Tag: Tommy Townsend

Chiefs’ Dave Toub explains decision to sign P Johnny Townsend

A benefit of a 16-man practice squad is being prepared for any potential absence.

The Kansas City Chiefs recently added punter Johnny Townsend, the brother of the team’s current punter Tommy Townsend, to the practice squad.

It was a head-scratching move for many fans as the Chiefs already have the younger Townsend brother as their punter and holder. Teams don’t typically have multiple specialists, even on the practice squad, without a recurrent injury or something of the like. When special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke with the media on Thursday, he explained the decision in detail, citing the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 as a driving factor.

“Well, Johnny (Townsend), you know he’s a good punter coming out a few years back, Raiders drafted him,” Toub said. “We liked him coming out…. he was on the street and he was available as somebody that can come in and it was a really good idea by (Brett) Veach to bring a guy in just in case the COVID thing hits us. Hits one of our guys, that we have a guy that’s in the building tested, that we can just plug in there and plug and play. He’s a guy that can come in and punt for us, be a holder. If (Harrison) Butker went down with COVID, if he was out, then we would probably kick with Tommy (Townsend) and then Johnny would be the holder. They’re interchangeable parts, one guy can do a lot of things and that’s why we have him here. It’s a pretty good idea by Veach.”

Johnny is basically an insurance policy in the times of COVID-19. It gives the Chiefs flexibility if Tommy or Butker were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Even in the event of an injury, it leaves the Chiefs prepared. Typically, with an injury, you’d have the time to get a player in the building and up to speed ahead of a game. That’s not something that would happen this year due to the COVID-19 screening period.

Toub also made it very clear, this isn’t about any sort of struggles going on with Butker and PATs.

“We would just work him in practice,” Toub explained. “He’s a practice squad player that we would work in practice, in case of emergency guy, strictly. We would never – I don’t think there would ever be a situation where he would come in for Tommy (Townsend) unless we needed it, unless we had to have it. But it’s a good luxury to have a guy like that that we can plugin and I’ll tell you, he’s a really good fit too. There’s no pressure.”

It’s a bit of a unique situation having two players who are brothers that play the same position. Toub isn’t concerned about the dynamic at all.

“I mean obviously, he’s going to support his brother, support Tommy (Townsend) in every way,” Toub said. “It’s a really good situation for us. I’m not sure that there’s ever been brothers at one position like that, at the same position as a punter/kicker on the same team, so it’s kind of a unique deal as well.”

[listicle id=80687]

Chiefs sign P Johnny Townsend to practice squad

The Kansas City Chiefs now have two brothers on the team who both play the punter position.

The Kansas City Chiefs have added punter Johnny Townsend to the practice squad according to the NFL’s official transaction report. Johnny’s younger brother, Tommy, is a rookie for the Chiefs on the 53-man roster. Tommy also happens to play the punter position. That won’t be confusing at all.

Kansas City had Johnny in for a visit during the bye week. The 25-year old punter was a fifth-round draft pick by the Raiders back in 2018. He only lasted a season there, but had opportunities with the Giants and most recently the Ravens. He hasn’t found a place to stick yet.

Both Johnny and Tommy played collegiately at the University of Florida. Johnny holds a number of records for the Gators as their all-time leading punter with 11,090 yards and 240 total punts after playing there for four seasons. He definitely has some talent but hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase it in the NFL yet.

Fans might be thinking this is a questionable move. I can already hear the, ‘Why waste a practice squad spot on a punter’ comments. It actually makes some sense for the Chiefs to have another specialist on the practice squad given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any player can become unavailable at any given time and it takes much longer to get guys in the building with the COVID-19 protocols. Having someone available and ready to play on the practice squad is probably a smart move.

In a corresponding move, DT Braxton Hoyett was subsequently activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list and waived from the practice squad. That made room for the elder Townsend to sign to the practice squad.

[vertical-gallery id=80600]

Chiefs bring Tommy Townsend’s brother, Johnny Townsend, in for a visit

Tommy Townsend’s brother, also a punter, has visited the Kansas City Chiefs.

[jwplayer sIGrn7Sv-ThvAeFxT]

Could the Kansas City Chiefs have brothers who play the same position on their team in the near future?

According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs brought in NFL veteran punter Johnny Townsend for a visit. If that name sounds familiar it’s because he’s the older brother of current Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend. Johnny was a fifth-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2018, but he was waived ahead of the 2019 season and has bounced around ever since.

