By all accounts, new Chiefs coach Todd Haley has run a rugged first training camp, complete with more hitting than the team has seen since Marty Schottenheimer was watching the action through his gigantic eyeglasses. (Always ahead of the fashion trends, that Schottenheimer.)
All of the padded work has left some players hurting, with inside linebacker Zach Thomas foremost among them. Thomas hasn’t suited up in more than two weeks because of an unspecified injury, and it’s unclear when he’ll return.
Expected to be a leader of Kansas City’s hodge-podge defense, Thomas has spent most of camp on an exercise bike. That has left a big gap in the team’s linebacker group.
“Everybody looks to Zach on everything,” teammate Derrick Johnson said about Thomas.
Fourth-year linebacker Corey Mays, traditionally a special teamer, has filled the gap with Thomas out. Mays isn’t known to have great physical skills, but he’s impressed with the chances he’s been given.
“He’s clearly in the mix,” said Haley.
If Thomas, 36, fails to show he can stay healthy, the team may just consider playing younger players like Mays. Unlike Thomas, Mays could have a decent chance to be part of the team when the Chiefs are contending for the playoffs again.