Chiefs Travis Kelce puts an emphasis on ball security as he assumes top tight end role

**Tribal Warfare** · 06-05-2015, 02:56 AM

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce puts an emphasis on ball security as he assumes top tight end role

By TEREZ A. PAYLOR

tpaylor@kcstar.com

Following his breakout sophomore campaign in 2014, Travis Kelce’s offseason “to-do” list was quite simple.

The first thing was to gain weight. He’d be assuming the role of the Chiefs’ No. 1 tight end following the release of Anthony Fasano. That meant he’d be on the field more, and the extra weight would help him as an inline blocker. He’s made good progress here; he says he now weighs 255 pounds, up from around 250, and has a goal of 260 by training camp.

The second was to improve his understanding of coach Andy Reid’s voluminous playbook. Kelce says he studied film this offseason, but this is an ongoing process, something that will only improve with more reps — which he’s getting thus far.

“He’s got a good grasp of things,” Reid said. “When we go double tights, we play him in a few different positions. When we go with three tight ends, we move him around in different spots, so he’s handling all that pretty well.”

But the third thing on Kelce’s list was to improve ball security. He fumbled four times last season, which tied New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell for the most in the league among receivers or tight ends, and he lost three of them.

Needless to say, it was made clear to Kelce that fumbles are not acceptable.

“Keeping it high and tight,” Reid said, when asked what Kelce has done to improve in this area. “He’s aware. He knows.”

Kelce produced many highlights last season, when he led the Chiefs with 67 receptions, 862 receiving yards and five touchdown catches and electrified fans with his athleticism and assortment of celebratory dances.

But he is still a young player at 25 years old, which means there were some learning moments, too. For instance, two of his three lost fumbles led to points for opposing teams in victories (against Seattle and Oakland), while the one that didn’t lead to points hurt even worse.

That one came in the Chiefs’ 17-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 7. Trailing by three, the Chiefs had been driving when Kelce made a 19-yard catch and run that seemed to give the Chiefs the ball at the Cardinals’ 22 with 5:23 left.

Only, it didn’t. The ball came loose near the end of the run, and even the Cardinals nearby didn’t react like it was a fumble, Arizona coach Bruce Arians tossed the red challenge flag anyway.

Kelce thought it was a crazy challenge, but refs ruled it a fumble, and Arizona managed to hang on.

He now wants to make sure he never puts himself, or his team, in that situation again.

“First and foremost, it’s a psychological issue and it’s mental concentration — that’s all it is,” Kelce said of his ball security. “We’re all big enough and strong enough to hold onto to the ball, it’s just whether or not you want to focus in on it.

“In certain situations, you have to be able to be more conscious of ball security than you do in the open field … just watching last year’s film, watching games … even when I didn’t fumble, watching how I was holding the ball, seeing how I got careless with it at times.”

One way Kelce has been working on this during organized team activities is by keeping it high and tight after the catch, just like he was told.

“Whenever you catch a ball, just see it all the way into the tuck,” Kelce said. “(Do it) whenever you’re holding the ball, every single time you’re playing catch … even if you’re just walking around. I mean heck, I was walking around the house with the ball (doing it).”

Kelce said running back coach Eric Bieniemy was also talking about getting him a sand-filled weighted ball that he can carry around during his personal time, just like some running backs use.

“What that does is it forms a habit, and when you catch the ball, you have a natural pocket right there (where) you’re comfortable holding the ball,” Kelce said.

Provided his hard work pays off — and really, he won’t see the fruits of his labor in this area until the pads come on — there’s little reason to think Kelce cannot take a significant step forward this season as he slides into Fasano’s spot as the Chiefs’ top tight end.

After all, Kelce was one of the more prolific tight ends in the NFL last year — he had the sixth-most catches among players at the position, despite ranking 23rd in snaps played at the position according to Pro Football Focus — and could thrive with a bigger workload.

“I come in and I take the role — it’s as simple as that,” Kelce said. “It’s not a hidden secret or anything like that. I am probably the most comfortable in the offense for being on the field for an entire year.”

The Chiefs could lean on Kelce, too. The other four tight ends on the roster (Demetrius Harris, Richard Gordon, Ryan Taylor and James O’Shaughnessy) only caught a combined three passes for 20 yards in 26 total games in 2014, and Harris has missed the entirety of OTAs after undergoing additional foot surgery.

“We have Richard Gordon, who is a vet who, knows a lot and understands the game very well, and we’ll go from there, but it’s clearly my realm now,” Kelce said. “I am going to go ahead and take the bull by the horns and lead us to success.”

SeeingRed · 06-05-2015, 08:03 AM

winning the turn over battle works....just ask the Patriots

InChiefsHeaven · 06-05-2015, 08:09 AM

It's good that he readily admits how stupid he was regarding carrying the football. That IS a mental issue and it seems he is handling it well. The test will be when he's in the game, does he go back to his old ways (which he's probably been doing most of his life) or is he mentally strong enough to make that change...time will tell, but this dude has the potential to be Tony Gonzales 2.0 for us, so I sure hope so.

