It’s going to be a long week and a half around here.

Truest thing said in this thread today. No hyperbole!

For sure!

I don't know if this had been brought up but Jones was asked in an interview how they keep from getting stale with things with so much time between playing. He replied that they would be running 1defense against 1offense that doesn't happen normally during the season. I am sure that this will be the tale that says when DJ is ready.

JAY THOONIE

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thuney is quicker into his set, and stays attached through the rep. Even on the last snap, he stays connected as he goes to the ground, giving one last shove away from 15<br><br>The strong Guard hands are harder to get away from <a href="https://t.co/MWYLVngfvr">pic.twitter.com/MWYLVngfvr</a></p>&mdash; Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ron_Kopp/status/1876821995037270190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And how is Caliendo vs. Thuney at LG, since that's the actual issue here?

OFFENSE SNAPS PLAYED 2024

237

SACKS ALLOWED

0

PENALTIES

0

TOTAL PRESSURE ALLOWED

7

Well if PFF is even close to correct, then Caliendo just might be one of the top 3-4 worst pass blocking starting lineman in the league.

I'm really worried about Caliendo playing against these good playoff teams, because interior pressure is pretty much the one actual way to beat MVP Mahomes.

We just played two playoff teams with him, beat them handily, and we're worried again LMAO LMAO LMAO

In his last 2 starts he has 93 pass block reps and had allowed 7 pressures, 6 hurries, and 1 hit as a guard. That's really really bad.

Yeah, that's my concern. They think he sucks in run blocking too.

Houston and Pittsburg are not what I would call good playoff teams. I'd actually say they're probably the 2 worst playoff teams.

They have two of the strongest defensive lines in the entire league. LMAO

Pittsburgh has Cam ****ing Heyward!

Ya'll gotta stop dooming.

Made a mistake of replying to your comment. I forgot for a sec that you have this whole homer schtick thing going on.

whatever you say, dopey doomer

every game thread you're bleeding everywhere

The offense finally looks legit against some good defenses, WITH Thuney at the LT.

Peiple still bitching. It’s unreal

Worried about what? Nobody is scared of having to play Thuney at LT. Some of us would rather have him return to his original position if possible.

Bitching?

LMAO

You all are some hyperbolic mother****ers I swear. Who the **** is bitching about Thuney's LT play? Thuney's looked really good because of how quick Pat has been throwing the ball. Caliendo can't block for shit even with Pat getting rid of the ball faster than he's ever done before. Caliendo has been worse than atrocious. That could bite us in the ass.

It'd be nice if we could put Thuney where he's an All Pro and then someone that looks even slightly worse than Thuney at LT makes the line a **** ton better.

False. Proven false by video.

False. Proven false by video and statistics.

You are the ****ing worst.

There's enough good Caliendo tape out there for a team to pay him some money and earn us a comp pick.

You put some respect on Mike ****ing Caliendo's name.

We know that Mahomes had a career fastest release game. Don't have to know anything about routes or steps to know that something was different.

Is Thuney the Chiefs' best free agent signing ever?

Probably.

Actually this has been proven false time and time again by * Checks notes* 5 Gifs clay made.

Schwartz is up there as well. Obviously Priest.

I mean the answer is probably Len Dawson. He was traded by Pittsburgh to Cleveland before Cleveland cut him and the Chiefs (Texans) signed him.

But in the modern era, your top three are probably Thuney, Schwartz and Priest in some order.

He's an ERFA -- I can't imagine he's going anywhere and if he does, it won't be for enough to earn us a comp pick.

WTF would anyone spend this much energy on something they have ZERO control over?

I'll trust the coaching staff that got us here and not worry about it otherwise. Strange idea I know.

Yes. like the fact that Worthy got better in the offense as the season went on, as did Dhop and that guys were finally where Pat expected them to be.

You guys are f'n clowns at times. They didn't change the offense. The offense just executed better.

If you think Caliendo has been good you don't know a ****ing thing about football.

Kind of hard to compare the LT play in the 2 games Clay showed because of different gameplans and different QBs. You don't think Mahomes would have run forward throught that huge hole left there by the DE rushing so wide? Or Andy gameplanning a RB getting open through that gap?

That being said, yes, Thuney has looked better at LT. I'm just going to assume that the coaching staff knows what they are doing and will make the best choice for this team to get back to the SB.

