Chiefs Q&A: I’m thankful for MNF, Eric Berry questions and ketchup-less mac & cheese
Can y’all believe it’s almost Thanksgiving? I sure can’t. I was so focused on the prospect of stuffing my face with tacos and margaritas in Mexico City this weekend that I forgot all about the fact that the yummiest holiday of the year was right around the corner.
I don’t know if y’all have picked up on this from my Twitter feed, radio hits and Facebook Live appearances, but I love food. A lot. Maybe too much? Is that even possible?
And because this holiday is all about food (and being thankful, too, I guess), I’m going to give you my definitive power ranking of the foods that will be on my family’s buffet line Thursday.
First, some background.
Every year, my mom, dad, sister and I go to Waynesville, N.C. to have Thanksgiving with my dad’s friend Tom, who he met in the Peace Corps (if you want to see legit hippies, just go through my family’s old photo albums). This will actually be the first time I’ll be able to make Thanksgiving in a couple years because the Chiefs’ bye week falls on Thanksgiving. Thank you, NFL scheduling gods.
Tom and his wife, Sandy, are delightful people, make amazing food and have two great dogs. But, they always run a little behind on the meal. We’re supposed to eat around 2-2:30, but that usually stretches to 3:30 or 4. Inevitably, the turkey will take longer than expected and the rutabagas will need to be boiled a bit longer before they can be mashed. No, I don’t know what rutabagas are, and no, I’ve never eaten them.
That means we stand around and snack for a couple hours before we actually get to the good stuff. It’s a real balancing act. On the one hand, you need to snack so you don’t get hangry around family or get lightheaded from too much red wine and not enough food. On the other hand you don’t want to ruin the main event.
Thanksgiving is a marathon, not a sprint — and I don’t mean that my family actually participates in some turkey fun run before the meal. We’re not psycho. Even so, I’ll probably eat a few too many pieces of cheese and crackers and still probably have one too many glasses of wine before Tom starts ladling out his famous corn chowder. Once the corn chowder is in the bowls, the real meal begins. Here’s what I’ll be putting on my plate:
1. Baked mac and cheese (no ketchup)
2. Green bean casserole
3. Turkey (dark meat, please) (maybe a turkey leg if I’m feeling really crazy)
4. Stuffing
5. Mashed potatoes (this is a big deal because I HATED mashed potatoes until I was approximately 23 years old. The creamy texture was always gross to me)
6. A dollop of cranberry sauce
7. Vanilla ice cream (my family hates me and only makes desserts with nuts that I can’t eat because of my super-fun nut allergy)
Things that will not be on my plate:
1. Sweet potato casserole (there are always nuts. See item 7)
2. Rutabagas (I don’t know what these are but they smell like a hard no)
3. Pecan pie (see item 7)
So there you have it, folks. That’s what I’m eating for Thanksgiving. And here are the answers to your questions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How in the name of Chiefs Kingdom are we going to be able to STOP Todd Gurley??</p>— RjAllDay (@rjweaver127) <a href="https://twitter.com/rjweaver127/status/1063081457441218560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pray real hard. The Chiefs aren’t exactly going to be able to completely stop him. At best, you might hope to slow him down. It’s probably going to take an orchestrated effort between Anthony Hitchens, Dorian O’Daniel and Daniel Sorensen. O’Daniel might be the best individual matchup because he’s speedy and he’s a physical tackler. But it’s not realistic to think one guy can slow Gurley. The combination of the two safeties and the linebacker is probably the best hope at limiting him in the run game and receiving game. Ben Niemann could also be a factor in this game. He has experience covering receivers in college, making him a good candidate to take a turn covering Gurley.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At what point does one of the reporters try to press Andy on Berry? I know it's probably a losing proposition, but are you collectively letting him off the hook w/ the day-to-day line? Why can't Berry be made available to the press?</p>— 3PETE (@cpete918) <a href="https://twitter.com/cpete918/status/1062734693043441664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I believe I answered the same question last week. So here’s the same answer from last week: Believe me, we’ve pressed as much as we can. Andy Reid isn’t a guy to go into details with the press about many things, and he’s definitely not elaborating on Eric Berry, even if we come up with new ways to ask about him weekly (which we do). And we’d love to talk to Berry, but it’s the Chiefs’ policy to keep players who are on the injury report and aren’t practicing from talking to the media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why was Berry not on IR, to return? Some is not 'day to day' beyond a week, IMO. Has any other team played this many weeks with a 52 man roster?</p>— Luke Mc (@lukemc58) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukemc58/status/1063082960491036673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I also answered this question last week: From my understanding, team management never expected him to be out this long. All along, they’ve thought he was close to coming back or coming back earlier in the season. Therefore, they didn’t think it was necessary to put him on IR.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After the season, will Eric Berry still be day to day?</p>— R. Smith (@rmattwill) <a href="https://twitter.com/rmattwill/status/1063150683308777473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Aren’t we all day-to-day?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How did the change in venue affect the Star's travel plans? Do you think the change helps either team more than the other?</p>— Kami Darnell (@KamiDarnell) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamiDarnell/status/1063084441403318273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Thankfully, I booked on Southwest, so it didn’t take much to swap my flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles. Others weren’t so lucky and had to spend time on hold with other airlines to make the switch. We’ll have most everyone out there by the game, so it’ll be business as usual. Like before, we’ll still leave town on Sunday and fly by on Tuesday. I’m bummed to not go to Mexico City, but I’m never mad about an extra weekend in California.