Both Johnny and Tommy played collegiately for the Florida Gators. Johnny set the all-time punting record for Florida and holds numerous SEC records. In fact, he set the stage for Tommy to come in and take over for someone as esteemed as Dustin Colquitt in Kansas City. Tommy felt prepared to do that because of following in his brother’s footsteps with the Gators.

So why would the Chiefs bring in Johnny for a visit? Well, they’re certainly not disappointed in Tommy. He’s been very impressive as a rookie, he was even recently named to the second-team of PFF’s Midseason All-Pro team. My educated guess is that the Chiefs are merely doing their homework for their call list. With all of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, they need to have a backup punter available that they could sign in the event that Tommy was to come down with the virus.

[listicle id=80081]

Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes commend Tommy Townsend’s fake punt

The offensive-minded head coach and quarterback had nothing but good things to say about Townsend’s pass.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”yZiNElQnMr-1022064-7498″]

The Kansas City Chiefs executed the rare fake punt passing play during Sunday’s win against the New York Jets.

Chiefs rookie punter Tommy Townsend had a penchant for fake punts in college at the University of Florida. They always used his athleticism as a runner to get the job done, though. Andy Reid and Dave Toub would never be satisfied running the same old trick punts that Townsend ran in college. Instead, they called upon his days as a quarterback at Boone High School in Orlando, Florida.

Reid had high praise for the play and execution by Townsend following the game. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to get the job done.

 “Yeah, well they’ve been working on it. I mean, they’ve been doing it the last couple, three weeks, and it’s been like clockwork,” Reid said. “That one did get a little high. It’s different when it’s in a game, and he’s as good a thrower as there is. So, he’s a real good athlete and he was able to show a little bit of that today. But it’s a little different in a game. Next time he does it, it’ll be better. It won’t be quite as high, but we’ll take it right there.”

As for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, he was unaware that the fake punt was called. He was disappointed that he didn’t have an opportunity to pick up the fourth-down himself. Little did he know what was coming. After they called the fake, he was blown away by how it turned out, going out and scoring a touchdown on the very next play. After the game, Mahomes complimented his teammate on his arm and the coaching staff for the gutsy play call at a key point in the game.

 “I thought it was sweet, he ripped that thing,” Mahomes said. “It wasn’t a lollipop at all, I mean he caught it and he ripped it over there, so it was pretty impressive. I actually didn’t know it was happening. I was trying to go for it and Coach (Andy) Reid was – I should’ve known by the way he kind of just said go ahead and he sent the special teams out there. I was like, “man, you’re not even going to think about it?” I guess he already had things planned ahead. I think Toub (Coach Dave Toub) does a great job and he has for a very long time of having different tricks and having different ways to execute at a high level of that special teams group. It gave us a chance to have another play and we were able to score on it. It was a big point in the game.”

Mahomes, of course, is safe and won’t have to worry about Townsend coming for his job. New York, however, might want to call the Chiefs about acquiring Townsend to become their new starting QB. Townsend (118.8) finished the day with a better passer rating than Jets QB Sam Darnold (70.6).

[vertical-gallery id=79741]

WATCH: Chiefs P Tommy Townsend executes perfect fake punt vs. Jets

With an assist from Kansas City Chiefs WR Byron Pringle.

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting tricky against the New York Jets.

After a short reception by Chiefs WR Byron Pringle, it looked like the Jets had held the Chiefs to a three-and-out. Instead, Kansas City utilized a hidden talent from punter Tommy Townsend and gave Pringle a second chance to pick up the first down.

Pringle lined up in his usual gunner position, Townsend caught the snap and faked punting before turning around and completing a 13-yard curl route to Pringle. The play was executed to perfection and helped the Chiefs put points on the board just seconds later.

Check it out:

Townsend, a rookie out of the University of Florida, was known for his ability on fake punts in college. He executed several while he was a member of the Gators and this feels like just the first of many to come in his NFL career.

The very next play, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was back out there. He completed a 36-yard touchdown pass to WR Tyreek Hill. They’d missed on a deep shot earlier in the drive, but not here. Check that play out below:

This gave the Chiefs a 14-3 lead over the Jets during the first quarter.

[vertical-gallery id=79741]

Chiefs’ Harrison Butker talks new holder Tommy Townsend, fan support at Arrowhead Stadium

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker addressed new punter Tommy Townsend and more during Saturday’s press conference with reporters.

[jwplayer KdmAfagj-ThvAeFxT]

The Kansas City Chiefs said goodbye to 15-year veteran punter Dustin Colquitt this offseason.

