Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid has confirmed that he plans to approach the preseason like he typically does.
Reid usually has his starters play the first quarter during the first week of the preseason, a half during the second week of the preseason and three quarters during the third week. The last week, he typically rests the starters ahead of the season opener. Reid explained how he does it in terms of his quarterbacks following Thursday’s practice.
“Pat (Mahomes) has got the first quarter, and then Chad (Henne) the second quarter,” Reid said. “(Kyle) Shurmur the third quarter and then Chase (Litton) the fourth quarter.
That means Mahomes is set to play a quarter Saturday when the Chiefs take on the Bengals. Fans are probably elated at the idea of getting to watch Mahomes play again, but I’m wondering if the Chiefs should alter their plans in order to protect him.
Mahomes is the reigning league MVP and one of the most exciting players in football, which means that he has a bit of a target on his back. All it takes is one young and zealous opponent going after Mahomes for this season to take an ugly turn for the Chiefs. Reid likes to use the preseason to evaluate and he likes to see successful drives from his first team, but possibly doing so at the expense of the star quarterback is worrisome. We already know what Mahomes is capable, of and ensuring his healthy for meaningful football games might be more important than the growth he could see in the preseason.
What do you think, Chiefs Kingdom? Should the Chiefs limit Mahomes’ preseason action in order to protect him from potential injury? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
