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Drue Tranquill, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker

Zach Gelb Show / Zach Gelb
The Truth Network Radio
January 24, 2025 5:05 pm

Drue Tranquill, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker

Zach Gelb Show / Zach Gelb

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January 24, 2025 5:05 pm

Drue Tranquill, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker joins Zach Gelb

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All right, we continue.

This is Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. We're getting you set for the AFC Championship game with the Buffalo Bills going Arrowhead to go up against the Kansas City. How about those chiefs and now joining us linebacker from the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion Drew tranquil kind enough to jump on board with us once again. Drew appreciate the time. How you been?

How are you? I know the first four years of your career. You love being with the Chargers, but we saw you win a Super Bowl last year and all the elation and appreciation that you had. How about just what this team has been able to accomplish so far and what you kind of seen for each day and it's been cool seeing guys come in the door and help us whether it was like Kareem middle of the season bringing in DeAndre Hopkins young guys stepping up making plays for us and so we've had to find a lot of different ways to win this season but it's been fun ride and we're one of the last four teams standing which is what you always aim for you know in this conference championship weekend.

You know winning is addictive and sometimes when you win right there's better business opportunities. You know I think it was a tough season you elected to resign what were you ever close to leave in this past offseason or was it like hey this is just so good right now in Kansas City how the heck could I leave. Well I certainly love to hear you know having three young kids and a wife.

You know you don't want to be bouncing around but at the end of the day business is business and I wouldn't say I was close to leaving. I think they put forth a good effort to bring me back and I felt like it was a win win situation. We were able to get a deal done but we're certainly super excited for this season. I think it's great to be here. We love everything about it.

Obviously love spags. Love Coach Reed. Love the guys here. Brad Beach everybody involved and love the Chiefs Kingdom man. Our fans are one of a kind. I really don't believe there's a better place to play the narrow end.

Yeah. What is it like game day at our head. Now the stakes are a little bit bigger. So you know I'm not saying it's not loud in the regular season but it goes to a different level when when the Super Bowl right in a trip to the Super Bowl is on the line. I mean I think I've played in 30 out of 32 NFL stadiums and obviously had played arrowhead a few times being in the division my first four years in the NFL and it was always my favorite place to play like the energy the excitement. The fans are rowdy they're loud but it's a cool it's a good advantage for us week in and week out especially on the defensive side of the ball when you can get the offense operating on silent count when they can't hear each other and make their checks. I mean our fans love it. We love them.

When you win you create this culture that everybody kind of loves to be a part of. And we you know we have that Drew tranquil here with us of the Kansas City Chiefs just out of curiosity. You know your first four years in the league you were really good player but the last two years. How do you think you've improved as a player being a part of the Chiefs. I mean I'm constantly just trying to send whether it's you know in the run game in the past game and my coverage skills and my blitzing. I feel like I've really kind of taken off as a blitzer over the last two or three years of my career just learning different techniques you know learning what moves to put on what guys.

And so that's it. That's an area of my game that I've I've certainly tried to develop and seeing growth. And you've mentioned spags quite a few times already in this conversation. I've made the case that he should be a Hall of Famer with all the Super Bowls that he's won leading the way for those defenses in New York and now with Kansas City. Just what is Steve Spagnola mean to you with your relationship within the last two years. Well he's a great mentor and a great person. We obviously know what he's able to do with the X's and O's but how he forms relationships with his players and how he invests in their players and his players and how he gets the most out of the guys week in and week out is special. And there's only a handful of people in the world coaching wise that can do that. Is it kind of crazy to you Drew that he you know Kansas City is able to keep him because man I thought he would get another head coaching job didn't happen last year. This year he's got some interviews but there's only two jobs left in this cycle. It's got to be surreal when you can keep a staff like that together.

It is. That's one thing that surprised me with the Chiefs is just the continuity whether it's whether it's the guys you know drawing cards for us the assistant coaches the position coaches staff continuity has been really special here and they've done they've done a good job of rewarding those guys for having success and performing just like they've done their players the guys that have performed you know rewarding them. But we have many many coaches on our staff that would be great great head coaches and we're certainly thankful to have them on the staff and people. So you got to see Buffalo again. I know you played them earlier in the season. You guys haven't lost many games this year. It's really your one true loss of the year because you guys weren't a full go up against you know the end of the season the Denver Broncos. But how do you kind of look back at that first matchup and what didn't go your way up against the Bills. I think they won the turnover battle. It's going to come over come down to things like how do you do on third down and how do you do in the red zone.

Can you make him kick field goals or are they going to score touchdowns. I think you look at you know what they were able to do in that first game. I think they won the turnover battle.

