***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

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Alex Smith had a couple of spot on passes to Bowe in contested coverage with Cooper blanketing him. Smith trust Bowe. Good sign. #Chiefs

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) May 29, 2014

What I've noticed from this week is that Alex Smith trust his receivers. He is willing to throw in contested coverage. Accuracy great.

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) May 29, 2014

Harris has consistently done a very nice job plucking the ball out of the air and getting downfield...

— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) May 29, 2014

easier to trust your WRs when it's not a real game.

we'll see

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

easier to trust your WRs when it's not a real game.

we'll see

It's the OTAs, dude. What did you expect when clicked on the OTA thread?

[eDave]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I like to imagine my Andy Reid as like a Mafia Don or some shit.

I love the guy.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

easier to trust your WRs when it's not a real game.

we'll see

Great to hear non the less. It has to start somewhere.

[planetdoc]

Kansas City Chiefs Shake Up Offensive Line
by Ben Nielson

Day three of OTAs brought an interesting twist along the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line. According to Terez A. Paylor, rookie minicamp signee Ryan McKee took snaps at right tackle with the starters while Jeff Linkenbach jumped Rishaw Johnson and started at right guard.

There are a few things to consider here as it relates to the context of the situation. Eric Fisher is being held out of a lot of the contact portion of practice in order to let him recover from the two offseason surgeries he had this winter. He’s participating in “group initial stuff” according to Andy Reid but they are protecting his shoulder when it comes to the more physical parts of practice.

Donald Stephenson has been playing left tackle while Fisher is out which means the right tackle spot is open. What we appear to be seeing is a group of players getting reps in at right tackle to help filter out the competition for who will be the backup tackle. Today was McKee’s turn, apparently. What it does say is the Chiefs think highly enough of McKee to spend snaps on him with the first team. He’ll be a guy to watch at camp as a possible sleeper to make the roster.

Linkenbach getting snaps at right guard shouldn’t be a surprise either. The competition for who will be the starting right guard would seem to be down to Johnson, Linkenbach, and Zach Fulton. Fulton is a rookie who has been with the team for less than a month so it would make sense for Reid to give the two veteran guys the first few shots at making their case to be the starting guard.

One thing appears to be certain: The Chiefs think they have some quality depth on the offensive line to sift through.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

TJ Carpetner was on 810 this afternoon and the crew was talking about our QBs.

Kietzman said that we don't know what we had in Bray and that all we knew was that he was a big QB with a big arm.

TJ intervened and said, "well he looked real good out there today. His accuracy has improved a lot. Amazing what a year in the system can do for you."

[Mr_Tomahawk]

@TJCarpenterWHB: @mr_tomahawk Bray and Daniel both looked very good. Right now Murray is a distant 4th. Interesting to see it progress through the summer.

[BigBeauford]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

TJ Carpetner was on 810 this afternoon and the crew was talking about our QBs.

Kietzman said that we don't know what we had in Bray and that all we knew was that he was a big QB with a big arm.

TJ intervened and said, "well he looked real good out there today. His accuracy has improved a lot. Amazing what a year in the system can do for you."

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

@TJCarpenterWHB: @mr_tomahawk Bray and Daniel both looked very good. Right now Murray is a distant 4th. Interesting to see it progress through the summer.

Daniel you are targeted for Termination

[planetdoc]

Andy Reid focused on players present for OTAs
by Herbie Teope
(highlights)

OTA observations:

• Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe very quietly strung together three days of solid practice. One of his highlight catches on Thursday was a leaping grab in front of free safety Husain Abdullah.

• Tight end Richard Gordon and Demetrius Harris turned in some nice catches. Harris, in particular, continues to look good and drew praise from Reid following practice.

“First of all,” Reid said, “he did a great job in the weight room. He and (strength and conditioning coach) Barry (Rubin) became one there. They joined hips there and started working that son-of-a-gun to where he felt strong and so far he’s been able to transfer that on the field which is a good thing.”

• Cornerback Marcus Cooper filled in for Brandon Flowers for a third straight day, with Chris Owens pulling slot duty.

• First-round pick, outside linebacker Dee Ford, saw some time with the first-team defense in Justin Houston’s normal spot during 11-on-11.

• Offensive tackle Ryan McKee, who signed Tuesday after trying out during the rookie minicamp, saw time with the first unit at right tackle. Jeff Linkenbach ran with first unit at right guard. The Chiefs appear to be evaluating options the last three days, as Rishaw Johnson and Linkenbach have played right guard with the first unit. Additionally, Otis Hudson and J’Marcus Webb have run with the first unit at right tackle.

• Running back Jamaal Charles appears to be in regular season form. During team drills, Charles caught a pass in the flat between safeties Sanders Commings and Husain Abdullah. He made one cut, split the defenders and took off down the field.

