Chiefs Training Camp Notes: Chiefs Offensive struggles in camp heat

The Kansas City Chiefs offense doesn’t have a lot of bad sessions; In a training camp that only saw 14 practice sessions, two of those rare bad sessions came on days when offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had to speak to the media after practice.

One of them was Monday.

“Today I had a good job there,” Bieniemy began. “I thought the guys did it. It was hot. It was one of those days when you discovered the personality of our team – and you know what? These guys stuck it out, and they worked together. We’re going to look at it on tape and go from there.

Bieniemy wasn’t lying about the temperature during training. When training started around 9.15am, the temperature was already in the low 80s – and the heat only increased as the day wore on.

It was more than possibly the most uncomfortable day so far.

“These are the days that help develop championship teams,” Bieniemy noted. “It’s hot. We’re tired. We’ve been fighting each other for a few weeks or whatever. It’s the days you look back that help define the character of the team. It doesn’t have to be. not always be perfect. Yes, we want to keep striving for that perfection. But those are the days when we learned to play together and drag our asses across that finish line together. And that’s all that matters That’s why I appreciate being here and having these opportunities – to come and do it at training camp, because those are the days that help define those moments that build success later in the season.

The defense won the day, but there were some bright spots to remember. The offensive line has continued to build chemistry, and their reps together will be put to the test when the Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in their first preseason game on Saturday night.

As of this writing, the Chiefs are expected to launch a whole new offensive line in Week 1 compared to Week 1 last year. This means that the harmony of the five men must be there.

“Their communication has been very good,” said Bieniemy of the O line. “Now I will say this, what I appreciate is the work that coach (Andy) Heck is doing with them in this O room. -line. He’s got a bunch of characters in there. He does a great job of bringing these guys together. The unique aspect is that we continue to grow together because there are a number of things that we put on and present to these guys. But on top of that, our defense also does a great job of mixing. So these are the days that you love and appreciate because it helps us to grow. Ideally, as a coach, you want everything to be perfect. It is not realistic. That’s why we do what we do.

“The beauty of it all is that when mistakes happen it’s a learning opportunity, so we just go there and make sure we do a great job of explaining it. And what I like about all these upstream guys is that they do a great job of correcting things and talking to each other. If you could sit in our meeting rooms, the communication aspect is great, and that’s what makes working here fun because these guys know exactly what to do and how to do it, and they are humble enough to express themselves in this way.

Bieniemy reiterated that most of the time quarterback Patrick Mahomes walks into the movie theater already aware of the mistakes he made in every play.

“I’ve said it before – before you even had a chance to correct him in the movie theater, he already let you know, ‘Hey, on that play, I screwed that up’, or : ‘On this piece, I should have done that.’ So these are the things you love about him. But yes, we continue to stick with him for the little things. The thing, I know he’ll be in there ready to go. It will have all the corrections ready to go, and you know what, let’s just keep going, make sure we’re ready and ready to go for the next day.

Monday was arguably the worst day of camp for the Chiefs’ offense, so Bieniemy and the staff will try to correct the mistakes as Tuesday approaches. Light training will be followed by a day off. The pads will be back on Thursday, when the high temperature is expected to be 95 degrees.

But Bieniemy, who trained for nine seasons as a pro before starting his coaching career, seizes such an opportunity.

“As a player it’s tough,” Bieniemy said. “It’s a mental challenge. OKAY? And you have to find a way to get yourself into that state of mind. I always say to these guys, ‘It takes unusual men and people to do what we do.’ Because ordinary people … it’s easy to give up and it’s easy to give in. We have to find a way to dig into our hearts to help us show that no matter how physically or mentally tired I am, I have to find a way to strain the finish for the next piece, and that’s all that matters. .

“And if we can learn how to do it together, we’ll have the opportunity to accomplish a lot of great things, and that’s what I enjoy today and days like this – because more than anything, it’s not necessarily on how many points you score, you want to know which is all.

Observations

• The weather in Saint-Joseph on Friday morning was sunny with a temperature in the low 80s to start the practice, with a real feeling of 84 degrees. It has been one of the hottest days in the camp so far.

• Jerrick McKinnon saw more action with the first team with Darrel Williams out due to a knee injury. McKinnon had a reception in the teamwork that would have been a touchdown from 70 to 80 yards. There is still a player that we hope to integrate into the team thanks to his qualities as a passer.
• As noted, the offensive struggled to shake things up. The defense swallowed most of the running games and Patrick Mahomes took several potential sacks; he’s had a tough day syncing up with the team’s receivers.
• Bad luck, but two of the offensive’s worst camp days coincided with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy speaking to the media.
• One of the highlights of the Chiefs’ offense on Monday was wide receiver Marcus Kemp, who continues to put together a strong offensive squad – which included a red zone touchdown from Chad Henne. I noted on Twitter that I think Kemp could be in contention for the third best receiver in this camp, behind only Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman. He does.
• On the other side of the coin, broad rookie Cornell Powell was disappointing in his first training camp. Bieniemy was asked about Powell’s progress at his press conference: “Cornell is a beginner and he’s learning. First of all, he’s a beautiful soul, he’s a big boy. He’s got a ton of talent in front of him, and what I like about these guys is that they support each other. So if he’s doing something wrong, they’re on top of him, ‘Hey man, listen, put your head up and let’s line up the next room.’ The best part about him is that he understands the importance of coming to work every day, and that’s what I appreciate about him. Now, is he where we want him to be? No. Is he working in this direction? Yes he is, and I appreciate his work ethic every day.
• Defensive lineman Chris Jones really progressed coming off the rim as camp unfolded – and Monday was an absolute showcase.
• Cornerback Rashad Fenton did well in an extended look as an outside cornerback against Charvarius Ward on Monday. The Jarius Sneed occupied the niche.
• Friends of the site Herbie Teope and Sam McDowell of Kansas City Star posted a bunch of one-on-one videos on their Twitter accounts.

• Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. continued to look mediocre in one-on-one, but he’s a different offensive lineman in 11-on-11. It seems most of the Chiefs’ passing runners choose to rush Brown into the drill. one-on-one, and they usually succeed. Then he manages to block the defenders in a melee job.
• The offensive linemen generally had a better head-to-head time on Monday – especially right guard Trey Smith, who just put up a phenomenal camp.
• Cornerback BoPete Keyes knocked out Shane Buechele in an 11v11 job. Keyes has been playing well lately.

Press conferences (Spotify)

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Injury report

• Back to practice: defensive tackle Tyler Clark (neck), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (undisclosed)
• Did not practice (COVID-19 list): offensive lineman Darryl Williams
• Did not practice / not in towels (due to injury): Tight End Evan Baylis (ankle), wide receiver Antonio Callaway (bruise), right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand), linebacker Willie Gay (concussion protocol), defensive end Malik Herring (ACL), right guard Kyle Long ( tibia), defensive end Alex Okafor (hamstrings), right tackle Mike Remmers (back spasms), running back Darrel Williams (knee)
• Did not participate in team exercises (injury): n / A
• Injured in training on Monday: defensive end Joshua Kaindoh (hamstring)

Tweet of the day

Our John Dixon compiled all Monday tweets here. Here is today’s tweet:

Jarran Reed made his whale printing several times Monday.

Quote of the day

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on the message he had for the offensive line on Monday: “Well, I don’t know if I can say this message now. “

And after?

The Chiefs return to the training ground for a cushionless practice Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. Arrowhead time. After training, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will address the media.