The Chiefs selected tight end Travis Kelce in the third round of the 2013 draft, and that’s turned out to be a pretty good choice. Kelce had five straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2016 through 2020, and with 20 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns through three games in the 2021 season, he’s well on his way to another. From 2014 (Kelce’s first season as a starter) through 2020, no tight end has more receptions (612), receiving yards (7,881), and touchdowns (48) than Kelce, and since he’s been paired with Patrick Mahomes, Kelce has been a force multiplier in one of the most dynamic passing offenses in NFL history.
When I recently had the opportunity to watch Kansas City’s passing game with Kelce, I wanted to get into his plays, sure, but I also wanted to discuss the Chiefs’ concepts, with head coach Andy Reid as the architect, and how those concepts test defenses to their very limits. Kelce was up for it, and what resulted was a great education in the Chiefs’ offense, and offensive concepts in general. The Chiefs have started 1-2, and Reid just got out of the hospital after an illness last week, but Kelce and the Chiefs are not discouraged.
You can watch the video of our tape review:
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Doug Farrar: We already get a lot of Travis Kelce on our TV, and on the internet, and now, we’re getting even more Travis Kelce with the LG and OLED campaign. There’s 365 days of Travis Kelce, and the 12 months of Travis Kelce. You’re ubiquitous, man. What’s going on?
Travis Kelce: I’m having a whole lot of fun with LG. Obviously, having fun in the offseason is what I do, but I wanted to give everybody a little insight on 365 days of me as an entrepreneur, and as a brand. It’s kind of a parody, but I teamed up with LG on a three-part series, and the OLED TV is the best TV on the market, man. The highest quality — I was watching the game last night, and it was like I was in the game. How rich the quality is, and how clear everything is, it’s the best TV on the market. I had a whole lot of fun teaming up with LG on this three-video series, and you’ll see a few of my friends have a few cameos, as well.
DF: I hope your brother [Eagles center Jason Kelce] is in there, because he’s unique.
TK: [Laughs] We all need a little more Jason Kelce in our lives.
DF: That’s what I’m saying. Give the big guys some love. That’s what it’s all about. So, you guys start 1-2 with a couple tough losses to the Ravens and Chargers. It’s a unique situation [under Andy Reid]. How are you all holding up in the building, and how is Coach Reid, most importantly?
TK: Coach Reid is doing good. He’s back in the building, being himself. He seems just fine. And he’s motivated. He’s presented a challenge to everyone in this building to rise to the occasion, and man up, and fix the mistakes. That’s all you can ask for in a head coach, is to present that challenge, and give us tools and techniques to teach us to overcome the adversity we have at hand. And that’s being below .500. I think my first or second year in the league was the last time this team was under .500 under Andy Reid. I might be the only one in the building that’s felt that outside of the coaches that are still here.
Knowing how much success we’ve had, there’s a lot of confidence we’ll get this thing going, and we’ll figure out exactly what we need to do moving forward.