The Kansas City Chiefs held a luncheon on Wednesday afternoon for season-ticket holders. Typically, owner Clark Hunt speaks at the event with some other notables, while a few players come down and get introduced to a nice hand. This year was anything but typical when strong safety and cancer survivor Eric Berry was introduced.
Quite the ovation for Eric Berry at the #Chiefs kickoff luncheon. pic.twitter.com/SpnU2DizN5
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) September 2, 2015
This is one of those moments that can’t be scripted. It is a natural outpouring of human emotion, one of awe, strength, gratitude and adoration. Berry has shown himself to be a special football player but more importantly, a special person. His story of beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and actually gaining a pound during chemotherapy has given strength to many going through a similar fight.
On the field, Berry has not missed a day of practice and has played in all three preseason games to this point. He has mostly been running with the second-team alongside Tyvon Branch, and playing some first-team snaps in subpackages. I would expect this arrangement to continue as Berry gets his feet under him. At some point, look for Berry to supplant Husain Abdullah in the starting role, despite Abdullah being one of the most steady safeties in the NFL.
The regular season begins for Kansas City on Sept. 13 against the Houston Texans, before the Chiefs come home for a nationally-televised home opener against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Look for the proverbial roof to be blown off of Arrowhead Stadium when Berry is introduced.