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Munich / Kansas City – Looks downright playful: Clyde Edwards-Helaire takes a few short steps behind the offensive line, spins his 5 foot “dwarf” past the O-Line closets.
A side step and the opponent Benardrick McKinney flies into the void. He briefly fired up the turbo and the compact little dervish hurtled toward the end zone. Landing.
It’s just over halfway through the opening game of the 101st NFL season between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chiefs’ first-round pick shows everyone why he’s not just living up to his position. in the draft, but why is he doing it. he’s also considered a great contender for offensive rookie of the year.
In their first NFL game, which the Chiefs win 34:20, Edwards-Helaire dances through Houston’s defensive lines at will, collecting one yard at a time.
The 21-year-old rookie appears to be the missing piece of the puzzle in an offense that has dominated the league in recent years and now seems even harder to calculate than before with the running back’s playfully easy, but also muscular running style.
Praise from Head Coach Andy Reid
25 attempts, 138 rushing yards and a touchdown – CEH could hardly have dreamed of a better start to his NFL career. His numbers are incredibly impressive, he receives 19 points in the career-driven Fantasy Manager, although not very close to the values of a Kareem Hunt and his first game in the Chiefs jersey, his game is no less impressive.
The 32nd pick in this year’s draft convinces by his looks and therefore becomes a top performer in head coach Andy Reid’s offense.
“He had a really good training ground,” Reid said, praising his new running back. “He is a great player and we wanted to give him the ball, but there is no exact number. We remain very satisfied with the combination of passes and runs.”
Film analysis as an important part of training
The “balm,” as football expert Patrick Esume Edwards-Helaire calls it during the game – “explodes on first contact” – is particularly impressive for its combination of mobility and compactness, giving it great stability when running. runs away from so many tackles.
“I really only had to pass one player,” Edwards-Helaire explains with a smile when asked about his first NFL touchdown. Early in the second half, the newcomer lets McKinney slide into the void and finally finishes a 27-yard run in the opposite end zone.
“I’ve been looking at images all week, especially the two games last year. I feel like I’m the only newcomer to offense, so I had to understand how the Texans are defending,” Edwards-Helaire said. “The analysis of the film was important to me, this is how the long term came about more or less.”
A new weapon for Patrick Mahomes
As the game against the Houston Texans shows, the Chiefs’ already well-stocked offense is even more difficult to calculate due to the presence of Edwards-Helaire on the field. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes now has a very talented ball carrier in addition to receiving weapons with Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and tight end Travis Kelce who can relieve the Super Bowl MVP of a significant part. of the game design.
“He works really hard, learns from his mistakes and runs the ball between the two tackles or catches it from the backfield,” Mahomes enthused about his new teammate.
“He is another weapon I have at my disposal on this offense and of course we will continue to do everything we can to get the ball across the field and score touchdowns.”
Little man with contagious effects
At 1.70 meters tall and weighing 93 kg, Edwards-Helaire, 21, is one of the smallest running backs in the NFL; only Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears is even smaller at 1.67 meters. He not only makes up for this supposed disadvantage with his agility, but also largely with his performance on the field.
“He’s fun to play with,” says star tight end Kelce. “It’s just contagious when you see him play so hard and run with the ball. You want to be on the field, block for him and just help him with his plays.”
Will it also be a factor in the passing game?
In the end, the passing game also benefits the rookie running back, so thanks to Edwards-Helaire’s strong performance, Reid can increasingly draw on play-action moves and thus pose significant issues for defenses. rivals.
Although he was also used as a receiver at Louisiana State University, the running back has yet to distinguish himself as a pass catcher. Two passports destined for him got nowhere.
Do opponents focus on passing or running?
Edwards-Helaire won’t change the Chiefs game much, it will continue to be defined by Patrick Mahomes passing, but the young running back should offer the running game as an alternative, especially with clear advantages like in the third and fourth quarters against the Texans. .
At the same time, Edwards-Helaire allows for offensive flexibility that Kansas City rarely has available in recent years. The Chiefs’ opponents face a near-impossible task: Are they concentrating on defending the passing game of Mahomes, Kelce and company or the Edwards-Helaire running game?
The Kansas City Chiefs and their fans will definitely have a lot of fun with their running back, that’s for sure after the first of 16 games of the season.
Tom offinger
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