Arrowheadlines: J.J. Watt and Texans prepare for Patrick Mahomes’ “cannon” of an arm Thursday

The latest

The 10 most ridiculous ‘Hard Knocks’ moments ever | NFL

2. That time Bernard Pollard danced and the Chiefs locker room lost it (2007)

Watch the back row of lockers. It’s absolutely magical.

Texans’ J.J. Watt on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: ‘The kid’s got a cannon’ | Houston Chronicle

“I did not get to watch a lot of Texas Tech football, but I’ll watch some film this week and I’ll let you know,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said. “I know the kid’s got a cannon. That’s the No. 1 thing I know is he can throw the ball a quarter mile. We’ll find out on Thursday night I’m sure.”

The Mane Event: Mahomes and his ‘do ready for preseason debut | Kansas City Star

Patrick Mahomes’ signature spin on a mohawk was never supposed to be a thing.

It was supposed to be a silly moment between Mahomes and his friends after his freshman season at Texas Tech.

But as his unruly curls started to sprout from the traditional mohawk cut, Mahomes decided it the look was a keeper.

Projecting Every NFL Team’s Next Big Thing | Bleacher Report

Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs have made it clear how much they value young quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They traded two first-round picks to move up for the former Texas Tech gunslinger last year, and earlier this offseason they traded away the highest-rated passer of the 2017 season to pave the way for Mahomes to start.

And while he’ll probably need more grooming and can be expected to experience growing pains, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Chiefs are right about Mahomes. He’s a big, strong, tough, mobile, smart dude with an incredibly high ceiling, and he exhibited that an the NFL level when he posted a 109.3 passer rating last preseason.

Don’t be scared away by his early-camp mistakes. Mahomes will always be a risk-taker, but that won’t likely prevent him from becoming Kansas City’s next big thing.

Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes: Expected to play Thursday | CBS Sports

Chiefs coach Andy Reid wants to split the workload evenly between his four quarterbacks, ensuring Mahomes gets plenty of reps heading into his first season atop the depth chart. The 2017 first-round pick struggled with interceptions during the first week of training camp, but he now seems to be finding his comfort zone, completing 24 of 25 pass attempts (with one drop) during Tuesday’s practice.

Mitchell Schwartz Doesn’t Mind Talking About His Streak of Consecutive Snaps | Sports Illustrated

The seventh-year right tackle has not only started in all 96 games of his NFL career, but he’s also never missed a snap. Unofficially, Schwartz has played 6,341 consecutive snaps. And after spending his first four years in Cleveland before his next two as a second-team All Pro in Kansas City, he’s gunning for Joe Thomas’s record.

Sean McVay reportedly wanted Brandin Cooks last season; Rams to use him more than Watkins | CBS Sports

According to Adam Caplan on Sirius XM Fantasy, McVay has wanted Cooks since last year, but the team couldn’t pull off a trade with the Saints due to a lack of draft picks to give up. Caplan added that McVay has a “man crush” on Cooks and should be moving him around the formation quite a bit. Basically, don’t expect another situation like that of Sammy Watkins, who had eight touchdowns but just 39 catches for 593 yards last season before the Chiefs signed him to a three-year deal worth $48 million (with $30 million guaranteed).

Around the league

Nick Foles dealing with spasms in shoulder-neck area | NFL

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback told reporters he’s been experiencing muscle spasms in his neck and shoulder area. Foles reiterated the issue isn’t considered serious at this point and the team is just being cautious with Carson Wentz’s insurance policy. Foles is considered day to day.

Frank Gore — NFL’s active rushing leader — eyes possible starting gig with Dolphins | Fox Sports

“I’m not surprised,” coach Adam Gase said Monday. “He’s just been proving everybody wrong for so many years. You just never doubt that guy.”

Antonio Callaway cited for marijuana possession | NFL

Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway was cited for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license by Strongsville (Ohio) Police on Sunday morning.

As NFL preseason gets going, everyone is trying to figure out the new helmet rule | The Washington Post

McKay compared the transition period that players, coaches, officials and fans now face with this rule to the gradual acceptance that followed the NFL’s enactment of its first rules regarding illegal hits on defenseless players in the mid-1990s.

Release of Malcolm Mitchell a harsh reminder of life in the NFL | Boston Globe

The saga of Malcolm Mitchell — who went from potential future cornerstone contributing in the present to an ex-Patriot in basically one season — is not a new one in franchise lore.

Study of 21 retired NFL and NHL players doesn’t find evidence of early onset dementia | Science Daily

The study, which the researchers note, involved “a relatively small sample of former athletes,” did not find evidence of early onset dementia in the retired players, which would be expected with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The comprehensive, case-control study is believed to be the first age-matched athlete comparison designed to identify in retired living athletes cognitive symptoms or imaging findings that would indicate the presence of early onset dementia.

Odell Beckham Jr. leads all NFL players in Instagram followers, and it’s not even close | CBS Sports

Here’s every team’s top player on IG, listed in order of their follower count from this summer, according to the study:

25. Chiefs: De’Anthony Thomas (526,000)

Nine meals, 9,000 calories a day helped Noah Spence gain 35 pounds | ESPN

“Today was the heaviest I’ve ever been and I felt great. I was 263 today,” said Spence, 24, whose goal was to put on the weight cleanly, with minimal gain in body fat.

Aaron Rodgers backs LeBron James, wants NFL players to ignore President Trump’s remarks | USA Today

“I think that the more that we give credence to stuff like that, the more it’s gonna live on,” Rodgers said in an extensive interview with NFL.com reporter Mike Silver. “I think if we can learn to ignore or not respond to stuff like that -- if we can -- it takes away the power of statements like that.”

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

What to expect in the Chiefs’ first preseason game Thursday night

Thursday’s game might not be pretty — but it might still be a lot of fun to watch.

Patrick Mahomes may have some LeBron James to his game

The trait is Mahomes’ recall.

Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp 2018: Tuesday injury report

“Dan hurt his knee,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “He’s being evaluated. We just have to see here exactly where that thing is going.”

...

Social Media Information:

AP Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

AP Instagram: Follow @ArrowheadPride

AP Twitter: Follow @ArrowheadPride

AP Editor-in-Chief: Pete Sweeney: Follow @pgsween

610 Sports Twitter: Follow @610SportsKC