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One of the smoothest operators on the Kansas City Chiefs defense is second-year linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who has become one of the most consistent contributors on the unit this season.
In his comments to media Wednesday, Gay seemed particularly cool and collected ahead of the team’s second matchup against Las Vegas, and told reporters that his confidence as a key player on defense is at an all-time high.
“It’s pretty high,” Gay said. “[I] keep it there and keep it rising.”
His confidence doesn’t just come from his individual play either. The whole defense is playing exceptionally well, especially compared to the performances they were churning out in September and October. When asked about the pride he feels in recent wins coming from mostly defensive efforts, Gay responded by saying the success is part of a process that will continue even while the unit’s play is on the upswing.
“I feel like all of the hard work is paying off, and we’re just going to keep it rolling,” He explained. “Even if we have a game that we take a small step back, we just recover the next week and just continue to do what we do.”
His contributions have been crucial to the success of the defense as a whole, and while he didn’t take much credit in his comments before Wednesday’s practice, he was decorous in his evaluation of his own play, noting the importance of consistency in his first year as a starter.
“I’m playing a lot more of course,” He said. “So just being consistent and doing my job. When you do that, you’re in position to make plays and just doing what you need to do to help the team succeed.”
Few players have the ability to make the athletic plays Gay makes look so effortless on Sundays. There remains a fair amount of untapped potential in his skillset, which should age like fine wine for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. If Gay can harness some of the confidence and consistency he talked about on Wednesday, the Chiefs could have an All-Pro linebacker to pair with the other stars on their defense sooner rather than later.
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