Here’s The Catch

NEW ORLEANS – Seventeen years had passed since last playing for him, yet Todd Pinkston kept the line of communication open with his former head coach.

Pinkston, now the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, maintained consistent contact, keeping up with Andy Reid – the man who coached him in Philadelphia – from both a professional and personal level.

His weekly check-ins included the typical conversation starters – Good luck. Great game. How’s the family?

One day, Reid contacted Pinkston, who once served as a coaching intern for the Eagles during the 2009 preseason, assisting wide receivers coach David Culley.

Reid asked about his interest in a potential opportunity to join his coaching staff. Attending the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at the time, Reid told Pinkston he’d give him a call in a couple of days, suggesting an opening was imminent.

Reid followed through, phoning Pinkston, who recalled the conversation going like this: “Well, I got this spot available. Do you want to come do it?”

“Shoot, yeah, Coach!” Pinkston answered.

He continued, saying, “You don’t see the expression on my face right now.”

At the time, Pinkston, the famously slender wide receiver drafted by Reid in the second round out of Southern Mississippi in 2000, was a wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator for Stockbridge High School in Stockbridge, Ga.

Coaching wide receivers was the only occupation he’d ever known, but the opportunity to step outside his comfort zone and tackle a new challenge, reach the professional ranks and work alongside a mentor factored heavily in his decision.

“If I want to grow as a coach, don’t just learn one position,” Pinkston said. “It’s just like in the real world, whatever position that you have, don’t be comfortable with that position because at the end of the day, in order to grow, you’ve got to learn.

“So, I think he was helping me out to a point where I learned a different position, to learn the scheme of things, to help me grow as a coach.”

GETTY IMAGES: Former Eagles WR Todd Pinkston is coaching RBs for Andy Reid in Kansas City.

Pinkston, officially hired as Chiefs running backs coach on Mar. 17, 2023, inherited a room that included Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon.

In Super Bowl LVIII, while the production from Pinkston’s room was minimal – Pacheco led the charge, carrying 18 times for 59 yards – the team effort was enough for Pinkston to become a first-time Super Bowl champion as a rookie position coach.

Asked this week what Pinkston provided to the 2024 Chiefs running back room, his players each responded with a warm smile, excited to talk about their coach’s contributions ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

In the case of veteran Semaje Perine, he could hardly contain his laughter, citing Pinkston’s fixation on even the most minute details.

“He’s a character,” a chuckling Perine said at the podium Thursday. “It’s been good, it’s been really good. I mean, even outside of football, he’ll say some off-the-wall stuff, man. And he picks up on the most random things in practice that we’ll laugh. He’s a great dude, but he’s funny outside of football.”

Fellow veteran running back Kareem Hunt also noted that Pinkston “keeps it light” with the room.

“But there’s times he’ll have to get on us, just in case,” Hunt added. “He’s a good coach. He loves the game of football and he’s always trying to help us out.”

Meetings for the running backs are typically short and sweet, with all things pass game-related viewed as a team.

While brief, Pinkston’s meetings are said to be instructive and detailed, even though – as Perine said – a candid Pinkston will often share with his room that he’s learned more from them than they’ve learned from him.

“Him and Coach Porter [Ellett] do a phenomenal job of running them,” Pacheco added. “It’s challenging us, asking us questions. Putting us in those game situations, so we’re able to compete at a high level and knowing what we gotta do.”

When asked about the biggest lesson learned from Pinkston, Pacheco mentioned patience, allowing the game to come to him.

Pinkston will often harp on accountability and details, in addition to minimizing distractions and maintaining a singular focus.

And in a light-hearted moment after some thought, Pacheco, bearing a wide grin, offered another example.

“The [biggest] thing I’ve learned from him, I think, is five P’s – Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance,” Pacheco said. “He’s gonna love that one.”

Pacheco, who again fronts the room, was also quick to note that Pinkston provides the “mentality of a champion,” acknowledging that his coach had not only played the game at a high level but has also been around Reid, understanding the expectations along with the consistently lofty standards and competition levels.

“Todd’s a great coach, man,” Hunt said. “He’s been helping me by just pushing us at practice and everything and helping us learn more about football. He’s played a lot of football … he played for Coach [Andy] Reid, too.

“He’s just one of those guys, man … fun to be around, he knows the playbook very well and he just makes our job easier.”

Despite playing in only seven games (six starts) this season, Pacheco is the one whom the Chiefs’ rushing attack runs through.

Pacheco had made notable strides in numerous facets of the game. Pinkston, however, picked up on a specific intangible that’s evolved over time.

“I think he’s just playing fast and knowing what he’s supposed to do, as opposed to his rookie year,” Pinkston said. “Just getting a grasp of the offense. Actually, the game’s slowed down for him, but he’s always playing fast. He started reading his keys a lot smoother, but he’s gotten better at pass-protection, and actually, he’s just an overall leader right now.

“I think he took that responsibility because he’s the last one out of here in the running back room. So, I think he took that in stride.”

When it comes to Pinkston’s impact on them, all three running backs shared something different. The second-year coach strikes an even balance, as light moments are as frequent as harping on details and pushing the group at practice.

In the case of Hunt, who led the Chiefs in rushing during the regular season with 728 yards and seven touchdowns, Pinkston’s influence has aided his understanding of the finer subtleties and nuances of plays as well as route concepts.

But for a coach this early into his professional coaching career to have this kind of impact suggests Pinkston is settling in, while pressing the right buttons and establishing his methods.

“He’s just one of those coaches – he’s not really gonna do a lot of screaming and yelling – but he’s gonna tell you what you did wrong and tell you how to fix it,” Hunt said. “And just put you in a situation to get better.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.