Joe Bleymaier details Skyy Moore's progress | KCSN Daily 12.1
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Chiefs WR Skyy Moore had a setback last week, which will see him stripped of punt return duties for the foreseeable future. While he’s not expected to return punts anytime soon, he has made some notable progress on the offensive side of the ball. It has come at a time when Kansas City has needed players to step up at the receiver position with their depth tested.
“Yeah, all the guys have stepped up,” Chiefs WR coach Joe Bleymaier said. “Whether it’s a specific thing, I don’t know if there’s a specific reason I can give you but we asked all the guys that were coming in - because there were a number of departures, not just Tyreek (Hill) - to basically get all caught up and sped up to where we were today so that we could just keep going as an offense and the guys that we brought in bought into that. (They’re) smart guys, great players but the mental part and the task at hand for them to get to where we are was huge and they’ve just kept on progressing each and every week with kind of where we’ve been and where we’re going and that’s allowed I think our quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) and all the other skill positions to just keep on kind of rolling where we left off when we had Tyreek and D-Rob (Demarcus Robinson) and (Byron) Pringle and some of the other guys that have been mainstays for a while.”
Specifically, with Moore’s improvements, Bleymaier feels that he’s made a significant leap over the past month. His practice and classroom habits have progressed as the season has gone on and have been informed by some of the veterans in the room.
“Yeah, I think that’s accurate,” Bleymaier said. “He has adopted that approach where he’s just got to learn everything just like the veteran guys. (The veterans) showed him a great model of behavior in the classroom and then on the practice field and then he’s gone out and made plays when he’s been given the opportunity. The best thing he does is he comes in each week and whether we run the play one time or a hundred on the practice field, he treats it as that most important rep. (He) goes through the mental — different variations of the coverages and comes over and asks questions which is a veteran move because on Sunday you could see any look.”
Moore’s comfort level with the mental aspect is allowing him to get more involved in the game plan and make the right decisions when he sees certain things on the field. With the mental side of the game now catching up, Moore’s potential within the offense looks to be on the rise and at a pivotal moment as the team makes a final push toward the postseason.
Outside the Trenches - Chiefs vs. Bengals trash talk ramping up prior to rematch:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel, Nick Leckey, and Tucker Franklin talk about the latest news, rumors, and more from the Kansas City Chiefs and their upcoming matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thursday Injury Report:
Chiefs:
DNP: WR Kadarius Toney (Hamstring) and RB Jerick McKinnon (Hamstring).
LP: S Deon Bush (Elbow).
FP: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Illness), S Juan Thornhill (Calf), LG Joe Thuney (Ankle), RG Trey Smith (Knee), CB L’Jarius Sneed (Calf), OT Lucas Niang (Knee), WR Justin Watson (Knee), WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Shoulder), DE Carlos Dunlap (Foot), S Bryan Cook (Wrist), and CB Jaylen Watson (Hand).
Bengals:
DNP: DT DJ Reader (Ankle/NIR-Personal).
LP: WR Ja’Marr Chase (Hip) and RB Joe Mixon (Concussion).
FP: DT Josh Tupou (Calf) and OT La’el Collins (NIR - Rest).
Key:
DNP (Did Not Participate), LP (Limited Participant), FP (Full Participant), NIR (Not Injury Related).
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s Tucker Franklin and Matt Lane discuss 5 things to watch for in the Kansas City Chiefs' clash with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Quotable:
“The rookie wall is a real thing. I know I hit it my rookie year, okay? But it doesn’t seem to impact him. I mean obviously all the energy that you see after a play he does the same thing in practice. The kid’s very energized and excited about meetings. He does a good job in the walk throughs. We got to slow him down at times and then when he heads to practice, he has a bunch of energy. I want what he has bottled up so I can lose some of this weight moving forward. But he’s a heck of a kid and I knock on wood, I hope the rookie wall does not hit him. He seems to be in a great place right now, mentally as well as physically. And I will add to that, he has some great guys in that room who have helped him understand what it takes to become a professional at this level and how to take care of his body. (Running Backs Coach) Greg Lewis, obviously being a former player now being his coach. Jerick McKinnon, okay? Clyde (Edwards-Helaire), I mean there’s a lot of guys with a lot of experience in that room that have helped him to understand what it takes and how to survive throughout the course of the season.” - Eric Bieniemy on Isiah Pacheco and the rookie wall
“I keep hearing about that here today (in the facility). It’s always a unique and fun process going through that, and I think you go back to that time – every year when you’re prepping for different positions, different players etcetera. It’s such a lengthy growing process and obviously we all had – I think it was very safe to say that there was major consensus in our building of who we liked and so me being the coordinator/quarterback coach I could have a little part of that to be able to help out and see where he’s at. So I just know that (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid and (General Manager Brett) Veach and a lot of other people in that building really, really, really liked Patrick (Mahomes), including myself. You get a chance to meet with them and – everybody has a process of what you go through and for us it was able to go through some plays. Coach (Reid) has a phenomenal process of evaluation of many different positions but in particular I think his evaluating (of) quarterbacks is awesome. That was just a part of the process and I have not seen it yet, what you’re talking about, but I can assume he’s probably having some fun with it and yeah, we definitely like Patrick.” - Matt Nagy on Patrick Mahomes’ New Heights story
Quick Hits:
From New Heights: Jason and Travis Kelce hosted Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes as their second-ever guest on The New Heights Show. The entire episode was phenomenal, but this story about Matt Nagy, Mahomes’ Top-30 visit and the 2017 NFL draft was perhaps the best highlight.
From Cincinnati: There is some pre-game trash talk brewing with Chiefs S Justin Reid and the Bengals offensive skill players after Reid was unable to recall TE Hayden Hurst’s name in a locker-room interview. Hurst responded to Reid’s comments on Thursday.
From the Pro Bowl Games: Fans are officially able to vote for their favorite players on Twitter from Dec. 1 through Dec. 15. All you have to do is tweet with #ProBowlVote plus the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle or create a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. Retweets count as votes, so get to work, Chiefs Kingdom.
Important dates ahead:
Sunday, Dec. 4 at 3:25 p.m. CT - Week 13: Chiefs vs. Bengals - Paycor Stadium - Cincinnati, Ohio
The Soul of KC Holiday Raffle & Toy Drive is back for another year. Through your raffle ticket purchases, the KCSN foundation will be able to get presents for Operation Breakthrough’s Christmas Store. Last year, we raised nearly $14,000 to benefit kids in the Kansas City community.
Raffle tickets can be purchased through the @KCSportsNetwork Venmo. You can find a list of prizes in the graphic above.
1 ticket = $20. 10 tickets for $100. Tickets will be on sale through December 6. Winners will be drawn LIVE on the KC Sports Network YouTube channel at halftime of the December 11 game when the Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos.