ed a great Andy Reid nugget Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , a scenario for drafting offense and why free agency will allow the Chiefs to go with the best player available."“We know that we are close, and we have a pretty good team,” Veach said. “We know we were inches away to going to Atlanta for the Super Bowl. I think there’s no one more driven than coach (Reid) and our staff up there to get this thing. We aren’t trying to build for the future, we are trying to win now. We are going to stay aggressive. We are going to try to put the best roster we possibly can out there and there are some moves that you just can’t make, but I think whatever we can do throughout the course of this period and after this period, I don’t think we are ever going to stop to be aggressive and push the envelope here because we want to put Kansas City in the best position to win a Super Bowl.”To do that, many assume that just like last year, the Chiefs need go with an all-defensive draft. The case often made is that if the Chiefs can get out of the cellar (No. 31 in yards per game) defensively, Mahomes will take care of the rest.But the idea that the Chiefs will only end up with premium defensive players shouldn’t be etched in stone. Veach explained that through free agency, they have created a situation in which they feel they can comfortably take players they value the most in any given round. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images“The things that you do in free agency protect yourself in the draft, so you don’t have to take a player you feel is a second or third-round value in the first round,” the Chiefs GM said. “Maybe some moves are big like the Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) and some smaller moves. I think what you do is you protect yourself, and that’s really one of the key elements of free agency. You go in there and they all don’t have to be big-name splashes, but if you could get guys like a Bashaud Breeland or a Damien Wilson to protect yourself from over-drafting players. I feel like this year, with the exception of quarterback, I think anything’s on the table in that first round.”Last year, Veach traded up three times to select Breeland Speaks, Derrick Nnadi and Kahlil McKenzie. Those trade-ups, his rumored deals at last year’s trade deadline and the splash free-agent signings of Sammy Watkins and Tyrann Mathieu have led the national analysts like NFL Network’s Peter Schrager to refer to him as a “riverboat gambler.”The riverboat gamblerBut Veach was reflective on Thursday, explaining how he has learned to be more balanced on the fly.“For me it’s just learning how to be passive more so than aggressive—I’m kind of wired to just go up and get a guy,” he said. “I think you learn something every year. That was tough (in 2018)—you don’t have a first-round pick and then you don’t pick until late in the second. It was almost like we entered last year with a third-round pick. These names go off the board and you get a little impatient, but it will be a little bit different this year when you have some more picks to work with... You could be more tactical in certain areas, but [I’ve] got a great staff around me. I don’t think any GM goes into the draft and just starts pulling off names all by themselves. They surround themselves with smart people and I have smart people around me, so I think it’s a good balance.”Veach said he would be meeting with the offensive staff on Thursday and the defensive staff Friday to talk about the draft board. It is probably time to accept that the come next Thursday night, the first player called to Kansas City may just be on offense.“We’re just looking to find another great player, period—offense or defense,” Veach said. “I think the cool thing about having the league MVP is he makes people around him that much better, so that’s a luxury we have. If we can get him another tool, we absolutely will Juan Thornhill black jersey , but I think in general, we’re just going to find playmakers on both sides of the football. I don’t think we’re going to be geared toward offense now because Pat is so good, but we’re also aware that Pat is so good, so if there is somebody out there who can make him even better, we’ll be all for it. But I think just in general, we just want to add playmakers, any way, and that includes special teams, too.”Veach’s reflection might have even included a hint of regret for trading up as much as he did last year. Breeland Speaks looks on before the AFC Championship Game against the New England PatriotsPhoto by Peter Aiken/Getty Images“You want to put yourself in a position where you don’t have to reach,” he said. “Because if you just didn’t have a capable starter, like a Bashaud Breeland, say, and you don’t want to draft a third-round corner where you can draft a first-round talent at wideout. I think you just want to stick true to the talent and stick true to the board. There are some young guys we like. The kid from Kansas State, (Byron) Pringle, I think we’re really excited about. He had that great preseason game last year, hurt the hamstring. He’s busted his tail in the offseason. He looks really good, so I think he’s a guy that can step up and surprise. “I think we have some guys that are still here that maybe people don’t know about or realize that we know more about. But receiver, if there is a receiver that we like, early on we absolutely wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”The Chiefs still need defensive starters—no one would argue against that. But by Veach’s tone and words Thursday, there truly seems to be only one position you can rule out. Reid has a thick stack of index cards to prove it.Other relevant notes from Veach’s pre-draft press conferenceVeach on the draft picks from last year being “scheme-versatile”: “I think the good thing about the guys we drafted last year is they were all scheme-versatile guys. Breeland (Speaks) was more of a 4-3 end and Dorian (O’Daniel) can certainly play Will. Schematically from a secondary standpoint, those guys are interchangeable. So, getting guys like Armani (Watts) and Charvarius Ward really apply across the board. But I think the guys we drafted last year they had scheme versatility last year when we drafted them. But I don’t think that was our intent last year. I feel like we are in a pretty good place.”Veach on some of the contributions from the rookies in 2018: “Breeland (Speaks) was in a unique position as our first pick even though he was a second-rounder, playing a little out of position at 3-4 outside linebacker. When Justin (Houston) and Dee (Ford) had some issues, I guess it was when Justin went down, Breeland came in and played some pretty good football and was a little out of position. He logged a lot of snaps. Derrick Nnadi was basically a starter for us, he’s a really good player. We were going through some of our young guys just last week and that guy is a lot better than people think. He’s a really good player and Armani (Watts) got hurt. Then if you count Charvarius Ward in that mix too, all these guys I think stepped in and played, I mean Charvarius was starting for us at the end of the season. Our mindset is the same. We expect these guys to come in and contribute and if they’re not starting to log a lot of snaps for us during the course of the season.”Veach discussed how he feels about the current state of the Chiefs’ cornerback position: “I think Kendall (Fuller) and what Charvarius Ward did last year are certainly positives for us and we have two guys that we know are good players. I think Bashaud, I mentioned in one of our in-house interviews that he went through that injury and toward the end of last year he started picking his game up. I think with a full offseason and OTAs—this guy has played in the league and started at a pretty high level. I think we feel pretty good there Juan Thornhill Jersey Mens , but we certainly need to get better. We need to get younger.” Happy New Year. It’s our column, The Re-Up. In this column, I’ll write about some deeper thought I had about the last game and finish with some fun stuff to ponder at the article’s end. Check out my last Re-Up column here.Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsShortly after the Kansas City Chiefs clinched their third straight division title, the team tweeted out a video of the locker-room celebration, as has become typical after every Chiefs victory.Linebacker Justin Houston—drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft and now one of the team’s eldest members—stood in the center of the circle. Houston broke down the team huddle with the usual, “Fam(ily) on three,” and the Chiefs parted ways for the last time in a game-related situation until January 12, at 3:35 p.m. Arrowhead Time, when they will face either the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.Denny Medley-USA TODAY SportsWhen it comes to disappointment in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs, you don’t have to look far, and Houston has had his share of it during his tenure—the unspeakable tribulations that made up what was 2012, injury-ridden seasons that ended in back-to-back divisional losses in 2015 and 2016, including one after a bye, and last year’s forward progress debacle.The Chiefs made an emphasis to get younger as a whole this offseason, waving goodbye to players like Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson and leaving a nucleus of young talent. Seven members of the Chiefs are 30 or older, and only two Chiefs—Frank Zombo and Dustin Colquitt—are above the age of 31.They don’t know what Chiefs teams in the past have gone through; they don’t fully realize how fleeting a season and a Super Bowl dream can be.“Justin’s one of the real good leaders we’ve got there,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Monday after the game. “Justin stood up and he talked after the game, and so you heard it. You heard what he said and that’s how he feels. He’s been one of the guys that has been around and understands that urgency it takes and so you’ve got a nice mixture—young and old guys. Young guys have to keep that in mind.“The guys that haven’t been through it, they’ve got to stay focused. You got a lot of things happening between New Year’s and everything going on right now during the holiday season. You’ve got to keep your focus the right way.”Denny Medley-USA TODAY SportsOn a day the Chiefs defense, which has struggled mightily this year, held the Raiders to 292 yards, Houston recorded 1.5 sacks, five tackles, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Dee Ford, on the other side, had a sack, three tackles Bashaud Breeland Jersey , including two for a loss and a forced fumble himself.Ford, arguably the healthiest he has been for a playoff since he was drafted by the Chiefs back in 2014, explained how Houston’s words resonated with him.