Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub says postseason is 'return season'
Frigid weather is imminent for the Kansas City Chiefs' wild-card round playoff matchup against the Miami Dolphins this Saturday.Will the cold weather factor in the Chiefs' decision to return punts and kicks? Well, apparently not. Chiefs assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub was asked whether the cold will mean more fumbles on […]
Frigid weather is imminent for the Kansas City Chiefs' wild-card round playoff matchup against the Miami Dolphins this Saturday.
Will the cold weather factor in the Chiefs' decision to return punts and kicks?
Well, apparently not.
Chiefs assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub was asked whether the cold will mean more fumbles on returns this weekend. His response? He hopes not, because he plans on letting his returners return.
"We call it 'return season' and I say it’s on now," Toub said during Wednesday's press conference. "This is full blown return season and cover season.”
Toub has been notorious for letting his players play, for better or worse. Statistical gurus love to reference the analytics when criticizing Toub, saying it's better on average to fair catch punts and let balls bounce back into the end zone on kickoffs.
That may be true, statistically speaking, but Toub seems to think the risk is worth the reward when letting his guys make returns. And that may be the case when a team has a dynamic returner, but the Chiefs simply don't have one. The team is bottom five in kick return yard average at 20.1, and right in the middle of the pack in punt return yard average at 9.3.
There is a silver lining, however. The Chiefs have been much better at returning punts when receiver/returner Richie James is the man to field them. He averages 10 yards per return this season, which means he's essentially earning the Chiefs' offense a first down each time he fields a punt. The downside is that James has fumbled the ball twice this season.
So is the risk worth the reward? It's tough to say. Analytics say no, but timely punt return highlights by Chiefs receivers Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney during last year's playoffs say otherwise. Regardless of allegiance on the matter, it's ultimately up to the man, Toub.
