Chiefs' Willie Gay arrted mismeanor crimal damage se ahead of divisnal round game wh Bills

Contents:

• PROMISG LB WILLIE GAY QUICKLY MAKG UP FOR LOST TIME, OPPORTUNI OTAS
• CHIEFS' WILLIE GAY ARRTED MISMEANOR CRIMAL DAMAGE SE AHEAD OF DIVISNAL ROUND GAME WH BILLS
• WILLIAM GAY
• WILLIE GAY JR.
• FILM REVIEW: NICK BOLTON, WILLIE GAY JR. PROVI GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE FOR CHIEFS AT LEBACKER
• WILLIE GAY
• KANSAS CY CHIEFS' WILLIE GAY ARRTED ON MISMEANOR CHARGE OF CRIMAL PROPERTY DAMAGE

PROMISG LB WILLIE GAY QUICKLY MAKG UP FOR LOST TIME, OPPORTUNI OTAS

2018 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Appeared all 13 gam and earned six starts … Set a reer high wh 48 total tackl, rankg sixth on the team … Add 5. PERSONAL: Born Willie Gay Jr. 15, 1998 … Son of Bridgett and Willie Gay Sr.

GAY JR. — Although lebacker Willie Gay has been the NFL for 14 months now, he’s still gog through experienc that ually happen durg a player’s rookie summer has been the first time Gay has practiced wh his Chiefs teammat a more loose settg, one which a young player n rrect his mistak more quickly bee the repetns are aplenty.

And unlike last year, amid the height of the ronavis panmic, Gay went through his first voluntary on-field workouts the past three weeks at the Chiefs’ trag facily as the first phase of his anticipated send season, which he is expected to be one of the team’s this time of the year, most send-year players n scribe, often rather great tail, the difference they have terms of the nfince their abili and their knowledge of their team’s scheme.

CHIEFS' WILLIE GAY ARRTED MISMEANOR CRIMAL DAMAGE SE AHEAD OF DIVISNAL ROUND GAME WH BILLS

Gay, along wh all NFL rooki last season, knows that parg the two years is unreasonable bee the panmic ncelled the Chiefs’ on-field workouts last summer.

“It was tough, ” Gay said after Thursday’s practice. ”In the Chiefs’ voluntary practic, Gay was been on the field plenty, as the team prrized passg the ball for s potent offense and pass verage for s sendary and lebackers. Gay has worked on his footwork, his zone verage — when observg the opposg quarterback while also beg aware of the receivers enterg and leavg his area — and his timg when attemptg to break up a pass.

He has also vered every skill posn player available on the oppose si of the le of scrimmage, om nng back to fullback to wi repetns, and the on upg this week durg the Chiefs’ mandatory mimp, are signed to prepare Gay for a larger role the team’s younger fensive un led by ordator Steve year, the first time Spagnuolo and ach Andy Reid worked wh their players on the field after Super Bowl LIV was at the start of trag mp.

WILLIAM GAY

“(You’re) able to teach Willie Gay, as a rookie, on how to move and drop and your fundamentals and techniqu and the different verag that he’s got to take re of, and the n-f rponsibili, ” Reid said April reference of the lsons Gay had to learn later than ual last season. ”Gay’s reer began wh no rookie mimp repetns, no voluntary OTAs repetns and no mimp repetns.

“You miss out on 100-pl reps, ” Gay said December. — Kansas Cy Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 27, 2021As a rookie, Gay played jt 267 fensive snaps, which which was jt 25 percent. One way to measure Gay’s growth this season is by how often Spagnuolo keeps him on the field on send- and third-down plays.

Gay rerd jt 96 bed snaps such suatns last year, acrdg to Tmedia and Pro Football Foc. That statistic should rise sce Gay is expected to replace lebacker Damien Wilson (230 snaps on send- and third-down plays), an eight-year veteran who joed the Jacksonville Jaguars via ee Flajole, the Chiefs’ new outsi lebackers assistant, scribed Gay, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds, as a bigger, more athletic fensive back. ”When the Chiefs selected Gay the send round if the 2020 NFL Draft after he excelled llege at Mississippi State; he had the hight verage gra of any lebacker the draft class, acrdg to Pro Football Foc, surrenrg jt 183 yards 294 verage snaps.

WILLIE GAY JR.

“I n only get better at , ” Gay said. ”But Gay’s first assignment after the Chiefs’ loss Super Bowl LV was to have a full revery after he need surgery late January to repair the torn menisc his left the Chiefs’ regular-season fale agast the Los Angel Chargers, Gay staed a a spraed ankle when he llid wh lebacker Dari Harris while attemptg to tackle tight end Donald Parham Jr. The jury forced Gay to miss the rt of the game, and he never appeared the postseason, missg out on the valuable experience of performg on the sport’s biggt months followg the surgery, Gay was cleared to participated the Chiefs’ on-field workouts after rigoro rehabs ssns wh Julie Frymyer, the team’s assistant athletic traer.

“I don’t even know if was at practice or jt walkg around after, ” Gay said of his knee jury.

FILM REVIEW: NICK BOLTON, WILLIE GAY JR. PROVI GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE FOR CHIEFS AT LEBACKER

”Prr to his jury, the Chiefs were succsful the trite task of how they wanted to velop Gay through an unmon rookie season.

WILLIE GAY

Spagnuolo ma sure Gay wasn’t thst to beg a starter sooner than his velopment suggted. Gay was allowed to learn the Chiefs’ plex scheme at a reasonable pace, all while beg mentored by several veterans, the most proment beg startg middle lebacker Anthony 16 gam, Gay produced 37 tackl, three tackl for loss, three pass breakups, one sack and one forced fumble. Gay regnized the Dolphs’ plan and executed three imprsive tasks the urse of six sends: He retreated to ver the middle of the field, closed the nng angle for a scramblg Bown and tackled him, limg the Dolphs to jt a 2-yard 12 snaps the Chiefs’ w over the New Orleans Sats Week 15, Gay didn’t appear to make any mistak wh his assignments.

Gay stayed wh tight end Jared Cook man-to-man verage before divg to rerd a perfectly timed pass breakup. Gay rerd a team-high ne tackl.

KANSAS CY CHIEFS' WILLIE GAY ARRTED ON MISMEANOR CHARGE OF CRIMAL PROPERTY DAMAGE

Early the fourth quarter, Gay forced receiver Brandon Powell to fumble the red zone, a turnover that proved cril the Chiefs’ eback victory. — NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020While Gay’s jury psed his progrsn, the Chiefs supported him by g one of their send-round picks this year’s draft to select rookie lebacker Nick Bolton. Gay predicted on his Twter acunt that the Chiefs were selectg Bolton and to exprs his approval of the team’s cisn.

Bolton and Gay have been iends for the past four years sce they met at a recg mp at Mississippi State.

“We talk every day, ” Gay said of Bolton. ”The Chiefs are eager to pair Gay and Bolton, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 237 pounds, for multiple years.