**RealSNR** · 06-05-2015, 08:20 AM

Am I the only one who isn't having his period about Kelce's fumbles?

They're four ****ing fumbles. Remember when Tiki Barber had like 20 of them in a year? THAT was a problem.

This was something he had to work on, but there are always small things that each player has to work on one-on-one with the coaches. Wasn't worth a Terez ****ing Paylor article.

How about he writes instead about Fisher learning how to not suck a dick all the time on the field? Or maybe he should investigate what Sanders Commings' skeletal structure is REALLY made out of

**Fire Me Boy!** · 06-05-2015, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeingRed

winning the turn over battle works....just ask the Patriots

He could hold onto it better if he could deflate that ball a scosche.

SeeingRed · 06-05-2015, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Am I the only one who isn't having his period about Kelce's fumbles?

They're four ****ing fumbles. Remember when Tiki Barber had like 20 of them in a year? THAT was a problem.

This was something he had to work on, but there are always small things that each player has to work on one-on-one with the coaches. Wasn't worth a Terez ****ing Paylor article.

How about he writes instead about Fisher learning how to not suck a dick all the time on the field? Or maybe he should investigate what Sanders Commings' skeletal structure is REALLY made out of

I agree with this. Its not really a big issue, just something he needs to tighten up on.

**alpha_omega** · 06-05-2015, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Am I the only one who isn't having his period about Kelce's fumbles?

They're four ****ing fumbles. Remember when Tiki Barber had like 20 of them in a year? THAT was a problem.

This was something he had to work on, but there are always small things that each player has to work on one-on-one with the coaches. Wasn't worth a Terez ****ing Paylor article.

How about he writes instead about Fisher learning how to not suck a dick all the time on the field? Or maybe he should investigate what Sanders Commings' skeletal structure is REALLY made out of

All true...but the article did say that 4 was tied for the league lead among receivers or tight ends. That was new information i did not have.

Mr. Laz · 06-05-2015, 09:30 AM

Kelce can be soooooooooooooo good if he handles the mental part of it.

Aspengc8 · 06-05-2015, 11:41 AM

I'm much more concerned about his blocking than his fumbles.

ToxSocks · 06-05-2015, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Am I the only one who isn't having his period about Kelce's fumbles?

They're four ****ing fumbles. Remember when Tiki Barber had like 20 of them in a year? THAT was a problem.

This was something he had to work on, but there are always small things that each player has to work on one-on-one with the coaches. Wasn't worth a Terez ****ing Paylor article.

How about he writes instead about Fisher learning how to not suck a dick all the time on the field? Or maybe he should investigate what Sanders Commings' skeletal structure is REALLY made out of

It's not just the fumbles he lost, his ball security is shit. I said at the start/mid season, and i was the only one saying it (damn right im patting myself on the back), and sure enough, towards the end of the season those sketchy possession skills turned into crucial turnovers.

I like Kelce as much as the next guy, but you can't just bury your head in the sand and act like his ball security isn't an issue.

He flails the ball around, he doesn't even attempt to secure it. His ball security is about as bad as i've seen from any Chiefs player in recent memory.

Hog's Gone Fishin · 06-05-2015, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeingRed

cheating works....just ask the Patriots

fixed

Hoover · 06-05-2015, 01:37 PM

He would have had two fewer fumbles had he not gotten up and flipped the ball like a hot shot.

staylor26 · 06-05-2015, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aspengc8

I'm much more concerned about his blocking than his fumbles.

I don't know why. He graded out as the top blocking TE on PFF if I'm not mistaken.

Chromatic · 06-05-2015, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aspengc8

I'm much more concerned about his blocking than his fumbles.

He's fine.

suzzer99 · 06-05-2015, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Am I the only one who isn't having his period about Kelce's fumbles?

They're four ****ing fumbles. Remember when Tiki Barber had like 20 of them in a year? THAT was a problem.

This was something he had to work on, but there are always small things that each player has to work on one-on-one with the coaches. Wasn't worth a Terez ****ing Paylor article.

How about he writes instead about Fisher learning how to not suck a dick all the time on the field? Or maybe he should investigate what Sanders Commings' skeletal structure is REALLY made out of

Take a guess how many fumbles Tony G had over his entire career.

Also Kelce had a habit of trying to turn a big play into an even bigger play, when if he had just covered up and gone down we'd be in great shape. Most of his fumbles came in horrible spots - at least one cost us the game that I remember.

