Former Chiefs guard provides a different outlook on why Travis Kelce is always open in key moments
No days off for Travis Kelce. While the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has received a lot of criticism for his slower season statistically, he proved in the first playoff game that he is still at his prime. And somehow, Kelce always manages to be in the right place at the right time during the […]
No days off for Travis Kelce.
While the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has received a lot of criticism for his slower season statistically, he proved in the first playoff game that he is still at his prime.
And somehow, Kelce always manages to be in the right place at the right time during the playoffs.
One of Kelce's former teammates, Kyle Long, saw this firsthand and provided a different outlook on how he manages to always be open.
"During practice when the (starting) offense is not on the field, every single practice without fail, Travis Kelce would go on the other field where the kickers were for about 10 to 15 minutes and he would walk through, sometimes I would see him over there with his eyes closed at maybe a quarter speed, going through his routes," Long explained on This is Football. "Working through his footwork. And obviously the routes changed depending on coverage, so you could see him working through the subtle differences in his releases, in his breaks, where he's putting the stop on.
"So he takes that portion of the mental game, pairs it with technique with his feet. His feet are great. He might not be the fastest guy in the world anymore, but we've all seen that 50 year old at the YMCA who's got a couple of post moves that he can just hit hundreds of times a game and everybody's like, 'hey dude, what the f***.' That's Travis."
After 11 seasons in the NFL, he knows how to prepare for the games, ensuring that he is at his best when Sunday comes around.
"But the thing is, he takes that and he brings that back to the live periods, and you watch him work this stuff, and he incrementally steps it up, ramps it up until Sunday," Long said. "And then what we see on Sunday is a guy who makes it look easy time and time again. But I can promise you, he's putting the work in both mentally and physically."
There's no one directing him to do all this on the side when the starting offense is taking a break. He does it all himself.
"He's by himself. There's no assistant coach with him. There's nobody with a bag. There's nobody," Long stated. "He's just over there in his own little world, and I guess it's a form of meditation, visualization, all the -ations. Travis does them.
"I guess that's why he can stay grounded through all that is Travis Kelce's life."
Playoff Kelce is in full swing, and Long provided some key insight into how he always makes magic happen.