You're being lured into a pit with hidden escape hatch for the lurie

Again, the argument is more about the longer developing plays. It's about the time it takes for certain routes to work.

Yes, the Chiefs did throw some deep/intermediate balls against Pitt but they were all one cut and go routes. And the reason you know that is simpe:

3 deep balls -- average time to throw: 2.19 seconds
8 intermediate -- TTT: 2.42 seconds

Contrast that to the 9 balls behind the LOS? 2.55 seconds.

The deep and intermediate balls took LESS time to throw than his passes behind the LOS in that game.

That's CLEARLY pre-determined read and fire plays. That's spamming shit you know works when you know the defense hasn't figured them out. 2.19 seconds to throw a deep shot isn't a 'long developing play' because we weren't running 'em. We weren't using those longer developing deep routes.

And if we go out there against the Chargers and Buffalo (most likely scenario, IMO) and those teams - who know us EXTREMELY well - are going to let us run those super easy concepts to get the ball downfield in under 2.5 seconds, we'll beat the absolute shit out of them.

But I just don't think they will. And if/when they show that they're not going to let us spam those same concepts repeatedly, we'll want to bust out some of the Cover 3 beaters and other longer developing concepts that allow us to get to 3+ seconds in the pocket to find the occasional shot look.

But there's just no question that when we shaved a full second off our average TTT on deep balls and nearly a full second off intermediate balls that we were doing something very different in our downfield passing game. And look at any season of PMs career - the numbers are roughly similar. Always around 3.3 to 3.5 on deep shots, 3.1 to 3.25 on intermediate shots.

We are 3.1 to 3.5 on intermediate to deep balls for the entirety of Mahomes career. A sample size of literally THOUSANDS of attempts. And in that game we had those numbers at 2.4 and 2.2 respectively.

Yes, something was very very VERY clearly different.

The offense has executed at extremely high levels for entire seasons throughout PMs career.

And it DOESN'T operate at '2.1 seconds on a deep ball and 2.4 seconds on an intermediate ball' levels.

That has to be schematic.

But hell man, if it's just pure execution -- bully. Because we'll absolutely obliterate everyone this post-season if we've found a downfield easy button that allows us to rip balls deep on a timeline this team has never so much as brushed up against in the past.

It just really feels to me like Reid, with short prep periods and the finish line in sight, said "**** this, just focus on getting these 5 concepts right and lets bury these guys who we clearly have more talent then..."

I just don't think that's a repeatable formula against the Chargers and Bills.

(which, again, is why I hope Houston wins that Chargers game. Because man, we will STEAMROLL Houston and can do so in essentially the same manner)

The overwhelming consensus from the Chiefs youtube community is DJ done well enough and he should start the next game. We will likely know which direction the wind is blowing by this time next week I guess.

FWIW, some schmuck asked Matt Derrick about this for his Q&A. TL;DR, he thinks they'll give Humphries a go but won't be surprised if they stick with Thuney-Caliendo.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6z_5GxIMlM4?si=mLvsk-zyOK6wO_O2&amp;start=345" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

HYPERBOLE!!!!!

(Isn't this exactly where the 'Pro-Humphries' camp sits right now?)

I mean if the staff is even considering Humphries, our side of this argument wins. Because they are viewing this exactly as we are. That the DJ/Thuney pairing would allow us to do some things offensively that the Thuney/Caliendo pairing doesn't.

They ALSO see it as a best case scenario or they wouldn't even bother dicking with it.

But if DJ can't get there, they won't do it.

The fact that the staff continues to pursue the former over the latter suggests that they're seeing what we're seeing. And certainly corroborates the idea that they have taken some things off the table with the latter.

This is what the Pro Caliendo camp fails to understand. If DJ wasn't the best option they wouldn't even think about ****ing with this when they could be spending time crunching film for playoff teams.

This depends on what type of FA. Do undrafted rookie free agents count? Bc if so you gotta put Emmitt Thomas and Deron Cherry up there.

Dawson, Priest and Schwartz are the obvious ones. You gotta put Matheiu up there for the impact he made here. Marcus Allen is definitely on the list. So is Brian Waters. Casey Wiegmann and Tony Richardson as well.

