The Kansas City Chiefs completed their last practice at Missouri Western State University as training camp ended in front of faithful fans on Thursday. The preseason grind only got underway last Sunday as the team continues to tune up during game action.
A common criticism of the preseason is the risk of injury with every play in games that don’t matter in the season’s final standings. This has led many star players to be held out of these games by head coaches, preferring more time for their young players trying to make the team. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on Thursday about his reasoning for still playing starters.
“You try to get an equal balance that equals player against player,” Reid explained, “so if you had your ones versus ones and that whole deal when your in-game, but just kind of mind as I go, and then I take it, my gut feeling after that. So if I pull guys early, it’s just something I feel at that time.”
The Chiefs lost rookie Nic Jones during last Sunday’s game with fractured fingers, while other injuries occurred in practice.
“I mean, listen, it’s all part of the game,” Reid said. “They’ve got to get ready for the game, and at the same time, you know, it’s tough going in the first game is going to be fast, much faster than what you can present in practice. The regular season game, this at least is another step up from that gives you just a little kick up speed-wise of the game.”
The Chiefs return to game action on Saturday in Arizona with the same work mindset, not playing to avoid injury.
