by Taylor Dawson
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Thursday was the last practice for the Chiefs rookies, quarterbacks, and selected veterans before the first full-squad practice on Friday. In the past, Coach Andy Reid has been known for giving his veterans a day off before camp officially starts, and Thursday he did just that.
Quarterbacks Alex Smith and Chase Daniel, as well as wide receiver Donnie Avery and tight end Tony Moeaki, sat out the practice. With Smith and Daniel taking the day off, quarterbacks Ricki Stanzi and Tyler Bray were given more throwing opportunities.
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“You just have to be on time, your footwork needs to be down and you have to know the plays. There were a couple of times where my footwork might have been a little off or I made a wrong read with the covers they had but other than that, I just need to work on getting the game speed down.” Bray said.
Stanzi, who has been with the Chiefs since 2011, is pleased with Coach Reid’s style of coaching as well as the rest of the staff.
“It’s been fun to learn from him. He has a lot of knowledge on the game and so does the coaching staff. So, it’s been great to be able to sit in there in the meetings and learn from him and learn from our quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. The offense is a little bit different than I’m used to, but I understand where they’re coming from, big picture,” Stanzi said.
These past few days of camp have made the rookies realize what will be expected of them when the season begins.
Rookie running back Nico Johnson says,”A lot of the older guys expect a lot from us just like the coaches do. We’re holding ourselves to a higher standard out here as rookies. Once everybody comes it won’t be anything different because we’ve been holding ourselves to that standard for the past three days. It won’t be any different. The tempo will be a little different, that’s it.”
Rookie safety Bradley McDougland says his mindset for camp is, “Consistency. Basically, consistency. Coming out, making plays, knowing my job and just showing up every day.”
The rest of the veterans arrived on campus at Missouri Western University Thursday afternoon.
Full-squad practice will take place Friday at 3:30 p.m. and will be open to the public with a $5 admission fee.
