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05-23-2014, 09:16 PM | |
The Boom Boom Room
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Paylor: Five things to watch at the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp
Five things to watch at the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp
The Kansas City Star 1. How healthy is Aaron Murray? This is perhaps the biggest story of camp. The Chiefs didn’t let a torn ACL prevent them taking the prolific ex-Georgia quarterback in the fifth round, and the obvious hope is that he’s quality developmental prospect with a high ceiling. Murray declared himself healthy immediately following his selection, saying he’s currently doing everything — running, jumping, dropbacks, rollouts — to prepare for the upcoming season. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey was a little more cautious, however, saying Murray may not be “full go” until training camp. That said, it will be interesting to see how many restrictions the Chiefs place on Murray, who will battle with Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray for the top backup jobs, at least for this season. 2. Where will De’Anthony Thomas line up? The Chiefs currently list their dynamic fourth-round pick as a running back, which is a tad curious considering he checks in as a lightweight at 5 feet 9 and 174 pounds and will be playing behind established contributors in Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis. Thomas played running back his senior year at Oregon, but he scored 46 touchdowns over his career in a variety of roles, including slot receiver, kick returner and punt returner. It’s practically a given the Chiefs will use Thomas in the latter roles, but given the sizable hole at slot receiver left by Dexter McCluster, who signed with the Tennessee Titans in the offseason, it would be a mild surprise if Thomas didn’t log the majority of his snaps there this season. It will also be interesting to see what jersey number Thomas ends up with, as he is the only member of the draft class to not be assigned his digits. 3. Dee Ford’s juice. The Chiefs felt strong enough about the Auburn pass-rusher’s potential to take him at No. 23 overall in the draft, despite the fact that they have two very good players at outside linebacker in Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. This is a long-term play for the Chiefs, who know the best way to compete in today’s pass-happy NFL is by hitting the quarterback early and often. For this year, at least, he will rotate in and provide insurance in case Houston and Hali get hurt, as they did late last season. But with Hali turning 31 this year and boasting a large cap number next year, a strong season by Ford could speed the veteran’s departure, considering the club stands to save about $9 million by cutting him in 2015. That said, it will be interesting to see how much of Ford’s speed around the corner on his college tape translates when watching him in person. 4. Phillip Gaines’ press-coverage technique. After watching his secondary get eviscerated the second half of last season, Dorsey took the lanky, long-armed corner with 4.38 speed in the third round to give his cornerback group a dose of athleticism. Gaines primarily played press-man coverage at Rice, which is the Chiefs’ coverage of choice. It will be interesting to see how natural he looks when trying to play physically at the line of scrimmage and defending the rub and pick routes that tortured the secondary late last year. 5. Can any non-drafted rookies stick? The Chiefs have brought in a handful of intriguing undrafted rookies, including Brigham Young safety Daniel Sorensen and Georgia State receiver/return man Albert Wilson, who were pegged by some to be drafted. The Chiefs’ free safety play was poor toward the end of last season, and they didn’t bring in any new bodies in the offseason, instead preferring to give Husain Abdullah (who played well when given an opportunity) and Sanders Commings (a 2013 fifth-rounder whose rookie year was all but wiped out because of injuries) a shot at the job. If Sorensen, who was productive at BYU, has a productive camp, he could stick for a while. The same can be said for Wilson, who had a profilic return career at Georgia State and could help a team that lost its starting punt and kick returners from last season. |
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05-24-2014, 11:49 AM | #16 |
Kindness in words...
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Man, Murray was such a piss away of a draft pick.
**** that pick. |
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05-24-2014, 11:53 AM | #17 |
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05-24-2014, 12:05 PM | #18 | |||
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Quote:
1) Can our 3rd round CB step up and push for playing time. This is the biggest need that we decided to address. Gaines needs to hit the weight room and never leave. 2) Can Dee Ford earn the spot as a solid rotational pass rusher. This is our 1st round pick - being productive rotating in should be a lock. 3) Murray will be a fun offseason topic but he or Bray will be cut and the best either of them have to look forward to is 3rd on the depth chart. 4) Our offseason (FA+Draft) was so horrible that undrafted FA's have become a MUST. I think a GM should be given 3 years and I'll stand by that. I'd also be completely fine with throwing Dorsey on a wet curb tomorrow...
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05-24-2014, 12:21 PM | #19 | |
Keep doubting J MFing Houston
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Anyone who watched what happened last season should have been wishing for them. Both the scheme, and the players look solid when our guys are getting there. Now, let's hope Poe gets some snaps off too. |
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05-24-2014, 12:23 PM | #20 |
Keep doubting J MFing Houston
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05-24-2014, 12:26 PM | #21 |
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DAT will be the 3rd RB on the depth chart which will allow us to keep another WR. Charles and Davis are just fine to carry the season long load.
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05-24-2014, 11:59 PM | #22 |
"You like to drink?"
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McKnight..
