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KC Chiefs: Starters To Play First Quarter On Saturday

By Zach Blochlinger

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The KC Chiefs begin their preseason action on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Sometimes teams aren’t sure what to expect of the teams headed into the preseason, but the Chiefs know what their game plan is: all of the starters will play in the first quarter. Head coach Andy Reid has told The Kansas City Star that the starters will play the whole first quarter in their preseason opener in Arizona on Saturday.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise, because most coaches don’t let their starters play much in the first few preseason games because of the possibility of injuries.

Also, most coaches and coordinators want to see what their backup players have to offer and be able to trim down the roster to 53 without a bunch of question marks by the season’s start.

Starting quarterback Alex Smith said to Blair Kerkhoff of The Kansas City Star in regards to his goals for Saturday’s exhibition against the Cardinals:

"“Hopefully sustain some drives and score some points. That’s what you’re looking for as the first group. Go out there, let’s move some chains, get into some rhythm.”"

In other exciting news, it seems like starting safety Eric Berry will suit up for the first time since being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the middle of last season. When addressing Berry’s chance to play on Saturday coach Reid said:

"“We’re thinking he’s going to play,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how things go from here. But he’s been going here, so I think he’s ready to get out here and do his thing.”"

This news is extremely exiting for Kansas City Chiefs fans, as just a month ago, there was no news yet as to whether Berry would ever even play football again.

Against the Cardinals, who beat the KC Chiefs in the regular season last year, look for Reid and Smith to try some new things as they try to get the offense rolling heading into the season. I expect Smith to throw at least 10 passes in the first quarter on Saturday in an attempt to improve his report with his relatively new receiving corp.

I don’t see Jamaal Charles getting as much work this week because coach Reid and company already know what he gives them in their offense. Giving him the ball in the preseason isn’t really necessary from my point of view, and I think Knile Davis will be in with the first team as well as Charles.

We’re only a couple of days away from Kansas City Chiefs football and as Saturday approaches, be ready to see a hyped up team with a lot of new looks and players.

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