Nick Lowery should be high up there too. He was Butker far before Butker. Was here 14 years, is still the franchises scoring leader and was the most accurate kicker in NFL history the day he retired.

Exactly what I said last night. If we are wrong, Andy isn't even considering playing Humphries.

But he is, so we aren't wrong.

Yep. The fact that they're even considering it says it all.

What an interesting, long and complicated set of arguments that concludes the obvious: if Humphrey can play well enough, then the Chiefs will use him at LT and keep Thuney where he naturally belongs at LG . If they think Humphrey won’t play well enough, they will go with Thuney at LT and Caliendo at LG. Our games with Thuney at LT showed we are better using that approach if our alternative is to have a turn still at LT. I think in the Denver game Humphrey showed he can probably meet that standard. But there seem to be some doubts if you can do it long time on a lengthy drive or for the full game. Hard to understand why that is an issue as we had the ball for under 20 minutes in the Denver debacle. If that turns out to be the case, they may switch back-and-forth using Thuney or Humphrey depending how tired Humphrey is.

I don’t think it will matter against either Houston or Pittsburgh. And from that game, we will have a clearer idea of our best option for Buffalo or Baltimore – or even Denver if a miracle occurs and we play them again.

I think the sticking point for a lot of people (myself included) is whether people think Humphries will be ready or not, and what constitutes that. Basically, the pro Humphries camp thinks the Denver game and two weeks of prep time is enough for him to be ready, and the pro-Thuney camp thinks that's not enough time to be game ready and he might come out gassed.

I lean more on the pro-Thuney side because I'm more risk averse. I also believe the "we can switch Humphries out if he's not playing well" philosophy is a lot more risky than others seem to believe, but that's all just me.

It really has nothing to do with Caliendo, I think we all understand the ceiling is higher with Humphries and want Thuney back at G, it's just whether or not you think it's worth the risk.

Nate Taylor said yesterday that he "doesn't think that you can play DJ Humphries". That was his opinion and I don't agree with it at all. I think Humphries at LT and Thuney at LG makes it a much better OL.

Let’s just have the conversation fellas. DJ is probably coming back next year on a prove it deal and I’m fine with that.

Glancing at the landscape of the NFL, you’ve got limited options.

Ronnie Stanley-assuming the Ravens don’t try to keep that broke dick
Cam Robinson
Tyron Smith
Kelvin Beachum

That’s your FA list.

Draft:

Will Campbell-top 10 projected pick
Kelvin Banks-top 15 projected pick
Cameron Williams-played RT. Probably not a LT

Maybe 2 of Wyatt Milllum, Josh Conerly and Josh Simmons are your most realistic options. I fully expect Conerly to light up the combine and move into the teens. Maybe Millim too.

Simmons tore his ACL in October. Looked ****ing great at LT for OSU. He might be our best shot since he can’t participate in the combine or a pro day. And even then he might be redshirted.

And of course your in-house option of Kingsley. Man it’s ****ing rough finding a LT unless your team sucks enough to get a high draft pick.

Your list is right, but IMO, anyone could put up yards behind that OL. He belongs, but a guy like Roaf is probably the better pick. Maybe even Kinneson with the absolute ****fests we had at WR during the time.

Seth Keysor said the exact opposite. He looked at the tape and concluded DJ was probably their first option.

If DJ doesn't start, it will be a physical question not talent concerns.

Wish we had one more throwaway game to observe

We really did screw the pooch a bit by rushing him initially, should have let him get into better football shape. It's a huge question mark if you throw him in there now regardless of how anyone is trying to spin it.

I still say do it for the divisional and keep a very short leash on him. If he doesn't look like he can hold up, get him out. We can survive against a team like the Texans and Chargers while adjusting on the fly, but we damn sure need to know exactly where we're at for the AFC title game.

More importantly, ANDY thinks DJ is the right call or he wouldn't be considering it.

You either trust the front office or you don't. That's the real argument here.

Andy obviously wants DJ to take the spot. Shouldn't that be enough? Or are people just that scared?

LMAO DJ is a mid season pump and dump, nothing more. The fact that this is even a conversation is why. We'll see how it works out to close out the 2024 season, but if you think Veach is going to go back to the short term broke dick veteran well AGAIN for 2025 I have a Timeshare in Belize I think you'd love to have a look at.

Nate Who? He's been gettin' sheet wrong since he's been at the Athletic.

