Details, Coaching, No Study Hall: How Willie Gay Jr. is Improving at Chiefs Camp

As Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick Willie Gay Jr. has started to get acclimated with the team’s system, he’s beginning to find out more about himself through a relationship with Chiefs linebackers coach Matt House.

As Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick Willie Gay Jr. has started to get acclimated with the team’s system, he’s beginning to find out more about himself through a relationship with Chiefs linebackers coach Matt House.

During a video conference with reporters on Monday, the former Mississippi State linebacker said now that the pads are on and the practices are picking up in intensity, he’s finding out a great deal about his game.

“Well, I’m getting better at a lot, honestly,” Gay said. “I have a great coach in coach Matt House. He’s teaching me a lot about the small details of playing linebacker and watching the older guys like Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson play the position that I’m trying to play. Just really the details of the small things, I’m getting better at it and it’s paying off for me.”

House arrived in Kansas City last season to captain the linebackers squad. Before that, he was on the University of Kentucky staff for three seasons where he was Defensive Coordinator/Insider Linebackers Coach.

In his media availability Monday, Gay said he has been working in the SAM linebacker position in the Chiefs' base defense and the BUCK role in sub packages, the same positions Wilson has played.

“Coach House is just one of the coaches, it’s just a lot of tough love,” Gay said. “He’s going to tell you when you’re wrong and he’s going to pat you on your back when you’re right, but a lot of the times it’s just – he pinpoints everything from small details to big things and just each and every day – it’s never a perfect day for me. I’m always getting better at something when it comes to Coach House coaching me, so it’s great.”

Learning and improving isn’t the only thing Gay is getting used to since leaving the college game. The 22-year-old said he could get used to not going to class and just playing football. 

“Well, it’s just football, you know, I don’t have to go to study hall after, I don’t have to study for a test,” Gay said. “When I go home after practice, I watch TV and I study football or I watch football or watch practice or I look over plays, you know, it’s just football and my regular life so I can do that for next 10, 10-12 years, man, so it’s great.”