Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels spent some time on Wednesday talking about the Kansas City Chiefs. The two teams will meet on Sunday in Denver and McDaniels has plenty of familiarity with a few of the Chiefs.
Here's what McDaniels had to say:
"They have gotten some impact from the players that they brought in — whether that be through free agency or the draft. I think that they’re looking for a similar type of style — tough, smart guys that know their systems that they use in an offense and defense that are not simple. I know the style of football that they play and teach that you see on film is a style that you like to see from any team. They are physical on both sides of the ball."
McDaniels has worked with Matt Cassel and Charlie Weis so he knows what they're about. He's also worked with Scott Pioli so he knows his general philosophies on players. So McDaniels gets what the Chiefs are trying to do. It's interesting to see that these guys probably have familiar philosophies. So far, the KC guys seem to be coming out ahead.
"I think they share the belief in not beating yourself. They don’t turn the ball over much."
Bingo. This is one line that I think says so much about the Chiefs: they don't beat themselves. The last two weeks are a little different but the Chiefs are very sound when it comes to the fundamentals.
"They treat the kicking game as an extremely valuable portion of the game, which we do too, and they’ve made a lot of big plays in that regard."
The Chiefs have cooled down a little in regards to special teams but they're still a group you have to game plan for. I'd like to see a big Javier Arenas or Dexter McCluster (if healthy) return this week.
"They’re not afraid to play some of their young players in big roles."
A nod to the rookies. The Chiefs may be getting more out of their rookie class than anyone else in the league.
"They have a lot of players that are playing different spots for them this year that they either just drafted or just signed. I think that builds confidence in those players — they’re going to go out there and make mistakes and then you have to go out there and coach them, correct them and hopefully as the season progresses, you have a better player and a better team and I think that’s what you see with them."
The Chiefs didn't work in a whole lot of new guys this offseason. They really did do a good job of developing the guys in-house and working with what they had. I do think some of the rookies will only be getting better as the season goes on, as McDaniels suggests.