OTA #2 Press Conference, Butker News, and Buggs Accused of Animal Cruelty

Good Morning Chiefs Kingdom,

Today we bring you a press conference recap from OTAs, a Harrison Butker update, another Chiefs off-field storyline, NFL headlines, and more.

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— Luke Gromer

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Chiefs News

The Latest

Yesterday the Chiefs wrapped up their second of three voluntary OTAs (Organized Team Activities).

The Chiefs practiced Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

The Chiefs will hold their third and final OTA June 4-7 (Tu-Fri).

After OTAs conclude, the Chiefs will host their three-day mandatory minicamp on June 11-13.

The only notable absence from participation in this OTA is the Chiefs 1st-round pick WR Xavier Worthy. Worthy has not participated due to a hamstring injury that does not seem to be serious.

Source: Arrowhead Pride

The coordinators and assistant coaches spoke to the media.

Dave Toub

• On the new kickoff strategy: “We work on it a lot… We try to kick the ball on the ground, away from the returners as quickly as possible [because our coverage team can move as soon as the ball lands in the landing zone]… Every time we practice, we learn something new… The team that figures it out… is going to really excel early, we want to be that team.”

•  On the kicker: Toub noted that in the XLF, kickers were involved in 25-40% of tackles on kickoffs, and they don’t want Butker in that situation. He noted that they will likely want a player that can tackle kicking off, like Justin Reid or Louis Rees-Zammit.

• On the punter competition: “It’s a real close battle right now…,” said Toub when asked about the competition between rookie Ryan Rehkow and free agent signing Matt Araiza

Steve Spagnuolo

• On the defense next year: “I [have] been through the experience of being way up there, then the very next year, with a lot of the same guys, we did not play nearly as well. I just don’t want to see that happen… There are no guarantees that we will be the same. So we’ve got to start working on things like we did last year… I certainly think we can go higher…”

• On Sneed and McDuffie: “I don’t think anybody’s going to replace LJ Sneed,” said Spagnuolo. He noted that they’re still trying to figure out what they will do in his absence. He did not commit to playing McDuffie solely on the outside as Sneed did last year.

• On Kamal Hadden: “When we had him in that first rookie camp, the first thing that stood out is that he’s not afraid to be loud. I like those guys… I think he has some self-confidence about him… We’ll see if he has what it takes at training camp.”

• On the potential of the off-season changing: “I’m a vacation guy, I like getting vacation… Now I have grown children and all of that, but with guys with little kids and trying to have [time] with the kids when they’re off, I think it would take away from that…”

Matt Nagy

• What Xavier Worthy is working on while he sits out: “A lot of mental… We throw a lot to these guys in practice mentally. Right now the biggest thing for him is to understand what we do mentally, not just one position, but all the positions…”

• On installing lots of new plays: “That’s always been a staple of Coach Reid… That’s kind of what’s fun about the off-season process. You keep those vets ’ minds thinking… It keeps these guys not just going through the motions…”

• How much off-season evaluation of the deep passing game he did: “Quite a bit… We’ve had some success here early on, and we’ve got to keep that going… We’ve seen an evolution… in the NFL in general, the deep shots aren’t there as much…”

• On Kadarius Toney: “The biggest thing is going to be making sure that he understands the foundation, mentally of where to go, where to line up… the next part of the process is he understand how to make the simple plays simple. Then we as coaches have to go about putting him in the right spots…”

• On Mahomes’s focus this off-season: “For Pat, it’s probably matching his eyes with his feet… So this year, we’re really trying to… work on footwork…”

DB Coach Dave Merritt, OL Coach Andy Heck, and TE Coach Tom Melvin also spoke to the media.

Harrison Butker spoke publicly for the first time since receiving high levels of criticism for his comments in a commencement speech (read the story in one of our previous newsletters, here).

Butker acknowledged the hate he received from many after his comments but also noted that many have defended his freedom of religion and speech.

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” said Butker.

He continued, “The more I’ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made, and one I do not regret at all.”

You can watch Butker’s full comments in the 5-minute video below.

DT Isaiah Buggs is being accused of animal cruelty according to a Tuscaloosa, Alabama court filing.

The Chiefs signed Buggs in January of 2023 to the practice squad, then re-signed him to a reserve futures contract after last season ended.

Per the report, Animal Control found two dogs that were locked on Buggs’ rental property in Tuscaloosa and reported that the animals were “severely malnourished, emaciated, neglected and the residence [appeared] to be abandoned.”

A neighbor told the police that the dogs had been on the porch for 10 days.

One of the dogs was euthanized after an unsuccessful heartworm treatment and displaying aggressive behavior. The other dog is receiving care in an animal shelter.

After the report surfaced, Buggs’ agent, Trey Robinson, released the following statement:

Buggs via his agent denies that the dogs belonged to him and claims that the police department is targeting him because of the hookah lounge he owns in Tuscaloosa.

Buggs reportedly owes over $3,000 in unpaid rent on the property.

Source: SI.com

We shared the Chiefs 2024 schedule and highlighted four interesting aspects of the schedule in a past newsletter.

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Around the NFL

Headlines

• The Dolphins signed WR Jalen Waddle to a 3-year, $84.75M extension with $76M guaranteed

• The NFLPA is pushing to change the NFL offseason workout program

• The 49ers extended WR Juan Jennings with a 2-year deal worth up to $15.4M

• Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus is being sued by two women accusing him of sexual assault on the team flight to London last season

• Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were not in attendance at the Bengals OTAs as they both want new contracts

• QB Lamar Jackson (BAL) lost 25 pounds to be more agile on the field

• The Raiders gave Maxx Crosby a new deal that includes a $6M raise

• C Billy Price, a 2018 1st-round pick, is retiring after suffering an “emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot”

• The Vikings re-signed G Dalton Risner, a KSU alumni, to a 1-year deal

Chiefs, NFL, and More

Worth the Click

• 📸 The Chiefs released a photo shoot with the 2024 rookie draft picks

• 🏈 Grab some new Chiefs gear from Rally House*

• 🎤 The NFL considered Taylor Swift’s concert schedule when they made the 2024 schedule

• 🏌️‍♂️ The criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler from a traffic misunderstanding have been dropped

• ⚾ The Royals are second in the Central and fourth in the AL

• 🎙 A HS soccer announcer in KS was caught on a hot mic saying some inappropriate things

• 🎟 Grab your Chiefs tickets for any home or road game this season*

• ❤️ The Chiefs welcome a special visitor to their practice on Tuesday, it will warm your heart 👇

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