Chiefs: Andy Reid's recent comment totally explains why his team continues to dominate
It looked like Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton was about to have a rough night against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11. Bolton was flagged with two really bad penalties in the first half of the game, the second being the boneheaded unnecessary roughness penalty on Justin Herbert that gave the Chargers a […]
It looked like Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton was about to have a rough night against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11.
Bolton was flagged with two really bad penalties in the first half of the game, the second being the boneheaded unnecessary roughness penalty on Justin Herbert that gave the Chargers a brand new set of downs instead of a fourth down. The Chargers then picked up three points a few plays later as they extended their lead, at the time, to 20-13.
But Bolton eventually recovered and made up for his mistakes. With about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, he punched the ball out of Keenan Allen's arms and the Chiefs defense recovered the ball at their own 22. The stinger was the Chargers were in field goal range, at the time.
A couple tackles and a couple Chargers drives later, Bolton sealed the win with his interception in the final seconds of the game.
Bolton displayed what the Chiefs always talk about – never giving up and always believing there's a way to overcome the current circumstance(s). On top of the game-changing plays, Bolton led the team with 14 tackles on Sunday night. In terms of the 2022 season, his 95 total tackles lead the team by nearly 30 and are tied for sixth-most in the NFL.
It's pretty impressive for a player in just their second year. And, it's a year where the Chiefs really needed Bolton to step up.
The ironic part, however, is the Chiefs can thank former Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens for Bolton's success.
Yep, that's right: The 2022 cap casualty that got caught up in the Chiefs' youth movement at the position.
"Yeah so, Hitch is another one of those guys that helped Bolton out – just on being a pro, on and off the field (and) with the things you do to prepare," head coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week. "And nobody did it better than Hitch that way. He was a – he spent the time studying.
"So, Bolt has just carried that up another notch. He prepares like crazy. He doesn’t talk a whole lot – he’s a quiet guy. But, on the field, he gets you to where you’re supposed to be, and he does it with authority and he plays like crazy. He plays like a tiger.”
The fact Hitchens' approach with Bolton is paying off without him even being there is obviously great for the Chiefs. But in the big picture, it's just another testament to the culture Reid has built during his time in KC.
Part of Reid's and general manager Brett Veach's evaluation process is finding the types of guys who have the level of professionalism to help the younger guys. Even if that eventually means said younger guys take their job.
Because when guys are willing to keep the wheels turning after they're gone, so to speak, it gives teams an added advantage that a lot of teams don't have.
It's why those who pay closest attention to the Chiefs didn't worry too much after the Tyreek Hill trade. As long as the three-headed monster of Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and Patrick Mahomes are around, things will be fine in an overall sense.
Hitchens knew he was on borrowed time the moment the Chiefs drafted Bolton in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Yet he still showed Bolton the ropes and didn't take the Brett Favre approach of forcing Bolton to figure things out on his own.
So, instead of a "sophomore slump" for Bolton, it's a "sophomore surge"; and, it's helping the Chiefs win games.
And that won't change anytime soon.
Feature image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
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