Ball security a point of emphasis for Chiefs after Week 15
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Charles Goldman
The Kansas City Chiefs have given the football away too many times this season.
After a Week 15 game against the New England Patriots that saw multiple interceptions and fumbles, the Chiefs are making it a point emphasis to work on ball security moving forward.
“You can’t have those things,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid proclaimed on Monday. “We’ve got to do a better job of hanging on to the football. Absolutely – (keep the ball) covered in traffic, (Rashee) Rice actually had it covered and then he took his arm off of it when he kind of spun around.”
Reid doesn’t want his players to lose the aggression and desire to gain extra yards, but he wants his players aware that doing so comes with an extra risk. If they’re going to be fighting for those extra yards as Rice did, they need to make sure they protect the football.
“As important as these guys – as hard as they’re playing to get those extra yards, there’s a point where the ball security overrules that,” Reid explained. “The young guys, they have to figure that out, and we’ve got to do better. You’ve got to keep that thing up against your body, you’ve got to keep it high and tight and covered in traffic. If it takes you out of that element by trying to spin around and make extra yards you have to forget about that and keep the ball secured. We’ve got to do better there, yes.”
During a long football season, sometimes going back and working on fundamental things like ball security can be pivotal for the stretch run. For a team like Kansas City, that has been burnt by turnovers throughout the season, eliminating the costly mistakes could turn the tide in their favor.
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Andy Reid on wide receiver opportunities
It’s safe to say that outside of Rashee Rice, none of the wide receivers in Kansas City have taken full advantage of their opportunities. Some of them appear to be more prone to costly mistakes than they are to making a positive play. As the regular season winds down, and the team approaches win-or-go-home games in the postseason, questions have begun to swirl about the wide receiver room.
After back-to-back games with big errors, Andy Reid was asked if he had considered benching WR Kadarius Toney.
“I’m not going to get into all of that,” Reid said. “The obvious is that he (Kadarius Toney) has to make sure he catches the ball and does that. He’s got a tremendous amount of talent. He’s a good kid, good attitude, good kid. You have to make those plays; he knows it as well as anybody. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Beyond Toney, there are questions about whether others are getting a far shake in terms of opportunities. Reid admitted that one player didn’t get enough opportunities against the Patriots in Week 15.
“Richie (James) though, has got to play more than two snaps, so that’s my responsibility on that,” Reid said. “I didn’t have him in on enough stuff. He’s a good football player though.”
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Quick Hits:
- Chiefs Hall of Fame O-Lineman Ed Budde dies at 83 years old.
- Chiefs LB Darius Harris returns to the practice squad.
- The Chiefs added a pair of pass-catchers to the team on Wednesday, after holding workouts on Tuesday.
- Rob Gronkowski had a harsh accusation against Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney.
- It’s time to unleash Chiefs WR Justyn Ross on the NFL and see if he’s part of the future of the team.
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes got Christmas gifts for his offensive line.
Important Dates Ahead:
- Dec. 25: NFL Week 16 - Raiders at Chiefs
- Dec. 31: NFL Week 17 - Bengals at Chiefs
- Jan. 7: NFL Week 18 - Chiefs at Chargers
