(TSX / STATS) — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry expects to see his first action of the preseason Friday night (7:00 PM) against the Seattle Seahawks.
Berry missed the team’s first two preseason games and hadn’t practice since Aug. 6 until returning to workouts Monday. The team held him from practice while he nursed a heel injury that also bothered him last season. Head coach Andy Reid liked what he saw from the 28-year-old Berry during practice this week.
“I thought he did a nice job actually and moved around pretty good,” Reid said. “He’s been working his tail off, so that’s not the problem. It’s just a matter of that thing calming down where he can function.”
The action against Seattle will be the only playing time Berry sees during the preseason. Reid expects his starters to play into the third quarter Friday night. Few if any starters expect to play in the final preseason game at home next week against the Tennessee Titans.
Reid said Berry doesn’t need many snaps in the preseason acclimating himself back to the game.
“He’s played long enough where he knows what he needs and doesn’t need,” Reid said.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones and Roy Miller also expect to make their preseason debuts against Seattle. Jones started training camp on the physically unable to perform list following arthroscopic surgery on his knee last month. The newly acquired Miller continues his recovery from a season-ending torn Achilles sustained last October.
–Running back Kareem Hunt saw action on the second play of last week’s 30-12 win over Cincinnati as the Chiefs tested their third-round selection’s strength and endurance. Head coach Andy Reid complimented Hunt’s physical play against the Bengals.
“He has an idea of the physical demands and the shape you need to be in to carry the ball like that,” Reid said. “He did a good job at pass protection and route running.”
Hunt rushed for 40 yards on eight carries and added three catches for 23 yards. He left the game after tweaking his ankle early in the second quarter.
“It was a good feeling being to get a lot of touches early and get into the flow of the game,” Hunt said.
Coaches throughout training camp and into the preseason praised Hunt for his commitment to blocking in the passing game. He showed off that willingness to throw his body in front of would-be tacklers, taking out two pass rushers on a fourth-down conversion from quarterback Alex Smith to fullback Anthony Sherman.
“Honestly, I saw two guys coming and just sacrificed my body,” Hunt said. “I was pretty much just trying to make a play.”
Hunt soared up the depth chart through training camp and now stands as the No. 2 back behind starter Spencer Ware. The rookie continues pressing for playing time, however, demonstrating an ability to make tacklers miss in open space as well as catch the ball out of the backfield.
“I think I’m improving,” Hunt said. “That’s because I’m getting better with the playbook and I’m able to play fast. Just seeing things a lot more.”
–The Chiefs face an irregular schedule in the upcoming season with six prime-time broadcasts scattered across four different days of the week, including the season opener on a Thursday night at New England.
That poses a challenge to NFL players conditioned to take the field every Sunday, and quarterback Alex Smith counts himself as one of those creatures of habit.
“Come regular season you do really live by the week,” Smith said. “Every Wednesday’s the same and Thursdays and Fridays and obviously building up towards game day, which is usually Sundays.”
Reid does not believe the topsy-turvy schedule impacts his team that much.
“I’m not worried about that,” Reid said. “Our guys know how to handle it. I think we as a coaching staff know how to handle that. We’ll be alright.”
The numbers, however, tell a different story.
Reid’s success following bye weeks is legendary enough that other NFL coaches attempt to emulate his strategy. Reid owns a 16-2 record following bye weeks in his coaching career.
When the Chiefs play on days other than Sundays, the results are decidedly mixed.
The Chiefs have the fourth-best record in the league since Reid’s arrival in 2013, winning games at a .672 clip. He’s won more than 70 percent of his Sunday afternoon games in that stretch, with a record of 37-15.
Outside Sunday afternoon, however, the Chiefs stand just 8-9 under Reid. That’s the 16th best record in the league. Prime-time games remain the struggle; the Chiefs stand just 5-6 at night during the regular season
The Chiefs have just five days between their road win at Cincinnati on Aug. 19 before traveling to Seattle Friday night. Reid believes the short turnaround is good experience for the regular season.
“Even though the starters played a half, they still get an idea of what it takes for a hurry-up week,” Reid said.
Smith agreed.
“I think the good thing here is the preseason simulates that for us,” Smith said. “We’ve got Saturday games, Friday games, Thursday games. Your game weeks get thrown off a little bit. Some weeks you get extra rest, some weeks you don’t.”
The Chiefs face a quick turnaround with the season kicking off on Thursday night. Reid wants to see how his team fares against Seattle before determining how much his starters and reserves play in the preseason finale Aug. 31 against Tennessee.
“I want to see how this one goes,” Reid. “We’ll just see how it goes.
–Chiefs offensive lineman Parker Ehinger still remembers the searing pain that abruptly ended his rookie campaign last October in Indianapolis.
“I’ve never felt that kind of pain in my life,” Ehinger said.
The team’s fourth-round selection in the 2016 draft tore the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus in his right knee.
“I knew it was going to be a journey when it first happened,” Ehinger said. “I knew it was going to be a long haul back, but I was ready for it and just embraced the process and was ready to get after it.”
Ehinger returned to practice this week after starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Neither Ehinger or team coaches placed a timetable on his return to the lineup, but the 24-year-old left guard hinted that he hopes to return to the line during the first few weeks of the regular season.
“Right now I’m just trusting what the doctors tell me and the trainers and staff and what my body’s telling me,” Ehinger said. “Hopefully, it’s going to in the foreseeable future that I’m be back out there.”
Ehinger’s rookie season started with enormous promise. The rookie from Cincinnati plugged immediately into the Chiefs’ offensive line and proved invaluable in the run game. The Chiefs averaged 4.39 yards per carry with Ehinger at left guard. The team mustered just 4.01 yards per rush in his absence.
Utility lineman Zach Fulton assumed the left-guard spot last season following Ehinger’s injury. The Chiefs moved tackle Bryan Witzmann to left guard during the offseason, and the club appears ready to roll with the 27-year-old journeyman lineman bridging the gap in Ehinger’s absence. Witzmann started the team’s first two preseason games at left guard.
That frees Fulton to play any other position on the line if an injury arises.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Ehinger’s return provides depth and flexibility to the team’s offensive line.
“He’s done a great job at rehabbing and trying to get back to where he needs to be,” offensive coordinator Nagy said. “Anytime you can get quality players back to help you with the depth it’s huge.”
Photo credit – Associated Press / Denver, CO
