Just three days after getting married, Kansas City Chiefs veteran wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was back on the practice field, surrounded by several of the guys, which included coach Andy Reid, who made the four-hour trip to St. Louis to see Maclin get hitched on Saturday night.
Rather than taking a quick honeymoon and returning for these voluntary workouts next week or the week after, Maclin was back putting in work with his teammates.
"Like I said when we first started, I've got something to prove," Maclin explained of returning to Kansas City. "I struggled a little bit last year with injuries and everything else, and I'm healthy and I'm looking forward to getting this thing back on the road."
After putting together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2014-15, which included his first year in Kansas City (2015)—when he finished with 87 receptions for 1,088 yards with eight touchdowns—Maclin dealt with the sudden loss of a friend and a groin injury that sidelined him for a month in the middle of the season.
For a few different reasons, it was a tough season for Maclin. He finished last year with 44 receptions for 536 yards and two touchdowns. It was the lowest output of his eight-year career, although Maclin isn't the only one who takes responsibility for those numbers.
Quarterback Alex Smith said it's on him as well, and it's something he's thought about during the offseason.
"Absolutely. I think about it a lot," Smith noted. "It's tough. Both of us are in on that and vice versa. For a lot of reasons, we weren't as productive as we could be and should have been. I'm looking forward to the remedy in that."
"I'm looking forward to getting back to what he and I used to do," Maclin added.
Kansas City Chiefs players and coaches were out on the practice field for OTA'a day one on Tuesday.
For the second straight year last year, the Chiefs' season ended with a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Smith said getting back on the field with Maclin and others working towards next season is the best way to move on from those losses.
"Every guy is probably different," Smith said. "Getting back here is a big step. Getting back really kicks off the start of this next season. We were in Phase I and moved on to Phase II, and now we've got live throws against a defense and we're playing. It's nice to have those (workouts) to help flush that. We'll be able to use that down the line if we ever get in that situation again. We'll be able to lean on that for the guys that have been through it.
"For now, the focus is looking forward and moving on and it helps to be playing football again to do that."
Maclin—the newlywed, is only looking towards the future as well.
"It was hard for me last year," Maclin added. "My mindset is to get back to doing what I love, and that's play football. It's also doing the little things in the process to be successful."
From big things like getting married to little things like proper footwork and technique, Maclin, Smith and the rest of the Chiefs will take the field again Wednesday afternoon for the second practice of OTAs.
