Dec 1, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub during the game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
We are three weeks away from the start of training camp which means it is time to start going all-in on the 2014 season. To help get us ready for camp we are asking three questions of each position group that need to be answered some time during July and August.
Today we focus on the Chiefs special teams unit which was by far one of the best units in all of football. In no other area of the team was it so obvious about the leap in coaching ability than Dave Toub’s special teams group. The leap from being a squad that couldn’t make a big play to save it’s life and was a one-man show in Dustin Colquitt to being a unit that either won, put away, or kept the Chiefs in several games is flat out remarkable.
The best evidence of this is the return units who each saw their scoring productivity increase under Toub. Dexter McCluster went from being a second round bust to an All-Pro under Toub, Quintin Demps was picked up off the streets and returned two kicks, and rookie Knile Davis returned a kickoff 108 yards against Denver. Kansas City was dangerous every time they touched the ball in 2013.
Still, there are plenty of questions surrounding the kicking game and some room for improvement, too. Let’s talk special teams.