Chiefs Camp Quotes: Assistant Coaches Have Their Day

Aug 9, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Chiefs 17-13. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

TIGHT ENDS COACH TOM MELVIN

Q: We’ve been waiting for Travis Kelce after being the star of camp last year before his knee injury. What do you think of him?

MELVIN: “Well that is why they call them their moneymakers. They’re guys that can kind of play through a broken finger or bad shoulder but when your legs start to go on you, if you can’t go full speed. That’s kind of the difference and you saw now, he is roaring.”

Q: How are the guys picking up all of the different formations since you ask them to move around so much?

MELVIN: “That’s a great question because they have probably the most dynamic set of alignments and shifts and motions of anybody here. So they’ve got to be offensive linemen sometimes during protection. They’ve got to be wideouts because we get them out wide and we get them matched up on corners and safeties. So there is an awful lot of work they have to do mentally before the play and then they have to play the game afterwards, so they’ve got to spend a lot of time just being able to get out of the huddle.”

Q: How much has Anthony Fasano helped developing the younger guys?

MELVIN: “We threw a touchdown down here to Junior (Hemingway) on a shallow cross coming the other way. It was a touchdown because of what Fasano did on the other side. He was able to grab two guys in coverage by the way he set them up. He is such a headsy player, he is phenomenal for us. He is really the glue not only in our room, but he kind of keeps that whole huddle going because he is a grizzled veteran, he’s very smart, and he’s got great composure. You don’t see ups and downs with him, he is steady all the time and that is very good for a young group.”

Q: It was a noble experiment but are you surprised that Demetrius Harris might work out as a basketball player turned football player?

MELVIN: “Absolutely. You’ve got to give John (Dorsey) all of the credit. He saw something and he saw that with Demetrius before he was even a sophomore playing basketball and John made a note of that when he saw him playing in Milwaukee, so that is a good eye for talent.”