Jun 01, 2020

Chiefs assistants talk football

Posted Jun 01, 2020 3:17 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs assistant coaches recently talked football with the media. Following are their comments.

ASSISTANT SPECIAL TEAMS COACH ANDY HILL

Q: Growing up in Trenton, Mo., were you a Chiefs fan? And you were in camp with the Chiefs in 1985. What do you remember about that experience?

HILL: “Trenton, Mo., is 1000 percent Kansas City Chiefs. My parents used to take me down to the training camp at William Jewell. In 1985, when I was lucky enough to have the choice between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs, I obviously chose the Chiefs to come to training camp. Back then, they used to cut the Monday after preseason games, so every Monday, you’re holding your breakfast tray hoping the ‘turk’ wouldn’t get you and make eye contact with you. I made it until the last cut. I know that was the year they cut back, but they had a bunch of good receivers – Carlos Carson, Stephone Paige, Henry Marshall, a bunch of guys that were really good players and I was very fortunate just to get the tryout.”

Q: The NFL owners approved a couple of things today, but they also tabled the 4th and 15 discussion as a replacement to the onside kick. What are your thoughts on the conversation that they’re looking at creating an alternative to the onside kick and the fact that they’ve tabled it for right now?

HILL: “Well, that’s certainly a question for Andy Reid and Dave Toub in the sense that I’m sure that the reason they tabled it is because it’s such a wide-ranging variety of what people think about it. I saw what Coach Reid said and I’ll stick with what Coach Reid said, I think that we’ve got guys that can make the play either way. As a special teams guy, you’d like to keep it (the onside kick) in there.”

Q: Joining the coaching staff, what’s it been like for you to get acclimated to the team in terms of your fellow coaches and the players?

HILL: “Well, I was there in the very first part of March and so the Super Bowl win was still very fresh in the building. The positive mojo and the positive vibes from all the Chiefs – not just the coaches, but all the personnel in the entire building – was something that really was phenomenal for me, was certainly a breath of fresh air, and was something that if we can keep that chemistry going and all the positive vibes going, it’s really special.”

Q: You and Dave Toub go back quite a long time. How’s that friendship been, what’s it meant to you and do you have any good Dave Toub stories?

HILL: “Well I’m in my basement right now and Dave Toub, before he got hired by Andy Reid in Philadelphia, was finishing out my basement. If you ask about half the people in Columbia, Missouri, if they have a house addition or a basement finished, Dave Toub was probably doing it at the time he was here. But Dave and I have kept in great touch. When he was lucky enough to get to the NFL with Coach Reid back in Philadelphia, I didn’t ever go out to Philadelphia, but when he got hired at the Chicago Bears back early in the 2000s, I went up several times to visit him and all their other coaches because I was coaching some special teams at the time but also mostly wide receivers and different positions. So, I would go to the Bears. I’ve been very fortunate the last couple years when he’s been with the Chiefs in Kansas City, I recruited Kansas City for the Missouri Tigers back then, and I’d stop by practice this time of year actually, after Memorial Day, when they were in phase three of OTAs and I had the chance to go by a practice or two. The last couple of years we had Jeremy Maclin, Chase Daniel, Mitch Morse and some guys and so I was very fortunate to get in there and see them. Our relationship has been pretty much the same the entire time.”

LINEBACKERS COACH MATT HOUSE

Q: I know Willie Gay is just getting started, but looking at his skillset, what do you think he brings to your group that maybe you didn’t have last year?

HOUSE: “We really love his athleticism. He’s got a good frame, he’s big and he can run.”

Q: How has the experience been for you and your players to go through this offseason virtually? You feel like the players have been attentive and picking up on things that you’re working on?

HOUSE: “Yeah, I’ve been very pleased with the linebacker room and how they’ve embraced what we’re doing. I think they’ve grown within our scheme during this time.”

Q: The organization is invested in a guy like Willie Gay after using a draft pick on him. But with this being such an odd time with only being virtual and not being on the field, what do you think you’re missing in terms of the details for a guy like him who is completely new?

HOUSE: “Well, I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t really looked at it that way. As coaches, our job is to adapt and adjust, and in the times that we’ve been in, that’s kind of what we’ve been doing. Really, it’s been great because I don’t know if you get this much individual meeting time normally because you are racing to get out on the field. So hopefully it clears up any questions that he has in his mind so that when we do get out on the grass, we can hit the ground running.”

Q: Every team is going through a similar situation right now, and there’s no real blueprint for it. How much do you enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to handle this offseason?

HOUSE: “Yeah, I think the good thing is it’s still teaching. Coaching is just teaching. One of the things, we’ve had to use different platforms, but at the end of the day, you’re still teaching off of the same concepts and using video and using the different avenues you have available to yourself and the group. There’s some trial and error for sure, but all-in-all, it’s still teaching in my mind.”

RUN GAME COORDINATOR/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH BRENDAN DALY

Q: You’ve had some movement on the defensive line. What does Taco Charlton bring to the group? And how important is this upcoming year for a guy like Breeland Speaks?

