I'm Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Mitch Schwartz, AMA!

Hey Mitchell I'm a mod over at /r/kansascitychiefs and we would love you to come over sometime so we could ask you questions as well.

As for my question, whose your favorite Olineman on the Chiefs? I'm betting it's Mitch Morse.

Thanks! You know, it's hard to pick one guy. It's a really good room of guys and we have a lot of fun together. Fish and I kind of have a different perspective on things as Tackles, so we have that bond together already. But across the board it's been a great time so far with all the guys, they really make each day fun.

I don't know a lot about football but I assume that, like every other sport, there's a certain amount of trash talk throughout the game. So my question to you is: What's the funniest thing you've ever heard said on the field?

There's not as much as you'd think, if there is it's usually guys with a past together, or just a singular individual that likes to talk a lot. My favorite in game moment was when a defensive player flopped to try to get a penalty called against us, and one of our linemen yelled "That would be a fine in the NBA!!!" That was right after the NBA started fining for flopping, I thought it was really funny.

Don't you mean I'm the owner of a very popular dog "Cupcake" Mitch Schwartz, AMA?

Haha yes that is true! My little guy has almost 40,000 followers on Instagram. If you want to check him out he's @Cupcake.the.pom on there! He's the most famous of any of us.

Alright everyone, I've got to run, thanks so much for coming out and asking all these great questions! I had a great time and hopefully we can do it again!

Is it difficult to keep your weight up? Do you lose weight or eat differently during the off season?

I've never had a problem keeping my weight up, I'm more naturally of a big guy so that part has never been a struggle. During the offseason, like right after the season, you kind of eat what you want. You finally don't have to focus on football and keeping yourself in perfect shape so you binge a little. Once you get back to working out and especially right before the season you're eating pretty clean.

Are you a big fan of Taco Tuesdays?

For a big guy that loves food I don't think I've ever actually been to a place on a Tuesday that had a "Taco Tuesday" going. The idea of low priced tacos sounds quite appealing though, I need to get on that.

What is your favorite city to visit on away games?

We don't really get a chance to visit the city when we travel. We get there, only have a few hours to lay down or visit with the people who traveled to see you, and then we have meetings at night. The next day we play and then hop right on a plane to leave for back home.

Are you a big fan of Spaceballs? Also, have you checked out any bbq in KC, and if so, what has been the best so far?

I am well acquainted with the "May the Schwartz be with you!" line but I never was the hugest fan of the movie growing up. I think I was too young to truly understand it and would enjoy it much more now. I've checked out Jack Stack, I have all the others on my list. Seems like there are a lot to go to!

Damn. You shouldn't have started with the best one first!

That's what my brother recommended. I figured he would know best! Seems like the other ones are no slouch though, I'm sure I'll walk out of there pretty happy.

Do you guys play in a fantasy league together? What's it like?

I don't play fantasy anymore, I used to growing up. I went like 13-1 and dominated the league and then lost in the first round of the playoffs. I got frustrated that it was a week-to-week and not cumulative so I never went back. Geoff has recently gotten into it though, he's had fun with it.

Hi Mitch, I'm a Chiefs fan and am very glad to have you apart of the Kingdom. I expect so many great things from our OL this year.

My question is, what do you want to do after you retire? I follow your Twitter and can tell you are passionate about football and are extremely knowledgeable, especially regarding the OL. I think you could be either a great coach or network analyst one day.

Thank you! Yea the more I think about it the more I want to do something teaching the OL game to people. How I'm going to get that done, I'm not quite sure yet. But it is something I've considered and will look into once the time gets closer.

Are you excited about the upcoming NFL Season? Any particular games you are looking forward to?

I am excited! It sounds cliche but really all you do focus on is the next game. You get so ingrained into your weekly routine that there isn't much time to look ahead, you're just focused on the upcoming opponent.

As I understand it, signing with the Chiefs was partially due to a recommendation from your brother based on his time there. Was this the case and how has your time with the team matched up with his description?

Well it certainly played a part in it, knowing the good things he had to say about it. He had a really fun time here, loved the city and the team, so you can't get a much better recommendation than that. So far it's been exactly as expected and I'm really excited to get the season underway finally.

The fans are happy to have you here. Best of luck in the coming season!

Thank you! Excited to be here.

Worst thing about practice?

