LAS VEGAS – Popping shoulder pads and clanging helmets are typical sounds of training camp on-field collisions, not exactly Super Bowl week practice customs.
But that was the practice field orchestra the Kansas City Chiefs played in an energetic opening session outdoors in drizzle at the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice facility on Monday.
“You’ve still got to practice,” Reid said Tuesday morning at the Westin Lake Las Vegas, clearly angling to funnel his team’s focus away from the many distractions that come with this week and city.
“Take care of your diet. Rest. You try to keep the focus on the game with all the different things they are obligated to do this week.”
It was the first padded practice the Chiefs held in weeks. Reid wanted to stress urgency and discipline to set the tone for the week.
“These last few teams standing here, we’re honored to be one of them,” Reid said. “We will need to put our best foot forward.”
Guard Joe Thuney (pectoral) plans to push to play after missing the AFC Championship Game. Reid said the decision boils down to whether Thuney has the physical strength to do his job, but rated the chances of Thuney and running back Jerick McKinnon playing this week a “longshot.”
It wasn’t all football talk Tuesday.
Reid was asked by a German journalist if he had thoughts on “Republican conspiracy theories” that Taylor Swift was partially responsible for the NFL aiding the Chiefs to get back to the Super Bowl in a twisted plot to re-elect President Joe Biden.
“That’s out of my league,” Reid said with a laugh. “Kind of like me speaking German. Listen, she’s been great to have around. And we had a great visit with President Biden (last year). That’s about as far as I can go with that.”
–By Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media
