Chiefs coach believes team is on the verge of something big
The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the best special team units over the last ten seasons since Dave Toub has been with the team. They rarely made mistakes and were usually pretty good in the return game. Now, things are completely different. This season has been tough on the eyes when talking about […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the best special team units over the last ten seasons since Dave Toub has been with the team. They rarely made mistakes and were usually pretty good in the return game. Now, things are completely different.
This season has been tough on the eyes when talking about special teams. They have missed a ton of kicks, and haven't really had that one key return that opened the game up for them.
The return game has been huge. Yes, the missed kicks are bad but let's not take some attention away from the returns. Earlier this year Skyy Moore was muffing punts left and right. Plus, the team has zero touchdowns in both return categories.
But special teams coach Dave Toub knows all of that is in the past. And he knows this unit is capable of doing some big things in the future.
The near future, that is.
"We are continuing to work on it all the time in practice and the guys are getting antsy, they want them," Toub said. "19 [Kadarius Toney] and 10 [Isiah Pacheco] both feel like they can break one, and we see it, we see it on tape how close we are. We just have to keep plugging away and be patient. You can't force it, because if you start forcing it then bad things happen. We want to keep pounding the rock there, and eventually, we will get one."
A key player in all of this is former New York Giants receiver Kadarius Toney, whom the team traded for earlier in the year. Toney has shown plenty of promise during his short time with the Chiefs and he's shown that he is more than capable of getting one, as Toub states.
The Chiefs love what they have seen from Toney. And his speed, athleticism, and vision have been major assets.
"I think the thing that is being noticed now is how strong he [Toney] is. Guys get a hold on him, they get a grip on him, and he can run through tackles," Toub told the media. "He is tough, and he is a tough runner. I know when he gets a chance when he gets a breakaway run, you know on a punt return, he is going to make somebody pay. I just feel like it's coming.
"… He has a great feel. He has great vision… his speed, it's elite speed."
The Chiefs could have used Toney at the beginning of the season. His skill set would have likely had them a return touchdown by now.
It feels like there is always one instance where Toney is so close to just breaking one off. Just in the third quarter alone of their last game, Toney had two punt returns, one with 8:27 left in the third and one with 2:25 left, where if he gets two more blocks where he is supposed to get them, he is gone for at least another 15 yards.
In the return game, every small detail matters. The blocking matters, the spacing matters, and the path the returner takes matters. For the most part, it seems he is doing everything right. They are so close to taking one to the house.
If they can do that this weekend, it keeps both the defense and Mahomes off the field. Heck, they don't even have to score a return, but a big one will help.
Even the kick return with Pacheco is close. Teams are starting to respect him by kicking it in the back of the end zone, and not giving him a chance to return one. That just means said teams know how capable he is.
The Chiefs needed a boost and they got it, both in the receiver room and in punt return. Now, we just wait for that big play, or big return that sets the Chiefs up to potentially beat the Bengals.
Or, one that even wins them another Super Bowl.
Featured Image Via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
