Chris Conley taught himself piano. He can listen to any tune and duplicate in on the ivory keys.
Learning an NFL playbook is no different. The rookie is taking a similar initiative, adjusting on the fly now that he's a Kansas City Chief.
"You're going from being the big man on campus, the guy who knew everything, who was doing everything right to being the person that nobody knows," Conley told the team's official website. "It's a big transition for you and you have to learn to adjust."
He's better suited to assimilate in a locker room than most rookies. Conley was an all-SEC academic player, an amateur filmmaker, and a journalism major. He has broad appeal to all his new Chiefs teammates.
The former Georgia Bulldog is just as likable on the practice field. He sports 4.35 wheels, but after sticking his nose in Andy Reid's playbook, he's understanding more and more what it means to be a pro receiver.
Moreover, he knows he needs to adjust -- and that's a big first step. Conley picked the minds of Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant, hoping to join the duo in a receiver rotation this fall.
"I had people who were ahead of me who I could listen to and I could watch and I could learn the ropes from, much like I do here in Kansas City," Conley said. "Jason (Avant) put it this way. He said 'Hey, be able to make mistakes and be able to forgive yourself.'"
(h/t Kansas City Chiefs) AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
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