The Chiefs coaching staff proved once again that they are the best in the NFL with a last-minute adjustment
The Kansas City Chiefs are a well-oiled machine, from the top of the organization all the way down. Every single member of the organization knows their job and that’s exactly why this team has been so successful over the last six years. It also helps to have a signal caller like Patrick Mahomes, who is a generation old.
But before Mahomes, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid managed to get by without that kind of quarterback play. And it’s not just Andy Reid. While Reid is probably the best coach in the entire league, his entire team has blown people away around the league time and time again.
They’re the best at developing game plans and adjusting them on the fly. They adapt to any adversity and overcome it. When a defense subs out Kelce, they adapt. When an offense is strong, they adapt. It’s truly a masterful example of football IQ and top-notch coaching.
But there are aspects of the game that coaching can’t control. Injuries are one part of the game that the coaching staff can’t control. Injuries are one part of the game that can destroy a team, and there’s really nothing anyone can do about it.
While injuries at most positions hurt a team, there are cases where a punter or kicker gets injured and it really hurts a team. Why? Because NFL teams only have one kicker or punter on their roster. So if one of those special teamers gets injured, the team is left without one.
This is what happened to the Chiefs in this year’s preseason. Instead of a kicker or punter, it was their long snapper James Winchester during Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. The Chiefs spontaneously made their backup tight end the long snapper. The problem? Noah Gray had never snapped in his life.
After James Winchester, the Chiefs’ longtime long snapper, left Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury, KC replaced him with TE Noah Gray on punt and FG snaps. The only problem was that Gray had never snapped before. The Chiefs coached Gray on the sidelines and whatever they said, it worked. pic.twitter.com/TrGfZxW5gw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) 18 August 2024
The Chiefs coaching staff gave him some tips for the sideline and he handled his task flawlessly, as Adam Schefter, senior NFL insider at ESPN, points out.
Gray was given a role he had never tried before, and the Chiefs coached him to perfection. The pressure is increased when you understand what a disaster it can be when snaps are missed on punts and field goals.
While this likely won’t impact the team, it’s a great example of the Chiefs’ masterful coaching staff. If their long snapper gets injured in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs know who’s next.