The departure of Colquitt not only changes the punting game for Kansas City. It also affects the placekicking alignment. Harrison Butker enters training camp with a new holder in rookie punter Tommy Townsend hoping to continue good chemistry in the new relationship. Butker addressed this change and more during Saturday’s press conference with reporters.

“As far as Tommy Townsend, he’s doing a really good job holding the ball,” Butker said. “He held at Florida and he’s getting the ball down really fast, I’m able to see it. We have a good operation time and he’s learning as much as he can right now. I’m trying to take him under my wing a little bit and kind of show him the ropes since he is the only punter on the roster. He’s just learning as he goes.”

The other possible change that was looming concerned the threat of no fans at Arrowhead Stadium this season. Since the Chiefs formally announced there would be limited attendance throughout the year, players such as Tyrann Mathieu expressed joy in the decision. Butker shared his opinion as well, especially during clutch late-game situations.

”Personally, I think the fans are great,” Butker said. “For me as a kicker, I kind of thrive off of the pressure and the adrenaline that I start to feel. Going out there and seeing all 2,000 fans out there, it probably added some juice to my field goals, and I was able to hit some longer field goals that we haven’t really been attempting in practice lately. I think it’s great and I think I definitely perform better during a game situation with pressure.”

The Chiefs faithful that will be in attendance at Arrowhead this season will be heard regardless of the limited capacity. Butker and his teammates will use the energy from the passionate crowd at Arrowhead Stadium to their advantage.

[vertical-gallery id=75254]

Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub shares thoughts on new punter Tommy Townsend

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub fielded questions Thursday about the team’s new punter during his training camp press conference.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the upcoming season with a new punter for the first time since 2005. A position firmly held by fan-favorite Dustin Colquitt, up until the 38-year-old was waived this past offseason.

The Chiefs have since turned the punting duties over to 23-year old undrafted rookie Tommy Townsend. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub fielded questions Thursday about the team’s new punter during his training camp press conference.

“We originally saw Tommy at the combine, and I felt like he was the best punter at the combine. We had a draftable grade on him,” said Toub. “Obviously he wasn’t drafted, so he was a guy that we went after real strong, and those guys did a great job of being able to get him in our building. I’m really happy with his performance so far. He’s done a great job. He’s really consistent. He really bombs the ball. He gets the ball off quick, he’s athletic. He’s everything you’re looking for.”

Townsend played collegiately starting at the University of Tennessee before transferring to the University of Florida. He recorded a career-long 71-yard punt during his college tenure and has been infamous for pulling off fake punts during games. It’s a skill that could add an extra wrinkle to Toub’s game plan, but for now, he seems focused on getting the rookie settled with the basics in camp.

“We don’t have less time at all, we have the same amount of time that we’ve always had.” said Toub ”In fact, the ramp-up period was really good because the ramp-up period allowed us to put in what we would normally do during the OTAs and those things. So, that was good time for us. Being able to teach fundamentals for those young guys is critical. Now, we’re getting into more of the team and the scheme stuff of it and now they put all those fundamentals together and we get to see what kind of football players these guys are. Like I said, it’s unfortunate for those guys that there’s no preseason games, but we have to do the best we can in the team periods that we have to evaluate these guys in and make decisions. Now, the other guys are going to have a leg up. The guys that we’ve had before that are game-proven, those guys are going to have a leg up, and that’s just the way it is.”

Colquitt was tremendous in the Kansas City community, regularly nominated for the Walter Payton Man of The Year award. His consistency on the field and off the field, whenever his number was called, is another trademark that Townsend will be expected to pick up this season and during the course of his career.

[vertical-gallery id=75254]

Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: Florida P Tommy Townsend

How does Florida P Tommy Townsend fit with the Kansas City Chiefs?

The top-rated punter coming out of high school, Townsend originally signed with the University of Tennessee. He redshirted with the Volunteers in 2016 before transferring to the University of Florida the following season. He didn’t play at all for the Gators in 2017 but would go on to become their starting punter.

In 2018, Townsend burst onto the scene, impressing with his strong leg. His 71-yard punt against LSU tied for the seventh-longest punt in school history. He earned recognition as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in college football in both of his two seasons in Florida.

Townsend’s brother, Johnny, also played for the Gators. He was a fifth-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2018 but is currently a free agent.

Stats:

2018: 13 games played. 51 punts for 2,315 yards. 24 punts inside the 20-yard line.

