It's all about expectations, and the fact is Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher always envisioned himself being the kind of player he showed everyone he was last season.

Fisher was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, which brought a certain amount of pressure from the outside to live up to that status.

But for those who are around Fisher every day, the only expectation that was ever put on him was to commit to a level of hard work and effort that would eventually put him in a position to perform as he did last season.

Now heading into his fourth year, Fisher said he's never felt better.

"I see myself on a steady incline," Fisher said recently of his development. "I'm looking to pick up where I left off (last year), continue to grow and stay on a steady rise throughout my career. If I can do that 10 more years, however many more years, I'm looking forward to it and really looking forward to a great season this year."

SEASON REVIEW

After starting last season sidelined because of a high ankle sprain suffered late in training camp, Fisher started at right tackle in Weeks 3 through 6 before moving back to his natural position of left tackle against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.

The move to send Fisher back to left tackle also coincided with the team's franchise-record 11-game winning streak, including the franchise's first playoff win in more than two decades.

Fisher helped set the tone for the offensive line and paved the way for a rushing attack that was without the NFL's all-time leader in yards per carry, Jamaal Charles. But Fisher and company helped running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware rush for more than 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns in 10 games in place of Charles.

Perhaps the most well-known performance of Fisher's last year was against the Houston Texans in the playoff win, during which all of Chiefs Kingdom saw what Fisher's teammates had seen in him every day, and we all saw a player accept the moment and thrive on the biggest stage of his career.

"It almost seemed like a little bit of a turning point in my career," Fisher said of that playoff game. "It was nice to get going – especially in the playoffs, round one. And then (winning) the first playoff game in quite some time around here, I thought that was a big accomplishment."

It's also worth noting that Fisher wasn't called for a single holding penalty all of 2015.

HOW HE FITS

Fisher will once again be asked to help lead the offensive line in 2016, and with the free agent signing of right tackle Mitch Schwartz this offseason, the Chiefs now have a couple of bookend tackles to control the edges in a tough AFC West division.

2016 OUTLOOK

Fisher's continued development and play at left tackle will be key in the overall success the Chiefs have in 2016, and if last year's play was any indication, things are looking up for the offensive line.

"I think it all starts in the run game," Fisher explained. "I thought we did a pretty good job with that last year. Our numbers kind of spoke for themselves on the ground. We're working to get better in our pass protection, keeping Alex (Smith) clean. You definitely want to build that line where D-lines are saying 'Man, we play the Chiefs this week.'

"Coach Reid's big thing is it all starts in the trenches, and we take that to heart."