Todd McShay, a former NFL Draft analyst for ESPN, didn’t mince words when he assessed Travis Kelce’s performance over the first three weeks of the season.
While Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended Kelce’s slow start and pointed to other defenses being prepared for Kelce, Awful Announcing noted that McShay said Kelce’s off-field exploits are wearing on him.
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Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce warms up for the Cincinnati Bengals game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sept. 15, 2024. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
“So, I don’t understand this, and maybe it’s a political thing, maybe it’s like the NFL, and maybe I’m gonna wind up getting a phone call from the league office. Maybe it’s Taylor Swift, I don’t know,” McShay said on “The Ryne Russilo Podcast.” “But like when you’re staring at something so obvious… Cris Collinsworth is, honest to God, my favorite analyst out there to watch; most respected analyst, I think, in football for anyone that has half a brain…
“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape? That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person, probably in the entire world. That he’s drinking… going to the U.S. Open, he’s got cocktails in…”
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reacts after a first down against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, on Sept. 5, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
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McShay then contrasted the 2022 preseason with the 2024 preseason to suggest that Kelce isn’t as locked in as he was. He then pointed to Kelce sitting on the bench looking downcast while watching film on a tablet as him not being the same player he has been.
“There’s no debating that his body type is different,” McShay added. “He’s not in the same shape. He’s not the same. I don’t see the same explosiveness. I see him wearing down a bit in-game. It’s OK. He’ll work himself back into the shape. It’s not the first guy ever who’s not quite in the elite shape that he was.
“And now you’re sitting here, and you’re defending him, too. Is there some kind of message I’m not getting from the league that you’re not allowed to say he’s not in the same shape, he’s not able to produce at the highest level right now? And he’ll probably work himself back into shape by Week 8, 9, 10 this season. Are we not allowed to say that?”
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce catches a pass during the Cincinnati Bengals game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 15, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
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Kelce is about to turn 35 years old. Last season, he started the year dealing with an injury. He also had 121 targets on the season – the fewest since 2017. But that season, he still managed to record 1,000 receiving yards.
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