ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Whistles, the pop of pads, and the quarterback's cadence filled the air in St. Joe on Monday.
That's right, the Chiefs are back. Somewhat.
You see, Monday morning's first practice included only rookies (and a few second-year guys) and quarterbacks. But, while the veterans don't report until Wednesday and don't practice until Thursday, the first wave will suffice.
After all, it features new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who spoke to the media Sunday when he arrived at training camp at Missouri Western State.
"First off, it's awesome to be back. Just sitting around waiting for football to get going," said Mahomes. "It's exciting to know that you're going to get the majority of the reps, you're going to get to really work on your game. It's something you dream of as a kid."
For Andy Reid -- in his sixth season with the Chiefs and in his 20th head coaching season overall in the NFL -- Monday was anything but new. But the first day is always a fresh start.
"There's more 'new' on both sides of the ball," said Reid. "Some of the old guys that have been here aren't here. Whether it's a quarterback position, the inside linebacker position or outside linebacker position, you are missing a few of those guys and have new guys coming in that you have an opportunity to see perform."
On Day 1, the Chiefs ran through individual drills along with a 7-on-7 session. Mahomes is actually the one most familiar with the Chiefs system in the quarterback room. Backups Chad Henne and Matt McGloin are new to Kansas City.
Last season riddled the Chiefs with injuries, and on Monday, many of them were back at practice on the fields in St. Joseph. Dee Ford, Deanthony Thomas, and Mitch Morse are a few who missed extensive time last season but were back to work on Day 1.
