Chiefs and the Shovel Pass

Laddie Morse

The Kansas City Chiefs have now become the team that uses the Shovel Pass. The Shovel Pass was made popular in this era by Andy Reid and that goes back to his days in Philadelphia. First, here’s a definition of the Shovel Pass… as Eugene “Stoney” Willis who lived from June of 1912 to March of 1994 is the first player, that we know of, to use the Shovel Pass:

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“To throw a shovel pass the quarterback palms the football, and “shovels” the pass directly forward to the receiver, usually with a backhand, underhand, or pushing motion…. This play was perfected by Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 2000s.”

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While this kind of Pass is sometimes referred to a a “Shuffle” Pass it is now more commonly referred to as a “Shovel Pass.” However, the Shovel Pass is not to be confused with an Option Play where the QB has the Option of pitching the ball or running it himself (or passing). When Andy Reid came over from Philly in 2013, he obviously brought some staff members with him. Chiefs owner and CEO. Clark Hunt, is aware of how the decisions Reid makes have impacted everything the team does:

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“… they (Brett Veach and Andy Reid) came with a pre-existing relationship from Philadelphia, so that was something that I knew we were getting , but it’s probably been better than I had thought. That dynamic is really great. A lot of times you can have tension between your GM and head coach, but the two of them really work together hand-n-hand.”

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Veach has continued to provide the players needed to run the offense that Reid utilizes to keep his winning streaks alive. Reid, while he was with the Eagles, gave the Shovel Pass a resurgence. Reid also used the Shovel Pass on a Fake Punt play… a play we fan of the Chiefs may see again in the future. This is from 2002 (0:13):

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BTW, that was Brian Dawkins who took the Shovel Pass to the house.

So, the Shovel Pass is historic in the NFL but Andy Reid has taken it and made it one of his favorite plays to call… especially when his team is near the end zone. Here’s a recent Shovel Pass from Patrick Mahomes to Jerick McKinnon in the recent game against the Bears (0:18):

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Sometimes, a Shovel Pass isn’t “shoveled” forward… it is actually “thrown.” Patrick Mahomes has been doing it long enough that he can decide on a moment’s notice, whether or not to shovel it… or pitch it overhand. Either way, it’s still considered a Shovel Pass… or… a pass:

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The Chiefs have used Clyde Edwards-Helaire to be the recipient of the Shovel Pass and here’s one from a game againstt he Arizona Cardinals (0:08):

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The Chiefs aren’t the only team to attempt a Shovel Pass. Here are the Bengals with an epic fail of a Shove Pass against their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens (0:09):

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Of course, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes aren’t the first one’s to make the play work. Here’s one of my favorite plays of the Alex Smith era, when Travis Kelce took it 15 yards and leaped from the 5-yard line for a TD (0:09):

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Here’s another angle of the same play — just because I like it so much (0:10):

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Here’s a great Shovel Pass to FB Anthony Sherman. Notice how the Chiefs used Tyreek Hill to run interference and draw the attnetion of the defense away from Sherman. Great play (0:53):

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Yes, Michael Vick knows Andy Reid is a mad scientist. For the Shovel Pass to be effective, it’s all about timing. Here’s one that doesn’t work and the QB — Alex Smith — has to take an incomplete pass because the intended Shovel Pass Receiver doesn’t turn around in time (0:18):

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Timing is one of the big reasons that a Shovel Pass does work… when it works. Here, Dan Orlovsky breaks down some tape of a play the Chiefs used four years ago, and he shares why a Shovel Pass/Jet Sweep does work (2:16):

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In a game against the Eagles in Oct. of 2021 — a game the Chiefs won 42-to-30 — right before the half, TE Jody Fortson was the recipient (0:11):

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The Shovel Pass is often employed when the offense can confuse or hide the way the ball is going. The Chiefs, and Andy Reid, often try to preserve this advantage so they can get the ball into the end zone. James Light explains how the Chiefs achieve this when they run a Shovel Pass play near the end zone (1:39):

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Let me know if you like seeing the Shovel Pass, whether it’s near the goal line or not.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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