Alex Smith is looking to lead the Chiefs back into the postseason. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At the start of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason program, coach Andy Reid told his players it was time to take a collective step forward.
They were not dealing with a new coaching staff or new schemes with different coordinators. They were in Year 3 with Reid and staff in charge. That group has seen one change in three seasons, and that was with the assistant special teams coach.
Reid’s version of the West Coast scheme gets tweaked a bit every season; but, with quarterback Alex Smith in place, the coach calling the plays and Doug Pederson serving as offensive coordinator, there are no more excuses for the unit.
“When you’re in your third year like this, when your quarterback is in his third year and most of our guys are in their third year, they understand the offense,” Pederson said. “There are a few guys like Jeremy Maclin and Ben Grubbs and guys that we pulled in and they’re just kind of plugging in and picking up where we left off. This spring has been really good that way because everybody understands what we’re doing offensively. It allows us to play and practice faster.”
Even in the somewhat non-competitive offseason practices, the offense has moved at a pace that has exceeded anything they did during workouts running into the 2014 season. Smith worked with receivers both on site and off before the start of the official offseason schedule. There is a lot of time with the quarterbacks watching tape with his receivers and talking through Reid’s playbook.
In the receivers’ room, veteran receivers Maclin and Jason Avant are leading the way for a younger cast of catchers. Both players own experience with Reid’s offense in Philadelphia, and that helped them adapt quickly in Kansas City. Plus, the coaching staff loves the intensity of the duo and willingness to share knowledge with the inexperienced group.
“Both work hard. They’re good route runners. They understand how to practice. There is no wasted time,” Reid said. “They’re professional, so that’s important. … That speaks volumes to your young guys. They’re going to kind of emulate what the good players do.”
After Smith, the most important constant in three years for Reid’s offense has been running back Jamaal Charles. He is coming off a less productive season in which he was bothered from training camp by nagging injuries. Charles worked very hard in the first half of 2015 getting his body prepared for the grind of training camp and a 16-game schedule.
“He is a unique person because he is a great leader in our room; he leads by example,” running backs coach Eric Bieniemy said. “He is out there every day working his tail off, and the thing that I appreciate about him is that he brings his professionalism into the classroom. What he does on the field speaks for itself. But he brings professionalism each and every day, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Chiefs’ offense now waits for the offensive line to come together, with the possibility that there could be four new starters. Those decisions can’t be made until the linemen on both sides of the line of scrimmage can get physical.
But come August, the Chiefs’ offensive line must catch up quickly.
