KANSAS
CITY
De'Anthony
Thomas Jersey , Mo. — Defensive tackle Chris Jones chose to skip the
beginning of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday, the
latest step in the growing discord over his looming contract situation.Jones is
hoping to parlay the finest season of his career into a massive payday as he
enters the final year of his rookie contract. But with negotiations seemingly
going nowhere, the affable 24-year-old defensive tackle opted not to participate
in the Chiefs’ voluntary workouts.Now that they are mandatory, Jones is risking
a fine for being absent this week.Chiefs coach Andy Reid is planning to speak
with reporters only on Thursday, when the minicamp wraps up. But his viewpoint
is unlikely to have changed from a couple of weeks ago, when he said: “We just
go. If you’re here, you get better. If you’re not, you don’t.”It’s hard to
imagine Jones being a whole lot better than last season.He appeared in all 16
games and had career highs in just about every meaningful category: 40 total
tackles, 29 quarterback
hits
http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-eric-murray-jersey ,
19 tackles for loss and a whopping 15 1/2 sacks.That last number was the most
important for a team that desperately needed any pressure it could generate on
the quarterback. The Chiefs had arguably the league’s best offense, anchored by
quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but they also had perhaps the league’s worst
defense.It was that unit that failed miserably in the playoffs, when the Chiefs
were unable to stop Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in their overtime
loss in the AFC championship game.The Chiefs made major moves to address the
defense this offseason, firing coordinator Bob Sutton and hiring Steve Spagnuolo
as his replacement. They also jettisoned longtime stalwarts such as Eric Berry
and Justin Houston, brought in big names Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu, and
began the difficult task of changing from a 3-4 system to a 4-3 defensive
set.And while Jones’ unique set of abilities should allow him to flourish no
matter the system, there is still a learning curve that takes place, and
participating in the offseason program would be helpful.“We don’t really talk
about
it
Womens
Dustin Colquitt Jersey ,” said Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller, when
asked about Jones’ absence. “We just focus on our position groups. We mow our
own lawn.”To be sure, the guys who showed up at minicamp Tuesday have enough to
mow.The Chiefs have a handful of newcomers on offense, including wide receiver
Mecole Hardman, their top draft pick. They also are working around missing wide
receiver Tyreek Hill, who was suspended from all team activities while the NFL
investigates his domestic violence situation.It is likely that Hill will miss at
least part of the season.But the bulk of the pressure facing the Chiefs is
centered on the defense. Clark and Mathieu are among a dozen newcomers who will
be counted on to shore up the sieve-like unit this season, and minicamp is the
last chance to work together before training camp in late July.“It’s a long
process,” Spagnuolo said. “What I look for right now is building a foundation.
I’ve talked extensively with the guys about that. It’s been all about building a
foundation of fundamentals.“That goes to communication and to believing in the
system,” he added. “I’ve talked extensively about mastering the things that take
very little talent. It doesn’t take a lot of talent to communicate or to call
out an under route or get aligned. Those little things we need to get taken care
of
Steven
Nelson Jersey , otherwise it creates holes and then we have problems. So
I’m more focused on that.”The rest of the guys? Forgive them for letting their
focus wander just a bit, especially given how close the Chiefs came to returning
to the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly five decades.“We can be really
good. If you’re talking about No. 1 in the league across all of the boards, I
feel like that’s the potential we have,” Clark said. “This is a hard league,
every game is hard. You think we are going to have the same things happen as
last year? No, it’s going to be a little different. You want more success than
just runner-up, but you just have to work. It’s a work atmosphere here. I’m just
thankful to be a part of it.”100View
Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj
Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta The AFC and NFC Championship Games will
represent either the triumph of experience over youth, or a changing of the
guard in the NFL.That’s because Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Chiefs
quarterback Patrick Mahomes will have the biggest age gap ever between two
postseason starting quarterbacks. And Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Rams
quarterback Jared Goff will have the third-biggest.Here are the four biggest age
differences between playoff starting quarterbacks, counting Sunday’s games:18
years
http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-laurent-duvernay-tardif-jersey ,
1 month: Tom Brady (41) vs. Patrick Mahomes (23) in 2019.16 years, 2 months: Tom
Brady (40) vs. Marcus Mariota (24) in 2018.15 years, 9 months: Drew Brees (40)
vs. Jared Goff (24) in 2019.15 years, 6 months: Steve DeBerg (37) vs. Todd
Marinovich (22) in 1991.If the Patriots and Saints win, the Brady vs. Brees
matchup will have the oldest pair of starting quarterbacks of any NFL postseason
game ever. If the Chiefs and Rams win, it will be a passing of the torch to the
next generation.
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