KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A young Chiefs rookie class, with an average age of 25, is about to put their skills to the test. No more dress rehearsals, it's Week 1 in the NFL.
Thursday Chiefs coordinators spoke ahead of Sunday's season opener in Arizona.
#Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy saying come Sunday he will be watching how the young players “react to adversity and handle those situations”
— Hayley Lewis 👑 (@HayleyLewisKSHB) September 8, 2022
Adding it’s all about how they “Manage emotions and expectations” #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/RDFqeiEaBc
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy says he will be focusing on how young players and first-year Chiefs respond.
"One thing I want to see is how our guys react to adversity and how we handle those situations, cause there are ebbs and flows throughout the course of the game," Bieniemy said. "And if we can weather those storms, we're gonna find a way to grow together and be successful."
Planning to use the first game to gauge where players truly stand, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo says it's all about finding the team's flow.
#Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Coach Spags on the defensive unit “we gotta line up and do what we do” saying it takes “the first quarter” at least a game, two or three to really get the unit flowing and working effectively. #ChiefsKingdom
— Hayley Lewis 👑 (@HayleyLewisKSHB) September 8, 2022
"Baptism by fire, and we certainly know we're going to have to live with some rookie mistakes — it's going to happen," Spagnuolo said. "I mean everybody is going to make mistakes in this game, we just hope that their skills make up enough and offset ... because I say this all the time, you can't clutter their mind and tie up their feet, right? So hopefully we can go out there and play fast."
Not only is the team young in age but also experience. Nine out of the 10 draft picks made the 53-man roster, with the 10th landing a spot on the practice squad.
Overall, 35% of the 53-man roster has two or fewer years of playing experience in the league.
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