Kansas City Chiefs rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia is jumping right in at the deep end in his NFL debut Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens and can’t wait to get started.
“I’m ready,” the rookie offensive lineman told reporters in the locker room on Sunday.
He was warned what to expect when Baltimore came to town.
“(It’s) a physical team,” Suamatia told his audience. “They like to play bully ball. But you also have to play bully ball against them: Be the bigger bully for them.”
Nevertheless, Suamataia knows that it will not be easy.
“They have a good defense,” he admitted. “Great guys everywhere.”
After coming through Andy Reid’s tough training camp as Kansas City’s starting left guard, his teammates and coaches were impressed by the 21-year-old’s composure under pressure.
“Kingsley is really level-headed,” noted right guard Trey Smith. “The moment won’t be too big for him; (he’s) just focused on the mission and the task at hand. (He) doesn’t let anything get to him.”
“It’s easy to get caught up in a lot of external factors that don’t matter. But he does a great job of blocking all that out.”
Although we originally expected it to be a neck-and-neck race for the team’s starting left tackle position, Suamataia’s consistent performance during training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph earned him the nod over incumbent Wanya Morris.
“He has the confidence,” noted quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “He goes out there and enjoys the moment. He trains hard. He learns from the guys next to him.”
Despite seeing limited playing time in the preseason, head coach Andy Reid believes the former BYU tackle is ready for this tough prime-time test.
“He had a good training camp,” Reid said Sunday. “He had a good preseason. But this is going to be a learning experience for him. This is a good defensive line. I’m sure there will be some ups and downs as he goes along … like with any young player. But he’s prepared – and now it’s time to play.”
Mahomes believes Thursday’s game will be a tough test for the team’s youngest offensive lineman.
“He’s going to be up against the best of the best in the first week and he’s going to be able to get introduced quickly,” he said. “I’m excited for him to take on the challenge and see where he is. But he did a great job in the preseason; he did a great job in training camp. And I’m excited for him to go out there and take on the next challenge.”