“First of all, understanding that three more weeks, really one that’s guaranteed, so lock in,” Ford said. “This is a month right now of your life that you don’t get back—this opportunity, so you don’t want to waste it. And we’re all really—we’re locking in. Whatever you do, magnify it even more. You’ve got three weeks. You could do anything in three weeks. We want to take advantage but we don’t want to take for granted where we are right now.”Charvarius WardPhoto by Abbie Parr/Getty ImagesThe Chiefs, through decision-making in recent weeks, seem to understand the urgency. The benching of Ron Parker and Orlando Scandrick for Daniel Sorensen and Charvarius Ward—though somewhat untimely—looks like it could pay dividends. As a team, the Chiefs took four penalties against the Raiders, but none on the defensive side of the football. Ward, who led the team with two pass breakups, feels serviceable and therefore promising. “I’ll tell you, Ward, I thought he did a nice job [against the Raiders],” Reid said. “Some of the things he talked about—just challenging them, working up through the ball, some of the things that are important as a cornerback, I thought he took a step forward, so that was good to see. He played physical. I thought the other guys did a nice job, too.”In 2018, we have never questioned the offense. It has always been, “In Mahomes, we trust.”The question has always been whether the defense could meet it in the middle.And right now, there is still no certainty of that. But what does exist is hope. Houston and Ford get it, and are saying all the right things. Though it was against a 4-12 Raiders team, the defense played much better. The Chiefs have a quarterback who is making everybody feel like anything is possible.12 teams remain and the Chiefs know they will be among the final eight.Three weeks to give it all they got.STAT OF THE GAMEGIF OF THE GAMETWEET(s) OF THE WEEKFIVE QUOTES1. Andy Reid on quarterback Patrick Mahomes and what he’s meant to the team: “He’s been the MVP. He’s done good. He is a heck of a player. I was fortunate to be around a three-time MVP and a couple of guys who were right on the edge of being the MVP and this guy is in that category. He is so deserving. In a world of great players Anthony Sherman Jersey , for him to do the things he’s done is phenomenal, and he will continue to do that. He still has room to grow. That’s the exciting part and something for Kansas City to be very excited about. His work ethic and everything else is MVP-caliber level. He comes to work with a purpose, makes everyone feel a part of it, makes everyone around him better and has done that for our organization, for all of us, his fans and coaches and owner too. He’s been very important.”2. Patrick Mahomes on whether he believes he is the NFL’s MVP: “That’s a hard question. There’s a lot of guys that have played this year that I feel like deserve the MVP. It’s not up to me. I just go out there and play my game and try to win football games and let all that stuff handle itself after the season. Hopefully I’m still playing whenever it happens.”3. Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland on why he was stopped short of a pick-six: “The reason I got caught was I was slowing down so [Patrick Mahomes] could break the record a little faster. That’s what it was.”4. Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones on the way the defense played against Oakland: “Hell of a game to those guys. I know I’m talking in third person, but hell of a game. Three points? You can’t beat that. Thanks to Bob (Sutton). We had the scheme ready, players ready. We knew we get a bye after this. I think it is more so everybody is ready to get home.”5. Center Mitch Morse on how he plans to spend the Chiefs’ bye week: “Yeah, to take a nap. That’s going to be great.”THE BIG THOUGHTDenny Medley-USA TODAY SportsPatrick Mahomes, in his second season and first as a starter, etched his name among the greats Sunday when he reached 50 passing touchdowns in a single season, becoming only the third player in NFL history to do. The other two quarterbacks before him? Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, also two former MVPs. And that is what got me thinking. Every great quarterback has a partner in crime, doesn’t he? Brady had Randy Moss, and more recently Julian Edelman Rob Gronkowski. Manning had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and later Demaryius Thomas. You think of Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and later Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson.When it comes to Mahomes, two names come to mind and deservedly so. Mahomes has Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.Hill finished 2018 with 87 catches for 1,479 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, and no Chief in history has ever had more yards in a single season.Kelce finished 2018 with 103 catches for 1,336 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns, and no Chief in history has ever had more receptions in a single season.When you think back to Mahomes 10 years from now, it probably won’t be about one weapon, one receiver. It will be about this trio that set the league on fire.Part of the reason for each of their successes depends on the existence of each other on the field, and that’s the beauty of it.POLL OF THE WEEK