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While the Kansas City Chiefs are technically among the NFL franchises with a new head coach, they're clearly not in the same boat as other teams bringing in an entirely new regime from the ground up, a la the Oakland Raiders or Indianapolis Colts. Instead, the Chiefs players are enjoying a relatively easy transition under Romeo Crennel that features many of the same assistants as well. But that doesn't mean there aren't any new faces.
Brian Daboll is now helming the offense. The offensive line has two new faces in Jack Bicknell, Jr. and Steven Smith. The special teams unit also has a new leader in Tom McMahon. Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt recently took a few minutes out to discuss what the change has meant for him personally and for the entire unit.
On what new special teams coach Tom McMahon brings to the Chiefs:
Good things, I think. T-Mac brings good things to the table, big time football X and O's guys. You've seen that with the new injection of a lot of new players, speed strengths. Just getting to know him, obviously, this spring was a new process. He's been nothing but good to me. He's helped me relook at fundamental stuff. Just for Ryan (Succop), for Thomas (Gafford), it's going to be a good things through the season for us.
On what McMahon is teaching Colquitt:
We're always learning new stuff. I'll never master trade. I'm always looking for new things - stuff that makes it easier, consistent. He's brought that. He's brought a structure and just something that he believes in. When somebody is passionate like that, you listen and try to learn everything you can from them. That's what I'm trying to do right now, learning everything I can from him. He had a lot of success in St. Louis with their specialists and really had them looking good. I'd be ignorant not to follow his lead.
On what specifically he is learning:
More directional punting, I think, is something that we're kind of talking about doing. More hang, obviously. When you hang the ball up and give your athletes a chance to get down there - these days these offenses are so good in the NFL - you have to offset them somehow. When you have good punting, and a kicker that can get good range and is good from 40-49, it's going to be good for your football team.