.@tkelce thinks about route running like being a ball handler on a basketball court.
Learning from the best at @te_university. 🗣 pic.twitter.com/i8XRIRz5OG
— NFL (@NFL) June 21, 2023
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has his teacher hat on at the third annual Tight End University (TEU), which is underway at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesse.
His on-field instruction during the course of the three-day summit was centered around leverage, releases and running routes against defenders in man coverage. He hones in on explaining the blend of putting your own spin on things to get open, but also the element of timing things up with your quarterback.
“In terms of gaining leverage in man coverage route running, I’m thinking a lot about being a ball carrier on a basketball court,” Kelce said. “Like, in between the legs, going here, going here. I’m trying to break hips and open up, break his hip and get past his level. Things like that.”
Kelce provided some unique comparisons in his instruction to relate to the crowd of NFL athletes. That includes a little tidbit from a current Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach.
“There was an NBA coach, Phil Handy, that was talking about, ‘You can downshift and you can look quicker than you actually are,'” Kelce continued. “A lot of guys, when they’re dribbling the basketball, it’s all just 100 miles per hour. It’s not real purposeful — it looks sweet — but it’s not real purposeful. If you can somehow find a way to (appear) quicker, it’s more threatening to that defender. . . When you play with the actual tempo of your routes, that’s what I was talking about with the pianist. Making sure that you’re playing your own melody, but you’re on that QBs time.”
The multitalented NFL star certainly has a career in show business after he decides to hang up his cleats. However, these clips from TEU are a reminder that he probably could pick up a career in coaching as well.
