ArrowheadOne: Friday Notes and Quotes – 6.15.18
· by David Bell
Chris Conley has a positive view of the signing of Sammy Watkins, as do I. When asked, Conley said:
“I am excited..we’ve had talented guys around… Tyreek, J-Mac, Jason Avant… I kind of started with a really talented group my first year, and I see what happens when you have a lot of guys with experience who can play on the field, and that‘s what we want… “We want to create competition, but at the end of the day, we also want to have as many guys out there who can make plays in those situations as possible.“
About having a “demotion to #3 WR,” Conley said it wouldn’t make it hard but easier:
“If you pay attention on the sidelines, during (minicamp) practice, Sammy and I usually hang out on the sidelines in between our sets together….We talk through things. We talk through the nuances of the game.”
Injury Update from Thursday
1. Nicks and Dings:
RB Kareem Hunt (hamstring strain)
WR Byron Pringle (calf strain)
LB Dorian O’Daniel (undisclosed)
LB Terrance Smith (undisclosed)
CB Makinton Dorleant (undisclosed)
DL Dee Liner (undisclosed)
RB J.D. Moore (undisclosed)
2. Held out due to continued rehab:
C Mitch Morse (foot)
WR De’Anthony Thomas (leg)
3. Limited in participation (individual drills only):
LB Dee Ford (back)
RB Spencer Ware (knee)
Speaking of Ryan Hunter
Kavis Reed, GM of the Montreal Alouettes had listed Hunter as a must obtain player in the draft and had him selected only to see him trot off to the Kansas City Chiefs which an article from Kent Swanson under the heading of “Lottery Tickets” has observed. As a final analysis, Swanson observed that Hunter was very good in lateral movement but needed to work on his base and improve his use of his hands… noting that sometimes his initial move has a powerful punch. He noted that Hunter’s speed was good which would put him in a position to match into the Chiefs “move” blocking schemes as a strong, capable and intelligent offensive lineman. Laddie Morse, in his article on Thursday, discussed Hunter’s particulars and potential to be a fit. I suggest that Hunter has the attributes but will be a developmental offensive lineman — he loves football, he is intelligent and if he uses LDT as a mentor and his coaches for improving his technique — he may become a fine addition to the play of the front five.
Speaking of Patrick Mahomes
PM was on Good Morning Football Thursday Morning and I can’t type fast enough to do anything but mostly paraphrase… but I did take notes. When Mahomes was asked how far he could throw a football and his answer was: 85 yards. When asked if he was getting in rhythm with his receivers, Mahomes answered yes and explained how it was improving daily, saying you want to come in better and keep getting better everyday.
Are you starting to feel the rhythm with receivers. Nate on NFL Good Morning Football, to which 2:PM answers in the affirmative and explains a little how it is improving every day: “You want to come in better, and keep getting better every day.” One other statement that stuck out, and I’m paraphrasing: “..we have a lot of young guys that are hungry and want to win. We won the division two years running and the next thing is the Super Bowl.”
When asked about who stands out so far, Mahomes discussed the cornerbacks overall, CB David Amerson for his intelligence and the how well CB Kendall Fuller is fitting in. He then gave credit to his QB mentor, Alex Smith. Wise young man.
Speaking of Chris Jones
Chris Jones — 3-4DE — is entering his 3rd season and tasking himself with a greater role in leadership. It appears he has embraced the task:
“Every year, you work on things you can work on — [I‘m] trying to progress as a leader. You try to lead as an example for the younger guys. Every year, you work on things you can work on — trying to progress as a leader… you try to lead as an example for the younger guys.”
In an interview with Pete Sweeney, Chiefs reporter, he was very upbeat about the defensive players being “studs.” He said:
We got Breeland (Speaks), from the SEC, our arch-rival (Ole Miss). We got Nnadi, the kid’s a stud — [he’s] got to learn a little of the game, but other than that, we got some great guys here — the linebacker from Clemson (Dorian O’Daniel). We got a great group of guys.”
Now here is something that I knew early on but Pete Sweeney (ArrowheadPride) brought it out again in his article, quoting Jones about his kinship with Breeland Speaks (same conference, different schools).
“Me and Speaks hang out—I grill for the guy. The guy is a fatty. He was supposed to be D-tackle, but he was fortunate enough to run a little so they put him at D-end, but that‘s my guy. We had steaks, pork chops. We‘re some fat kids, man. You have to understand, we have a lot of meat with a few vegetables. It was a cheat day.”
I especially like Jones being involved with the leadership on defense and his play from last season shows why this could be important — even beyond that? Jones is preaching toughness and that fits with where GM Brett Veach is leading the team by the additions of player personnel. It’s a tough bunch according to Jones, who said: “…the Chiefs have made a point of it this offseason that they are pushing a new defensive mindset — one of toughness they maybe didn‘t have last year, especially when it came to the playoffs.”
David Bell – the NSLU
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