The KC Star’s Vahe Gregorian has a nice piece out on Jeremy Maclin and the tough season he’s had. Maclin has virtually the same stats as Chris Conley (44 catches for 536 yards for Maclin, 44 catches for 530 yards for Conley) which would have been unbelievable if you told me that three months ago. The Chiefs added playmakers, he missed time with a groin injury and went through some personal issues early in the season. It was a weird year.
You need to read all of Vahe’s story but there’s one section I wanted to highlight. One of the top offseason story lines was Conley and Albert Wilson staying in Kansas City to work with Maclin. Apparently, that mentoring extends to Tyreek Hill.
Hill beams and speaks first of Maclin when he is asked who has most influenced him with the Chiefs, and Maclin provides a little glimpse of why that is when he speaks of Hill.
While noting Hill has much to learn about the position, Maclin said, “The kid is special, man. With the ball in his hands, he can do some things that not many people can do. … You can’t teach that.”
There’s more, how he handles the off the field questions, what his role is there and so on. The point is that, despite fewer stats for Maclin, he is still valuable to the team in other ways that aren’t as obvious.