Chiefs' coach gives refreshing take that more coaches should do themselves
The Kansas City Chiefs' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is one of the better defensive coordinators in this league, especially when it comes to development, teaching, and coaching. A statement he most recently made would only confirm that, and more coaches should do what he does. It's safe to say that in the past the Chiefs […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is one of the better defensive coordinators in this league, especially when it comes to development, teaching, and coaching.
A statement he most recently made would only confirm that, and more coaches should do what he does.
It's safe to say that in the past the Chiefs have had depth, but it has always been more on the offensive side of the ball rather than the defensive side.
This year, the defense has a ton of depth, and it's the depth that we didn't really expect, at all. One of the guys that have been huge as a depth piece is linebacker Darius Harris, who has stepped up and played valuable minutes for Kansas City.
“Darius (Harris), in my opinion, when he played when Willie (Gay) was out, played some good football for us, and I’ve talked with Willie about this yesterday. Guys that do that deserve to get some playing time, and at some point down the stretch here, we’re going to need pieces to change," Spagnuolo said.
"You know, Bryan Cook had to go in when Juan (Thornhill) was injured, and Bryan Cook had played some downs prior to that. I just believe in getting guys ready. It’s not a reflection on Willie. It’s probably more of a compliment to Darius than anything else.”
From Week 3 to 7, Harris didn't play fewer than 21% of the defensive snaps. In Week 3 he actually played 87% of the defensive snaps. Then, they kind of slowly started to go down as he only played 21% of snaps in Week 7.
After Week 7, Harris never played more than 9% of defensive snaps, until last week against the Bengals. Last week Spagnuolo made an emphasis to get Harris on the field a bit more.
Harris does great things when he is out there, and from the looks of it, is being developed very well. He will be a vital part of the Chiefs' depth come time for the playoffs, and it's because of Spagnuolo and his coaching.
Spags doesn't just give a guy his job back when he comes back from injury if the replacement is playing well. I think we have seen that now, and I think more coaches should do the same thing. Ride the hot hand regardless of the name.
Featured Image Via Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