DALY: “Well, you’re right. Both of those guys are coming back into the fold or are new to the group, and we’ve got some other guys in that category as well that spent some time injured or are coming to us, but specifically with those two, Breeland has done a nice job in terms of his rehab, in terms of working post-surgery, he’s had some good time in terms of recovery. We’ll see. I’ve got high expectations for him. The third year, I’ve found over the course of my career, is a year that guys kind of define themselves in a lot of instances. Hopefully we’re going to see that out of Breeland. I’ve got great anticipation and hope for what we’re going to see out of him when we can get back on the field. As far as Taco is concerned, we’ve had him for a couple of weeks. I would say it’s probably a little bit early to make some of those judgements based on not having seen him move around at all or having been with him on the field. He’s done a great job in our meeting settings, I’ve been impressed with his work ethic in terms of trying to learn the system and get up to speed with our vocabulary, terminology and on the same page with the rest of the group. We’ll see how that goes. I look forward to getting him out there and seeing what that looks like, to be honest.”

Q: As someone who coaches with passion and likes to have that one-on-one interaction with his players, how difficult has this time and the virtual offseason program been for you?

DALY: “I would say I’m missing that element of things, for sure. But it is what it is. You’ve got to be able to adapt, to change and adapt to the situation, and that’s what we’ve tried to do. The meetings have been really good, I’ve been pleased with what we’ve gotten out of them, I think they’ve been productive. I credit the players for doing a great job in terms of their attention. They’ve brought some things to the table there, I think it’s been engaging, as best we can make it. Obviously, it’s not the same as being on the field, but we’re all working under the same parameters and are trying to do the best job that we can with the situation as it’s been unfolding.”

Q: How do you think the players have received the virtual teaching on their end? And as far as the rookies, how do think they’re picking things up?

DALY: “In terms of the format, I would say there have been some challenges both from a coaches’ standpoint in preparing things, and from a players’ standpoint in functioning in that environment. That’s good, I think that’s invigorating in a lot of ways, and those types of challenge ultimately help you improve. If you don’t get out of your comfort zone ever, you kind of just stay stagnant and do the same old thing. I have certainly found that to be the case with my preparation for the meetings, it’s challenged me to come up with creative things to keep it interesting, different ways to come at presenting information or quizzing information. So, I won’t say that it’s been easy by any means, but it has been challenging and interesting. The players, you’d have to ask them. I don’t know if they’d have the same perception of how that’s going or not. It’s new, it’s different, and I do think that there are probably some pieces of it that will probably last, even moving forward, just in terms of teaching. It’s been fun in some elements of it from that regard. You get this with every rookie class, you get some separate time with those guys on their own, just the young guys, and that’s invaluable time. A lot of times they’re not willing to jump out there in a group setting and ask questions and admit they don’t know things – even though you know they don’t have it all figured out. So those individual segments when you have them are important and you really do get to see a lot more personality out of them, a lot more about who they are in a more relaxed environment. Both Mike (Danna) and Tershawn Wharton have been fantastic in that setting. I’ve really been impressed by those two guys, most specifically in their work ethic and the time they’re putting in on their own when we’re not actually engaged on a call. That’s been one of the most impressive elements for those two guys.”

DEFENSIVE BACKS/CORNERBACKS SAM MADISON

Q: What are your overall impressions of L’Jarius Sneed and BoPete Keyes?

MADISON: “I love it, man. I told [Brett] Veach last year that we didn’t get any corners and he was like, ‘Sam, just relax there’s going to be some more’. Then luckily for these two guys and we get them into the room now and we understand and see why he felt that way. These guys have been spot on, very good with the questions that we ask on a consistent basis. The things that Coach Spags [Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] asks of them they’re doing their best right now. So, if they’re willing to do this and continue to do it throughout the course of their career that means they did some really good work on the backgrounds of these kids. Me and Coach [Dave] Merritt are enjoying them every day.”

Q: From what you’ve seen from Antonio Hamilton on film. What does he need to do to get some playing time with the Chiefs?

MADISON: “Playmaking ability. Coach Spags is always talking about it and we preach it. Getting the ball back to the offense as many times as possible. We had guys in positions last year and looking forward we’re looking for guys to make those plays. In your first year in the scheme, in the defense you don’t really know how to make the plays because you don’t understand the scheme, but now they’ve been into it for a year. They understand how to make the plays, where the play is going to be made because now they understand Coach Spags’ system and what’s the reasoning behind the things that he’s doing. So that’s the part we’re looking for Hamilton to come in and be versatile just like the majority of our secondary guys and he’s doing very well so far in these virtual meetings.”

Q: What do you think worked for Charvarius Ward in your first year working together and what do you think his attitude is going into the second year in the scheme, with the possibility of him growing even more?

