Chiefs Twitter Q&A: Doldrums of the offseason? We’ve got you covered, Chiefs fans
Not a whole lot of football questions this week, which is pretty indicative of the time of year we’re in right now. Sure, we get OTA access once a week for three weeks, but there’s still not a ton we can glean from that. Plus, we’re not getting practice with pads right now, so it’s tougher to evaluate exactly what the Chiefs have to work with.
Because things are so slow around Arrowhead right now, this week’s Q&A was pretty slow, too. Can’t say I blame you. The top section is where I usually opine about something either football or non-football related, but I can’t seem to come up with anything today — except this:
Watch the Women’s College World Series this week and next.
Before I worked at the Oklahoman, I never watched much softball. But after a couple years covering the OU softball program, I fell in love with the sport. There’s more action than baseball and the game moves much faster. Even though Independence native Paige Parker isn’t pitching for the Sooners anymore, the softball in OKC this week will be the best in the country. It’s well worth your time.
Plus, OU coach Patty Gasso is pretty good at giving the world a dose of girl power. I’d love to hear conversations between her and Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw.
Don’t worry, though, there’s plenty more fodder in my answers to make up for the intro section.
Let’s get to it.
Great question. Wish it was because the offseason is boring and OTAs are fake-ish football. Or as one person said at OTAs last week, it’s practice practicing football.
I believe we’ve seen Austin Reiter working with the first string offensive line, which is about what I expected going into camp. With Mitch Morse moved on to Buffalo, Reiter is the heir apparent to the position. Seventh-round pick Nick Allegretti will have a chance to compete the starting job along with Reiter and Jimmy Murray. I think it’ll come down to Allegretti and Reiter, with Reiter eventually starting Week 1. As impressive as his credentials are for a seventh-round pick, Allegretti is still a rookie and Reiter has experience starting with Patrick Mahomes. That could be the difference-maker early on.
I’m paying close attention to the free safety battle. Dan Sorensen is practicing with the first string in OTAs, but expect Juan Thornhill to make a strong push for the spot. Sorensen is serviceable at free safety, but Thornhill has the potential to be more dynamic and a better complement to Tyrann Mathieu. If Thornhill develops quickly, Sorensen could end up being cut later this summer. The Chiefs could save $3.7 million against the cap next year if the team cuts Sorensen after June 1. That’s a good chunk of change to put toward signing or extending someone else. Other than that, I think it’ll also be interesting to watch the running backs and linebackers.
He seems like he put on some weight during the offseason, but we weren’t able to watch long enough for me to see how its affected him. As far as scheme goes, Speaks should be a better fit as a DE in a 4-3 than an outside linebacker in last year’s 3-4. He often looked lost and uncomfortable dropping into coverage last year, and as a defensive end, he won’t have to do that nearly as much. He should be much more comfortable as a run stuffer — something he did frequently in college.
If I was in Hannah’s shoes, I’d pick Jed. That’s about the only way I can answer this question because I read spoilers (thanks, Reality Steve!). I know who wins, and while I’m not super thrilled by her choice, I also know it could’ve been much, much worse. In a different life, I’d probably apply to be a Bachelor contestant. Heck, when I was in high school and got deferred by my top choice, I applied to the next season of The Real World via essay. Needless to say, I did not get a response. So there you have it. If I wasn’t a sportswriter, maybe I’d be a reality TV star, and I’d be promoting teas and gummy vitamins on Instagram.
Most of the time my call for questions ends up resulting in some kind of news before I can publish the answers. I don’t think that’s happening this time around, though.
I’ll be honest, the first night was miserable. We lasted a grand total of 30 minutes with him in the crate. By 11:30, my husband was on the couch and Hootie had free reign of the living room. Somehow he didn’t destroy everything. Since then, though, he’s really done a great job. He cried for about 20 minutes the second night, but then quieted down. He’s been fine every night since then, and other than my 4am trips down the block to take him out. I’m sleeping just fine, too. Big thanks to everyone who shared puppy crate training tips and to Amazon Prime Now for delivering ear plugs before Saturday night. And now that I’ve praised him for sleeping, I’m sure he’ll be a terror the next couple nights.
I can neither confirm nor deny that I made an Instagram account for the dogs while I sat in a Sonic bay waiting for a phone call Wednesday afternoon. If such an account exists, I’ll be sure to share it when it’s ready to go live. By the way, if you’re looking for other great dog/sports crossover accounts, may I recommend Cupcake the Pom and Steel and Silver Mahomes. Cupcake the Pom is run by Brooke, Mitchell Schwartz’s wife. And, of course, Steel and Silver’s account is run by Brittany Matthews, the girlfriend of Patrick Mahomes. Both are excellent and hilarious. There’s nothing better than seeing 6-foot-5, 320-pound Mitchell Schwartz carry around small balls of floof. Plus, the Schwartz family just added a second Pomeranian: Pumpkin. Endless content. Endless joy.
This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 12:48 PM.