Coach Andy Reid Stands by Harrison Butker: Explains Non-Benching Decision Amid Graduation Speech Backlash “He did nothing wrong”

time the Chiefs were fuming at referee Carl Cheffers was five-plus years ago. That was January 2017, when his holding call on Eric Fisher negated a game-tying two-point conversion late in an 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh in a divisional round playoff game … and evoked the postgame fury of the unbridled Travis Kelce after a game in which he’d also committed a personal foul. If that sounds like ancient history, we turn back to it now as a benchmark. Because the contrast between that scene and who Kelce has become today, who he was at the scene on Monday, tells a broader story. It illustrates the arc of his evolution from a tendency toward brash sideshows into one of the most compelling athletes and characters in Kansas City sports history — and a force who is on trajectory to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article267227177.html#storylink=cpyHe’ll be in the spotlight again on Sunday when Buffalo comes to Kansas City hoping to stifle a player who has had 32 receptions for 336 yards and six touchdowns in their last four meetings. By now, maybe you take those kinds of performances for granted from Kelce. But take a moment to appreciate it. Not just because of the phenomenon Kelce has become.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article267227177.html#storylink=cpyBecause something had to change for him to realize this sort of potential. By taming his temperamental trap doors, Kelce went from being a wild card to the most dynamic and dependable player the Chiefs have after Patrick Mahomes. It’s telling that Mahomes trusts Kelce so deeply. “How they play off each other, I think, is big,” coach Andy Reid said. “That doesn’t always happen in this league, where you find a guy that you have that mojo with there — or whatever you want to term it.”

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article267227177.html#storylink=cpy