I think they were I think 50 to 60 percent on third down the both of those things. That's a losing formula for us. So we'll have to be want to be better in this game. We know Josh is a great competitor. He's got a great group of guys around him. He's had a lot of continuity on the offensive line this year. They've been able to score a lot of goals.

They'll stay healthy for the most part. And they got great coaches. I mean you look at what Coach Brady has been able to do with the offense. Sean McDermott and staff on the defensive side of the ball. And so they're a complete team.

They play together. And so we'll have to play sound football executed a high level and go get a dub. You got the best quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes. You don't have to prepare up against him. There's so many great quarterbacks in this league from borough to Lamar Jackson and obviously Josh. Do you feel like Josh is the tough quarterback to prepare for.

There's many. I mean we played all those guys that you mentioned this year. They're all tough in their own regards. Josh and Lamar obviously bring a different element when you talk about their ability to run the football. But Josh is man. He's impressed me so much this year. His vision making his ability to put the ball in a bread or put the ball in a bread basket down the field deep throws intermediate throws short throws his ability to extend the play with his legs. He's so hard to sack and get on the ground. He certainly protected the football. So he's he's a massive challenge. I mean he's he's one of those guys where you're circling him on a Monday and Tuesday saying we got to figure out a way to stop this guy. And he's a special player.

They're lucky to have him true tranquil here with us that help here with you on the Infinity Sports Network. I know you're focused on winning this game and going to the Super Bowl. But this is such a legendary rivalry now. There's so many iconic moments the last five years or so between the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. You've been a part of it the last two seasons.

Do you understand it like in the most. Moment man like years from now we're going to be talking about these games my home's up against Allen the bills up against the Chiefs you under you appreciate in the moment what eventually the historical significance will be maybe not right now. I mean I know. So from an outside guy watched some of those playoff games like I remember the the the infamous game that changed the overtime rules in the playoffs. I remember watching that on my couch. We were out of playoffs and I remember watching that we were at the pool and I'm grilling and I remember watching that game and just being like this. That might be the single handedly might be the greatest football game I've ever witnessed with my own two eyes and obviously be a part of that divisional round win last year in Buffalo.

I'm in the cold fans throwing the snowballs man. I mean there's just a lot that goes into these games. It's two great programs two programs that are really peaking at the same time and obviously two historic quarterbacks when you talk about what these two cats are doing. And so I'm I'm lucky to be a part of it.

I'm excited for what's to come this Sunday evening. That's kind of crazy right. You're watching that 13 second game at the pool burgers dogs and now you're a part of it like that. Like could you have ever imagined that in the moment that you would have been playing for Kansas City one day. I mean I wouldn't have imagined it just because I thought I was going to be back with the Chargers and God had different plans and then I come here on a one year deal a lot of times guys come on one year deals to kind of prove it and then they go somewhere else and free agency and we were able to work things out and stay a part of Chief's Kingdom.

And so yeah there's a lot of uncertainties. I think the the odds makers would have had a pretty low chance but I'm here and I'm thankful and I'm glad to be a part of this team. Drew tranquil here with us.

All right. Get into your defense. I think the world of Chris Jones he's made so many iconic plays in these postseason games one of the best defensive players in football. George Karloff just keeps on getting better each and every year we saw what he was able to do last week. Just how about the tone that those two guys really up front set for the rest of the Chiefs defense.

What's the message that coach really preaches in all these big games but especially as you get in the playoffs. It starts with the offensive and defensive line. And if you look at all the teams in the playoffs right now like they've got good fronts and those two guys have certainly kind of set the tone on our defensive front. They've got a really good front as well.

It'll be a good battle in the trenches. I'll tell you man. The linebackers a lot more asked that of you guys this week especially going up again. They've got a really good defense. They've got a really good defense against the mobility of Josh Allen the way that he runs and you know it.

Nick Bolton he's always good in the regular season but come postseason time. That dude's made a lot of big plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has I still think he should have had two touchdowns in that one Super Bowl.

I don't know how they how they called that one and then complete pass. I guess he wasn't making a football motion but he's come up critical for this franchise multiple multiple times. We're lucky to have him as our signal caller and our leader. We've had a conversation about him and the last two years people go oh he's past his prime. Oh he's slowing down. He's too focused off the field with Taylor Swift and then come postseason time. He shuts everybody up Drew tranquil.

Do you just laugh at some of the stupidest of this. There's the stupid comments that are made when it comes to Travis Kelsey. Well who cares whether he's past his prime or not. I mean when you could still put up 100 yards in a critical divisional matchup. I mean I'd still say you're playing pretty good ball. I mean he's still one of the best in the league. What he's able to do to create space for himself. What he's able to do with the ball after the catch and what he's able to do for us in terms of energy and leadership.