As far as the venue change giving a team an edge, I almost think it gives the Chiefs an edge from a logistical standpoint. The Chiefs weren’t changing their schedule this week, so they practiced as usual in Kansas City and were going to leave Sunday for the game. Meanwhile, the Rams are in Colorado Springs for practice. This was done ahead of the Mexico City game in an attempt to help with the high altitude in Mexico City. Even though the game was moved, the team stayed out there, partly to keep with the prearranged schedule and party because of terrible wildfires that are ravaging the area around their practice facility. Because of this, I think the Chiefs benefit from maintaining a regular schedule. Kansas City will undoubtedly have a good number of fans at the Coliseum on Monday night, and while it may not outnumber the Rams fans, it should still be enough to give the visiting team a boost.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sooo....what happens if we end up losing in our first playoff game this season? I’m sure none of us will overreact to that, right?</p>— Joseph Hero (@josephjefe) <a href="https://twitter.com/josephjefe/status/1063103632520830976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Definitely not. Definitely wouldn’t cause mass chaos or Kansas City to burn to the ground.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What is the timeline of LDT’s return?</p>— Bryan Franklin (@MrJayhawk78) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrJayhawk78/status/1062936546154868736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Good question. I’m not sure on that. When Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was initially injured, Andy Reid seemed certain that he’d return this season. But additional testing after the fact revealed more damage than initially thought. I tend to think he’s done for the year, but I’m not a doctor. He’s still in a significant cast and gets around on a scooter. That doesn’t seem to bode well for a return this year. And for what it’s worth, he’s also not eligible to return from IR until Dec. 4.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is Watkins playing/has he practiced at all?</p>— Lets Talk Giants (@LetsTalkGiants) <a href="https://twitter.com/LetsTalkGiants/status/1062869851729993728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I was an optimist on Sammy Watkins playing against the Rams, but then he didn’t practice on Friday or Saturday after being limited on Thursday. Reid didn’t say he’d had a setback on Thursday, so that’s a positive. But that was his practice to test his foot out, and if it kept him out of practice the next two days, then I tend to think that the injury is more severe than Reid initially made it out to be after the Browns game. Right now, I think there’s a 40 percent chance that he plays on Monday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chiefs lost a game in foxborough and it felt like a moral victory. If they lose to LA but keep it close is there a silver lining or would it just suck? Not that it matters, the Chiefs will win.</p>— Krista Riley (@MarinClassic21) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarinClassic21/status/1062811662531493889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I think there’s a silver lining if the Chiefs lose a close game: it’s not an AFC game, so the Chiefs would be in a good spot to clinch the division and home-field advantage.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is Jeff Allen suiting up yet? Has he logged a snap?</p>— Troy West Radio (@TroyWestRadio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyWestRadio/status/1062735251707965441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Yup, he’s been suiting up for a couple weeks and is logging snaps. They’re primarily on special teams, but he’s been an extra lineman in a couple of packages.
Brooke Pryor
Brooke Pryor covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
