Chiefs training camp 2015: Alex Smith, Marcus Peters shine
Hey everyone, sorry to posting so late. I’m staying in Kansas City so it’s about an hour from the practice site. In any regard, I was at the practice and got to watch the entire 90-man roster getting after it. The day was seasonably warm, about 95 degrees. Regardless, the players fought through without pads and gave us some things to talk about.
Alex Smith went deep
The chemistry between Smith and Jeremy Maclin could be a beautiful thing. On one of the first plays of the camp, head coach Andy Reid lined Maclin up on the far right side, taking on Marcus Cooper. Maclin released, beat the bump and then faked an out before cutting upfield for a go route. Cooper was torched, and Smith lofted the ball about 45 yards in the air for what would have been an easy touchdown. The crowd erupted.
Smith continued to test the defense deep down the field, hitting Frankie Hammond Jr. and Travis Kelce, along with Maclin again, on long bombs. It was nice to see Smith airing the ball out, even if it is training camp.
Offensive line starters?
When the first huddle broke on Saturday afternoon, it was Eric Fisher, Ben Grubbs, Eric Kush, Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson. Nobody else rotated in throughout the day, giving this unit a chance to work together for a bit before the pads come on this Monday.
Overall, this is not surprising. Mitch Morse is insanely large but he is still a rookie, while Kush is entering his third year in the offense. At right guard, it seems Paul Fanaika is going to be depth along with Zach Fulton. Allen was a solid guard for years before getting hurt last season playing right tackle, so he’s a good fit. He’s also in a contract year.
Marcus Peters looked really, really good
Of all the things I saw at camp Saturday, the thing I was most pleased with was Peters. While we already know he has the size and physicality to play in the NFL, it is the little things that make a star. Watching Peters, he consistently went against the second and third-team offense (Reid was putting the first teams against the reserves on both sides).
Peters’ most impressive skill was his hip movement. He was able to switch directions and stay on routes with precision. He also did not take fakes and actually jumped one slant route but dropped the ball. His punishment was 10 push-ups. It was a practice without pads, but Peters showed why the Chiefs made him their top pick.
Eric Berry update
Berry did all the team drills and looked like Berry. His size definitely won’t be an issue and he did not appear to be winded at any time. However, the coaching staff was toggling him between the first and second-team defenses. Reid does not want to overdo it with Berry, giving him a little bit of a different schedule than the other guys.