Believe it or not the worst thing is usually the warm up. You're typically sore and stiff, and getting loose is an annoying thing to do, especially in pads. It's also the anticipation of what's to come. Once practice starts and gets rolling it goes pretty quickly.

What are your favorite KC hangouts or things to do in the city?

We haven't been to all the spots yet so just finding new places and exploring new areas is probably my favorite thing right now. The city is so big and has so much going on that it'll take a while to get to all the places we want to see.

Who is the funniest guy in the locker room?

That's a good one. I'd say the offensive line in general is just fun to be around because we're always joking, making fun of each other (and ourselves), and just constantly trying to keep it loose.

What do you think of the neurological injury statistics in football, and since athletic careers end with the retirement much younger than average- what are your plans for when your career ends?

I do think that post-career maladies, or things that could effect (hopefully that's the correct effect) your long term health are scary. Luckily I've been pretty healthy throughout my career. In terms of post-career, I think I still want to do something in the football world. I love the game and love teaching it to people, so maybe I'll find a way to teach it to as many people as possible. Especially since the OL position is kind of its own world of play.

Affect is the verb, effect is the noun. Just FYI.

Thanks. I always try to remember but for whatever reason it just doesn't seem to stick in my mind.

Hey man, thanks for doing this.

In the past few years there has been more discussion of compensating NCAA athletes, how do you feel about this?

You're welcome. I haven't looked too much into it but it sure seems like there is a lot of money being made off these kids and they don't get to see any of it. At the very least shouldn't a kid be able to make money off his likeness? If people want to pay him for an autograph or for his jersey, I'm not sure why that wouldn't be allowed. Another thing should be scholarship checks based on cost of living. The bay area, for instance, is much more expensive than say Oregon, where my brother went to school. So he had a lot more scholarship money after rent than I did, just because of the cost of living of the area.

Andy Reid is by far my favorite NFL coach of all time (eagles Fan), But what was your favorite Andy Reid moment? Like somthing funny that he said or something he told the team to motivate them mid game. When he hit the dab in the locker room after a big win last year has to be up there.

That was definitely funny to see from afar. I don't think there is one particular thing like that so far, but it's been great to be coached by him so far. He's both an amazing coach and motivator. He knows what will win, and how to get you in a position to do that and to get the most out of your ability.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

If it's exactly as I like it, probably pistachio. But there are so many variations of it that sometimes it can be meh, sometimes great. Coffee is also up there for me.

I'm from a country where American Football is virtually non-existent. What other sports do you enjoy?

I grew up playing baseball, didn't play football until high school. I was a pitcher and played first base. Still like following the game and watching it.

Aside from money, what is the biggest factor for you in deciding what team to sign with in free agency? Is money everything? Is there such thing as a hometown discount?

Money is definitely up there, but hopefully you get to the point where money between 2 or more teams is similar and then you can move on to other options. Playing for a winning team, getting into the playoffs, and playing for a good organization are all on the list of things guys consider. Also to a lesser degree where you will be living and what the city is like. I do think there is such a thing as a hometown discount, most guys don't want to move after they've been in the same place for 4+ years unless they've just had an awful experience. But in football it's usually taking a discount for an early contract and guaranteed money, because of the injury risk, as opposed to giving the team a discount.

Hey Mitch! It's awesome having you in KC. Whose the biggest jokester on the team? From what us fans see it looks like an awesome environment being around the guys and everyone gets along great. Not sure if you watch baseball but if you do you'll get this when I ask if there is a "Salvador Perez" in the Chiefs locker room?

Thanks! Usually the specialists are the biggest jokesters because they have the most time to think things up and put them into action.

Who is your favorite player in the NFL besides you?

Probably my brother haha. Too easy. I like watch Aaron Rodgers, especially since he's a former Cal guy. There are a lot of great linemen to watch too, this year it'll be fun to watch the guys I became great friends with in Cleveland playing from afar.

Do you still get nervous when you go out on the field for a play? I played a year of football, and decided to put football on permanent hiatus to pursue wrestling.

Oh yea no question. For me it's a fear of failure that drives me as a player to get better and perfect my craft. If I mess up and get beat I put the QB or RB at risk, and that's not a very comforting feeling. You have to manage the nerves so they don't overtake you and get you out of control, or out of what you want to do. But for me I try to use them to my advantage and stay on top of my game.

Go bears! How do you think Cal will do this year?

