke, both have “a little tweak there in their hamstring,” Reid said.

No change in the statuses of left tackle Eric Fisher (shoulder), tight end Travis Kelce (knee), wide receiver Kyle Williams (knee), wide receiver A.J. Jenkins (hamstring) and defensive lineman Risean Broussard (knee).

David Van Dyke, Jenkins and Broussard were not present on the field during the team’s OTAs.

Fisher remains limited to individual drills and position warm-ups, while Kelce and Williams observe from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, there’s good news on the road to recover for Kelce, who returns from microfracture knee surgery, as Reid said the second-year pro should be ready for training camp.

“He’s getting close,” Reid said. “He’s been working his tail off. He and (athletic trainer) Rick (Burkholder) have been spending a lot time together.”

OTA observations

• Quarterback Alex Smith has consistently looked sharp throughout OTAs throwing the deep ball during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11. Smith located wide receiver Donnie Avery streaking behind free safety Sanders Commings, put the ball on Avery’s hands in stride, but Avery dropped it.

• Smith also found wide receiver Dwayne Bowe deep down the field against cornerback Marcus Cooper. Bowe pulled in the catch as free safety Husain Abdullah was late getting over to help.

• Quarterback Tyler Bray had a nice day throwing deep during 7-on-7 and 11-and-11. The first connection that caught attention came when he hit wide receiver Frankie Hammond on the right side of the field for what would’ve been a touchdown in a regular game. Hammond beat third-round pick, cornerback Phillip Gaines, on the play.

• Bray’s second impressive pass came on a connection with tight end Demetrius Harris, who also seems to make plays on a daily basis. Bray threw a perfectly placed pass over the head of linebacker Dezman Moses and Harris came up with an acrobatic one-handed grab for a 20-yard gain.

• Bray’s mistake on a deep pass came when he tried to hit wide receiver Weston Dressler on a post pattern. Dressler was bracketed by a cornerback and strong safety Jerron McMillian, who picked off the pass.

• Quarterback Aaron Murray threw a beautiful back-shoulder throw deep down the left sideline to wide receiver Albert Wilson, who couldn’t make the catch.

• With cornerback Sean Smith absent, Ron Parker filled in on the right side of the defense and worked with the first-team unit during 11-on-11. Marcus Cooper filled in for Brandon Flowers on the left side, while Chris Owens continues to work in the slot.

• The offensive line shuffle continues on the right side with tackle Donald Stephenson moving to the left side in place of Eric Fisher. During the first 11-on-11, Rishaw Johnson was at right guard and Jeff Linkenbach at right tackle with the first-team unit. The Chiefs rotated rookie Zach Fulton at right guard and J’Marcus Webb at right tackle with the first unit during the second 11-on-11.

• Tight end Anthony Fasano, who continues to produce solid OTA workouts, made a fingertip catch from quarterback Alex Smith. Fasano got behind inside linebacker James-Michael Johnson on the play.

• The Chiefs rotated the following at returner during Thursday’s special teams segment: Running backs Knile Davis and Joe McKnight, and wide receivers Weston Dressler, Frankie Hammond, Fred Williams and Albert Wilson.

[planetdoc]

Chiefs Finish Week Throwing The Long Ball
by Bob Gretz

The Chiefs are more than halfway through their allotted 10 OTA practices and improvement is visible in all three phases over a half-dozen sessions, including Thursday’s work that was pushed inside due to the morning rain.

“We are at the halfway point and feel good about the competition,” said Andy Reid. “It’s going back and forth between the offense and the defense, with each one making plays. We are getting good special teams work in. The young guys are improving.”

On Thursday, the practice plan included more plays with the offense looking for the deep ball and all four quarterbacks hit and missed on throws down the field. The two best catches were by tight ends. Anthony Fasano caught a pass on his outstretched finger tips from Alex Smith and Demetrius Harris came back and topped that, stretching for a deep pass thrown by Tyler Bray, grabbing it and keeping his body in bounds for a legal reception.

Smith was able to go long on the first play of the teamwork portion of practice, hitting wide receiver Dwayne Bowe who was flying down the right side after beating cornerback Marcus Cooper off the line of scrimmage. Bray hooked up with wide receiver Frankie Hammond on a long touchdown pass down the right side, beating rookie cornerback Phillip Gaines in coverage.

Bowe continues to draw attention in the OTAs.

“Dwayne came back in phenomenal shape,” said Reid. “It looks like it out there; he’s really moving around well. He’s in the right frame of mind.”

Smith definitely seems to be looking for Bowe more often in the offense the Chiefs are showing in these practices. Reid said that’s due more to an increased understanding of the offense by both quarterback and receiver.

“I think he’s more familiar with all of his receivers, Dwayne included, and he’s more familiar with the offense,” Reid said of his starting quarterback. “They all are (more familiar); that’s the next step in being better than they were last year.”

