Arrowhead Pride
Training camp can be a bit of a grind. Players are staying in dorm rooms, suffering in the heat and going up against the same teammates day after day after day. At some point, they know each other so well that when a play is made, it’s hard to tell which unit (or player) really won.
Was it about skill? Or did someone just know their opponent — and the call — well enough to jump it?
According to the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is someone who knows the team’s defense well enough to be effective against it.
“[He’s] been in it long enough now that he’s seen just about everything,” Spagnuolo explained to reporters after Wednesday’s practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. “He knows all our calls — so when we yell something out, I think it gives him an advantage.”
And it’s not just Mahomes. Kansas City receivers like Rashee Rice can also have an advantage.
“He was jogging off the field after he caught [a pass],” recalled Spagnuolo, “and said something like, ‘Coach, I knew you guys were doing such-and-such.’ I said, ‘You know what? When [we] go against each other every day for as long as we have now, that’s why it’ll be nice to get to Saturday.’”
That’s when the team will have its preseason opener at State Farm Stadium in suburban Phoenix, playing the Arizona Cardinals. There, one of Spagnuolo’s biggest goals will be assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his newest players.
“I think we’ve still got to figure out some of the things the new guys can and can’t do,” he pointed out. “That’s kind of what I have my eyes on right now. I think the game will give us a little bit more info on that.”
One rookie he’ll be watching closely is cornerback Nohl Williams, who has primarily been playing as an outside corner.
“That’s tough duty,” Spagnuolo said of the work Williams has been doing. “It does take some adjusting — and I think he’s going through a little bit of an adjusting phase. I want to see him in some game competition, but it looks like he’s an aggressive guy — and we like that, first — so we’ll see where the rest of it goes.”
Second-year defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace has also impressed the coordinator — in his case, while the team has been experimenting with him playing as a safety. Spagnuolo envisions a hybrid role for the second-year player — much like Chamarri Conner, who has become a versatile contributor to Kansas City’s defense.
“I think we had him at safety out of need last year,” recalled Spagnuolo of Roland-Wallace, “and found out he could do those things. Then, eventually, he evolved [into] becoming a nickel [cornerback]… He’s made a lot of plays. We look for production in our guys. I’d like to see him against another team, obviously, so we look forward to see what...
