Kansas City Chiefs: Does Kliff Kingsbury make sense for the Chiefs?
By Kole Berrey
Texas Tech fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Why is this relevant? Well, Kingsbury coached Patrick Mahomes, who has become a star for the Kansas City Chiefs. Could the Chiefs find a role for Kingsbury?
Rarely does the firing of a college coach register on the radar of the NFL. Year after year, coaches from struggling programs are let go from their universities, and outside of a few high profile cases, fans outside of the program don’t even bat an eye.
So why would the firing of a coach who went 5-7 this year and 35-40 in his career even be considered by the NFL, let alone wanted? Well, there is one word really, and that word is evolution.
Of course, that coach is former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was recently fired from his position and is now looking for a new coaching job. Kansas City Chiefs fans may have heard that name and that is because Kingsbury was the head coach and offensive mind behind the aerial assault that Patrick Mahomes released upon the Big 12 in his playing days.
If the Chiefs lose offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this offseason, Kliff Kingsbury would make a lot of sense for them as his replacement. https://t.co/2AO60g3N33
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) November 24, 2018
Obviously Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy are doing more than a fine job with Mahomes, so why should the Chiefs bring him on board? To me, this fit is perfect. Kingsbury did wonders with Mahomes, and Andy Reid has incorporated some of the concepts and even plays that Mahomes ran in his college days into the offense we are seeing now.
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Empty sets (formations with no running back and five wide receivers) are all the rage in today’s NFL. Spread concepts are being taken from the college and high school ranks, and they are being used in the NFL as a new wrinkle to stress out defenses while also forcing them into packages with more corners on the field.
With the new rules the NFL has implemented, like making big hits over the middle obsolete, spread concepts have thrived. Now more than ever, slot receivers are being utilized to great effect, with big names like Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and Golden Tate being moved to the slot of times to create mismatches.
Kingsbury was masterful at this during Mahomes’ time at Texas Tech. Under Kingsbury, Mahomes torched defenses regularly. In his 32 games as a starting quarterback for Texas Tech, Mahomes threw for 11,252 yards, 93 touchdowns, and only 29 interceptions. His quarterback rating was a ridiculous 152.
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Kingsbury obviously has a familiarity with Mahomes, but where would he fit in with the Chiefs organization? The answer is simple, because there is already a precedent for the Chiefs to make a hire like this.
From 2013-2015, Brad Childress served in the front office of Kansas City. His official title was Spread Game Analyst. He eventually moved on to be Co-Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach for the team, until he moved on to Chicago with former Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy to be an offensive analyst for the Bears.
Earlier, I said the word evolution was the word to use to describe why Kingsbury would fit into today’s NFL. The Chiefs were ahead of the curve, looking into spread concepts as early as 2013 and implementing them as new wrinkles in Andy Reid’s West Coast offense.
The rest of the league has now caught up, and the spread and RPO are staples in almost all NFL offenses. Kingsbury could help the Chiefs further their evolution. His relationship with the Chiefs franchise quarterback, coupled with his knowledge of the spread game would be a perfect fit.
Obviously, Kingsbury may not be interested. Other NFL front offices may be interested, as well as many of the schools who will be looking for coaches after their seasons conclude. If Kingsbury does want to make the jump to the NFL however, the Chiefs make the most sense.
Expect them to do their due diligence and at least contact Kingsbury, as Brett Veach seems to be willing to do what it takes to take the Chiefs to the next level. If the Chiefs do hire him, expect everyone’s favorite ketchup loving quarterback to be thrilled about the addition.