The same old routine. After some consideration, those might be the four words most hoped for coming from the mouths of Chiefs as they speak sparsely to the media between training camp practices and drills. We see that phrase in various forms as various players are interviewed. Today Chris Chambers said, "We've pretty much doing the same stuff we've been working on all offseason." Others repeat the refrain and idea in every interview -- that the establishment of a work ethic and work routine has taken place for the Chiefs players and coaches.
It's the quickest way players grow up. It's the fastest route to learning another offensive system. The first time you encounter anything significant for the first time, it's usually overwhelming. Picture the guy who awkwardly stumbles through his first time asking a girl out. Imagine the way students can overrun a rookie substitute taking over a class. Look back on your first day at work and recall the feelings of disorientation.
Rinse and repeat is the only way to overcome such nerves. Hopefully you made it through the anxiety to come back to the job site another day and try it all again. And after a while, the jargon becomes a part of your vocabulary. The tasks become easier to complete. The time it takes to execute a particular drill is cut in half. All of these are realities anyone can relate to, and they're the difference between a rookie who's overwhelmed by the speed and execution of the NFL level and those who make it over the hump.
Very few have the natural ability to step right in and star. Perhaps Eric Berry is such a player. For the rest, the routine of the NFL must set in. The playbook takes time to learn. The coaches ability to translate ideas from their own mind to the minds of their players doesn't happen overnight. The enemy's schemes and tendencies of opposing players take time to reveal themselves. It's vital, then, for the Chiefs to get themselves into a healthy routine and stick to it.
Thus, the front office has to be pleased with a statement that Matt Cassel to Chris Chambers is a routine exercise. The coaches have to smile when they see the execution of a play become second nature. It's the environment within which guys like Tyson Jackson take their game to the next level and rookies like Javier Arenas and Cameron Sheffield adjust more quickly to the next level. While the drama of other teams cloud the locker room, the Chiefs are establishing a healthy foundation of routine football -- exactly the kind that perseveres through the regular season and beyond.
Filed under: