Chiefs coaching staff reportedly had team’s Arizona hotel modified
After arriving at Sky Harbor International Airport on Sunday, the Chiefs players took team buses to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch.
It will be their home for next week as the team prepares to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
NFL Network reporter James Palmer said the Chiefs players had a safety meeting on Sunday night, but for the most part the players had time to themselves.
Palmer also noted that the Chiefs coaching staff made some changes to the team hotel. The goal is to put the players at ease.
“What’s interesting about this hotel here is that they want it to look as much like Kansas City as possible and their facilities there,” Palmer reported Sunday. “I was told that all the meeting rooms they have, because they have meeting rooms here (and) the coaches have their own offices, they made these meeting rooms look exactly like their boardrooms in Kansas City.
“So when the players come into them, they feel like they’re back in Kansas City. It’s a normal week as much as possible as long as they’re here at the hotel, because we know there’s there are so many other things about this week that just aren’t normal as a player.
One of the anomalies of the week: Chiefs and Eagles players will have media sessions on four different days and they will start at three different times, so there is little consistency.
Palmer noted that the Chiefs look to their preparation for Super Bowl LIV as inspiration for this year’s big game. Prior to Super Bowl LV, the Chiefs arrived two days before kickoff rather than a week before due to Covid restrictions, so they’re not following that formula.
“Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is a great reporter, so he went back and looked at his diary, all the notes he took on what he liked in terms of preparing his defense for that game in 2019,” Palmer said of Super Bowl LIV, which the Chiefs won 31-20 over the 49ers. “Maybe some changes he wants to make.”
Palmer added that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes plans to lead by example, so young players know what to expect this week.
“He’s trying to give them a plan of how you handle it from a player’s perspective. That the schedule won’t be the same every day,” Palmer said of Mahomes. some time on your own to watch a movie. He’s helping out, leading this team any way he can in their preparation for Sunday.
Here are the clips of Palmer talking about the Chiefs’ preparations for this week.
Yahoo
