Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel spoke at a news conference about the team's rookie minicamp, saying they accomplished a lot, but that he would "rather have veterans everywhere, all else being equal."
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"You've got two days is basically what you have," Crennel said. "If you can show something in those two days, you have an opportunity to stay. ... It's a great opportunity for them to get exposure."
"I want them to say, 'Hey threw a lot at us -- they are pretty demanding, I better get in the (play)book.'"
Regarding first-round draft pick Dontari Poe, Crennel said they didn't get an opportunity to fully evaluate the 346-pound defensive tackle because the position he plays is all about contact, and the team is practicing without pads.
"We have to teach him the technique, but we have to get him in pads. ... Until you put the pads on and have live contact, that's when he can polish the technique the most."
Crennel pointed out, too, that they are improvising on certain matters because they didn't get as many undrafted free agents as they wanted. And "rather than get guys off the street, we went for guys we had good grades on," he said, adding that coaches have been filling in at linebacker because "we only have two linebackers and we're a four-linebacker defense."
"You put somebody to stand in, you don't get anything done. ... You get by with what you've got and you do what you can."
He added that there are roster spots open so that they can have some flexibility in the future.
