So, the Chiefs are getting a new general manager. Let’s get over it. After all, there are 90 players who are thinking about what they have to do to make this team about 9 weeks from now. So, let’s take a look at what will matter most, and what the real story lines will be for the team — besides who will be the GM — when all players are required to report four weeks and four days from today. By the way, that first day of practice will be open to the public and yours truly will be there relaying video of our favorite players right back here to ArrowheadOne.
If you start me up, If you start me up I’ll never stop
If you start me up, If you start me up I’ll never stop.
-Rolling Stone
The first view we may want to get a view of is who will be starting during practice. Of course I know it’s just practice but believe me, Andy Reid and staff have been planning for months by that time just exactly who will be their starters so taking a quick peek at who will be the starting WRs should tell us a lot about who the boss man wants his starting day line-up to look like. While my best bet’s are on Tyreek Hill and Chris Conley the early rotation of 6-foot-3 inch, Seantavius Jones, wearing #81, should give us a good look at who Matt Nagy, the offensive coordinator, Brad Childress, the ex-offensive coordinator (bearing the current title of assistant head coach), and Andy Reid, the real offensive coordinator (and real head coach)… what they all are hoping Jones can do in this offense.
Left Guard Parker Ehinger is not scheduled to be ready for the beginning of training camp so it will be important to the success of the offensive line early in the season that the Chiefs have the right OL ready to go in his place and that’s likely Zach Fulton.
Another position of interest will be the R-CB spot. Terrance Mitchell finished out the year in that position and he played well there in the last several weeks of the season so if he’s not in that spot it’ll be news
With no back-up QB who has any experience on the roster it could be the Chiefs undoing if Alex Smith goes down this year (knock-on-wood!). Either Chase Daniel and Nick Foles have been waiting in the wings in the past four years but the team won’t have that luxury this season. With the selection of Patrick Mahomes II in the draft there are some fans calling for his immediate advancement up the depth chart and there are also some who want to see him start this season. I doubt that Mahomes is as NFL-ready as Dak Prescott was last year and we can be certain that directing the Cowboys offense is a good bit simpler than running Andy Reid’s complex WCO. In any event, it will be an ongoing story line until the day Mahomes finally does take over the reins.
I T – I S – O N – !
The day the veteran defenders showed up for mandatory mini-camp the competition level skyrocketed. We should expect the same kind of intense hitting once the pads go on in training camp. The Kansas City Chiefs expect to contend for a championship this year and it should be apparent right away during training camp that it’s going to be tough going for anyone expecting to make the roster.
Head coach Andy Reid has stated many time that the starters on his team are all in a competition to see who that stater will be. I expect that to be more true this year than in any other year with the exception of the QB position… and perhaps the OL. However, I can see the DL and the OL having quite a go of it in this year’s training camp. And that should be a good sign.
“I got some weapons.”
One Christmas Sunday morning I was attending an early morning service and the pastor was having a “Children’s Moment” and he had called all the kids to the front and since it was Christmas morning, he asked the children what they may had already received as gifts. No one spoke so he repeated himself and finally a two-year old said in a loud and clear and cute little voice, “I got some weapons.” Everyone died laughing… but it also fits the 2017 Chiefs.
I got some weapons!
Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and the obvious weapons. While I thought WR Chris Conley would breakout last season, I’m going to say that this is his year. The newcomer to the offensive weapons department will be… drum roll please… Demarcus Robinson… or maybe Seantavius Jones.
I’m well aware that Mike Williams and Rod Streater were both breakout weapons in last year’s offseason and training camp activities but never ended up on the 53 man roster. So, there’s a good chance that Seantavius Jones doesn’t make the team either, even though Andy Reid has already mentioned him as someone who stood out in minim-camp. Even so, Demarcus Robinson is not only someone you can expect to make the team, again, but a WR who could become an excellent weapon in Reid WCO system. In fact, his offseason improvement may have been a reason why Jeremy Maclin became expendable.
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