In the NFL calendar year, the four weeks between the end of minicamps and the beginning of training camps are the most laid back of the entire year.
All across the league, players, coaches and support staff are taking their much-needed time off before the rigors of the NFL season are upon them.
So, the time for vacationing and relaxing is right now.
And for Kansas City Chiefs' rookie defensive end and edge rusher Breeland Speaks, that means some much-needed family time.
"Going to be with my daughter, and that's about it," Speaks explained at the end of OTAs of his plans for break. "I haven't seen her in a while. I miss her."
Speaks was the Chiefs' first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was selected at No. 46 overall after Chiefs' general manager Brett Veach moved up eight spots in the second round for the former Ole Miss Rebel.
After just a couple of months, Speaks has already found himself taking some key reps with the Chiefs' defense and should be a welcomed addition to a defense that's looking for a tougher identity in 2018, as general manager Brett Veach has consistently said this offseason.
"Sometimes it just comes down to having guys that are wired right," Veach said. "Guys that want to line up and play four quarters of football. Our need is to just get tougher."
Whether he's lined up inside or outside on the edge, Speaks' versatility should find him on the field for the defense sooner rather than later.
On Saturday Breeland Speaks our 2018 second round draft choice visited Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite a toughness that's apparent from watching for just a few weeks of practices—even in shorts—the Speaks away from the field right now is one that doesn't resemble the guy who will soon be chasing quarterbacks and ball-carriers all over the field.
"I'm just going to be taking her to the park, making sure we watch her movies," Speaks explained of what he has planned for him and his daughter to do over break. "She loves her movies— she's just like me—she's a movie girl.
"I need to make sure I get her some more toys, and it's crazy because she loves her cars just as much as I did as a kid, and I still have my car collection—hot wheels it is."
What's the movie he'll watch more than any other over the next few weeks?
"Her go to movie is Sing," he laughed. "It used to be Home. I'm trying to get her into my old favorites like Hercules—that's what I'm really trying to get her into, but she likes Sing."
While Speaks' daughter is the center of his downtime during this break, he also said she'll be his motivation during the season.
"She's going to travel to every game," he said. "I need her there."