• Strong safety Daniels Sorensen, who had a strong rookie minicamp, continues to work mostly with a blend of the second- and third-team units.

• An interesting matchup presented itself during the 11-on-11 portion. Wide receiver Weston Dressler, who is listed at 5-foot-7, split wide against cornerback Sean Smith, who stands 6-foot-3. At the snap of the ball, Dressler appeared to pull away beyond 5 yards before Smith grabbed the jersey, which would’ve drawn a penalty flag in a real setting. Dressler later went against cornerback Ron Parker, who stands 6-0, on three straight plays. Parker pressed Dressler and covered him like a blanket, never allowing the shorter Dressler an opportunity to get by.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Is Jenkins lining up across from Bowe or is it Avery?

shit is still shtty

[planetdoc]

What We Saw In This Week’s Chiefs OTAs
by Bob Gretz
(highlights)

A year ago, the Chiefs offense was learning how to walk in Andy Reid’s offense.

This week as the OTA practices started for the 2014 off-season, the offense was light years ahead of where it was a dozen months ago. They aren’t walking now, they are up and running and it showed as quarterback Alex Smith directed the offense in three practices.

In the 7-on-7 passing drill in Thursday’s practice, Smith had running back Jamaal Charles running down the left side of the field, with a defensive back trailing him. The quarterback saw the opening and threw the ball, although he put too much mustard on the throw and it was high and sailed well out of Charles’ reach.

Smith reacted like it was November and he just missed a potential touchdown play in the fourth quarter, stomping his foot and grabbing his helmet in both hands. A year ago, that type of play never had a chance of happening. But this week, Reid turned up the momentum on the offense with a little no-huddle action, and Smith was constantly completing throws to Charles and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Bowe has caught everything thrown in his direction, whether short, long, intermediate, no matter the routes he has stuck out his hands and the ball has stuck. Plus, he’s shown his off-season conditioning work has been frequent and intense, as he’s run around in the heat without problem. It’s a good start for Bowe who needs a productive season if the Chiefs offense is going to do its part during the 2014 season.

It’s tough to evaluate the offensive or defensive linemen in these practices since there is little or no contact. The quarterbacks, receivers and players in coverage stand out. Along with Bowe, receivers that got open, ran good routes and caught the ball were Canadian Football League signee Weston Dressler, former college basketball player tight end Demetrius Harris and Junior Hemingway.

Watching Dressler in the passing game and it’s easy to see he’s played on the professional level. He does a great job of shielding defensive players away from the ball as it arrives for him to catch.

Harris was an oddity last year, signing as an undrafted college free agent after his basketball career ended at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Much like the offense, Harris has taken giant strides and showed that in his ability to catch just about every ball that was thrown to him, some with difficult grabs because of coverage. With last year’s third-round draft choice Travis Kelce still on the sidelines as he recovers from micro-fracture surgery on his knee, if Harris can continue to produce and improve, Kelce’s presence in the offense will not be as important.

On defense, first-round draft choice Dee Ford impressed everyone with his explosive potential as a pass rusher. Various offensive tackles tried to slow him down, with marginal success. Nose tackle Dontari Poe continues to be hard for blockers to handle, even in the slower pace of the OTAs. In the secondary, third-round draft choice Phillip Gaines has shown his athletic skills and has handled his role on the No. 2 defense with very few kinks.

[OldSchool]

Love the Harris news the best in all honesty. If he can continue his momentum through TC we might just have something at TE this year.

[planetdoc]

Chiefs’ Joe McKnight refocused with opportunity
by Herbie Teope
(highlights)

In three seasons with the Jets, McKnight used his 4.47 speed to total 76 kickoff returns for 2,205 yards (29 yards per return) and two touchdowns, which included a team-record 107-yard effort in 2011. He also had seven punt returns for 69 yards.

“I know that’s the main fact to make the 53-man roster is special teams first,” McKnight said. “They have Jamaal (Charles) now; he’s already proven himself. I’m just trying to prove myself, so start with special teams first. I’m trying to make my niche in the return game and all phases of the special teams. That’s my base first.”

Should the native of River Ridge, La., get to second base, McKnight would offer versatility and depth at running back behind Charles and Knile Davis.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, McKnight joins the Chiefs with 502 yards rushing on 112 carries, adding 177 yards receiving on 17 catches from his time with the Jets.

And he showed off his receiving skills on Thursday.

During the 11-on-11 portion of OTA team drills with the first-team unit, McKnight went in motion out of the backfield and took off down the right sideline at the snap before hauling in a deep pass from quarterback Alex Smith.

“He’s got good pass receiving ability,” Reid said. “He’s a good runner.”

[Discuss Thrower]

I'll be shocked if Dressler makes the roster. Doubly shocked if he and McKnight both make it.