High Expectations From Juan Thornhill

We are officially in mandatory mini-camp time, which means a couple things:

1. Team confidence and togetherness is at a peak, and
2. The pressers ooze with positivity, ambitions of titles and ambitious “guarantees” of individual stats.

This is not a CHIEFS thing or even an NFL thing, this is a sports thing. Little league doesn’t typically feature press conferences, but the positivity is the same. The NFL currently features 32 Super Bowl LVII champs and over 2000 all pros. For this small moment in time most parties actually believe it and mean it. The goal of teams is drive to accomplish the goals through training, and the fun of fandom right now is debating what is real and BS. That’s really all we are all doing right now. It’s fun. I watch and follow in this vein while taking an active role in the real vs BS discussion space. Today I want to dig into a certain presser.

Focus Player Overview

The player who jumped out enters his 4th season as a 2019 2nd round draft pick. He impressed immediately as a rookie, and started the whole season. If it is not clear who I noticed the stats should do it:

• 16 games started
• 3 INT
• 1 TD (returned INT of Deshaun Watson when he was the future of the league, and not a pariah – that matters)
• 42 solo tackles

Juan Thornhill was a stud his rookie season, and appeared prime for the playoff breakout. Fate had other ideas, and he tore his ACL in week 17 against the Chargers. The CHIEFS went on to win the Super Bowl, and Thornhill went on the PUP list. He stayed there until August 19, 2000, which made him miss majority of training camp. His sophomore and junior seasons were less exciting than his rookie season.

The 2020 season saw his starts cut in half, and 2021 featured a space in Spags doghouse. The latter was especially troubling due to the stellar play of Dirty Dan.

The calendar is now on 2022 and life is different. Juan is healthy and assured a starting spot, and that is a career first. Mathieu’s public departure also makes Thornhill the elder stateman of the DB room, which is also a first.

About That Presser

I believe this was a first time watching Thornhill speak, and if not I obviously forgot about it. A few things jumped out at me, and the first was his personality. That dude is magnetic and positive, so watching was a joy. The next key point was his above mentioned health. This is of paramount importance, and effects everything from performance all the way to mood. I will speak for myself in saying that lingering injuries or colds kill my mood and motivation at a higher level than my energy. A hurt knee in particular has the tendency to invite second thoughts about movement. Questions about making cuts do not lend well to playing safety at any level. My key moment from the entire video is how healthy Thornhill feels.

Juan’s hunger stuck out to me as well. He is hungry to win AND to lead. The leadership piece is key as he is the old man in the DB corps. He and Justin Reid, who came from the Texans via trade in March, are the starting safeties. Thornhill described their established bond in detail, and it included tons of film and playbook study. That intensity and professionalism fits with the Super Bowl ambitions of the team. Juan Thornhill spoke in more detail about the new faces including rookies matching his approach. He mentioned preparedness of practices multiple times. The last thing he mentioned about his leadership style was the focus on keeping things fun. He wants the D to have fun because it keeps the team loose, and a loose team plays instinctively. That is a lethal combo with intense preparation.

2022 Ambitions

The other hunger in Juan is for personal performance. I was happy to hear that, but also to hear it after team and D. Thornhill expects to be an all pro, and went on the record saying it. This means building on his rookie season in a measurable and meaningful way. The CHIEFS must have a good D for this to materialize. Juan Thornhill will not be an all pro if our Defense sucks, and if he falls short of a 10 INT season. To that extension Thornhill is calling for a better D, and essentially guaranteeing it.

That was the presentation. I am sure there is nothing short of a dozen videos out there, and all are from DB on ambitious teams. The goal is static, and it is to determine real talk vs BS. The questions at hand: will the CHIEFS have a top 16 D, and will Juan Thornhill be a top 6 safety? He seems to think so. My inclination is to believe him, but also exercise caution. The defensive spine of pressure, LB support and DB closure remains suspect. I believe in the LB corps based on the development of Gay and Bolton coupled with the mean aggression Leon Chenal will inject. Thornhill has me convinced that he and Reid are ready to lead and ball out. We have also heard good things out of camp about Bryan Cook. The question in my mind is centers around the front Four, and if they will create enough ability for the remainder of the D to thrive.

Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne