After posting one of the best games of his career as a punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mecole Hardman seems destined to play a big role on special teams moving forward in the playoffs.
Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub commented on the job he did in his media availability on Thursday. After a pair of fumbles early on in the season, Hardman was benched in favor of Mike Hughes. Toub reflected on what Hardman may have learned from watching Hughes as he sat in recent weeks and awaited his opportunity to get back to returning punts.
“Mecole had his best punt return day that he’s had since he’s been here,” Toub said of the third-year receiver. “I mean I know he scored a touchdown in Miami last year, but that day that he had Sunday, he ran tough, he didn’t run out of bounds, he actually cut back into the field, make some people miss. He had a desire not to go down and that’s what you have to have as a punt returner.
“You have to have courage, the desire not to go down and try to make people miss and he ran tough. I was really proud of the way he handled the whole day. Obviously, in the second one, he got the 48-yard return, I mean that was really close to being a score. We got to keep building on that and continue on. We got a few more games left here.”
Hardman gained nearly 70 yards in his best two punt returns against Pittsburgh and flashed some of the big-play ability that got him drafted in the second round. When he plays well, Hardman has proven to be a complimentary piece to both the offense and special teams as a player that is a threat to score any time he has the ball in his hands.
While Hughes took some of the looks Hardman may have gotten earlier in the season, it seems a change of the guard is occurring on special teams, which could mean a breakthrough is coming in his regular duties as a receiver. Hardman’s primary dysfunction through the early stages of his career has always been consistency, and if time spent under Toub can translate to better results in his usual role, he could be a key factor in any further success the Chiefs enjoy in the postseason.
