Kansas City Chiefs Minicamp Quotes: De’Anthony Thomas and Ron Parker

RON PARKER

Q: What have OTAs and minicamp been like for you?

PARKER: “OTAs and minicamp have been good to me so far and as a group, I think the secondary, we’ve come in here and worked hard every day and gave it our all. I think everybody is getting better every day.”

Q: What’s it like with the personnel changing and do you think you’ll be able to compete for a spot?

PARKER: “Oh yeah, I always think I’m going to be able to compete for that spot. But with the present opportunity today, I’m just doing whatever the coaches are asking me to do. Whatever they’re asking me to do, I just try to do it to the best of my abilities.”

Q: Have you ever gotten this much work before?

PARKER: “I haven’t had so much opportunity like this to get with the ones, but a little bit last year. I got a little bit of work with the ones and then with my last game in San Diego I started. I felt like that was a little bit of work too. I’m getting used to it and I’m adjusting really well.”

AA: One of the main reasons why Kansas City would cut Brandon Flowers is because they believe Parker can be a significant contributor. The top four corners at this point are Sean Smith, Marcus Cooper, Parker, and Phillip Gaines. Chris Owens and maybe one of the Van Dykes are the battle for that fifth spot. In short, you don’t cut Flowers if you don’t think Parker and Gaines can handle the increased workload that comes with not having Flowers.

Q: How good was the San Diego game for you?

PARKER: “I think it was a pretty good game for me. I just went out there and played and played my heart out and gave it all I could. I just did the best I could do and just see at the end of the game, I had a good game I think.”

AA: We should never underestimate how important that week 17 game against San Diego was to this offseason. It was the difference in us letting Jon Asamoah, Geoff Schwartz, Dexter McCluster, and Brandon Flowers walk as well as not being too aggressive in trying to add a wide receiver or a safety. 

Q: What has the transition from safety to cornerback been like for you from college to pro?

PARKER: “The transition was really cool for me because I played a little bit of corner in high school and I got to the league and they switched my position to corner. I’ve been adjusting really well and doing really well at it. So I think I’m pretty good over there on the outside too.”

AA: One should never underestimate how important it is for teams to put players in situations where they are comfortable.