By most metrics, the Kansas City Chiefs have either the best or one of the three best centers in football protecting Patrick Mahomes. It's been that way for years, but no one's perfect, and Creed Humphrey definitely isn't the exception to that rule.
While he's usually great in pass protection and run-blocking, the Oklahoma product struggles mightily with low snaps or high snaps for whatever reason. It was an occasional issue at first, but it's become a weekly concern amidst a 5-2 season for the Chiefs.
When asked about his recent issues, Humphrey vowed to work on his wobbled snaps and get better. That's noble and all, but he's a six-year veteran with nearly 7,000 career snaps, so he's probably who he is by now.
Creed Humphrey’s low snaps are something Chiefs fans may just have to accept
"For me, it's just don't make it harder than what it is," said Humphrey (h/t Vahe Gregorian). "Just do it, you've done it your whole life ... But it's something I need to fix right away. It's affecting our offense, and I need to be better."
Almost every week, Mahomes has found himself juggling a snap to prevent a turnover. He's been able to avoid disaster more often than not, but that has also led to broken plays and wasted opportunities multiple times.
That's definitely not what one would expect from a center making $18 million a year and a guy who was the highest-paid player at his position for a significant while. That said, he is who he is, and that's something this team may just have to deal with.
At least, Humphrey has been his usual mauling self this season. He's dominated in the trenches more often than not, allowing just three pressures (all hurries) and zero sacks over the first seven games of the season, according to PFF. He's been flagged just once.
The Chiefs' offensive line has held its own better than expected this season. They continue to shake things up in the interior and might be in the market for a guard before the November 10 trade deadline, but not having Josh Simmons hasn't been much of a problem.
Watching Humphrey put the ball in harm's way this often is obviously frustrating, and more so, especially given his top-end contract, but at least 90 percent of teams would probably have him anchoring the offensive line anyway.
Hopefully, he'll live up to his word and finally work on the only glaring flaw in his game. That said, sometimes you just can't teach an old dog new tricks, not even if that old dog happens to be a three-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion.
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