Kansas City Chiefs Minicamp Quotes: Alex Smith and Marcus Cooper
By Ben Nielsen
Jun 17, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws passing drills during the Kansas City Chiefs minicamp at University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Day one of the Kansas City Chiefs three-day minicamp concluded Tuesday with some media availability. Alex Smith and Marcus Cooper answered some questions after practice which you can read below.
Note: Comments from AA (me) are in italics.
ALEX SMITH
Q: Is there a big difference between what happens in OTAs and minicamp?
SMITH: “I think it’s a continuation of the OTAs. There are less guidelines as far as the hours. Obviously we can be here all day. We get the morning walk through. I think the biggest thing is we all know that this is the culmination of our offseason, so to speak. So I think in that sense, the sense of urgency is just turned up. These are our last three days of practice. You’re trying to end on a great note and really finish off this offseason.”
Q: How did Travis Kelce look?
SMITH: “I thought he looked great. It’s great to see him out here. He’s been working his tail off for a long time now and it’s tough work behind the scenes. He’s been here trying to get it right, so this is just the next step for him. I thought he looked good.”
AA: A healthy Kelce is going to be huge for this offense, even if he’s somewhat limited in what he can do in his first year on the field.
Q: What about De’Anthony Thomas?
SMITH: “A little bit of a crash course for him, just because of (Oregon) with the quarter system, it’s tough. We’re trying to cram a lot in in three days. A lot of reps, a lot of mental stuff. I’m sure he’ll be spending a little bit these few days (working on that.)”
Q: Isn’t the mental side one of the things that makes this different than OTAs?
SMITH: “Yeah, we have more time for install, so we’re not as crammed on time and we can install. We get the walk through to go through these different looks and then after we get through all of the film. It’s tough in OTAs to squeeze all that in in six hours. So, minicamp-wise, a little more relaxed pace. We really can take our time and kind of zero in on details.”
AA: A lot of the reports I saw were that Thomas was a matchup nightmare during the 11-on-11 drills. There are not many linebackers in the AFC who would match up well against Thomas one-on-one in space. Thomas should be a lot of fun to watch… if he can stay hydrated.
Q: Is there ever a time that you have enough time to do everything?
SMITH: “Yeah I mean you’re always trying to cram it in and be as efficient as possible and get more time, especially come season because now not only are you focusing on what you have to do, you’re trying to look at their stuff as well.”