Reid said there was some good competition going on at tight end, where Fasano and Sean McGrath have both returned in good shape, and Harris has made the transition from basketball player, to an NFL tight end.

“At this time last year I thought we were in a pretty good spot with the tight ends and then we had injuries,” Reid said. “What we’re doing (with the position) there’s not much difference with the things we are doing. Some guys are a little bit older now and getting the hang of things.”

OTA notes: the Chiefs roster stands at 89 now after the release earlier this week of offensive tackle Colin Kelly . . . 79 players were on the field taking part in the Thursday practice. Running back/receiver De’Anthony Thomas is not allowed to participate due to NFL regulations. Cornerback Brandon Flowers and outside linebacker Justin Houston both continued their no-show approach to the voluntary work. Cornerback Sean Smith did not practice on Thursday and Reid said he was gone for personal reasons . . . on the injury front, six players could not practice: wide receiver A.J. Jenkins (hamstring), tight end Travis Kelce (knee), wide receiver Kyle Williams (knee), defensive tackle Risean Broussard (knee), linebacker Ben Johnson (hamstring) and cornerback David Van Dyke (hamstring) . . . there will be four OTA sessions next week, finishing up the allotment of 10 practices allowed. That will be followed by a three-day mandatory mini-camp the next week.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Did booger not practice today? I've read nothing on his performance today.

[Sorter]

Quarterback Alex Smith has consistently looked sharp throughout OTAs throwing the deep ball during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11. Smith located wide receiver Donnie Avery streaking behind free safety Sanders Commings, put the ball on Avery’s hands in stride, but Avery dropped it.

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

Did booger not practice today? I've read nothing on his performance today.

**** him.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

Not really injury, just that I feel like they gave him a season to be acclimated before actually depending on him. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if our safety play this year was improved without adding any new players, but simply by them having another year in the system and not being named Kendrick Lewis.

so don't worry about losing the playoff game, just don't put too much on Abdullah's shoulders?






Still not sure about our entire secondary coaching staff tbh, unit looked pretty shitty.

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

so don't worry about losing the playoff game, just don't put too much on Abdullah's shoulders?






Still not sure about our entire secondary coaching staff tbh, unit looked pretty shitty.

I don't mean that it was about protecting Abdullah. Football coaches are just stubborn old bastards who prefer to not change things up. Unlike the NBA, starters don't get swapped out in the postseason.

Seriously... think how infrequent it is for a guy to lose his spot midseason based on performance. Outside of QB, because that actually saves jobs... can you think of a time?

Maybe it happens more than I realize, but if so, I'd wager it's under the auspices of injury.

But really... maybe I'm wrong here. I just can't see Sutton or Reid or any coach feeling more comfortable starting a guy who spent the prior year out of the league over a guy who's been playing next to Berry and Flowers since he was drafted.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Sorter

Sauce.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

I don't mean that it was about protecting Abdullah. Football coaches are just stubborn old bastards who prefer to not change things up. Unlike the NBA, starters don't get swapped out in the postseason.

Seriously... think how infrequent it is for a guy to lose his spot midseason based on performance. Outside of QB, because that actually saves jobs... can you think of a time?

Maybe it happens more than I realize, but if so, I'd wager it's under the auspices of injury.

But really... maybe I'm wrong here. I just can't see Sutton or Reid or any coach feeling more comfortable starting a guy who spent the prior year out of the league over a guy who's been playing next to Berry and Flowers since he was drafted.

I don't really care why.

My point is that apparently the Chiefs consider Abdullah better than Lewis. They let Lewis walk and signed Abdullah and now they are talking about how good he was last year. So imo they failed to put the best team on the field each week last season and it very well may have cost us our 1st playoff win in a 20 years.

Sutton should be kicked in the nuts.

[planetdoc]

Chiefs think Smith may be safer as scrambler
Quarterback Alex Smith added the running element to the Kansas City Chiefs offense during the 2013 season and that’s something the franchise has seldom seen from its quarterback.

His 76 carries for 431 yards were not only career highs for Smith, but Chiefs highs for the position. Among quarterbacks last season, Smith was No. 6 in rushing yards. Few of those runs were by design; he was on the move to get away from the pass rush.

“We were, I think, first or second in the league in quarterback scrambles with 53 for the year and of those 53, what I was trying to find out was how many times he was taking extra hits,” quarterback coach Matt Nagy said.

The total of “extra” hits: One.

“And it wasn’t so much a hit because he’s going to get hit a lot, but the extra hit that he doesn’t need,” Nagy said. “He only took one out of the 53 times he scrambled, so he protects himself.

“He’s an athlete and he’ll make plays with his feet. He’s faster than people think and he has that sixth sense of awareness. He has a really good awareness understanding the pocket, where guys are collapsing the pocket and he escapes and then he can outrun some linebackers.”

