Chiefs OTA Observations 6/12: Day Ten from The Mothership
There were a number of great plays made by the offense on Friday, and things got started early in 9-on-7 when
Alex Smith hitJeremy Maclin deep down the right sideline for what would have been a touchdown on the very first play. Maclin went vertical and was able to get past cornerbackPhillip Gaines and Smith hit him perfectly in stride deep down the field.
A few plays later, Smith hit tight end Travis Kelce on a crossing route that was perfectly placed in a window between three defenders. It was a beautiful connection on a timing pattern that was arguably the best throw of the entire OTA session.
What We Learned from the Day 10 OTA Press Conference from The Mothership
Chiefs coach Andy Reid shared the latest timeline on finding out the latest with safety
Eric Berry ."The initial meeting that I told you about was to give answers as to what's next," Reid said. "It's really this next meeting that they do that. They normally do that after the meeting that I mentioned to you. It's normally three weeks after that, so we're right about that time..."
...Reid wasn't certain as to whether linebacker
Justin Houston would be at mandatory minicamp next week."I don't know that," he said. "He probably won't be. We just move on, I don't really get caught up in all that stuff."
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Chiefs wrap up OTAs, turn attention to mandatory minicamp from Chiefs Digest
The Chiefs concluded voluntary organized team activities Friday, and now enter the home stretch of Phase III of the offseason workout program.
Up next, the mandatory three-day minicamp on June 16-18 to pick up where the team left off with the final OTA workout.
"I think we'll just continue to progress from where we're at right now," coach Andy Reid said. "This whole thing is a minicamp, that's just a mandatory one. I would expect the guys to continue to grow in the offense and the defense, special teams. It will be good to get the two young guys, the corners (Marcus Peters and Steven Nelson), and they have a lot of work ahead of them."
Will Chiefs have enough pass rush if Justin Houston is a no-show? from ESPN
This would be a moot point if Houston signs the one-year contract the Chiefs are obligated to offer him or the sides agree on a long-term deal. For now, the Chiefs have to take seriously the possibility that they will have to play without the NFL's best pass-rusher.
Houston's 22 sacks would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. That doesn't mean the Chiefs couldn't have a formidable pass rush if they have to go with Hali and Ford on the edge. The Chiefs still have other elements of a strong rush, including a pair of capable inside rushers in Dontari Poe and Allen Bailey.
Chiefs and Houston are stuck together -- but for how long, you wonder from FS Kansas City
...Andy Reid let it slip that he didn't expect to see Houston -- franchise-tagged and not loving it -- around the training facility next week, either.
There will be fines. There will be a little hand-wringing. And the world will keep spinning, same as it ever has. No. 50 did the same dance last year at this time, and converted all that angst into the best autumn of his football life.
Houston, coming off the quietest 22-sack season in modern NFL history, has a $13.1 million, one-year tender on the table now. He wants J.J. Watt money (six years, $100 million, with $10 million to sign) or, at the least, J.J. Watt security. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are finishing the second week of June with somewhere between $400,000 and $978,000 in cap room, depending on the report or the hour.
But it's after minicamp, which runs June 16-18, when things really start to get interesting
Injury updates on final day of Chiefs OTAs from Chiefs Digest
The Chiefs wrapped up organized team activities Friday without running back Jamaal Charles.
But there is no reason for concern surrounding Charles' absence.
"It's a voluntary camp," coach Andy Reid said. "Jamaal was excused; he has a camp today."
Defensive lineman Vaughn Martin (ankle) and wide receiver Albert Wilson (hamstring) did not practice, while offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif missed a second straight practice with an illness.
Rookie tight end James O'Shaughnessy looks like he belongs from ESPN
"I'll be honest," he said. "The first two days I was a little nervous to see if I belonged. That sounds awful but it is what it is and coming from a small I-AA you kind of have that insecurity in the back of your head. But within a week I felt pretty comfortable that I can compete at this level."
The Chiefs obviously agree. Toward the end of Thursday's practice, the Chiefs split into three groups based on the depth chart and they each headed to their separate portions of the practice field for drills.
O'Shaughnessy went with Kelce and the starters. That, too, caught O'Shaughnessy by surprise.
Chiefs' Laurent Duvernay-Tardif making positive strides in second year from Chiefs Digest
The Chiefs have consistently mixed personnel groupings on the offensive line since the start of organized team activities.
That shouldn't come as a revelation because coach Andy Reid said on the first day of OTAs he would do just that and has stayed true to his word.
But observers of Wednesday's OTA practice could have easily been taken aback when second-year offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif took the field with the first-team unit at right guard.
Then again, it may have been a surprise to anyone except the coaching staff and Duvernay-Tardif, who said his mindset remains the same regardless if he is lining up with starters or backups.
Chiefs' lineman mixes football with med school from Lindy's Sports
Few members of the Kansas City Chiefs - make that few NFL players - have put forth the type of effort that second-year guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has since January.
Not only has he taken part in significant physical training and classroom work with the Chiefs, but he spent the first four months of the year in Montreal, where he's finishing up his medical school work. LDT is just four months away from earning an M.D. in his native Canada.
Jadeveon Clowney penciled in for NFL's Week 1 from The Charleston Post & Courier
The team told the network Friday that the outside linebacker will play against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that they plan to be careful about the amount of playing time he will get.
Housewright Insight — JJ Birden Hopes to Help Others from emissourian.com
I recently had the opportunity to talk to the former NFL receiver, who is readying for the release of his first book, "When Opportunity Knocks. 8 Surefire Ways to Take Advantage."
While Birden, the player, was someone I remember cheering for as a young Chiefs fan, Birden, the man, also is awe inspiring for the way he overcame obstacles in his life by not allowing negativity to break his focus.
"I just had so many obstacles and challenges I went through to get there (NFL)," Birden said. "I got cut by three different teams and had to deal with bigger receivers. After reviewing my career and everything I went through, I felt it was worth sharing."