You're saying it's hard to trust it in the beginning.

It's exactly right.

It's just something psychologically has happened to your brain that wants to protect that area, and it's weird because it doesn't overwhelm you, Kevin.

It's not like you can't function on every play.

You'll play a whole quarter and not even realize that you're injured.

But then again, you'll all of a sudden see something happen, and you'll be picking your leg up so it's not on the ground, so you don't hit, get hit while it's planted, and you go, "Why did you do that?" You know? That, that, that's, that's not normal.

So it's hard for the players to believe that they have not so much...

That's awesome.

What do you say, Stan

Weber? I think that's in play.

Washington State has a chip on their shoulder because they and Oregon State are the ones that were kind of booted out when the conference realignment circling occurred, two teams really lost.

They call themselves Pac-12, but it's really like the Mountain West Conference that's putting together itself as the Pac-12.

Oregon State fought very hard against Houston last week, for instance, on the road.

I think Washington State has that mentality.

toughness mentality and they really showed it in that first game having to play University of Washington the rival on the road they went to Seattle they were 20 and a half point underdogs in that game and Washington was 17th ranked team in the country with a quarterback that a lot of people are excited about about going to the NFL and they shut him down the defense dictated throughout the game it was a late score by Washington State by Washington to go up 24 to 10 They got 24 points, but it was hard-earned.

It doesn't seem that long, but it is,

That was a

legitimate big-time show on ESPN, big-time show, saying will the Rams go undefeated? The answer is no, they are not.

That division, though, to have those three teams in the same division is outrageous.

Because the Seahawks are a Super Bowl champion, and Kenneth Walker III has moved on to Kansas City.

That's good for us, but they replaced him with a good running back, and they've got a good system.

And they're not going to go away.

It's hard to repeat.

Staying anything from Rasheed Rice's comments?

Missouri at KU, what am I missing? Why is Missouri only a five-point favorite?

I think that Kansas is a team that is on a giant upswing mentally, and I think that matters at this point in the season.

They're gonna play at home for the first time against Missouri since 2005, and you and I, and probably many of the listeners to this podcast, really understand what KU Missouri and that rivalry means.

Uh, a lot of times it's better in basketball, but it's still really strong in football, and we were reminded about it a little bit last year, but Missouri was the home team.

And if you go back and look at last year's game as a reference point, to c- somewhat answer your question, KU went over to Mizzou and led at one point 21 to 6, uh, had a lead in the fourth quarter.

You know, they fought much closer to Missouri than you would think that they would if we were just starting to a- analyze these two programs recently over the last five-plus years, but Kansas stuck with them pretty well.

And right now I think they're on a big upswing because Andy Kowalczik is back as the offensive coordinator, and what that means is that his ability to call plays and create energy, his swagger, I think makes Lance Leipold a better head coach.

What does that do for a football team, and how much bounce do you think is in their step this week as they get ready for Washington State?

So what was it? Why was he so impressive as an offensive coordinator? What do you like about him that suggests that he can come in there and make a real impact again with the Lance Leipold in Kansas?

Well, I think you have to say it's part of the whole package in the fact that off the field, the things that you may not know about him is the confidence and swagger that he carries into the meeting room.

when you have that every day when you have a coordinator who is absolutely convicted and wants to make everyone in the room feel like they are two inches taller and 15 pounds more physically able with muscle to do things he comes in and goes we're going to dictate you know we're going to dominate these guys and then his play calling is exciting and when there's belief and then a little confirmation with a strategy it just gives one plus one equals five.

So I think that's one big thing around the whole program is he's a guy who will come in and say, we're going to tell a joke today.

Your turn, Stephen.

Come in with a good joke, and you're going to come into the offensive room and be on front stage, and we're going to have some fun.

And we're going to let some words fly that you can't say on radio, and we're going to have some fun, and we're going to dictate.

Stan Weber, Jake Gutierrez, Deaves, you tell me what Trey Smith – meant and what you take

What did you think of – look, there's only so much you can take away against an opponent like Pine Bluff, but what did you think of Austin Simmons?

Quick release, good decision-making, good accuracy.

His timing on the out route is crazy good.

