Voices of reason are always appreciated around here. And all the more so in a time of chaos. So it made for a reassuring and refreshing diversion to listen Friday to stalwart Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz on a video call with reporters.
As we've come to expect from the ever-cerebral Schwartz, he spoke with calm and thought-provoking candor about a variety of topics.
From what the offense can and can't virtually work through amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic ... to his continued growth as what might be called a (Grid-)Iron Chef ... to his designation by Pro Football Focus as the most underrated Chief.
"The fact that Schwartz allowed just one pressure (a hurry, at that) in 134 pass-blocking snaps during the Chiefs' postseason run is hard to overstate," PFF wrote. "That's impressive, impressive stuff."
Never mind that in Kansas City we already think of him as the best player in the game at his position.
Besides, Schwartz noted with a laugh, there's a "limit on how many underrated lists (one can be on) before the narrative flips pretty quick" to oversaturation ... and abruptly being considered overrated.
Even so, he acknowledged enjoying the enhanced attention he's earned the last few years because of his sheer excellence, remarkable ability to stay on the field (7,894 NFL snaps in a row before missing his first play at Tennessee last November) and the fascinating broader range he demonstrates as ... "Mitch In The Kitch."
"It's definitely good to be highlighted and showcased," he said.
Then he added an interesting footnote about the meaning of what players are paid (in his case, he's in year two of a three-year, $24,455,000 contract) that extends beyond the money itself.
Because what they're paid also speaks to how they're valued relative to their peers at the position.
That's a "huge part" of the "psyche of contracts that I think maybe the outside world doesn't understand quite as much," he added. "Because there's nothing (better) to figure out how the league views you (and) how your team views you."
Money is also at the crux of why Schwartz believes the NFL ultimately will find a way to make this season happen, even with the specter of the virus ever-present and uncertainty about how and when it can be quelled still swirling.
Asked about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith's recent comment to HBO "Real Sports" suggesting the likelihood of the season being played was a six or seven on a scale of one to 10, Schwartz called the notion "realistic" _ neither totally optimistic nor doom and gloom.
But this is pretty realistic, too: "My inclination from the get-go was that they're going to find a way to (make it) happen (because) there's so much money involved from all sides," Schwartz said.
Noting the wide interest in free agency and the NFL Draft despite the bad optics of the timing as the virus seized the world, he added that the popularity of those two circumstances "kind of strengthened my view that there's just a lot at stake, mostly money. That's just the reality of it."
Enough so that he figures there is overwhelming incentive for all sides to come together with nearly two months still to go before training camps normally would open.
Complicated as it all might be to reconcile so much between the league and the NFLPA and other considerations.
"I can't imagine having to figure all of that out: medically, football (itself), fans, revenues," he said "It's so many moving parts. Luckily, that's not part of my job capacity."
Speaking of which ...
At least to a certain degree, the Chiefs and the NFL have been handling their offseason as usual ... albeit via video. Meetings are held, plays are being "installed," workouts instructed if not conducted, exactly.
But much is missing in translation and animation and synchronicity.
For instance, now is a time when they would ordinarily be not just conditioning but working on change of direction and footwork and absorbing concepts of plays by going them through in unison.
It's hard, too, to do meaningful work on such nuanced points as blocking angles and launch points from various pass sets and play-actions.
Living the play out, he stressed, enables a player to learn how his body "kind of reacts to the play" and to benefit from the immediate instruction that comes with it and further feedback delivered later in film sessions. Intricate plays that hinge on muscle memory aren't quite getting any muscle or memory to build from.
Meanwhile, some of the camaraderie and fun that's part of building chemistry is inherently lacking, too.
Yes, Chiefs coaches across the board have worked to keep the Zoom calls as interactive and engaging as possible. But with attendee microphones typically muted, Schwartz said, meetings often are missing the spontaneous quips and laughs and other reactions that make them more lively and appealing.
Schwartz was in no way complaining, by the way, merely offering a reality-check.
He knows the NFL is lucky to still have time before training camp is scheduled to begin, and he "selfishly" is grateful that time was on the league's side in the sense the pandemic didn't shut things down before the Chiefs beat San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV.
And he's cognizant of the desperate broader situation, including through the work of line-mate (Dr.) Laurent Duvernay-Tardif helping fight the virus directly.
"Super-cool that we have a Chief who's doing that," Schwartz said.
For his part, Schwartz is participating in the "All-In Challenge" set up by "Fanatics" to support several charities: Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, America's Food Fund, Feeding America and World Central Kitchen.
In his case, the winning bidder is to receive first-class airline tickets to Kansas City to watch the Chiefs, along with a trip onto the field after the game and a dinner cooked by Schwartz at his home. The final bid was for $55,000.
In the meantime, at least he can keep honing that craft while he's suppressed from carrying out his day job.
"I think I'm definitely trying different stuff than I would," he said, self-deprecatingly adding that he's working to expand beyond "here's oil, here's garlic, here's salt and pepper and here's protein and just cook it and make it happen."
So he keeps seeking better spices and better recipes. Just like he seeks to keep evolving as a player and make the best of a bizarre situation.
