Manno Adjusting to NFL Playbook with Chiefs

In the NFL tackling the playbook can be one of the most arduous tasks a first year player is tasked with overcoming.

Fortunately for Sachem alum Chris Manno when he played at Hofstra he learned two different offenses in the course of his four years in Hempstead, N.Y.

The first, a run-and-shoot style, has allowed him to read a defense and see a play before it happens. During his AFL 2 experience, the offense used by almost every team, including his New Jersey Revolution, is conceptually the same as what he’s dealing with now in Kansas City.

Terminology is different, he said, but many formations are similar.

Manno, a receiver by nature, is vying for any spot he can earn on the 53-man roster with the Chiefs. That means learning a plethora of special teams plays that can make even the biggest sports nuts cross-eyed after one glance at a playbook.

Signing three days into training camp, Manno was briefly behind.

“It’s always catch up because of the simple fact of the position I’m in to start,” he said. “There are so many established veterans. We put in packages or plays that are new to me, but [the vets] haven’t seen them in just a couple of months.”

Manno praised Chiefs head coach Todd Haley for translating offensive knowledge and play calling fluidly during meetings.

“He is an offensive computer,” Manno said. “He can spend 20 minutes talking and I’ve learned more in those settings then ever before. He’s a bowl of offensive knowledge.”

The Chiefs brought in around 90 players to camp this year with a receiving core filled with talent including their first round draft selection Jonathan Baldwin, veteran Dwayne Bowe and free agent pick up Steve Breaston. With three pre-season games remaining - including Friday in Baltimore - and a few weeks camp left, Manno should still get passes thrown his way. He'll be getting dirty with special teams though, in the meantime.

“Realistically," Manno said, "you hope to make an impression."

Stay tuned to Patch for updates from the game and other stories about Manno in the coming weeks.