KC Star writer Brooke Pryor answers Chiefs Twitter questions

I’ve been at the Star for a little more than three months, and in that short time, no story drew more feedback than a Friday afternoon blurb I wrote about Patrick Mahomes’ nickname.

Most of you seem to be in agreement that Showtime isn’t cutting it. So much so that you’ve filled up my mentions and inbox with dozens of other nickname suggestions. As someone who always loves getting emails (at least ones from actual humans and not bill reminders or listserv-generated sale alerts), I’m grateful you took the time to write me with your ideas.

Here’s a sampling:

Kermit luck sandwich (lol, what?)

Cheat code Mahomes

KC Kid

Mayday Mahomes

Mahomeslice

PM = Pure Money

The Poison Dart Frog (someone paid attention in high school biology)

Master Blaster

Maverick Mahomes

Mahomey Sandwich (seriously, what is it with you guys and sandwiches?)

Mega Man

Jedi Master Mahomes

Darth Mahomes (I’m sensing a theme)

Froggy

Cobra

St. Patrick

Mahowitzer

The Surgeon (From the submitter: He operates successfully under all types of conditions.)

Sideshow Bob

Trick Shot Mahomes ( From the submitter: from his first name being PaTrick) ((it’s a reach, but I like the creativity))

Second-half Pat

Out of that bunch, I’m a fan of Cheat code Mahomes. It pretty much encapsulates everything about Mahomes that makes him so fun to watch. He does things quarterbacks aren’t supposed to do, and yet, he still dominates the game. It’s perfect.

On to your questions:

What do you think the rotation looks like when Sorenson comes back??
Bonus question: when is he coming back?!?!

— LordChiefRocka (@JordanTribe_) October 23, 2018

I think we’ll know better about Dan Sorensen’s return after he gets through two weeks of practice. If he comes back, I wouldn’t think it’s until after the Cleveland game. I’d circle the Nov. 11th game against the Cardinals as the first game we could reasonably see him play. Getting him back is a big boost for the Chiefs, but I don’t think he’s as much of a game-changer as Eric Berry. I think he and Jordan Lucas could end up rotating and splitting time. Sorensen is good, but with the emergence of Lucas and Eric Murray, I don’t know that he’s good enough to merit taking them off the field completely Lucas is a developing safety, but he’s shown really good speed and awareness. Murray, Lucas and Ron Parker all have interceptions this season, and keeping guys with a knack for creating turnovers on the field is important.

Has O’Daniel earned more playing time?

— Larry Williams (@lwnewstart) October 23, 2018

He’s earned it, but he’s also getting it because of Terrance Smith’s ACL tear. O’Daniel was taking defensive snaps even before Smith’s injury, but in his absence, he got even more playing time. He wound up playing 24 snaps, and was effective in stopping the run game. He’ll be really important against Broncos running back tandem Phillip Lindsey and Royce Freeman — who combined for 136 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting between the two teams.

Why does the NFL schedule like this? Play the Broncos twice before we play the Raiders once. Would have liked to have seen the donkeys again after they had given up on the season.

— 3PETE (@cpete918) October 23, 2018

Not a clue. Chalk it up to a scheduling oddity. The process is mostly done by a computer with a team of people who input team requests and other requests into the formula. Roger Goodell ultimately approves the final version, which is chosen out of hundreds of thousands combinations generated by the computer program. Peter King, formerly of MMQB, explained the 2017 process here: https://www.si.com/mmqb/2017/04/21/nfl-2017-schedule-howard-katz-roger-goodell

Remember you are supposed to heal Eric Berry how’s that going?

— Josh__Ferguson (@Josh__Ferguson) October 23, 2018

His heel is almost totally regrown in my lab. We’ll begin replacement next week.

Is Eric Berry practicing yet?

— KingStrong(@King_DKP) October 23, 2018

Nah.

Anyone want to go to the next Broncos Halloween party?

— AZChief (@petealden) October 24, 2018

If there’s free food and an open bar (which evidence suggests there was), I’m there.

The O-Line is suddenly looking thin… how concerned should we be?

— Mike Vogel (@mikvogel) October 24, 2018

It’s a fair concern. The biggest thing to watch will be the return of Mitch Morse. If he comes back, the rest of the line gets a lot more stable. But he has a history with concussions and you never know how long it takes a person to recover from one. My guess is that Cam Erving takes over at center until Morse comes back. On the unofficial depth chart, though, Austin Reiter is listed as Morse’s backup. Erving was playing center in training camp early while Morse worked back into the swing of things. But I don’t know what that means for his vacated left guard spot. On the unofficial depth chart, rookie Kahlil McKenzie is the next man up. But I don’t believe McKenzie has played any significant snaps, and he’s been inactive for most of the season. It seems more likely that Jeff Allen would move into the left guard spot if Erving is playing center. But to answer your question, I think it’s fair to be concerned. I think the offensive line can make it work with the guys they have right now, but one more injury and things will get really, really dire.