When you're playing someone who's not very good, you can kind of say, that's not comparable to real football, so we didn't learn a lot.

But that's not how I look at the game.

When I see a play executed quickly and decisively, I go, would that have been complete against a big-time program? If KU were on the field, would that pass have been complete? And those outcuts that they were running at 12 to 14 yards – That's money.

If you can throw that pass and catch the ball just before the sideline, no one stops that, Stephen.

You definitely want to win,

Why are the people wrong that point to that? Because the roster doesn't look as good as what it was five or six years ago.

Well, the thing that you must look at is all you've got to do is outpace your competition, first of all.

So the Denver Broncos are not a dominant Super Bowl team like you might have seen back 10, 15 years ago.

They had a good run last year, had everything go right.

But Bo Nix is not a scary quarterback.

Herbert and the Chargers don't seem to be able to function when the high pressure gets to him.

And they seem to have a lot of injuries.

Is that going to show up at the beginning of the season? Are some teams not going to be as prepared because of the chaos and others that ignored it better off?

Why are the people wrong that point to that because the roster doesn't look as good as what it was five or six years ago?

Well, the thing that you must look at is all you've got to do is outpace your competition, uh, first of all.

So the Denver Broncos are not a, a dominant Super Bowl team like you might have seen back 10, 15 years ago.

They had a good run last year, had everything go right, but Bo Nix is not a scary quarterback.

Herbert and the Chargers don't seem to be able to function when the high pressure gets to him.

Uh, and they seem to have a lot of injuries.

They started again having injuries in preseason camp.

Is that going to show up at the beginning of the season? Are some teams not going to be as prepared because of the chaos, and others that ignored it better off?

Right.

Because whenever you hear those words, there becomes a focus on this.

The doctors have an analysis based on facts, x-rays, MRIs, experience, right? That is the doctor's opinion.

But what's a big part of like a back injury or oftentimes many injuries is what does the player say? And if those two things don't match up, you kind of sit there in frustration and feel like, what do we have? Because the doctors say this.

I think this, you know, I think it looks okay or whatever.

How many times has that happened? The doctor says, and then the player says, it doesn't feel right.

And that's when a coach, I think, sounds the way Andy Reid did, like, let's figure this out.

You've got to protect the quarterback who's coming off that knee injury, and that is Patrick Mahomes on track to start week one on Monday night against the Broncos.

There's other good things, but it was super important that Jack Caglione showed he's the real deal, and he's still doing it right now.

It's fun to watch and to see Bobby Witt pop back and play to his excellent level as well.

If it's injury or whatever, he had gone from superstar status to super good, but there's that top level, and now he's playing back at that level.

Put the two together, and my guy, Salvador Perez, doing his thing, a little bit more clutch hitting and that type of thing.

unbelievably what the Royals fans can say is what a missed opportunity.

Yes, this season.

And does it carry over to next year? And that's what worries you is it doesn't seem to be as much carryover from one year to the next as you put on this run.

So what do you think of the rookie getting the start and perhaps getting all four quarters tonight? I hope that's

Like, what type of impact could a guy like Colin have on Avery's development?

Well, he can have a big impact, uh, because he's a known commodity.

So you think about Avery getting introduced to a new offensive coordinator every year is not a lot of fun, okay? Think about how great Patrick Mahomes is with the Chiefs.

Guess what? Andy Reid every year, every year.

So you, you continue to build and grow and add, too.

Anytime you bring someone new in, you gotta get to know each other, find out preferences, way to communicate, what are the play calls gonna be? Even what is the language? The fact that you have another new offensive coordinator come in is going to be something that Avery has to deal with, but he's getting ready to be a third-year starter.

And oh, by the way, he totally understands Colin from the recruiting point of view.

Like, how do you kinda, what do you kinda make of that staff?

Stan

Weber, your reaction.

He said a lot there.

One of the things that he said when we talked about timing is there needs to be a lot of cooperation, and that's the problem.

Too many cooks in the kitchen when you're working with Kansas City, Missouri, and the state of Missouri.

It's hard to do it.

Nothing's easy.

All right, so let's talk about, since we haven't had a chance to talk to you since the first preseason game, maybe what stood out to you from the Chiefs' preseason game against the Rams and what you are looking for in this preseason matchup against Tampa.

