OTA Quotes: Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Coaches Take Center Stage

Aug 9, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator

on the sidelines in the second quarter of their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

There are must reads and there are must reads. This is one of those must reads.

Assistant coaches normally do not this kind of stage so it is always good to take advantage of the times when they do. Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, special teams coordinator Dave Toub, offensive line coach Andy Heck, defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas, quarterback coach Matt Nagy, tight end coach Tom Melvin, running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, and assistant head coach and wide receivers coach David Culley all spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday.

A ton is covered so there is a lot to talk about in the comments. What was the most interesting thing you took out of all of the answers?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DOUG PEDERSON

Q: How do you make the adjustments in the offseason after losing so many guys on the offensive line?

PEDERSON: “You do lose guys, but we also played a lot of guys on the offensive line last year due to injury. You hate to see guys go in free agency, but we just know it’s the nature of the business we’re in. But the next guy steps up. That’s always been the M.O. The guys work extremely hard. We’re rolling people in there right now. This is a time to experiment with different combinations at all positions. As we get closer to camp, things get ironed out a little bit more, and we’ll go into the season that way.”

Q: How do you feel about the tight end position?

PEDERSON: “They’ve had a great offseason. We’re excited as a staff and as a coordinator to really see (Travis) Kelce really getting back out there at some point. They’ve worked extremely hard. They’re doing a great job. The emergence of Demetrius Harris, he’s a tremendous talent. He mixes in there with those guys. They’re having a good offseason.”

Q: He looks like almost a completely different player than last season.

PEDERSON: “He does. It was a valuable experience and a valuable lesson for him to practice as a tight end. He got a lot of reps as a practice squad tight end and as a show team tight end. Now, coming in and the amount of reps he’s getting, it’s just making him better. He really is a smart guy. He’s picking up the system, and he’s doing things right. We’re really excited to see his progress.”

Q: Will there be tough decisions coming up at certain positions?

PEDERSON: “At every position. Again, that is the downside of this business. You have to trim the roster. It makes for great competition and obviously improves your roster when you get a lot of talent out there. It will be a tough one.”