If you could choose a weapon to be beaten with for “allegedly” walking into a strangers house, what would it be? Also, what costume are you reppin at Vons party?

— Phil Scovill (@disinvitedPhil) October 23, 2018

Weapon or household appliance? I don’t want to be beaten with any legit weapon, but I could probably handle a whack from one of those fluffy dusters. My allergies would be going crazy for a week afterward, but at least I probably wouldn’t get injured or bruised. As far as costumes go, I’ve always been on the creative side of things. My birthday is Oct. 28 (I’ll accept all birthday well wishes in the form of Starbucks giftcards please and thank you), so most of my birthday parties growing up were Halloween themed. One year I dressed up as a “woman who escaped from a beauty parlor.” Don’t ask how I came up with that, but I did. I was a really creative kid. It was mainly an excuse to wear a robe to my birthday party, but it worked. Even at 10 years old, I was all about comfort. I also had my hair in rollers and cold cream on my face. My costumes haven’t gotten much better since then (one year I was Vanna White because I found a fancy dress at Goodwill I really wanted to wear out). But since Von Miller’s theme was Wild West (not cocaine), I’d probably wear a Peyton Manning jersey because he’s the Sheriff. Get it? No? Didn’t think that joke would go over well with this crowd. Oh well, there’s always the woman who escaped from the beauty parlor costume to fall back on.

It’s a dance off! Pryor vs. Mahomes. Who wins and why?

— Krista Riley (@MarinClassic21) October 23, 2018

If y’all thought Mahomes had no rhythm, you’d be even more shocked (and probably scarred forever) if you saw my moves. He wins, easily. Fun fact: I’ve never won a dance off, and yes, I’ve participated in one. I volunteered for pregame activities at a Globetrotters game, and it turned out to be a dance off on the court of Chesapeake Arena in OKC. My song was Single Ladies, and I botched it. You’d think after years of practicing the dance with my girlfriends in high school and college, I’d be able to do it from memory. Instead, I froze and just did a really aggressive cabbage patch-hop-jump dance in a circle thing. I lost to a dad that nailed Sugarhill Gang’s Apache (Jump On It). That video exists on Twitter somewhere, courtesy of my fiance. Search for it at your own risk.

Is Kelly going to be suited up for the Broncos?

— Jon Marr, Esquire (@JonFromMars) October 23, 2018

That’s a negative, ghost rider.

Level of concern on the mounting injuries? Is it just as simple as Jeff Allan & Dorian O’Daniel sliding right in? With Mitch Morse be back for a Denver?

— Andrew Brandt (@ABrandt42) October 23, 2018

There’s definitely a concern, but it is encouraging that the Chiefs have both Allen and O’Daniel. There’s going to be a learning curve with both, even though Allen has history with the Chiefs and O’Daniel looked promising against the Bengals. I think the biggest person that the Chiefs need to get back is Justin Houston. Breeland Speaks has gotten better, but Houston is a game-changer. Having him and Dee Ford both healthy would really boost the Chiefs’ pass rush. Morse didn’t practice on Wednesday, so I tend to think that he’ll be out for Denver.

Who do think Veach is possibly targeting before trade deadline?

— Max the King (@maxsch00) October 23, 2018

At this point, I don’t get the sense that the Chiefs are going to make an aggressive moves. The defense is on the verge of getting Sorensen back, and Eric Berry is (literally) day-to-day. I think the Chiefs are relying on those guys — along with Houston — to come back and be a boost in the second half of the season. And no, Patrick Peterson isn’t coming to KC.

You’re now head coach, Brooke. What’s the first thing you’d do?

— DeAundra Allen (@DeAundraAl) October 24, 2018

This was the first question on the thread of responses to my tweet asking for questions, but I saved it for last because I’ve been thinking about it while writing the rest of my answers. There are so many different directions I could go here but first thing that jumps to mind is I’d set up a time for Eric Berry to talk with the media to explain what’s going on with his heel. The Chiefs are 6-1 without him, but his situation is still the biggest mystery of the season. As the coach, I’d have the authority to call a press conference to shed a little light on what’s going on. Then again, this is probably why I’m not a head coach. I’m way too transparent.

Brooke Pryor

Brooke Pryor covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.