Chiefs coach, teammates develop on how Travis Kelce advanced as chief

Whereas explaining why he needs to return for at the least one other marketing campaign irrespective of the results of Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LIX conflict between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas Metropolis tight finish Travis Kelce shared on Thursday that he “stepped into a job of being extra of a voice for the fellows” this season. 

Throughout latest chats with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated, Chiefs tight finish coach Tom Melvin and a few of Kelce’s teammates touched upon what the long run Corridor of Famer means to the crew past his on-the-field contributions. 

“He’s simply the last word competitor,” Melvin mentioned about Kelce. “You hear lots about his outgoing character. He relishes extra in being the chief by instance, versus a number of the outward stuff is simply him being him — ‘I’m not going to be a frontrunner as a result of I’m dancing earlier than the play. I’ll be a frontrunner as a result of I’m operating full velocity and I’m organising my teammate to achieve success.’ That’s extra of what he is into.”

Early into the 2024 season, some accused Kelce of being out of practice and/or distracted by his quite a few off-the-field enterprise endeavors and his ongoing relationship with leisure celebrity Taylor Swift. Nevertheless, ESPN’s Adam Teicher revealed in a narrative printed again in January how Kelce was “on the Chiefs’ apply facility [last winter and spring] greater than [quarterback Patrick Mahomes] anticipated, given Kelce’s many offseason tasks.”

That work ethic would not go unnoticed by friends resembling Chiefs guard/sort out Joe Thuney.

“He loves being on the market,” Thuney mentioned about Kelce. “He’s at all times on the market. I’ve no reminiscence of him ever lacking something. It’s outstanding how elite of a stage he’s been capable of play over such a protracted time period. He places within the work day in and day off form. All of us see it. He loves the run-blocking drills as a lot as something. He’s all in on the whole lot. It’s actually cool to see, particularly from a person with a legendary profession.”

Kelce’s performances in Kansas Metropolis’s final two playoff video games seemingly function examples of how he warmly embraces no matter position he must play for the Chiefs to safe victories in must-win contests. Within the divisional-round win over the Houston Texans, he recorded seven receptions for 117 yards and a landing. Kelce then tallied simply two catches for 19 yards as Kansas Metropolis beat the Buffalo Payments within the AFC Championship Recreation. 

“It humbles you every single day,” veteran vast receiver DeAndre Hopkins mentioned about working with Kelce from the October commerce that despatched Hopkins to the Chiefs via February. “It offers individuals a imaginative and prescient for the place you need to be.” 

As of late Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Chiefs as 1.5-point favorites to get the place they need to be on Sunday: changing into the primary crew in historical past to win three straight Tremendous Bowl video games.