Chiefs Camp Quotes: Assistant Coaches Have Their Day
By Ben Nielsen
Aug 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) is called for holding against Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Brandon Tate (19) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH EMMITT THOMAS
Q: How has Phillip Gaines come along?
THOMAS: “He’s coming fine. We use him inside at the nickel position; we play him at both corner spots. We’re trying to find out what his niche is. Right now, he’s learning the system, he’s a guy that has a lot of speed, he’s very intelligent. It’s just a matter of him getting acclimated to the pro game.”
Q: Is Sean Smith being back with the first team something you expect will only be a matter of time?
THOMAS: “I’m not going to say a mandate of when he’s coming back. But when we open it up the first game, we’ll have our starters in.”
Q: The first game is when we’ll find out?
THOMAS: “Right.”
Q: What are you looking for Daniel Sorensen to do?
THOMAS: “Be assertive. Be a director back there. Be a signal-caller. You know we lost Kendrick Lewis, and we’re looking for a guy that can go back there and make calls and also make plays. He has great size; he’s smart enough, now he has to get a little bit more instincts back there.”
Q: Moving to the second preseason game, what do you look to improve on big plays?
THOMAS: “Get better at the line of scrimmage and our coverage. We played a little lax in the first game. (We didn’t) really get on top of the receivers. This game, we’re going to press a lot and get them on top of the receivers.”