Why Andy Reid gave credit to GM Brett Veach in KC Chiefs’ postgame press conference
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton recognized the route pattern a split-second late, charging ahead once he saw receiver Curtis Samuel stop in his zone.
The quickness — from there — made all the difference.
On a third-and-5 in the first quarter of Kansas City’s 24-14 preseason victory on Saturday, Bolton still made it to his desired spot on time, knocking the pass away and giving the Chiefs’ first-team defense one of its two third-down stops.
It was just another example of what has become a can’t-ignore feature of the Chiefs’ defense through two preseason games, including on Saturday against the Washington Commanders.
“The guys,” coach Andy Reid said, “they are playing fast.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the offense likely will steal many of the headlines after Saturday’s performance, as the Chiefs’ first-team offense now has gone 3-for-3 on touchdown drives during its exhibition opportunities.
The defense, though? It likely deserves some spotlight as well, as in two games, it’s also pitched a shutout during its three possessions on the field.
“Guys are flying — flying, man. And I love to see it,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. “It’s a fun defense to be a part of, and that’s what we want to stamp our footprint on and let guys know, is that we’re going to be flying around. We’re going to be making plays. We want to be physical. We want to be violent.”
The quickness upgrade from a season ago is noticeable. That’s not only to casual fans but also to coach Andy Reid, who complimented general manager Brett Veach after Saturday’s game while saying he “made it a priority to go get some guys that can run, and that’s what you’re seeing.”
It’s showing up on numerous plays too. For example, on Washington’s first drive, rookie Trent McDuffie charged hard from a deep zone and made a sure tackle on Samuel to limit what could’ve been a big play to a five-yard gain.
That paid off two plays later on third-and-6 when the Chiefs could get creative with a three-safety look and rookie Bryan Cook coming onto the field. Justin Reid played man coverage, safety Juan Thornhill played a “robber” position to take away crossing routes, while Cook reversed deep as a single-high safety.
The rotation forced Carson Wentz off his first read and required him to take a deep shot to Samuel down the sideline. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed poked the ball away for a pass breakup to secure the third-down stop.
“I think it messes with the quarterback the most, because now you have three safeties in there. You don’t know who’s coming or who blitzing or who’s dropping,” Cook said. “... They can’t really know what we’re doing in certain aspects. So it’s definitely dope.”
McDuffie says the defense’s early execution is partly because of hard work off the field. The rookies, in particular, have stuck together to quiz each other on schemes to speed up the learning process.
“At the end of the day, once the game comes along, there should be no more thinking,” McDuffie said. “I feel like we’ve come a long way since OTAs in learning the playbook.”
That’s part of what has allowed the Chiefs’ physical talents to shine through the last two weeks.
And make no mistake: This team looks different — from an agility standpoint — than it did a season ago.
“I like what I’m seeing,” Andy Reid said. “We got to keep getting better, and this is preseason, so we got to keep building on this. I do like the speed.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2022 at 8:29 PM.
