ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs’ Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, tight end Travis Kelce, and linebacker Breeland Speaks fielded media questions after training camp practice Wednesday.

Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy

Q: Did the offensive unit accomplish all that you wanted to accomplish through the St. Joe portion of training camp?

BIENIEMY: “I think we’re right where we need to be. I think the guys came out and accomplished the goals that we needed to accomplish. The most important thing that we wanted to do is win last week. I thought the guys did a great job of that. Now, the thing that we’re focusing on, because we put it on tape, is just the details and the fundamentals, just making sure that we’re focused on that moving forward.”

Q: What do you think about the young guys on your unit?

BIENIEMY: “I think our young guys did a great job of showing what they’re capable of. I know the young kid, 25 (Darwin Thompson), stepped up. Mecole (Hardman) stepped up. But also, too, just across the board, I thought guys did some good things. But there were some things that they didn’t do, as well. When it’s all said and done, we just want to make sure that they are focused on the details, because at the end of the day, it is about executing with great attention to details to give ourselves a chance when everything is on the line.”

Q: Is Darwin Thompson maybe more advanced than you thought he would be at this point in camp?

BIENIEMY: “One thing I’ll say, guys never surprise me when they come to training camp because things change, you put the pads on, you just want to see how they handle the stress of preparing, playing and performing every day. So I’m not shocked and surprised. We knew what we saw on tape. The kid did one heck of a job. Now, the kid still needs to continue to work on some things that he needs to improve upon. (Running Backs) Coach Deland (McCullough) is doing one heck of a job with him.”

Q: Do you plan on getting Thompson a little more work on Saturday night, compared to the first preseason game?

BIENIEMY: “Well as a staff, we have been focusing on what we’re doing out here. We haven’t quite talked about the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we’ll have that discussion in the very near future.”

Q: What do you need to see in the Pittsburgh game from some of the players in tight position battles?

BIENIEMY: “Just like I just said, I’m looking forward to watching those guys improve upon some of the mistakes that they made last week. That’s important. All of these guys have a tremendous amount of talent. Talent gives you a chance, but you have to go out there and execute with some consistency. So we want to make sure that these guys are taking the coaching and then applying it on gameday.”

Q: How disappointing was it to see John Lovett go down with an injury and now have to miss some time?

BIENIEMY: “I’ll say this, normally I don’t discuss injuries, but the kid did one heck of a job. Now, one thing I will say is that the kids that are in there, they’re performing. You’ve got Blake Bell who has stepped up, (Nick) Keizer has stepped up, Deon Yelder – I mean these guys are doing a good job of performing under pressure. That’s why we’re here. We want to see who can handle that. (Tight Ends Coach) Tom Melvin has done a great job of preparing those guys and they’ve handled it very well.”

Q: How has Marcus Kemp performed thus far in camp?

BIENIEMY: “Kemp has been doing this now for a while for us. Kemp is a very, very consistent player. He doesn’t receive the attention that he normally receives, because why? Because he’s one of those guys that is a jack of all trades. He’s a guy that you plug in on special teams. He’s made his mark there, but also too, people forget how good of a receiver he is. He is a big body receiver, he knows the entire offense and he just comes out there and makes plays when given the opportunity to do so. That’s what you want to see out of young, developing players.”

Q: What do you think Carlos Hyde brings to this team?

BIENIEMY: “Carlos brings a tremendous amount of experience. He’s played in this league for a number of years. He’s a bigger body. I just think the kid has a tremendous upside.”

Q: In what ways do you and Greg Lewis need to see Mecole Hardman to improve upon for him to maybe get some looks with the top grouping?

BIENIEMY: “Let me rewind. He’s done a good job, but we want him to make sure that he has put consistent behavior on tape. He’s very smart. The kid takes coaching and he understands the little things and the details of it, but when it’s all said and done with, it’s about getting these guys to understand the level of professionalism it takes to play at a high level. We need him to play at a high level. It’s not just going to happen on gameday. He has to learn how to practice at a high level on a consistent basis every single day we’re out here.”

Chiefs Player Quote

TE TRAVIS KELCE

Q: Now that you’ve seen the rookies for a couple weeks, do you think you have more offensive capability than last year?

KELCE: “The sky is the limit for this offense. The guys who have been here, that have been here the last couple years, especially last year; we’re taking it up a level that we have in years past. You can just tell from the coaches’ excitement, to their attention to detail, to how guys are reacting to their coaching. This team is going to be awesome and we’re going to have a lot of fun on the offensive side of the ball.”

Q: With the speed you have offensively, what does that allow you all to do?

KELCE: “Anything we want to do, man. You name it, we got four-two, four-three, maybe four-one. I don’t know what Tyreek (Hill) runs now, who knows. We got guys who can absolutely fly all over the field and speed kills in this game. If you got it, you’re in the advantage.”

Q: How do you feel about Patrick Mahomes’ leadership abilities now that he has done this for a year, going into this season?

KELCE: “You can’t say enough about the guy. Pat has it down pat, no pun intended. We’ll just roll from there. He’s going to take the lead of this team and we’re going to go as he goes. That’s just how it rolls.  One-five is ready for every moment you can think of.”

Q: What’s impressed you playing alongside Blake Bell?

KELCE: “He has some explosiveness to him. He’s a big body. Kind of a weird athlete like myself where it’s not a traditional break here and there. He has a very unique running style in terms of running routes and stuff like that. In the run game, him throwing his body around, not being shy on contact; that’s something we can really use on this team.”

 

LB BREELAND SPEAKS

Q: How did it feel Saturday to play your natural position that you played in college?

SPEAKS: “It was fun. I knew everything from college started coming back to me from high school playing that forefront, so I’m just understanding my role and being able to work in it. I mean we saw what happened and that was fun, that sack was fun. It’s just been fun being back in that four-three.”

Q: Was that the most fun you’ve had since you’ve come to the Chiefs?

SPEAKS: “I think so. Last year, such a big defense and a lot of plays. Having to worry about different things. It was just fun to finally get out there and just rush versus worrying about if I have to drop or worrying about a set or something. It was just fun to be able to get out there and just rush the passer.”

Q: Do you feel like you’ve accomplished what you needed to in camp to get ready to be back in Kansas City?

SPEAKS: “Oh yeah. Definitely. I feel like I’ve done what I came up here to do. I had a rough patch in the beginning but finally being able to get in and make those plays as we’ve seen lately, has been the most fun part of being up here.”

—Chiefs.com—