Teicher: Chiefs rookies Allen, Stephenson get in line

[Coogs]

Chiefs rookies Allen, Stephenson get in line

The Chiefs would rather have draft picks Allen and Stephenson sit and learn this season.


By ADAM TEICHER

The Kansas City Star


Chiefs offensive linemen Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson were side-by-side at this weekend’s rookie camp, and the team hopes they will be that way for years to come


The Chiefs unveiled at their weekend rookie camp what could be the left side of their future offensive line. Jeff Allen, their second-round draft pick, was the left guard while Donald Stephenson, their third-round choice, was next to him at tackle.

It’s not a reach to believe both players could someday be starting in those spots for the Chiefs. The incumbents, left guard Ryan Lilja and left tackle Branden Albert, are heading into the final season of their contracts.

The Chiefs just hope that someday won’t come this year. They would like Allen and Stephenson ready to play in case of injury to a starter, but would rather for now they sit and learn.

“All things being equal,” coach Romeo Crennel said, “I’d rather have veterans everywhere.”

Even without Allen and Stephenson, the Chiefs will have a couple of new elements on their offensive line. Rodney Hudson, a second-round draft pick last year, will take over from Casey Wiegmann at center. Eric Winston was signed as a free agent to play right tackle.

Lilja, Albert and right guard Jon Asamoah were starters last year. The Chiefs appear in no mood to tinker any more with their offensive line.

“With that position group, the more they work together, the more they will jell,” Crennel said. “I think everybody knows that. The sooner you can get the guys that you have working together, the better chance they have to jell. They will jell because the nature of that group is that they like to hang out together, they like to do things together. But you’ve got to keep them together to make that happen.”

That’s particularly important for the Chiefs, who are getting younger on the offensive line. Among the five starters, Lilja is the oldest at 30 and the only one over 28. Hudson will be in his first year as a starter, just as Asamoah was last year.

Lilja, who once helped the Colts win a Super Bowl, qualifies as a veteran. But having joined the Chiefs only in 2010, he’s not a long-timer in the sense of Wiegmann or Brian Waters, who was released by the Chiefs last summer.

“We’ve got some of the core guys that have been here for a couple of years,” Albert said. “I’ve been here four-plus seasons, Ryan’s been here (two)-plus seasons. So it is kind of hard, but right now is the most important stage of developing our offensive line, the continuity and getting things together. We work together and as we move into (offseason practice) and minicamp and training camp, hopefully everything comes together with the new young guys that are coming in and the new free agents, that we all come together and get things going.”

For now, Allen and Stephenson figure in as depth, though soon it could be more than that.

“Basically come in, work hard, come in with the mind-set that you want to learn and get better every day,” Albert said when asked what advice he would have for his new teammates. “You’re going to have your struggles here and there and you’re going go through hard times, you’re going to hit a rookie wall but keep fighting and go to the right people for the right advice and keep striving to be the best player you can be.”

The rookie camp is just the start. The Chiefs aren’t in full pads and contact is minimal, so the Chiefs will have to wait until training camp to get a better gauge on how advanced their rookie linemen are.

“The good guys aren’t even here,” Crennel said. “When they start going against the good guys and have the pads on, we’ll see if they can hold their own. At that time, we’ll begin to have an indication.”

Allen played tackle in college at Illinois but will likely be a guard with the Chiefs.

“I felt comfortable but it’s a lot different than tackle,” said Allen, who missed Saturday’s practices to participate in graduation ceremonies at Illinois. He was scheduled to return today. “You’ve got to be less patient. It’s definitely a process. We all just got the playbooks yesterday. We were in the books last night. You’ve got to take the time to study so you can come out and play fast.

“The tempo was really fast and everyone is a really great player, so you know you have to pick it up a few notches.”

Stephenson was at home, and not just at tackle. He’s from the Kansas City area, having attended Central High and then Blue Springs before moving on to college at Oklahoma. He was a two-year starter at tackle for the Sooners.

“It’s faster,” Stephenson said. “I expected that. The mental part of it has increased. It’s the NFL. It’s going to be tougher. So I have to be tougher and I have to be smarter.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/12...#storylink=cpy

[jspchief]

When she was done her asshole would hang out about 4 inches and looked like an inverted sausage casing.

[jspchief]

He could just stretch it over his dick like he was putting on pantyhose.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

You've got a serious deficiency in reading comprehension.

The Chiefs never won anything with perhaps the best guard to play in the NFL in the past 20 years.

You can get a decent guard at most truck stops at 2:00 a.m. on a Tuesday.

I've said that the draft sucks because they drafted a ****ing tackle to play guard in the second round. I'd try to explain more, but you are apparently too ****ing stupid to understand the written word.

and yet, you wanted to spend the #11 pick on one of the least impactful positions on the football field.

[BossChief]

Sac wanted Konz at 11 and Reynolds in the second or third round.

Konz went mid second and Reynolds didnt even get drafted.

Listening to him about line play is a waste of time except for purposes of humor.

[Chiefnj2]

Allen and Stephenson will do a good job protecting Seneca Wallace next year.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by SNR

47 minutes? Nah. I mean, it took her 20 at most. She was a pro at using these things, too. She let me watch while she did it. I've never seen a chick so comfortable with shoving shit in her ass. Seriously, like a quick 30 seconds to pour in the liquid, 4 minutes to hold it all in, and about 15 minutes to let her system shit it all out.

Damn, that still isn't shittier than Sac's takes.

[buddha]

Sac...if Poe doesn't work out, come back and bitch. It's foolish to keep banging this same drum over and over. Personally, while I hated the Poe pick when it happened, it has grown on me over time. Nothing wrong with that...reconsideration is the mark of a seasoned mind and a person who is willing to consider other options.

Moving Jeff Allen one spot to the inside is a simple transition. It's moving guards to tackle that is hard.

[RealSNR]

Wow. A lot of you seem disgusted. I had no idea sticking your wiener up a poop chute was romantic, but watching a woman take a shit was absolutely disgusting. To each his own, though.

[Chris Meck]

I was gonna say...

haven't we pretty well established that Sac purports to know a lot about football while actually knowing nothing?

[Okie_Apparition]

Thrives on rejection
but rejects anal
he's so complex

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Sac wanted Konz at 11 and Reynolds in the second or third round.

Konz went mid second and Reynolds didnt even get drafted.

Listening to him about line play is a waste of time except for purposes of humor.

Don't you have a ballsack to gargle on or something?

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by SNR

Wow. A lot of you seem disgusted. I had no idea sticking your wiener up a poop chute was romantic, but watching a woman take a shit was absolutely disgusting. To each his own, though.

It's why I keep a pristine roll of extra thick Saran Wrap in the house and have numerous glass coffee tables.

Haters gonna hate.