Ex-Chief Khalen Saunders explains why Travis Kelce was called ‘drunken master’

Saints defensive lineman Khalen Saunders may have had an interception Monday in the Chiefs’ 26-13 win, but there were no hard feelings.

Saunders won a pair of Super Bowls with the Chiefs before signing as a free agent with New Orleans, and he still loves KC.

The feeling is mutual. After Monday’s game, some of Saunders’ former teammates came to see him.

Here’s an example.

Saunders still has fond feelings for the Chiefs players, and he talked about them on the Rearview podcast.

One topic was Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Saunders raved about Kelce’s intelligence.

“That’s why him and Pat (Mahomes) work so well together, because you got two dang quarterbacks reading the defense together. But one of them is receiving the passes,” Saunders said.

“With Travis’ knowledge of defensive zones, being able to sit down in them, Pat having the arm talent to whip it anyway he needs to get it to him when he sits down, a lot of off-schedule throws and stuff like that, that’s what makes those guys such a dynamic duo.”

Saunders said those football smarts are what sets Kelce apart from other tight ends. Saunders also revealed a special nickname for Kelce.

It’s not as bad as it may sound.

“There are tight ends that are more athletic than Trav, faster than Trav, all of that, but it’s just that knowledge of the game, man. You can see it,” Saunders said.

“We used to call him when I was on the Chiefs ‘the drunken master.’ Because he just kind of runs his routes looking like he’s tipsy a little bit. He’ll just sit down in the middle of a zone and catch it and turn up field and make something happen.”

Here is Saunders talking about Kelce.