Louis Rees-Zammit’s ‘major hurdle’ revealed as Kansas City Chiefs coach circumspect over Welshman’s progress
Louis Rees-Zammit practising American football technical skills in Kansas City Chiefs training.
Louis Rees-Zammit has been making good progress since his move from rugby but there is still some way to go for the Welshman.
That was the view of Kansas City Chiefs coach Dave Toub, who did not want to lavish the former Gloucester star with too much praise.
Toub says that Rees-Zammit has “been great” following his transition to American football earlier this year, but admits that the ex-wing is still not up to speed in certain aspects of the sport.
‘Big part of offence’
“He’s doing a good job as a returner. He’s going to continue to get better as a running back, he’s got to learn stuff,” the special teams coordinator told reporters.
“Pass blocking is a major hurdle that he needs to figure out because that’s a big part of what we do on offence. That’s where he’s at.”
Rees-Zammit’s progress has been closely followed, even by people in the US, who have become fascinated by his story and transition.
However, he faces a huge battle to make the final 53-man roster, with the Chiefs’ practice squad still the most likely destination for the speedster.
While his athleticism has been evident, he has yet to master a number of nuances within American football.
That has influenced Toub’s decisions in training as the coach seeks to help him become a natural at the sport.
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“That’s why I moved him over to PP (personal protector), which is exactly that – it’s pass blocking on the punt team,” he said.
“We’re trying to get him all the work we can. He’s on the accelerator programme, we’re going to try to do everything we can to bring him up to speed.”
Pre-season matches
Should Rees-Zammit succeed, it could well provide a significant boost to rugby, but there is still some way before he can call himself an NFL player.
His time in union has helped him in a number of ways, but those technical deficiencies could ultimately prove to be the Welshman’s downfall.
However, he will get his chance in the pre-season matches over the next few weeks, which will likely determine his fate for the 2024/25 campaign.
“It’s not about his toughness or anything like that. He’s never done it against this calibre of football player. That’s the thing,” Toub added.
“These guys have been doing this since they’ve been in fifth grade. He’s been playing rugby since fifth grade, so there’s a learning curve there. I’m looking forward to seeing it live.”
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