Last year, the Chiefs signed defensive lineman Luke Patterson as an undrafted free agent. The Chiefs quietly have moved him from defense to offense.
And he may have a bright future with the team, if coach Romeo Crennel’s assessment is accurate.
“We had him on defense, and didn’t feel like that was going to be the place for him, but he’s showed enough tenacity and work ethic that we thought maybe he could help us offensively,” Crennel said regarding Patterson, in comments distributed by the team. “So, we moved him to the offensive side of the ball. It’s a total change for him, but the kid has something to him. I think he’s got some toughness. He’s not a vocal guy. He’s kind of quiet, but I think he’s made progress in the year that he’s been here.”
The quality is intangible, but unmistakable. “That’s that ‘it’ factor,” Crennel said. “You can look in his eyes and say that he has ‘it.’ You can’t really say what ‘it’ is. You can’t really define it but he has ‘it.’ When I say that he has something to him, it’s kind of like an ‘it’ factor.”
Of course “it” is no substitute for ability. But that extra something can be the difference when it counts, and the Chiefs may have found someone they can develop into a key contributor.