ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Thursday marked the second day of full team practice for the Kansas City Chiefs in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Following practice, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked about his defense that welcomes new additions and young players.
"This is what we're doing right now," Spagnuolo said. "We're throwing everything at them and we're going to find out what this group can do."
Juan Thornhill is a veteran player returning this season and with big goals for himself. In the off-season, Thornhill declared he's going to have an All-Pro season.
“The guy that has stepped up is Juan Thornhill. I’m talking about out here from a communication standpoint and running the show," Spagnuolo said. "He’s kind of taken that upon himself which is about what Juan should be doing in his fourth year."
Veteran player and leader of the defense, Chris Jones said Thursday that he's pleased with what he's seen out of Thornhill this far in camp.
“He’s forced to do more, so when you expect more from a person, they actually give more so we’ve seen a lot of leadership abilities from Juan," he said. "I always told Juan, he was always the guy I encouraged. Just to see him blossom, for me is it’s exciting. It think Juan is going to be really good for us."
This year is also a contract year for Thornhill which means he wants and needs to play his best football.
With a young Chiefs defense, Jones said it's an opportunity to set a new tone for the season.
“If the d-line plays like a menace, I feel like we set the tone for this defense and so I feel like that’s a huge aspect for us, me and Frank Clark," Jones said. "Right now to make sure we set the tone day to day for this defense, make sure we set the bar high and what we expect from the younger guys."
Another leader on the defense, Frank Clark, has not stepped up to the podium yet at camp, but has been spotted staying after practice to help out the rookies.
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