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Every NFL team’s most critical player/coach for 2018 | USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid. This was a difficult choice between head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is taking over from Alex Smith as starting quarterback. Ultimately, it will be up to Reid to make sure Mahomes can be successful in his first year under center. The Chiefs have arguably the most exciting collection of offensive weapons, and Reid will have to call plays that can take advantage of Mahomes’ physical strengths while also accounting for the growing pains of a young quarterback. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt: Preparing to play first half Friday | CBS Sports
Coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that the Chiefs’ first-team offense (which includes Hunt) will play the entire first half of Friday’s preseason game against the Falcons, BJ Kissel of the team’s official site reports.
Mahomes already proving he’s Chiefs’ leader | 41 Action News
Andy Reid actually praised Mahomes for having the “intestinal fortitude” to run the offense. Perhaps the biggest proof Mahomes is turning into a leader is that he continues to take responsibility when things go wrong with this offense and praises all of the moving parts when things are successful.
NFL preseason picks: The Falcoholic staff’s picks for Week 2 | The Falcoholic
Atlanta takes on the Chiefs this week, and Andy Reid is planning on letting his offense, and particularly new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, get plenty of action. What remains to be seen is how much Atlanta’s starters will play. I’d be willing to bet that it won’t be much. Still, five of our eight pickers this week think the Falcons rebound from that disastrous* showing against the Jets and get the win this week. Feel free to publicly shame the other three.
When your Achilles’ Heel is actually your Achilles’ Heel | 41 Action News
It’s not just Kansas City. Achilles injuries are up league-wide. In a study from 2011-15, 46 players reported Achilles injuries. Richard Sherman, Terrell Suggs, Michael Crabtree, and Arian Foster are just a few of the stars sidelined by the injury.
Fantasy football 2018: Use these tiers to ace your draft | Washington Post
Running Back
Tier 2
All heavily involved in their team’s offense, and all strong RB1 candidates in any format. Questions about Alvin Kamara’s workload and likely regression from his historic per-touch numbers in 2017 keep him from the top tier.
Kareem Hunt(Chiefs)
Tier 7
We’re just one step ahead of pure handcuff territory here. D’Onta Foreman will become undraftable in all but the deepest redraft leagues if he starts the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Spencer Ware(Chiefs)
Tight End
Tier 2
There’s a Big 3 at TE this year, with just a bit of separation between Gronk and this duo.
Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Zach Ertz (Eagles)
Wide Receiver
Tier 3
Anyone in this group could vault up a tier or two, except perhaps Golden Tate, who makes up in PPR-friendly volume what he might lack in ceiling.
Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
Quarterback
Tier 4
QBs you’d rather stream than have to rely on every week, although Patrick Mahomes’s skill set and receiving weaponry could make him a fantasy monster if he can put things together quickly in his first season as a starter.
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
Five things to watch when the Falcons play the Chiefs on Friday night | myAJC
“This should be speed on speed in a lot of instances,” Quinn said. “They’ve got some guys that can really fly and we do too. So it should be a fast track, so to speak, at the game. It will be a good
What round should you draft QB in fantasy football? | USA Today
There’s Stafford, who finished as the 7th highest-scoring QB last year … what’s he doing all the way down here?? Could Matt Ryan bounce back? Is Philip Rivers in for another solid season? Will Patrick Mahomes’ cannon of an arm carry him to fantasy glory?
Chiefs WR Demarcus Robinson carries confidence from postseason to new season | 41 Action News
He didn’t score a touchdown during the regular season, but Robinson added four catches for 57 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown reception in the closing seconds of the first half of the Chiefs playoff loss against the Tennessee Titans.
The Seahawks Are Underestimating Earl Thomas And How Long Great Safeties Play | Forbes
Eric Berry, Harrison Smith and Reshad Jones have all accomplished less than Thomas in as many seasons, and they are all older than he is, yet each makes more money than Thomas
Around the NFL
Elway not interested in revisiting Kaepernick as QB | NFL
“Colin had his chance here,” Elway said, per NFL Network’s James Palmer. “We offered him a contract. He didn’t take it. So, as I said it in my deposition, I don’t know if I’ll be legally able to say this, but he’s had his chance to be here. He passed it.”
Will Hernandez’s NFL Transition Is Smooth Thanks To His New Football Family | Forbes
“I think I have it a lot better than a lot of other rookies who are starting on other offensive lines because I have great guys next to me,” Hernandez said of his acclimation process to life in the NFL.
Dion Lewis: Patriots ‘didn’t think I was good enough’ | NFL
“I always carry a chip on my shoulder, always eager to prove the kind of player I am,” he said, “and that’s not going to change just because I got a contract. I’m self-motivated. I feel like I’m a great player and I’m always eager to show what type of player I am.
But to a small group of the most interested observers, including NFL rulemakers and special teams coaches, kickoffs are different this summer. Those rulemakers and many of those coaches collaborated this past offseason to design a new set of rules for this NFL season intended to make the play safer and, if all goes as planned, prevent the sport’s leaders from considering the elimination of the kickoff in the not-very-distant future.
Saquon Barkley says he’s learning from minor hamstring injury | ESPN
“To be completely honest, as a competitor I’d find a way,” he said. “I want to play [Friday in a preseason game against Detroit]. I don’t know what is in the game plan, to be completely honest. I just know I’m day-to-day and taking it step-by-step.”
Dez Bryant arrives in Cleveland to meet with Browns | NFL
It remains to be seen if Bryant will strike a deal with the Browns, who’ve entered the season with a lack of wide receiver depth. Josh Gordon’s absence from the Browns has magnified their need for pass-catching solutions.
“He’d have so much to prove,” Williams told Gregory. “I would. I can’t imagine he would be any different. ‘Man, I’m about to show out. Y’all gonna see stuff you’ve never seen before.’”
The most delicious stadium foods of the 2018 NFL season | NFL
1. Last week, we told you about the behemoth known as the gridiron burger. This week, For the Win did a ranking of other crazy NFL stadium foods.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Reminder: NFL coaches don’t see preseason the same way fans do
It doesn’t matter if the Chiefs win or lose the game. There’s always something that gets people riled up, and ready to write off the whole season — before a single down has been played.
Actually, Patrick Mahomes’ rookie contract won’t help the Chiefs win more games
Rookie quarterbacks and their cheap contracts help teams succeed. Teams with cheap quarterbacks can carry an additional player which they may not have been able to afford with a veteran quarterback. That extra player really helps push teams over the hump.
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