If the Kansas City Chiefs ever needed another quarterback then they can look to Jeremy Maclin. I don’t know how his arm is but Alex Smith says Maclin thinks like a quarterback.
“When you talk to Jeremy you realize that he thinks like a quarterback,” Alex said via quotes from the Chiefs. “He has a great understanding of when the ball is coming to him. The leverage of how the defense is playing him, route running and the time clock -- he has a great understanding of where all those variables are at.”
That answer came in the context of a question about Chris Conley and Albert Wilson spending time with Maclin this offseason. We talk about the difficulty of young receivers adjusting to the verbiage in Andy Reid’s offense and knowing all the other receiver positions on the field, which Maclin says he’s starting to understand.
“Well, I think you always want to know what is going on, and the one thing that I take pride in is not only do I know my job, I know the other receiver’s job, I know the slot receiver, I know the tight end, the running back, I know the quarterback thought process depending on what coverage is being thrown at us,” Maclin said. “So, I think that’s kind of the next step in learning the offense. Like Alex said, him and I are just on the same page. We have open lines of communication, and it kind of helps when we think alike as well. I think it makes things a lot easier.”
There was one play in the preseason where this connection seemed evident with Conley. The Chiefs facing the Rams and on third down Alex audibled to a play that sent Conley streaking down the field where he caught a perfectly placed ball from Alex for a big gain. More of that, please.