2019: 13 games played. 42 punts for 1,847 yards. 20 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Combine/pro day results

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 191 pounds
Hands: 9 1/8″
Arms: 32 1/8″
40-yard dash: 4.71
10-yard split: 1.64
225-pound bench: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
20-yard shuttle: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A

Highlights & Film:

Fit with the Chiefs:

Townsend was brought in as the successor to the Chiefs’ punter of the last 15 years, Dustin Colquitt. Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub had Townsend ranked as his top-rated punter in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’ll be in what is described as an open competition for the starting punting job with free-agent acquisition Tyler Newsome.

“Tommy [Townsend] is a little [cleaner] in his technique as far as consistency, whereas Tyler [Newsome] is a little more erratic,” Toub told reporters in May. “But the results are the same. They both bomb the ball. We just need to clean Tyler up a bit more. But I’ll tell you what, the competition is going to be real fun.”

One area that could put Townsend over the top in this competition is his ability as a holder. Colquitt was also the holder for Harrison Butker in Kansas City, so the new punter will also have to fill that job. Townsend has experience as a holder for the dating back to high school. Newsome doesn’t have as much experience in that regard. Townsend’s kicker in 2019, Evan McPherson, was nearly perfect on extra points, missing just one on the season. He also was 17-of-19 field goals.

Fake punts are also a part of Townsend’s arsenal. He ran several successful fakes with the Gators, showing off his wheels. At the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, he had the fastest 40-yard dash among punters.

Even without OTAs and minicamp, it feels like the punting job in Kansas City is Townsend’s to lose. He can secure the job with a good performance to open up training camp and into the preseason, shortened or not.

Chiefs’ undrafted free agent

Position Player School Article Release Date
QB Shea Patterson Michigan 5/26
WR Maurice Ffrench Pittsburgh 5/28
LB Bryan Wright Cincinnati 6/2
OC Darryl Williams Miss. St. 6/6
CB Hakeem Bailey West Virginia 6/8
P Tommy Townsend Florida 6/14
WR Kalija Lipscomb Vanderbilt TBA
DB Rodney Clemons SMU TBA
OT Yasir Durant Missouri TBA
DE Tershawn Wharton Missouri S&T TBA
WR Justice Shelton-Mosley Vanderbilt TBA
CB Jalen Julius Ole Miss TBA
WR Aleva Hifo BYU TBA
LB Omari Cobb Marshall TBA
WR Cody White Michigan St. TBA
CB Lavert Hill Michigan TBA
WR Andre Baccelia Washington TBA
OG Jovahn Fair Temple TBA
CB Javaris Davis Auburn TBA

[vertical-gallery id=70339]

Dave Toub details Chiefs’ punting competition between Tommy Townsend, Tyler Newsome

What is Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub looking for in his new punter?

If there is one position truly up for grabs for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 offseason, it’s the punter position.

The Chiefs recently said goodbye to longtime punter Dustin Colquitt and with that decision comes a new punter battle in Kansas City. The Chiefs brought in free agent punter Tyler Newsome ahead of the 2020 NFL draft. They also signed their top-rated punter, Tommy Townsend, as an undrafted free agent following the draft.

“The kid’s got a lot of talent,” Toub said of Townsend during Tuesday’s media availability. “We really liked him coming out. I had him rated as the best punter coming out this year and he was available for us, and those guys got it done to get him. So that was a pretty good deal.”

Toub has been with Colquitt for the last seven seasons, so what is he looking for out of a new punter? Right now, it appears he’s just looking forward to a good competition between the two players in Kansas City.

“The No. 1 thing is, it is going to be a true competition,” Toub said. “There’s nobody really out in front right now as we look at it. I like them both. They’ve both got really strong legs, really powerful legs. They consistently hit over 5.0 [second] hang times, which is impressive. Tommy [Townsend] is a little [cleaner] in his technique as far as consistency, whereas Tyler [Newsome] is a little more erratic. But the results are the same. They both bomb the ball. We just need to clean Tyler up a bit more. But I’ll tell you what, the competition is going to be real fun.”

It sounds like Townsend is a bit ahead of Newsome early on in the process, but keep in mind that Toub hasn’t had an opportunity to coach these players hands-on yet. In lieu of the ability to work with the coaching staff, Harrison Butker and James Winchester are taking a role in developing the new punters, videotaping all the work they’re currently doing together.