You can't put a price tag on that. You know I think he's the longest tenured chief and one of the longest tenured maybe next to James when he's going to play. I mean I think he's done so much.

We know what he means to the city what he means to this team and he does. He's one of those guys that shows up in the biggest moments for you. I know that you're so focused when you're on the sideline because you get ready to go back on the field. But you sometimes just get lost and just you're in awe on what Pat and what Travis are able to do because man that's an that's an elite duo one of the greatest duos of all time that we've ever seen in the NFL. I mean once you make the corrections and you're kind of able to sit there on the bench and catch your breath and get ready to go back on the field you kind of get to see some plays like last last week that diving pass to Travis in the end zone. You think Travis was running the play right according to some of the offensive guys. I think he was just kind of doing his own thing and somehow having patter always on the same page and they're able to connect in another iconic play. You look back to Baltimore at the bank last year on that third down where a similar pass diving and Travis somehow extends and dives and converts that first down for us to keep the chains moving. Whether it's the divisional round against Buffalo last year he scores that touchdown and throws the hard up to T Swift and his brother up in the up in the suite.

I mean there's just iconic moments with Pat and Trav and the rest of this team and hopefully we can create some more of those in Sunday. Do you look at the referees right. That was a conversation after the Texans game.

They talk openly. They thought you guys were getting the calls and there's like a chief advantage. How do you kind of respond to that when the officials are getting associated with you guys and be kind of using as an excuse for the rest of the teams around the league. Yeah I think it's a silly narrative that people just kind of start buying into and believe in and any call that that goes your way that maybe shouldn't have now just intensifies the narrative I think you look at any team when they had a historic run the Patriots like it was kind of the same deal same conversation so I hope that I hope the referees have a clean game and I hope they call it perfectly for both sides of the ball.

You know I think that's what we all hope for as competitors. Do you have any idea how to hit the quarterback anymore. You just got to have a you just got to have a feel for it. I mean once they release the ball you got to do your best to just not smack them like if it looks if it's a big hit like they're probably going to pull the yellow flag out of their pocket. It's just a different different game different day and age and so it makes it tough on the defender for sure in some scenarios but especially on the sideline when you get a big guy like Josh Allen and you're trying to be physical and not trying to make a tough tackle and maybe he kind of acts like he's going to get a little extra yards and then goes out of bounds.

I mean I mean all the great quarterbacks know how to use that to their advantage and so we'll have to be cognizant of that he's a tough tackle but we'll also have to not you know draw the personal foul either. Last thing I'll ask you before we let you run Drew tranquil and really appreciate the time is always getting you set for this AFC Championship game between the Bills and the Chiefs and Arrowhead coming up on Sunday. I got to ask you about your alma mater Notre Dame when they lost in week two to northern Illinois hot take I would have never thought that they would have made it to the national championship game got off to a great start. Then the game got away for them they made it close at the end but to see what Marcus Freeman and company were able to do this year.

Just what are your thoughts on it. Yeah Zach I don't know that that would have been a hot take I felt the same way, but to see I think the thing that impresses me most is what you know coach Freeman you look at Al Golden you look at coach Den Brock what they were able to do from a strategy standpoint how they said this is how we're going to play. We're going to run the ball we're going to use Riley's legs. Riley just developed and developed as a thrower you see him making some big throws in that playoff, but they leaned on the run game and they leaned on their defense, and the defense came up time and time again. You look at coach Marty biology and the special teams department and the number of critical plays that they had down the stretch and in the playoffs.

It seems like they really use that and I, and I you lost to develop an identity. And I think that identity carried them like throughout the playoffs if you look at how the games went. And unfortunately the game got away for you look at the 18 play drive to start that game and you go, they're going to play the game they want to play in Ohio State responded I think with 28 unanswered points and so you get down 28 to seven and you're not playing the game that you played all year long to get you to that point. But you look at the resiliency, and I think it speaks to the culture and what you know coach Freeman is doing with those guys and kind of never stopping never backing down and they're able to make it close there at the end, you get off the field on third and 11 who knows what happens, you know, down eight, but credit Ohio State I mean they got hot at the right time Ohio State they were. They were a juggernaut we were kind of banged up and lost two offensive lineman I know they had some banged up guys to we were, you know, missing some more TV tackles but I'm proud of a man I'm, I'm proud to be a fighting Irish man at heart, and I hope to make it back and see some of these games. Well, good luck good health coming up on Sunday we appreciate the time as always do tranquil. We'll see you Zach thanks go Chiefs.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-24 18:06:39 / 2025-01-24 18:13:50 / 7

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