Coordinator Shares Litmus Test for Gauging Opponent Effort

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke from the podium at team headquarters prior to Thursday’s practice. The Chiefs this week will visit the Giants on Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC/KSHB-TV, Channel 41, 96.5 The Fan).

Toub shared Thursday the one area he watches immediately every week when scouting his opponent, the one cutup in his film evaluation that tells him whether he’ll have headaches during the upcoming week.

Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith (30) runs the ball as Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker (9) attempts the tackle during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

He also touched on the effort of Chiefs punter Matt Araiza in last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and his thoughts on the small sample size of the adjusted touchback rule on kickoffs.

To view his comments, watch below.

On the Giants’ special-teams units and coordinator Mike Ghobrial:

TOUB: “Mike does a really good job. They fly around. I always tell the guys to check out the field-goal block. See how they play on field goal block, that always tells you how hard special-teams unit plays. They fly around. They get after you. That’s just one phase, but they’re on everything. They do it all. Right now, in our ranking system they’re in the top 10. They’re a good unit; they’re solid.”

On how the new kickoff rule is going:

TOUB: “Yeah, I thought it would be in the 80th percentile as far as how many returns, and that’s right where it’s at. I like it; I love it. I love the fact that every kickoff and every return is important. And it’s good for me. It’s good for us.”

Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks off against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

On Matt Araiza’s performance:

TOUB: “He had three punts, and he averaged 54.7 net. I mean that’s pretty darn good. He was banging the ball, but he was hanging them enough to where we can get our coverage down there at the same time. He had three excellent punts, and if we only punt three times and he has three excellent ones like that, I’m good. Great game for him.”

Chiefs Kingdom, OnSI is your chief choice for the top news and information from your favorite team; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And tell us your thoughts on the Chiefs’ special teams by visiting our Facebook page (here).