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05-25-2014, 12:03 AM | #23 | |
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Mike Greenberg@Espngreeny I can’t fathom what it must be like to be a fan of the #Chiefs. Adopt a Chief: Noah Gray |
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05-25-2014, 12:12 AM | #24 |
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hopefully the 2013 draft class aka the IR squad shows up and contributes since most them will be "rookies" too
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05-25-2014, 09:54 AM | #25 |
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http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article...1-c5db295c4f45
Dee Ford Q: What kind of relief is it to have your contract out of the way? FORD: “I just want to play football. I’m excited about the opportunity to get to play here. Now I’m officially a Chief.” Q: Do you think you’ll fit in the way you did in Auburn’s defense? FORD: “Yeah. I’m going to rush the passer. I am dropping in coverage and they’re doing a great job teaching me. I’m learning the system. It’s becoming second nature. They’re going to beat it into my brain, so I’ll get it. I fit perfectly in the system playing behind Justin (Houston) and Tamba (Hali), and I can come in and make some plays.” Q: How exciting was it to be a part of an organized drill? FORD: “It was good. It’s football. This is what I came here to do. I just want to put who I am out on the field and see what they have and improve from here.” Q: What are you thinking when you rush the passer? FORD: “I don’t know. I just go. I don’t really think. I just react. You get a plan, you just work it and trust it.” Q: You had an interception on the first team play. How was that? FORD: “It was great. Teamwork, got batted the ball to me. I just reacted off of that. It was fun.” Q: Where is your comfort level now after being here for a while? FORD: “I give it a C. There is always room for improvement. I don’t want to feel like I’ve arrived. I want to stay grounded and just learn. You can never learn too much. You always have to stay at the C. There’s always room for improvement.” Q: Why did you change your number? FORD: “The opportunity presented itself. I’d play at any number, but of course 55 came available. This is Derrick Thomas’ college number. It’s all good. I’m not trying to be Derrick Thomas, but he’s a guy that definitely inspired me. The opportunity presented itself, so I took it.” Aaron Murray Q: How is your knee? MURRY: “It’s good, feels great. There’s no second thought. There’s no ‘be careful on the knee.’ ‘Don’t slip into a throw.’ It’s all just go out there and play and have fun and execute the play. It feels awesome.” Q: Would you say you’re 100 percent? MURRAY: “Yeah. I feel great. There are no hesitations. I’m able to do everything I need to do.” Q: At the time of the injury, did you think you’d be back doing football stuff this quickly? MURRAY: “Being so competitive, yes. But I also wanted to get back and be healthy. My goal was to be back by my Pro Day, and I was able to do that. We’re just continuing to work every day.” Q: When was the surgery? MURRAY: “November 25.” Q: How long have you felt comfortable with the knee? MURRAY: “I’ve been doing rollouts, cutting, jumping and all of that kind of stuff for probably close to two months. It’s been a constant of just getting better, getting stronger, gaining trust in the knee.” Q: Was it good to get over the mental hurdle with guys running at you and rushing the passer? MURRAY: “Yeah. It was a nice mental hurdle to get over knowing that I have to trust it. I have to trust my throws. I can’t worry about what’s going on in front of me. It’s not a second thought right now. It’s just a reaction and playing football.” Q: How are you getting accustomed to everything here in KC? MURRAY: “Just studying. That’s all you can really do right now as a rookie. Just getting your nose in the playbook, learn as much as you can from the playbook. You can’t go out there and execute, you can’t go out here and play to your full potential or play fast when you’re thinking. That’s the hard part for all the rookies where we can be sometimes hesitant because we don’t exactly get what we’re doing, so the best thing we can do and the thing I’ve been doing day-in and day-out is just studying my playbook, making sure I know the thing in and out so when I come out it’s just playing, reacting and making throws.” De'Anthony Thomas Q: Is this what you expected? THOMAS: “It was a great experience in my first day coming out here. I’m out here to compete and just be a team player to help this team and contribute to this team.” Q: What’s the deal with your jersey number? THOMAS: “When I arrived yesterday, No. 1 was in my locker. I established this number and I’m just going to keep working and keep competing and keep contributing to this team.” Q: How much work have you been getting at slot receiver? THOMAS: “I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of work. During practice I’ve been playing slot a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with the position. I’m just ready to execute and contribute to this team.” Q: Considering you’re going to miss the OTAs, how much of a setback is that for you? THOMAS: “It’s not at all. I feel like I still have to be a student to the game, so I have to study and keep working hard and keep training and just wait for my turn to get back to this field.” Q: According to a few things you tweeted out, it seems a little frustrating for you? THOMAS: “Yeah, all the other guys are here getting their work in. I feel like I have put in my work training and just getting ready to be here. Today was my first day, and I feel like I did pretty well. I’m coming back tomorrow and ready to work.” Q: What do you think you’re best at? THOMAS: “I just feel like I’m a playmaker. Wherever Coach puts me on the field, I’m going to help this team get to the promise land.” |
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05-25-2014, 09:57 AM | #26 |
"You like to drink?"
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It took Houston a while to be good in coverage, right?
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05-25-2014, 09:59 AM | #27 |
Keep doubting J MFing Houston
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05-25-2014, 10:00 AM | #28 |
Keep doubting J MFing Houston
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05-25-2014, 10:02 AM | #29 |
Special Teams ACE!!!
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05-25-2014, 10:14 AM | #30 |
'Tis my eye!
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