Chiefs sign a rugby player

[Womble]

I remember saying to my rugby mates how dumb it was when he said he was trying to become a WR in the NFL, having never played the game. RB is the most obvious option and he's joining a team that scripts more RB receiving plays than most teams, so he can develop those skills here too. Having said all of that, I'm sceptical and think he'll be a practice squad guy at best this year.

[KC Hawks]

Future hall of famer IMHO

[carcosa]

Originally Posted by KC Hawks

Future hall of famer IMHO

Lock it in!!!!!

[staylor26]

Now that I think about it, this guy might be a great fit for the new KR rules.

[MVChiefFan]

Also back up punter in case the punt god blasts a returner and gets concussed.


In all seriousness, this is pretty intriguing. May not amount to anything, especially this year. But, man that dude is big, fast, and athletic. I’m kind of excited!

[Jewish Rabbi]

Okay **** YEAH!!!

[RedinTexas]

This should be one guy that'll be ready for the pitch from Kelce.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by RedinTexas

This should be one guy that'll be ready for the pitch from Kelce.

How is he at lining up and shutting up?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by RedinTexas

This should be one guy that'll be ready for the pitch from Kelce.

the lateral just isn’t done in the NFL. Too much risk of something going wrong. But, what if you get a guy that laterals many times a game on your team?

[Hayneplane]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

the lateral just isn’t done in the NFL. Too much risk of something going wrong. But, what if you get a guy that laterals many times a game on your team?

To me I feel that any team that truly mastered lateral plays would shred defensive schemes and run up points quickly.

If there is a significant aerodynamic difference between an NFL football and a rugby football then this might diminish my next point but my view on laterals is that nfl players don’t use a throwing technique that has any consistent accuracy as they mostly push the ball with one arm or wildly fling it as if it’s a bomb about to explode in their hand. The underarm two handed pass swinging through from shoulder through elbows pointing to where your throw target is is a much more robust technique for powerful and accurate passes.

Granted the amount of times it was a good call to attempt it might be too low to invest the time in upskilling all your players to be able to do it but in tight finish it might be a real difference maker.

[SithCeNtZ]

Originally Posted by Hayneplane

To me I feel that any team that truly mastered lateral plays would shred defensive schemes and run up points quickly.

If there is a significant aerodynamic difference between an NFL football and a rugby football then this might diminish my next point but my view on laterals is that nfl players don’t use a throwing technique that has any consistent accuracy as they mostly push the ball with one arm or wildly fling it as if it’s a bomb about to explode in their hand. The underarm two handed pass swinging through from shoulder through elbows pointing to where your throw target is is a much more robust technique for powerful and accurate passes.

Granted the amount of times it was a good call to attempt it might be too low to invest the time in upskilling all your players to be able to do it but in tight finish it might be a real difference maker.

Unfortunately, while a cool thing to imagine, there is no place for consistent laterals schematically that have any real impact on the game. We can already see how laterals are done at the line of scrimmage: option plays are hardly new or uncommon. While useful, they aren't anything game breaking.

So the only other level this can be groundbreaking is in the passing game, and here is where laterals run counter to NFL strategy. In order to lateral you obviously need two players, but scheming a nice gain in football is generally designed around getting a player in space with as few people around as possible. You don't want Kelce running routes with Rice 5 yards away ready for a lateral, that's just inviting problems. Couple that with the fact that unlike in Rugby, the defense is always at a fairly large advantage tackling wise given the Oline and probably QB are out of the play once the ball is thrown down field, and you are going to have to find a lateral play that can attack 4 or so vs 6-8 guys. So even if the lateral works, it's probably not going for some huge gain. Ultimately there is a reason kelce has done this like 4 times in hundreds of catches in his career. It's just not a viable NFL strategy to consistently do and spend time on practicing.

[Gravedigger]

This is starting to get to Rich Scanlon levels of absurdity.

[neech]

Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ

Unfortunately, while a cool thing to imagine, there is no place for consistent laterals schematically that have any real impact on the game. We can already see how laterals are done at the line of scrimmage: option plays are hardly new or uncommon. While useful, they aren't anything game breaking.

So the only other level this can be groundbreaking is in the passing game, and here is where laterals run counter to NFL strategy. In order to lateral you obviously need two players, but scheming a nice gain in football is generally designed around getting a player in space with as few people around as possible. You don't want Kelce running routes with Rice 5 yards away ready for a lateral, that's just inviting problems. Couple that with the fact that unlike in Rugby, the defense is always at a fairly large advantage tackling wise given the Oline and probably QB are out of the play once the ball is thrown down field, and you are going to have to find a lateral play that can attack 4 or so vs 6-8 guys. So even if the lateral works, it's probably not going for some huge gain. Ultimately there is a reason kelce has done this like 4 times in hundreds of catches in his career. It's just not a viable NFL strategy to consistently do and spend time on practicing.

Party pooper.

[WhawhaWhat]

Rees-Zammit is an NFL International Pathway Program player. He won’t count against the 90-player roster and if he makes the practice squad he wouldn’t count against the 16-player limit. https://t.co/yWxqeegNg5

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) March 27, 2024