The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into a very interesting NFL preseason game on Friday night, as quarterback Alex Smith will be facing against his old team in the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took his job last season.
The Chiefs have made some big improvements this year after trading for Smith and the team feels that it is ready for a playoff jump with Andy Reid now in the fold. Charles is dealing with a foot issue and while it isn't serious, if it lingers it could hamper the success of the team in 2013, as Charles had a fantastic season last year. The explosive back averaged 5.8 yards per carry and he rushed for 1509 yards last season with five touchdowns and has also proven to be excellent catching passes from the backfield.
The Chiefs will be focused on the backfield and on special teams in the preseason game and Dexter McCluster, Knile Davis and Devon Wylie all will have attention as the game kicks off on Friday night. The defense played well last week and Reid will be looking for more of that after the team finished last season ranked 27th in rushing yards allowed per game.
"His ankle ligaments were fine," Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said. "He had some pain on the outside bone of his foot. We did an X-ray. That was negative. There's a tendon that attaches right at that spot and that's what is sore right now. That's why we call it a strain."
Reid has been pushing quarterback Alex Smith in offseason workouts to take more chances and to be aggressive in the offense, with the hopes that he will pick up the new style quickly. Reid took over the team after spending many years with the Philadelphia Eagles and after trading for Smith and signing a number of free agents, the Chiefs have a good chance at being one of the "worst to first" teams in the NFL in 2013. The team had a number of Pro Bowl players in 2012 and with elite stars on offense like Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs have the chance to improve a great deal.
Reid spoke to reporters after team workouts and said that he wants to start pushing the offense early and often to get everyone comfortable and acclimated with the style of play and the game plan. Reid said that he wants Smith to be aggressive in the passing game and the quarterback has followed suit. While with the 49ers when he last was starting Smith was good at not turning the ball over and was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in football. The team traded for Smith earlier in the year and he takes over for Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn, both of whom were inconsistent last season as the team went 2-14.
Smith finished the last stint of his 49ers career by throwing 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over his last 25 games with the team and now he has the chance to turn things around for the Chiefs. Reid has been pushing the offense in OTA workouts and after getting rid of Cassel the Chiefs are ready to turn the corner, as the quarterbacks turned over the ball 27 times and now Smith comes in with his accuracy. Last season the team ranked last in the league in passing yards per game and after trading for Smith it is almost a guarantee that the team will improve in that category.
Charles helped the team rank fifth in the league in rushing yards and while the rushing defense was weak, the passing defense was ranked 12th in the NFL with 220 yards allowed per game and after adding Sean Smith and Dunta Robinson, those numbers should improve. The team has a tough but manageable schedule to start the season, opening the year on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were also 2-14 last season. Reid is an excellent coach and his leadership should be enough for the team to improve and the addition of Alex Smith will be a welcome presence. The team has games against the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants in the following three weeks for an NFC East gauntlet that Reid knows all too well from his years in Philly.
