It's open locker room after a big win at Arrowhead Stadium and an exhausted group of men are speaking with reporters about what they just accomplished.
Almost always, the players will talk about the grind or the struggle they went through with their teammates in order to be ready to perform the way they did that day.
That grind—that struggle, that's what the Kansas City Chiefs are going through right now together.
The team finished their sixth day of pads on Tuesday morning, and while it's still a stark difference from the kind of practices guys used to go through going back just a decade ago, the players are noticeably in it right now, whether it's before or after practice, or even walking around the Missouri Western State University campus during the day. This current team is earning their stripes.
"We are entering in the dog days here," Chiefs co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress said after practice on Tuesday. "Just finished one of those dog days. Another tough one tomorrow, players' day off Thursday, mock game Friday and ready to play on Saturday."
The Chiefs take on the Seattle Seahawks at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. You can watch the game on KCTV5.
Despite the aches and pains the guys are pushing through right now, there were still a few standout plays on Tuesday afternoon.
Here are five observations from Tuesday's practice: 1. Veteran linebacker Josh Mauga sits out of practice on Tuesday
Mauga originally strained his groin last Friday and missed a couple of practices before returning to the field for a light workout on Monday, but he didn't practice on Tuesday when they returned to full pads.
He was seen off to the side working with the strength and conditioning staff, which is far from a picnic. Head strength and conditioning coach Barry Rubin and his staff do everything in their power to make sure players are still doing something to help their bodies prepare for the season.
Mauga missing practice wasn't any kind of a setback or a new injury. The fact that he was on the field on Monday was due to the lighter workload. 2. Third-year offensive lineman impressing in one-on-ones
He's often described as scrappy, physical and a guy won't back down from anything—whether it's his own teammate during a practice or an opponent during a game in the fall.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft out of McGill University in Canada, has put together a pretty impressive camp thus far.
He's held down the right guard position all offseason after starting 13 games last year.
On Tuesday morning during one-on-one drills, the "Canadian Doctor" won his three reps against the three starters for the Chiefs along the defensive line—Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey and Jaye Howard.
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**3. Marcus Peters does what he always does; Marcus Cooper quietly makes more plays
It's become a daily routine to figure out when and where Marcus Peters is going to get his next interception, and he picked up a couple of more on Tuesday morning.
While it's not quite at the frequency of Peters, Marcus Cooper has put together a pretty good training camp with a handful of interceptions as well.
Cooper had another nice one on Tuesday as the fourth-year defensive back, who has been spending time at both cornerback and safety, makes a bid for the 53-man roster here in his third year with the Chiefs after being picked up on waivers before the 2013 season.
4. Ron Parker leads defensive backs, puts together a nice couple of plays late in practice
With safety Eric Berry not having reported yet to camp, there's been a lot of leadership responsibilities handed to Parker, the sixth-year defensive back who has spent time at cornerback, safety and nickel during his career in Kansas City.
"He's really stepped into a leadership role as opposed to years past," Daniel Sorensen, the third-year safety, said of Parker. "[Peters] has stepped into that role with the corners with the success he had last season. There's a lot of youth in that room, so we look up to those two guys who have a lot of experience."
Late in practice on Tuesday, Parker had a couple of nice pass breakups, including one on a fade to the corner of the end zone intended for tight end Ross Travis. Parker was able to knock the ball out of Travis' hands before he could secure the catch. 5. Ramik Wilson takes over the snaps at "Mike" with Mauga missing practice
Over the past few days with Mauga missing practice because of a strained groin, second-year linebacker Ramik Wilson has slid into his spot next to Derrick Johnson right in the heart of the front seven of the defense.
"Ramik's a guy that's very calculated when it comes to making plays," Derrick Johnson, the 11-year veteran and the franchise's all-time leading tackler, said. "He's smart and he's got good size, and he's been working with [Mauga] quite a bit.
"They're always talking and he's always ready to step in and make the calls."
Wilson has been impressing Johnson throughout camp and you can read more on that in this morning’s feature on the inside linebackers.
The grind continues on Wednesday morning as the guys will be back at it again in full pads beginning at 8:15 a.m.
You can find all the information you need about attending camp at***Chiefs.com/trainingcamp***.
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