Good thread. Makes a lot of sense

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thuney is quicker into his set, and stays attached through the rep. Even on the last snap, he stays connected as he goes to the ground, giving one last shove away from 15<br><br>The strong Guard hands are harder to get away from <a href="https://t.co/MWYLVngfvr">pic.twitter.com/MWYLVngfvr</a></p>&mdash; Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ron_Kopp/status/1876821995037270190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here are 2 not pretty examples of that. Thuney is getting blown back into the pocket, but stays between Mahomes and the rusher <a href="https://t.co/ijhfXvSY1Z">pic.twitter.com/ijhfXvSY1Z</a></p>&mdash; Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ron_Kopp/status/1877039779528806657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Watching the Chiefs podcast sphere argue over this issue is kinda funny.

Roaf wasn't a FA we traded for him before the 2002 Season.

Kennison quit on Denver mid season didnt he? Then we picked him up and went off for a coupe years.

Oh yea looked it up, hilarious.

Maybe followed by James Hasty?

Did the Rams extend Joe Noteboom? Because he was a free agent as of 2 days ago.

I'd prefer him to Robinson and any other FA T and think he would be a sneaky good signing.

I don't recall where I read it, but some folks are really high on Simmons as guy who could provide production far beyond his draft status fairly quickly.

I just think the championship window for this version of the Chiefs is starting to close. In fact, if Kelce retires, that's kinda the end of it. You're fully in the "3rd stage Patrick Mahomes Era" at that point.

But if you have another year or two with Kelce in some capacity and Jones still at/near his dominant self, I really struggle with the idea of a 'redshirt' OT in the first round. I still think you need to focus on using assets that can/should contribute in the short term in the first round.

And I just don't see the board falling that way for us at OT. Which is why I keep coming back to the idea of signing a decent but not spectacular veteran at OT and using a 1st rounder on someone that can help the rush or provide PM another weapon.

Hell, I'm not opposed at all to snagging another CB in the first round as I think this season has shown how thin we are there and CBs are getting awfully expensive in their own right in FA (and have far less predictable outcomes than veteran OTs).

I think you can mostly know what you'll get from an OT that you snag in FA. I don't think that's the case for CBs. So I'd be more likely to use draft capital on a developmental CB and cap space on an OT than vice versa.

Yeah, Hasty is another good one who I just always overlook, probably because I was in my early teens at the time.

But to my memory, he only had 2-3 really impactful years here. Now my memory is flat-ass wrong, but that's why I don't typically think of him along those same lines.

I think the issue is that he came in at the end of the Marty years and took those defenses up a notch. But when Marty left and we had Gunther in there...well it just didn't matter much.

Arguably his best season for us - 1999 - is one that NOBODY remembers because frankly, why should they? We went 9-7, missed the playoffs, didn't have a 900 yard receiver or a 700 yard rusher (Donnell Bennett was our RB1, FFS). DT only had 7 sacks, Marvcus friggen Patton was our #2 pass rusher.

So that season's just wiped from my memory altogether. And the two seasons sandwiched around it were arguably even more forgettable; 7-9 both seasons.

So really the only thing I remember from Hasty is the 1995-1997 seasons and it's just difficult to really consider him in that same 'pantheon' because of it, unfair as that may be.

Glad someone did this. I'm sure it's not the full story, but yeah, it'll be Thuney, and it should be.

The Pro Bowl Humphries of 2 or 3 years ago, play him. The guy coming back from injury this year, nope. Would love to have seen more of him and to see if he could work his way back to form, but nevermind.

Yeah, I think we go 1 or 2 more years before another mini-reset.

I was at a very snowy Arrowhead Kennison's first game against the donks just a couple of weeks later. I'm having to look up the game stats because I don't remember much other than sitting in the East EZ, a Chiefs win and the snow - but EK had 3 receptions for 62 yards, with 42 of those yards coming on one reception. Chiefs won 26-23 in OT.

It was a free ticket too, I was actually a guest of a Denver fan and his son - it was like the ultimate perfect day. :D

Was it kccrow who mentioned Alaric Jackson. I hadn't paid much attention to him but he seems to have had a pretty solid season. Younger so may want multiple years, but far less sustained success. May be too much of a gamble but he might be a name to throw in.

And the 're-set' year might suck a bit.