MADISON: “Understanding his strengths and his weaknesses and he was able to display it. He was able to take criticism of it when he wasn’t doing good and when he was doing great, he was able to continue to fight through the high points when he was getting the praise. Now he’s got to put it all together. He’s going into his third year, he’s gotten the reps. That was the great part about it, getting those guys the reps to understand, to see, to know what the route concept is. Tyrann [Mathieu] he’s played a lot of football games. He understands route concepts, what people want to do. Just getting these guys to understand how to study film was one of the great things that Coach Merritt was able to implement with these guys and now they understand why we’re doing certain things. Just clearing up the technique. Like the gentleman asked before, what do we have to do when we get back? Little small techniques were the things that really hurt a lot of us in the plays that we gave up. Should’ve had some big plays out of all of these guys, but those are the things that they’ll have to correct and get better at going forward.”

Q: Other than Charvarius Ward and Bashaud Breeland, what options do you feel like you have at the cornerback position and why those players fit?

MADISON: “Hamilton. We brought him in to be able to come out and compete but when you look at the landscape of offenses this year, you’re going to have three wide receivers on the football field every single time so you need to find that third corner. Having an opportunity to draft Sneed, a big corner, physical guy, knows how to attack the ball at the highest point. Those are the things for each and every last one of our guys that we need to get better at as the percentage is 50/50 of balls thrown downfield. Sneed, Keyes, you look at Hamilton, we brought in men to come in and solidify themselves. One guy I’m excited about is Rashad Fenton. You look at later on in the season, even going into the Super Bowl the kid, he made plays. He has to see those concepts, understand them, Tyrann was able to help him and work through them and we were able to put a pretty good run with these guys. Going later on when Breeland went down a couple of series, he went out there and he played corner and he held his own. We’re going to put these guys, just like we did last year, in a lot of different places and see what comes up. Coach Spags has a really good mixture of guys that he can play with. We can coach these guys up and get them to understand how to play together, the sky is the limit, going out there and making plays.”

RUNNING BACKS COACH DELAND MCCULLOUGH

Q: What does Clyde Edwards-Helaire bring to the table?

MCCULLOUGH: “I like his short-area quickness, his ability to make guys miss in short spaces. I like the fact that he makes the first guy miss either by just making him miss or running through him. Probably the number one thing I like is his disposition, his demeaner, his football mind. He’s very smart. It’s been evident through what we’ve seen through the combine process and everything leading up to the draft. And he’s not disappointed at all during the process with all the virtual meetings he’s in.”

Q: What tells you that Damien Williams can continue to be your starter? And how did he take the news of the team drafting a running back in the first round?

MCCULLOUGH: “One thing is looking at Damien’s past, I think since coming to the Chiefs, we’ve gotten a whole lot out of him. He’s been able to show not only us, but whoever looked at him previously that he’s a higher-end player. Consistency is something he wants to continue to work on. But I think when he shined, he shined at a level to help us get over a hump in a few games, and obviously helped win the Super Bowl. As far as how he reacted to the drafting of Clyde, Damien is a veteran. He’s going to continue to do the things he needs to do, control what he can control, embracing guys and continue to move forward.”

Q: What do you think Clyde’s role in this offense will be? What about Darwin Thompson in year 2?

MCCULLOUGH: “Everybody in this offense, all the halfbacks need to be able to do everything. They need to be able to do everything, and then we’ll let everything sort itself out from there. Clyde, he’s not going to be pigeon-holed into ‘This guy is going to be a third-down back or this guy is this or this guy is that.’ He’s going to take on everything the offense has and we’ll let the chips fall as they may. Same thing with Darwin. It’s going to be an opportunity for him this year. Another guy I’m very excited about. He had a whole lot of things last year that didn’t necessarily work against him, but just the fact that he was a rookie. He had some limited opportunities. He did some things that were good. He did some things that he needed to improve on. He took inventory of the things that he needed to improve on, and he’s ready to come out and do those things. So, again, a room full of great competitors, bunch of great players, guys that can do a bunch of things. And the beauty of this is when we’re able to get back on the field, we’re going to be able to start sorting out where guys fall, but in the meantime, every man in that room is preparing to do everything.”

Q: Can you talk about the level of competition in the running backs room? And what are your thoughts on having a starting running back vs. doing it by committee?

MCCULLOUGH: “Like I said earlier, you want to get all these guys out there. You want to get going and see what we’ve got. One thing we know just looking at some guys’ pasts and snapshots we’ve got of guys, whether it be DeAndre Washington, obviously with Darrel (Williams) and Damien (Williams) and Darwin (Thompson) with us. And then you look at we drafted Clyde and what his body of work was in college, you know we have some high-end players in that room. And I know with some guys returning, guys we feel comfortable with, but again, you always want to enhance the room and create competition and raise the level of the room. I think that’s what we have. How it all shakes down ultimately, we’re going to let that thing play out on the football field. That’s the beauty of our game. We’ll get a chance to go out, and let’s see what’s what. So, our whole room knows that. The guys are looking forward to it. They get along well, very competitive, however, very supportive, also. And they know at the end of the day, what they do will speak to what their role is when the season gets started. I’m looking forward to that.”