You know?

Well, there's a tradeoff there, no doubt.

But these injuries just...

What is the story of the National Football League right now? Is there really a big need to say, I can't wait to watch these games this weekend? Who's saying that around the country? Jake.

Well, that's better.

Okay, good.

Niners.

But even just like if I tell you they break ground in the first quarter of 2027, is that too unrealistic?

What do you think about the way they've promoted the greatness of his off season? Do you think that ensures that he starts the opener?

Well, I do expect him to start, but you ask a really, uh, intriguing question, 'cause we've seen a lot of great coaches, the Bill Belichicks of the world, uh, just understate everything and say, "Wait till we pop you in the mouth with the pads on.

Otherwise, we don't wanna give away any information." So that is an old school mentality, and you make a great case why that may be something you wanna do.

You under-- want to underplay it.

The fact that they're just, I think, stating a fact, uh, that the ability to get back and be healthy throughout his whole career has just been magical for Patrick Mahomes, and it looks like he's done it again.

So I think that's okay, but there's another aspect that could come into play, Kevin, that I want you to think about when you ask this question, and this is really splitting hairs.

You know, this is a little statement in my mind, but thinking about what you just said, there is something about swagger.

Does that change? Is that 55/45 this year? Is it 50/50? Do you think they're gonna run the ball to set up the pass? What can he do differently than the last two years to make this thing click?

What do you think about the way they've promoted the greatness of his off season? Do you think that ensures that he starts the opener?

Well, I do expect him to start, but you ask a really, uh, intriguing question 'cause we've seen a lot of great coaches, the Bill Belichicks of the world, uh, just understate everything and say, "Wait till we pop you in the mouth with the pads on.

Otherwise, we don't wanna give away any information." So that is an old school mentality, and you make a great case why that may be something you wanna do.

You under-- want to underplay it.

The fact that they're just, I think, stating a fact, uh, that the ability to get back and be healthy throughout his whole career has just been magical for Patrick Mahomes, and it looks like he's done it again.

So I think that's okay, but there's another aspect that could come into play, Kevin, that I want you to think about when you ask this question, and this is really splitting hairs.

You know, this is a little statement in my mind, but thinking about what you just said, there is something about swagger.

What are your thoughts on how you put together a receiving corps and the depth that you need in college versus the pros?

How, how big of news is that for, for K-State heading into this season?

Uh, big news.

Uh, you think about John Pastore, the whole conference realizes how good a player he is.

And when you've got a ton of turnover, which is what college athletics and college football has, you're gonna get a lot of new players, a lot of transfers.

When you have a guy who's a returning starter, uh, plays a position like left tackle and is established as he is, uh, and a, and a great leader, uh, that is a big advantage to have a part of your football team.

And, and everybody in the Big 12 and even nationally have taken notice of what he adds.

And then you hear about the internal part of what John Pastore brings to your program, and you say, "Yeah, you've lost a lot." It, it's a time of year for me, uh, y- you know, you gotta remember that, you know, my kids played at K-State.

So who is that guy or that group on, on defense that you can't wait to see?

Yeah.

Would've been a high draft pick, but not last year.

Didn't sequence well for him.

How about the LSU quarterback, who was kind of an afterthought drafted by the Chiefs, but the year before, people thought he might've been a first-round pick.

So how does he play? Obviously start there.

The other positions that I think that are interesting is that the back end of the guys who are gonna make the roster, there's a lot of interest to watch.

So a, a wide receiver.

He started because he was a backup

"And how energized they are."

That is great information, 'cause you can go to camp every time, [clears throat] or you can listen to the quotes of Travis Kelce, and what did he make it seem like? He was kinda chuckling at how easy it is compared to in the past.

And he goes, "Oh, Andy Reid's not being soft." But really he was thinking, "This is not nearly as hard as it used to be.

We got a modern mentality in how we're working out, not nearly as stressful." And yet here comes a guy completely independent around objectively moving around, and his reaction is, "Oh my gosh, this is so hard." That's the best news in the world.

It's all how are you compared to your competition, and this is what one of the things that makes the Chiefs better than everybody else.

