Kansas City Chiefs: Marcus Peters clears the air and sets expectations
By Ben Almquist
![Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9b19bc053bf727037a08450dcb0ffeacca08634037235b7117f4e2f2a39ee3eb.jpg)
One of the biggest story lines from Kansas City Chiefs OTAs was the absence of Marcus Peters. The star corner explained what was going on and what his expectations are for 2017.
Andy Reid got pretty frustrated with the local media during Kansas City Chiefs Organized Team Activities (OTAs). The Chiefs head coach was constantly badgered about the absence of several star players. One of those stars was cornerback Marcus Peters. He sat down with 610 Sports Radio to talk about his absence and his expectations for 2017.
Of course the first topic to come up was why he wasn’t at voluntary OTAs over the past several weeks. Peters explained that he was taking the same approach that he had every year since being kicked off his college team at Washington. He spent the time training in his native Oakland, California just as he does every year.
There are a lot of explanations that would have been perfectly acceptable for that question. However, I don’t know that there are many that are as encouraging as that. We have seen where this training has gotten Marcus Peters in the past. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Clearly what Peters has been doing these past couple of years isn’t even close to being broken.
Peters Sets The Bar High
“Super Bowl. Super Bowl. That’s the ultimate respect you can get in this game.” ~ Chiefs CB Marcus Peters
The other major topic for the Marcus Peters interview is the one that he kept going back to. Throughout the entire conversation, it was clear that the star cornerback was focused on one thing…winning a Super Bowl.
Peters emphasized the championship multiple times, even leading one response with: “Super Bowl. Super Bowl. That’s the ultimate respect you can get in this game.” That makes it pretty clear where he stands on what his expectations for this year. When asked whether he felt the team had the pieces for a championship run, Peters responded simply: “Yup.”
That says just about everything you need to know about where his head is at. Marcus Peters is clearly focused on one goal, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to achieve that. If that means he’s missing voluntary practices to do the same workout that has made him an All Pro corner, then I’m good with that.
Now We Know
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A little added benefit from this interview for all Chiefs fans is that we now know what to expect. Marcus Peters is going to skip voluntary workouts to do his own training program. That is something to remember next year when all the pundits start chirping about his absence.
There will, of course, be some contract concerns for Peters in 2018. Even if he were a consistant participant at OTAs, he would still likely skip next year. So there will be plenty of truth in the “wants a new contract” talk that the pundits and analysts are already prepping. However, it will not be a sign that things are bad. In fact, it would be business as usual.
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL for 2017. At least, that’s what Marcus Peters is thinking, and I see no reason to disagree. The Chiefs are back in the swing of things with full participation at minicamp. With the exception of a couple of lingering injuries, everything appears to be going as well as could be hoped for.