06-05-2015, 02:56 AM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $542813	Travis Kelce puts an emphasis on ball security as he assumes top tight end role Chiefs’ Travis Kelce puts an emphasis on ball security as he assumes top tight end role By TEREZ A. PAYLOR tpaylor@kcstar.com Following his breakout sophomore campaign in 2014, Travis Kelce’s offseason “to-do” list was quite simple. The first thing was to gain weight. He’d be assuming the role of the Chiefs’ No. 1 tight end following the release of Anthony Fasano. That meant he’d be on the field more, and the extra weight would help him as an inline blocker. He’s made good progress here; he says he now weighs 255 pounds, up from around 250, and has a goal of 260 by training camp. The second was to improve his understanding of coach Andy Reid’s voluminous playbook. Kelce says he studied film this offseason, but this is an ongoing process, something that will only improve with more reps — which he’s getting thus far. “He’s got a good grasp of things,” Reid said. “When we go double tights, we play him in a few different positions. When we go with three tight ends, we move him around in different spots, so he’s handling all that pretty well.” But the third thing on Kelce’s list was to improve ball security. He fumbled four times last season, which tied New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell for the most in the league among receivers or tight ends, and he lost three of them. Needless to say, it was made clear to Kelce that fumbles are not acceptable. “Keeping it high and tight,” Reid said, when asked what Kelce has done to improve in this area. “He’s aware. He knows.” Kelce produced many highlights last season, when he led the Chiefs with 67 receptions, 862 receiving yards and five touchdown catches and electrified fans with his athleticism and assortment of celebratory dances. But he is still a young player at 25 years old, which means there were some learning moments, too. For instance, two of his three lost fumbles led to points for opposing teams in victories (against Seattle and Oakland), while the one that didn’t lead to points hurt even worse. That one came in the Chiefs’ 17-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 7. Trailing by three, the Chiefs had been driving when Kelce made a 19-yard catch and run that seemed to give the Chiefs the ball at the Cardinals’ 22 with 5:23 left. Only, it didn’t. The ball came loose near the end of the run, and even the Cardinals nearby didn’t react like it was a fumble, Arizona coach Bruce Arians tossed the red challenge flag anyway. Kelce thought it was a crazy challenge, but refs ruled it a fumble, and Arizona managed to hang on. He now wants to make sure he never puts himself, or his team, in that situation again. “First and foremost, it’s a psychological issue and it’s mental concentration — that’s all it is,” Kelce said of his ball security. “We’re all big enough and strong enough to hold onto to the ball, it’s just whether or not you want to focus in on it. “In certain situations, you have to be able to be more conscious of ball security than you do in the open field … just watching last year’s film, watching games … even when I didn’t fumble, watching how I was holding the ball, seeing how I got careless with it at times.” One way Kelce has been working on this during organized team activities is by keeping it high and tight after the catch, just like he was told. “Whenever you catch a ball, just see it all the way into the tuck,” Kelce said. “(Do it) whenever you’re holding the ball, every single time you’re playing catch … even if you’re just walking around. I mean heck, I was walking around the house with the ball (doing it).” Kelce said running back coach Eric Bieniemy was also talking about getting him a sand-filled weighted ball that he can carry around during his personal time, just like some running backs use. “What that does is it forms a habit, and when you catch the ball, you have a natural pocket right there (where) you’re comfortable holding the ball,” Kelce said. Provided his hard work pays off — and really, he won’t see the fruits of his labor in this area until the pads come on — there’s little reason to think Kelce cannot take a significant step forward this season as he slides into Fasano’s spot as the Chiefs’ top tight end. After all, Kelce was one of the more prolific tight ends in the NFL last year — he had the sixth-most catches among players at the position, despite ranking 23rd in snaps played at the position according to Pro Football Focus — and could thrive with a bigger workload. “I come in and I take the role — it’s as simple as that,” Kelce said. “It’s not a hidden secret or anything like that. I am probably the most comfortable in the offense for being on the field for an entire year.” The Chiefs could lean on Kelce, too. The other four tight ends on the roster (Demetrius Harris, Richard Gordon, Ryan Taylor and James O’Shaughnessy) only caught a combined three passes for 20 yards in 26 total games in 2014, and Harris has missed the entirety of OTAs after undergoing additional foot surgery. “We have Richard Gordon, who is a vet who, knows a lot and understands the game very well, and we’ll go from there, but it’s clearly my realm now,” Kelce said. “I am going to go ahead and take the bull by the horns and lead us to success.”
Posts: 42,166

06-05-2015, 08:03 AM	#2
SeeingRed Veteran Join Date: May 2013 Casino cash: $10011193	winning the turn over battle works....just ask the Patriots __________________ "Pressure Busts Pipes"
Posts: 1,821

06-05-2015, 08:09 AM	#3
InChiefsHeaven Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $3534937	It's good that he readily admits how stupid he was regarding carrying the football. That IS a mental issue and it seems he is handling it well. The test will be when he's in the game, does he go back to his old ways (which he's probably been doing most of his life) or is he mentally strong enough to make that change...time will tell, but this dude has the potential to be Tony Gonzales 2.0 for us, so I sure hope so. __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! Holy Crap fellas!!! We did it!!! THREE TIMES!!!
Posts: 25,837

06-05-2015, 09:30 AM	#8
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	Kelce can be soooooooooooooo good if he handles the mental part of it. __________________ Last edited by Mr. Laz; 06-05-2015 at 12:36 PM..
Posts: 95,626

06-05-2015, 11:41 AM	#9
Aspengc8 Veteran Join Date: Dec 2005 Casino cash: $9950632	I'm much more concerned about his blocking than his fumbles.
Posts: 2,816

06-05-2015, 01:37 PM	#12
Hoover Rufus Dawes Jr. Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $1308179	He would have had two fewer fumbles had he not gotten up and flipped the ball like a hot shot.
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