“Right now, we’re kind of fortunate because those guys can get together and kick and work on the operation and they can do that on their own,” Toub explained. “So, we can work our skillset whereas to play football, you need 22 guys out there. It’s good for us at this time to be able to do those kinds of things. We just can’t sit down and meet face-to-face and I can’t be out there watching them, that’s the unfortunate thing. They video everything they do, and they send it to me, and we talk about it virtually. Yeah, it’s going to set us back a little bit because during this time of the year is when you’re working fundamentals with everybody else, and that’s going to be set back. But everybody’s in the same boat, we’re just going to have to hit the ground running when we do get to camp, or when we all get together.”

While the punting competition is currently taking place in the virtual space, rest assured that it won’t really kick-off until these players can get in front of their position coach. That’s when the real fun will begin.

[vertical-gallery id=66928]

New Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend looking to create his own legacy in Kansas City

Don’t compare Townsend to Dustin Colquitt, but hold him to the same standard of excellence with the Kansas City Chiefs.

For the first time in 15 seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new punter in the locker room. One of the players vying for that job is undrafted free agent punter, Tommy Townsend. While there was competition for his services following the draft, Townsend knew that he made the right decision by joining the Chiefs.

“I’ve been hearing amazing things about the Chiefs, the coaching staff and just the culture that the Chiefs organization brings forward,” Townsend told reporters on Wednesday. “So, it was always something in the back of my mind that told me the Chiefs would be a really great spot for me, and it played out that way.”

Townsend didn’t anticipate Dustin Colquitt’s departure, in fact, he’d been looking forward to learning from Colquitt. He’d become familiar with him during his freshman year of college when he was with the Tennessee Volunteers, the alma mater of the Colquitt brothers.

“I actually met Britton (Colquitt) when I was at Tennessee,” Townsend said. “He came out and got some work in with us. I’ve heard stuff about Dustin (Colquitt). He’s a legend, not just for the punting industry, but for the Chiefs and throughout the NFL. Just to get a chance to work with him and learn from him is hard to pass up.”

Dustin’s departure from Kansas City was a signal to Townsend — one that let him know the Chiefs believed in his abilities.

“It definitely meant a lot,” Townsend said. “They’ve been with Dustin for a really long time. He’s a guy that has done everything the right way. The biggest thing for me is, I’m just trying to make a name for myself and become my own person. That’s what I’m really excited about.”

Townsend has wasted no time and is already getting familiar with the two players he’ll be working with most, kicker Harrison Butker and long snapper James Winchester.

“I’ve spoken to them a lot,” Townsend said.  “I think that’s a big thing, having them get comfortable with me. That’s kind of one of my main goals is getting comfortable with Harrison (Butker) and James (Winchester) and having a really good, smooth and efficient operation.”

In addition to working with his teammates, Townsend participated in the Chiefs’ virtual rookie minicamp this past weekend, working with Dave Toub and the rest of the coaching staff.

“We’ve spoken a bunch, but we just finished the virtual rookie minicamp and we went over schemes and stuff like that,” Townsend explained. “So, I’ve gotten a little bit of a taste for what we’re doing in Kansas City. And I’ve gotten a chance to watch all the film from the past few seasons, and that’s kind of something I’ve been pushing for and working on is to get a feeling and understanding of the schemes that we’re using here in Kansas City and just trying to learn that. And on the holding, I’ve been holding since high school. It’s something that I’m fairly confident in. Like I said, I’ve been a holder since high school, and I also held the two seasons that I played at Florida and we did pretty well there. I’m just excited, like I said a minute ago, I’m just really excited to get to work with Harrison (Butker) and James (Winchester) to try to make the operation as efficient as possible.”

Townsend, of course, has big shoes to fill coming into Kansas City after Colquitt’s tenure. He believes that he’s prepared for the task after having to do the same with his own brother at the University of Florida.

“I think I did that at Florida,” Townsend said. “My brother (Johnny Townsend) led the country in punting average for two seasons before coming out and he was a legend at Florida. I had to come in and step into his shoes and perform. I think I did a decent job stepping in and filling his shoes. I’m really excited about the chance to step in after a guy like Dustin (Colquitt). He’s an absolute legend, so it’s exciting to have the chance to try and live up to the standard that he has set. That’s something that doesn’t scare me, it excites me. To me, it’s an opportunity to try and do what he’s done.”

Townsend’s brother was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He’s currently a free agent, but he was one of the best punters in Florida Gators history.

At the end of the day, Townsend wants to be the guy who is in Kansas City for the next 15 years. He doesn’t want to live in the shadow of Colquitt’s legacy, but he wants to compete against the standard set by Colquitt and create a legacy of his own in the NFL.