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After two preseason games, the early returns on the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 first-round draft pick Josh Simmons are good. In the limited snaps he\u2019s received, the rookie left tackle has held his own.<\/p>\n
Speaking with the media on Monday, Simmons said he has welcomed the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great for a rookie,\u201d he noted, \u201cbecause you don\u2019t know what the speed of the NFL is like. [And] the preseason is still different from Week 1, so if I could just take the little baby nuggets that I\u2019m getting in the preseason and work on [them] for Week 1, I\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, Simmons isn\u2019t concentrating on a specific aspect of his game.<\/p>\n
\u201c[I\u2019m] working on everything,\u201d he said, \u201cno matter if it\u2019s something like athleticism [or] hand striking. [I] just work on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, he (and the rest of the offensive line) are going through a lot of mental reps.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of playing like every O-line group does,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou just kind of put yourself in that real, third-down-in-Brazil kind of situation, going into the Chargers. Then you just kind of go from there — putting yourself in the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all part of the development of a young player \u2014 although each person\u2019s process is different. Simmons said that what has worked best for him has been playing preseason games and then meeting with coaches, going over what went well \u2014 and what needs to be cleaned up.<\/p>\n
Specifically, he\u2019s worked hard at following quarterback Patrick Mahomes\u2019 cadence at the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be on time with that,\u201d he observed, \u201cbecause these speed rushers are extremely athletic. One tick late, and you know he\u2019ll be at Pat\u2019s front door in, like, a second. So you\u2019ve got to get off even with the cadence \u2014 like literally time it up perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other big thing has been avoiding tipping off opposing defenses. Some film reviewers have noticed that differences in Simmons\u2019 pre-snap stance could be telling defenses what kind of play is coming.<\/p>\n
\u201dThat\u2019s something I\u2019ve been working on a lot,\u201c admitted the rookie, \u201d[I need to] just kind of square it up and be more universal in my stance \u2014 so that defenses aren\u2019t all, \u2018It\u2019s pass, it\u2019s pass!\u2018\u201d<\/p>\n
The important thing to remember is that Simmons is still young \u2014 and even if there are bumps along the way, he is confident he\u2019ll get it all sorted out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys are a little faster than college,\u201d he said, \u201cbut yeah. It\u2019ll be fixed, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kansas City\u2019s first-round draft pick finds himself in a new world, but is confident he\u2019ll fit in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":91018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n