Regist
blank
» Forum » -=] Clan Forum [=- » ~ News aus aller Welt ~ » out a playoff-bound A


out a playoff-bound A
liny195
Haudegen

User Pic

Posts: 839
# 25.09.2018 - 10:45:00
    zitieren



— Even the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is excited to see what Patrick Mahomes II can do.

Clark Hunt doesn’t seem worried about putting too much pressure on his young quarterback Nathan Peterman Jersey , either.

The chairman and most visible face of the ownership family said after Saturday’s training camp session at Missouri Western State University that he’s looking forward to seeing Mahomes under center when the Chiefs open their preseason schedule Thursday night against Houston.

He’s is eager for what the second-year pro can do for seasons to come, too.

“There’s a lot of excitement here in Kansas City and really around the country about Patrick. He is a young man with a lot of skills, has a very high ceiling,” Hunt said. “He’s going through the process in learning what it means to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That learning process will continue during the preseason and I’m sure once we get to the regular season.”

Mahomes is taking over on a full-time basis from Alex Smith, who was traded to Washington despite the best year of his career. And the fact that Kansas City is pinning its hopes on its first homegrown quarterback in a generation has energized an already fervent fan base.

Season-ticket sales are robust, and there were about 6,000 fans at practice on Saturday.

“It’s very exciting for the franchise from a long-term perspective,” Hunt said. “If you can develop your own quarterback who can play at the top of the league, you can create an opportunity over the course of a decade to win a championship, and that’s what we hope Patrick does for us.”

No pressure, kid.

Hunt has also noticed what many others have this offseason: Chiefs coach Andy Reid has an extra bounce in his step, a byproduct of the fun he’s having working with a new, young quarterback.

“I know that’s a hard thing to imagine when you’re talking about Andy http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/margus-hunt-jersey ,” Hunt said in his annual training camp availability, “but truthfully he seems energized. And that goes all the way back to the preseason, the chance to take a quarterback and mold him, something he’s had a lot of success at.”

In other news, Hunt declined to discuss the dispute between the league and its players when it comes to protesting during the national anthem. “There’s really nothing to report,” Hunt said. “Until the league tells us what the policy is, there’s nothing really to talk about.”

Hunt did say he’s spoken to the Chiefs individually and collectively about social justice initiatives, and that the organization was willing to provide human resources and financial resources to help players make a difference with causes that they care about.

“That’s not something new for the Chiefs. It’s something that’s been going on here in Kansas City since my dad brought the team here in 1963,” Hunt said. “I’ve challenged the players to go out there and make a difference, and there’s so many that have a great heart and want to spend the time.”

Hunt also said the Chiefs are content with using Missouri Western as their training camp base, even though the majority of NFL franchises now hold camp at their usual practice facility.

Hunt and Reid both like the old-school idea of team-building that occurs at camp, even though it’s only an hours’ drive from Kansas City. Missouri Western has also built and improved its facilities to the point they rival most major colleges and professional franchises.

He also praised the work done by general manager Brett Veach, who has made several controversial moves since taking over last year. Among them was dealing talented but temperamental cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/tony-romo-jersey , a clear attempt at improving the clubhouse culture.

“One thing we really care about as a franchise is the culture and character of the team,” Hunt said. “That’s something very important to Brett. As he brought in players in free agency and the draft, he made sure those players would be positive contributors to the character of the football team.”

NOTES: OLs Cam Erving (knee) and Eric Fisher (shoulder) did not practice, nor did LBs Reggie Ragland (knee) and Anthony Hitchens (hamstring). None of the injuries to the four starters is thought to be serious. … CB Keith Reaser (quad), LB Tanoh Kpassagnon (heel) and FS Leon McQuay (hamstring) were limited in practice. It’s unclear if any will play in the preseason opener.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Two teams that began heading in opposite directions at just about the time they saw each other last month hook up again when the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics open a two-game interleague series Tuesday night.

The Padres were within arm’s length of .500 at 34-40, having won nine of 15, when the A’s ventured into San Diego and used a ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike, game-tying home run from Stephen Piscotty off relief ace Brad Hand to trigger a two-game sweep, winning 4-2 and 12-4.

The Padres now head north well out of contention in the National League West, having lost 11 of 14.

The A’s David Bakhtiari Jersey , meanwhile, have won 12 of 15 to surge well above .500 at 46-39 and into contention in the American League wild-card race.

Oakland has made much of its recent run without standout third baseman Matt Chapman, who has taken time off to allow pain in his right hand to subside.

Two cortisone shots later, Chapman had a pain-free hitting session Sunday and was sent to Class A for an injury-rehab game Monday.

It’s possible he could be reinstated from the disabled list during this series.

“He hit a few off the back wall in center field, so that tells me enough,” A’s manager Bob Melvin observed Sunday. “Getting him back in the lineup will be a nice little kick for us.”

The A’s need no such boost in their pitching. They have allowed two or fewer runs in four of their last five games.

Right-hander Chris Bassitt (1-3, 2.82 ERA) will look to extend that impressive run while at the same time taste his first career success in interleague play.

The 29-year-old began the A’s recent pitching showcase with six innings of two-hit, scoreless ball in a 3-0 win at Detroit last Wednesday.

He has never faced the Padres in his career, and has lost both interleague starts despite a 2.45 ERA.

One intriguing potential matchup in the series is A’s closer Blake Treinen against Padres slugger Eric Hosmer, a pairing that carried a bit of history into a game-ending showdown in the A’s earlier 4-2 win in San Diego.

Then a member of the Kansas City Royals, Hosmer bombed a two-run, go-ahead homer off Treinen in the eighth inning of their first career head-to-head last August.

Treinen then extracted a measure of revenge in the June 19 rematch in San Diego, closing out the 10-inning game by striking out Hosmer as he represented the potential tying run.

Bassitt will be opposed by left-hander Clayton Richard (7-7 http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/jason-witten-jersey , 4.29), who had a four-game winning streak stopped in a 5-2 loss at Texas last Wednesday.

He retains a good interleague record (9-5, 3.50) despite not having beaten an American League opponent since 2015.

You have to go back three years before that to find his last appearance against the A’s in Oakland, but it was a memorable one. He shut out a playoff-bound A’s team for 7 2/3 innings in 2012, allowing five hits in a 2-1 win.

He has faced the A’s three times in his career, twice as a starter, and gone 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA.

One A’s hitter that Richard will have to deal with is the aforementioned Piscotty, who played last season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Piscotty has dominated the head-to-heads, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a flyout to deep center field in the only non-hit of the matchup.

A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy, another former National Leaguer, also has a successful history against Richard, going 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles and a homer.

Adidas Anze Kopitar Jersey