THREAD: 6 Travis Kelce plays you can steal from Andy Reid's playbook

Do you have a tight end, or other skill player that gives defenses a lot of problems?

Need some ideas?

Andy Reid's offense is full of concepts that work at every level.

So let's talk about six of them...

Before we get started, you know the drill...

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1. 2-Man Stacked Receiver Sets

Andy Reid has been using stacked receiver sets for years, and one of his favorite things to do with Travis Kelce is to put him out wide stacked like this.

These kinds of looks allow Andy Reid to set the matchup exactly the way he wants it.

On the first play, Hill takes off underneath om a shallow cross route, so #33 lets him go and takes the immediate vertical threat, which is Kelce.

This makes his route incredibly easy, as he breaks to the corner, the defender clearly boxed out, it’s an easy throw for Mahomes.

This means Andy Reid has the matchup he wants, and because Stephon Gilmore is busy playing over the top of Hill on the shallow crossing route, there’s no one with outside leverage on Kelce.

Pairing up Tyreek Hill and Kelce on the same side means that much of the defense’s attention is focused on Hill, and making sure they’ve got him bracketed if he goes deep.

Defenses at the high school level usually have just a single answer for how to play these kinds of stacked sets.

Put that defense in situations where they’re forced to be predictable and vanilla, and it’s a lot easier to scheme up throws to your best players, including the TE.

2. TE Crossing Route Concept

Kansas City loves these kinds of concepts for a couple of reasons.

The obvious one is because of all the speed they have everywhere. If they can get a guy like Hill, Watkins, or Hardman to go vertical against a weaker matchup, it’s a no-brainer.

These speedy guys have the added bonus of clearing out a lot of underneath coverage, allowing Kelce to roam free down the middle.

By the time he reaches the opposite end of the field, the coverage has usually vacated (in zone), worried about the deep threat to their side.

Let’s take a look at one specific example.

There are all kinds of things going on here. Tyreek Hill presents a unique threat, in that he can create all sorts of opportunities for the offense as a decoy, even when he’s not running deep on a route. We’ll see more of this later.

It’s not that Kelce is so much faster than the interior defenders (though he is fast) but these kinds of concepts give Patrick Mahomes a huge throwing lane to get the ball to one of his best targets.

This isn’t quite the same as the other TE cross concepts in this thread, but it’s a really fun play to watch and draw up, so I wanted to include it here, the same clip from the beginning of this thread.

And here's the full diagram...

So what does that mean for you? If you don’t have this one in your offense, you should think about adding it.

One of the hardest routes to throw for many QBs at the HS level is the dig route. It’s a horizontal throw, usually in a tight window, w/ a very small margin of error.

The great thing about these types of crossing routes is that when paired up with vertical threats on the opposite side of the concept, this route gives the QB lots of room to throw the receiver open, and for the receiver to adjust to a pass that isn’t perfect.

3. RPO Routes

As you’ve probably noticed, RPO’s have made their way to the NFL, and Andy Reid’s offense has been on the forefront of that evolution.

The great thing about these concepts is that none of them are complex. These are just ways to get the ball in your best players’ hands out in space, and let them make something happen.

Let’s take a look at one particular play from the cutups...

If you’ve got a player with a good size advantage and decent quickness, why not let him try his luck out on the edge, against smaller defensive backs. Force those guys to make a tackle, and make their lives miserable.

I don’t have to tell you how dangerous a good RPO package can be, even if you’re only throwing it once or twice a game.

Being able to threaten the whole field with one of your best players on an inside zone play will keep the opposition up late at night trying to figure it out.

4. Wham Boot Slide Route

With as much misdirection as Kansas City runs in the backfield, this play is a natural progression of the offense.

Let’s take a look at one play a little closer...

When the ball is snapped, there are three potential ball carriers crossing each other in the backfield.

This version is basically a one-man route.

Unless the corner to the boot side completely abandons his deep pass responsibility, the ball is going to Kelce underneath.

Scripting up simple underneath throws for your best players away from the run action takes a toll on a defense.

I don’t have to sell you on the benefits of a boot package, but make sure you’re being deliberate about who you’re getting the ball to on those high-percentage routes.

5. TE Wildcat Pistol

This is as simple as it gets, right?

Put one of your biggest, best players behind center and snap it to him, especially during short yardage and goal line situations.

On this play drawn up, KC shifts into a full house pistol set with Mahomes at tailback and Kelce taking the snap.

As expected, there’s lots of misdirection in the backfield, with Mahomes headed opposite the pulling guard.

Here, Kelce takes off on the power read, and Mahomes drags enough backside defenders with him to open up space for Kelce to cut back and score.

The takeaway here should be obvious.

When you’re in a big situation near the goal line, make sure your best players are a threat to touch the ball.

Even if you don’t want to create a wildcat package for your tight end, you should still make sure that you find creative ways to get him the ball down here.

6. TE Middle Screen

Kansas City runs the screen pass as well as anyone in the NFL, and a big reason is because they’re always finding new ways to run screens that don’t really look like screens until it’s too late.

This play works so well because it gets the ball to one of the Chiefs’ best players, and also because it’s a screen designed to look like another screen to the perimeter that KC runs all the time.

Here, Mahomes will start out with a fake to the back, then pump to the flare screen going to the opposite flat, and finally dump it off underneath to Kelce who has a convoy of blockers in front of him.

These kinds of play work best against a “smart” defense who loves to watch film and guess where the ball is going.

By the time Mahomes finishes his backfield acrobatics, most of the defense is completely out of position and Kelce picks up a nice gain.

Whether or not you want to add this particular play to your arsenal, the lesson here is to always add one or two wrinkles each week that protect your best plays. Don’t let the defense stick their nose into the backfield without worrying that the ball could be going the other way.

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