Laurent Duvernay-Tardif heard the playcall Sunday and, like the rest of his fellow linemen, gave a silent nod of approval.
It was the first quarter of the Chiefs’ 33-10 win over the Denver Broncos, and on first-and-10 from the Chiefs’ 30, Chiefs coach Andy Reid dialed up a classic, throwback running play that only a lineman like Duvernay-Tardif, the Chiefs’ starting right guard, or an old Big Ten guy – like co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress – could love: The ole’ halfback counter.
Of the Chiefs’ seven running plays to that point, it was the fourth to involve someone – a lineman, a tight end, whoever – pulling and kicking out on a defender, and it unfolded like a thing of beauty.