Go bears! They looked good in the first game so I'm hopeful it'll be a good year. Typically that style of offense doesn't usually have a good defense, for whatever reason, so it's hard to be a consistent top tier team unless you get some studs on D.

What's the most memorable game you have been a part of?

Gotta be the Thursday night game against Cincinnati, in Cincy, two years ago. We went in there and just had a great game, and by the end of the night most of the Cincy fans were gone and the Browns fans were chanting for Brian Hoyer. That win also got us to first place, first time in my career doing that. So that whole experience was awesome. Unfortunately we didn't end the season very well and they got us back in kind at our place, so it was a short-lived high.

What's your retirement plan?

Not totally sure yet. Thinking something in the football realm of things, would like to teach football and specifically OL play to a greater population of people if possible. Just need to figure out the best platform and how to get that done.

Hey Mitch, big Chiefs fan here. What is your favorite part about Kansas City so far?

The city? Just exploring and finding all the cool things to do. It's a huge city, very spread out, so there's a lot of real estate to cover and check out.

Hey Mitch! First, your signing is my favorite off-season move in a long time for this amazing team that is the Chiefs. How do you feel moving into this O-line? RT was a big concern of ours last season and a lot of guys had to bounce around a lot. I feel with you on the right side we have a stable line for the first time in many years. How have you guys grown as a group this off-season/preseason and do you feel you have established an identity as a unit (eg. gritty/physical/grinders)? .... Also, congrats on the book!

Thank you! I think you have an idea of what you want to be as a unit, and your work your best to get there, but the identity develops as the season progresses. You figure out what you're best at and lean on that. Obviously you want it to be physical and tough and to be a great rushing offense, but you have to produce on the field.

Thanks for answering my question and best of luck this season! We all at r/Kansascitychiefs will be rooting for you like wild fanatics as always!

You're welcome! Glad to be here (reddit and KC!)

Is a hotdog a sandwich?

Yes! By definition it is. By feel it isn't. But technically, yes it is.

Do you actually have a strict (or in your case as an OL, heavy) diet, or do you just eat whatever you want (besides the obvious foods loaded with sugar) as long as you have a strict workout regime?

When you are ill and get medicine prescribed by physicians, do you have a list of substances to give to your physician to insure that your prescribed medicine doesn't violate the league's PED policy?

I don't have a strict diet, I've done different dieting things in the past and my body felt the same when I was or wasn't doing them, so I kind of just decided to do what I wanted. I definitely keep tabs on my weight, and weigh myself every morning, so I try to make good decisions with my food choices because I don't want my weight fluctuating much. In terms of prescribed medicine, you're exactly right. I'm terrified of testing positive for something so I tend not to eat or try a lot of things because of it. Just doesn't seem worth it to get suspended if there's even a shred of doubt.

What do you think of Tamba Hali? Do love him?

Oh yea, he's awesome. I always respected his play from afar, and having to face him before I've watched a lot of film and knew how good of a player he was. But he's an even better person and a great influence on everyone.

What was your experience with playing with Joe Thomas?

Great experience. He's the best Tackle (aka lineman) in football, and he makes it look so easy. But he's always working to improve himself, fix small things that maybe worked one week but he knows he needs to clean up to be successful the next week. He's also a great guy, fun to hang out and be around, and I really enjoyed playing with him, getting to learn from him, and having him around every day.

Why do you and your brother not want to play for the same team?

Can you convince him to play with you and bring him back to KC?

Who said we didn't want to play for the same team?

There were rumors going around /r/KansasCityChiefs a while ago

Well we both think it would be a cool thing to play on the same team before we're done but that's out of our control. If it happens, great, if not I just hope he finds a good situation for him soon!

What's your favorite pizza?

Also, who dat?

My favorite pizza is my homemade pizza. Make the dough from scratch and do it all myself. The recipe is in the book so you can make it too!

What are your all time PRs in the weightroom? I.e. bench, squat, deadlift and powerclean?

I don't remember exact numbers. I think in general (not you specifically) that there is a little too much emphasis on those max numbers, and sometimes form can be swept under the rug to lead to kids digging for the high number. This can lead to injury, if doing a heavy lift with incorrect form, or just inflated numbers. Never sacrifice lift for load!

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I don't think terrified is the right word but they are an awesome defense and it's always a challenge going against them. They're a well rounded defense and can do just about anything.