It would be a good year to pump some money into PMs pocket to 'thank' him for being a good soldier over the previous years when we needed cap space.

It might be a good year to clean up some cap, though we really don't have any bloat to speak of. Probably Taylor. But it could help you clear the decks for some big money years for guys like McDuffie, Rice, Worthy, maybe Karlaftis.

2026 or 2027 may just be a bit of a lost year for us.

If we win it this year and PM has 4 SB's by age 30 I am fine with a year of cap cleanup and loading up on younger players.

Just load up the offense so we can be entertained and PM can win a playoff game or 2.

Think I'm with you both.

So you doubt Andy Reid?

And its reps like that by Humphries that we can't afford in the playoffs. Like total whiffs like that are crazy to think about going into the postseason.

And yet Andy wants to start DJ.

Also agree. If we win this year I'd let Trey, Bolton, Reid and Omenihu all go. You can't take it for granted you'll be able to draft studs, but at that point I'd reset with some new guys. I'd find a vet at LT, try and bring Holywood back and go from there

Eat shit in 2026 and draft Jeremiah Smith in the 2027 draft.

PROFIT!

Smith might be the best WR prospect since Julio Jones. Maybe since Calvin Johnson.

Shit, purely as a prospect he might be the best EVER by the time the draft gets here.

That kid doing what he's doing as a 19 year old true freshman is just damn near unheard of. It's generational.

I don't think Humphries plays in the playoffs. If Reid has said otherwise then I guess there's a good chance I'll be wrong!

Reid has repeatedly said he prefers to have Thuney at LG during the playoffs. He's also said multiple times that they want to put DJ out there.

Why would he say either of those things if Thuney is clearly the better option at LT?

People are scared of taking risks. You don't get to where the Chiefs are now playing it safe.

If DJ is ready, he will play. If he's not, he won't. Andy said as much and who am I to second guess a coach with all those rings?

Has he said that publicly?

He'd be the CLEAR #1 pick THIS YEAR.

Yeah, I don't think you're wrong.

If a team like the Raiders came offering us a 2nd this year and a 1st in 2027 for our 1st this year, I'd probably take 'em up on it. Hell, I might even do it for a 3rd and the 2027 1st. (yes, this violates my "don't want to use a 1st on a redshirt rule - I get that, I just really like Jeremiah Smith).

Loading up on high ceiling picks in the 2027 draft to try to make a run at Smith is not a bad idea.

You put him and Mahomes together and when the history books are written, I think HE'D be the name you think of alongside PM rather than Kelce. And Tyreek would be completely lost to history.

Because those two guys playing together for 8-10 years could very possible re-write some records. Rice's numbers are so damn strange that they defy even considering, but could a guy like Smith who has a QB like Mahomes for the bulk of his career get at/near the 17,500 yards that Fitzgerald put up in a passing era with 17 game seasons?

Yeah, he could. Easily. And Mahomes could also easily be the triggerman for 12,000+ of those yards.

Could be right, but if this is based on whether DJ is ready, or Reid thinks he is, I'd imagine not, based on how he's played. Guess we'll see.

I just don’t see it man.

Andy, Patrick, Spags, Veach

If we keep those guys I think we’ll be just fine. The coaching job these guys have done the last 2 years on offense has been incredible. Makeshift LT, piss poor WR’s in 2023, top WR’s injured in 2024. Spags as well has done a great job hiding deficiencies on defense (looking at you Bryan Cook).

If we lose one those guys it’s a different story obviously, but if we have those guys I have full faith. And sure we’ll lose Kelce and Jones soon. Not quite worried about Kelce considering Andy’s work with TE’s and the emmergence of Worthy and Rice.

The biggest threat besides losing one of them is the division. Unfortunately the Broncos and Chargers are gonna have a lot of money to spend. One of them could win 11-12 games next year or the year after.

The bottom line is this.

The Chiefs have traded up in almost every draft since Mahomes got here. They've traded away star players. They've spent big in free agency. The Chiefs don't do "safe".

If DJ plays, it's because they think he can. If they stay with Thuney, it's because they think that's the best option. There's literally nothing here to worry about. Unless you don't have faith in Andy and his staff. There really isn't an argument to be had. You either trust this team or you don't.

And that's where all this Thuney talk is coming from. Fear and a lack of trust.