Among the 11 undrafted rookie free agents on the Chiefs roster, one has drawn the attention of the offensive coaching staff: Georgia State wide receiver Albert Wilson. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound native of Port St. Lucie, Fla. produced 6,255 all-purpose yards in 42 college games, along with 26 touchdowns. As a receiver, runner and returner, he averaged 17.5 yards every time he touched the ball.

“We were surprised that he wasn’t drafted because the kid can run,” Chiefs assistant head coach and wide receivers coach David Culley said. “I remember him specifically running well at the (NFL) Combine (timed at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash.) He came from Georgia State and it was a new program there and he did a great job against the competition that he had and he had a bunch of big plays. He’s come in here and he’s kind of caught our eye.”

Meanwhile, rookie running back De’Anthony Thomas, a fourth-round draft choice, is not taking part in the Chiefs’ OTA sessions because of the rule that does not allow rookies to participate in the offseason until their college has finished finals. At the University of Oregon, the current semester does not end until the middle of June, so Thomas will not be seen until training camp. But he was able to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp and left a very good impression.

“I thought he did a great job,” running backs coach Eric Bieniemy said. “I’ll tell you one thing, he blew our socks off. He was in great shape, he did an outstanding job of catching the ball and he did an outstanding job of running the ball. It was fun watching him work. I’ve seen him since high school, so I know what he can do. It was just exciting having the opportunity to see him up close and in person.”

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

Chiefs think Smith may be safer as scrambler
Quarterback Alex Smith added the running element to the Kansas City Chiefs offense during the 2013 season and that’s something the franchise has seldom seen from its quarterback.

His 76 carries for 431 yards were not only career highs for Smith, but Chiefs highs for the position. Among quarterbacks last season, Smith was No. 6 in rushing yards. Few of those runs were by design; he was on the move to get away from the pass rush.

“We were, I think, first or second in the league in quarterback scrambles with 53 for the year and of those 53, what I was trying to find out was how many times he was taking extra hits,” quarterback coach Matt Nagy said.

The total of “extra” hits: One.

“And it wasn’t so much a hit because he’s going to get hit a lot, but the extra hit that he doesn’t need,” Nagy said. “He only took one out of the 53 times he scrambled, so he protects himself.

“He’s an athlete and he’ll make plays with his feet. He’s faster than people think and he has that sixth sense of awareness. He has a really good awareness understanding the pocket, where guys are collapsing the pocket and he escapes and then he can outrun some linebackers.”

Among the 11 undrafted rookie free agents on the Chiefs roster, one has drawn the attention of the offensive coaching staff: Georgia State wide receiver Albert Wilson. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound native of Port St. Lucie, Fla. produced 6,255 all-purpose yards in 42 college games, along with 26 touchdowns. As a receiver, runner and returner, he averaged 17.5 yards every time he touched the ball.

“We were surprised that he wasn’t drafted because the kid can run,” Chiefs assistant head coach and wide receivers coach David Culley said. “I remember him specifically running well at the (NFL) Combine (timed at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash.) He came from Georgia State and it was a new program there and he did a great job against the competition that he had and he had a bunch of big plays. He’s come in here and he’s kind of caught our eye.”

Meanwhile, rookie running back De’Anthony Thomas, a fourth-round draft choice, is not taking part in the Chiefs’ OTA sessions because of the rule that does not allow rookies to participate in the offseason until their college has finished finals. At the University of Oregon, the current semester does not end until the middle of June, so Thomas will not be seen until training camp. But he was able to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp and left a very good impression.

“I thought he did a great job,” running backs coach Eric Bieniemy said. “I’ll tell you one thing, he blew our socks off. He was in great shape, he did an outstanding job of catching the ball and he did an outstanding job of running the ball. It was fun watching him work. I’ve seen him since high school, so I know what he can do. It was just exciting having the opportunity to see him up close and in person.”

It's still stupid.

[Mr. Laz]

Alex Smith did an excellent job of getting yards with his feet last year.


I was shocked about how smart he was about doing it and avoiding getting hit.


Hopefully he wasn't just lucky

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

I don't really care why.

My point is that apparently the Chiefs consider Abdullah better than Lewis. They let Lewis walk and signed Abdullah and now they are talking about how good he was last year. So imo they failed to put the best team on the field each week last season and it very well may have cost us our 1st playoff win in a 20 years.

Sutton should be kicked in the nuts.

The right 53

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

Dudes had one injury that only heals as fast as it's gonna heal. It's not like he's not rehabbing it or something. He's training just has to be medically cleared.

Yeah I hear you, but he needs to shut up and get on the field before he starts yapping, IMO.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by scott free

Yeah I hear you, but he needs to shut up and get on the field before he starts yapping, IMO.

Kelce? I think king said they were actually talking about shoes
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