First of all, it's a subtle thing that they are together eating meals, hanging around the dorms.

The other teams aren't doing that right now.

Right.

Right

...

Brady Cook, if he were your quarterback this year, and I, I love Brady Cook and everything he brought.

He started an NFL game.

I mean, that's well to point out, 'cause he's not just a college quarterback, which I would've categorized him as, so let's don't limit him.

But as a college quarterback, if he would've gone to KU, he would've understand to the nth degree what KU versus Missouri meant.

That is a giant risk, because a guy like...

What about you?

Mm-hmm.

Because when he threw the ball, did you...

If you go back and evaluate his throws last night, over defenders, third and 15 throws.

I mean, people do not get first downs on third and 15.

Chiefs fans may not know that because they've been watching Patrick Mahomes.

So when he throws a third and 11, third and 15 for a first down, we don't really blink an eye around here, right? You go, "Yeah.

Yep, he did it.

Do you think Beck will be, uh, good enough to be a starting quarterback?

Tell us, please, through your eyes, your perspective, what the hell happened?

Well, I think you've got to step back.

A lot of people may not know about the basketball tournament, and I'll call it the TBT because that's often how we say it.

The TBT is a tournament that's done, and usually it's been a 64-team tournament, single elimination, and a lot of independent teams.

Basketball players get together who are good athletes and get a sponsor and get in a tournament.

But they also had mixed in there – Some schools that would say, let's use a name like at Wichita State, Aftershocks, and let's get a bunch of Wichita State players on the team.

And the Aftershocks have been doing this a long time, and Wichita has been a hub of games.

And she obviously will require follow-up treatment with a specialist and will likely need cosmetic surgery once doctors determine the full extent of her injuries.

Stan, any comments on the Royals with an historic loss, up 3-0, 0-2, one strike away from getting the victory, and then losing on a walk-off grand slam?

That is unbelievable, except for if you're a Royals fan, you're one of the few people in the world who are going, I wonder how they're going to blow this one.

And it's sad that that's what comes over your mind on a day where the Royals played great baseball, had a no-hitter for a long, long time, just solid baseball on the road against the Twins.

Cags blast the home run.

I mean, there's so many things going well, and now you lead 3-0 and you're into the ninth inning.

You're like, what's going to go wrong? And then there's one out.

You know, okay, but the Royal fan still is probably saying, What's going to go wrong? Two outs, nobody on.

Yeah,

There's a couple things

that we could talk about.

discussing what things that we are focused in on camp is one layer of question that we're talking about right now, and then you ask a question about what you think of this group.

First of all, at camp, I'm interested in Patrick Mahomes, number one, but LeJarrius Sneed is my number two because if he comes back Anywhere near the physical capability he has, everything changes.

And they know how to manage that knee and manage him.

And he knows the system, and he fits perfectly.

So, obviously, how good is man on Sir Delane? That's a big, big question.

How much of a difference can they make?

And is that going to be enough? Or do we watch training camp? And as training camp plays out, we think they've got to go out and sign somebody

else.

Well, I think that regarding the wide receivers, Allen and Royals is the spot to watch their development in preseason.

What do we learn about them when they get some more reps? How do they look? How comfortable do you feel? What steps have they made to improve, and what improvement do you see in training camp and in preseason? I think that's all worth watching.

And, oh, by the way, that makes all the other preseason games in the NFL worth watching because I think they're going to have to have their eye out there for others to pick up.

The first part of your question, in my opinion, is an absolute zero chance of learning anything.

Nothing in training camp or preseason will tell you about those first three.

Because that's a completely, except for Rashard Smith, a completely new

Right.

Okay? This is a two-year contract.

This is the second year.

So should you waste any bullets going after that school? But Eli Drinkwitz, when he goes to SEC Media Day, has a responsibility basically because SEC Media Day is supposed to be newsworthy nationally, led by ESPN saying, "We're gonna cover every inch of this." So Eli Drinkwitz kind of plays the role perfect.

Like, you might not include Missouri in the core of the SEC, and I don't think they do.

They wanna kinda move on like they may with Vanderbilt, and Eli Drinkwitz doesn't allow that to happen.

Now, would it be my strategy if I were the coach? I don't know.

Right