Cairo Santos Interview

Jul 15, 2015
4 min read

Vauxhall, London

The NFL was in town again today as part of the international series and play 60 events. 6 schools from across London competed in a flag football tournament, with each one representing one of the six teams heading to the UK this Autumn.

Representing the Kansas City Chiefs was Wembley Park primary school and their newly appointed head coach, Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos. Unfortunately I only witnessed one game and typically it was against the Lions team from St Stephens school. A close affair was won on the last play of the game by the youngsters sporting Detroit blue. Last second wins are becoming a habit for the Lions in London. The Chiefs hope for a reverse result in November.

Coach Cairo

After the game Cairo took a few minutes to have a chat in which what would be Arrowheads Abroad first ever face to face player interview.

Tom Childs: What are your first impressions of London?

Cairo Santos: It's cooler then I imagined it to be actually, I have only ever seen what I see in movies or whilst watching soccer. I grew up rooting for Chelsea, Frank Lampard is my favourite player ever so I would watch all of the Chelsea games and the Wembley games. They would always show little pieces of London like Big Ben. For me I have always wanted to come here, I came here with my girlfriend and she want to explore more placeS. It's really cool to be here, it has been a wish of mine to visit the city and be close to all of the sports teams that I grew up worshiping.

TC: So you must have been pretty excited when you found out you would be playing at Wembley?

CS: Yes, I cannot believe I get the chance to do this. Watching Lampard in big games like the FA cup final I have great memories in my head what it looks like, can't believe I get this chance.

TC: How did the rest of the guys take the news of the London game? Did it go down well?

CS: Yeah,we love playing at home, we really do. We have a great fan base but I think it is really exciting to play here. It will be a great atmosphere in an iconic stadium. It's a shame to lose a home game but for us it doesn't matter, it's still a game played on an american football pitch with the same lines. We are looking forward to a good game and getting the win.

TC: What are you expecting from the London crowd?

CS: I hear it is a sell out, I have never played in front of 84,000 people before. I am looking forward to playing in front of that many people. It will be really fun. To see different jerseys out there, I will be looking at the stands thinking 'oh look there is a Chiefs fan and then seeing a few more rooting for other teams.' It will basically a festival that will get to enjoy a sport that is not played professionally here in London.

TC: How do you feel your rookie season went?

CS: Good although I think it could have gone a little better. I am a bit of a perfectionist. I can only improve every year, I think the coaches see that. I am happy how it turned out but I am looking forward to better results in year 2.

Cairo and I talking at the media day

TC: Is it nice to know that you don't need to compete for your job this year?

CS: It feels good to know what to expect. Now we don't have another kicker in camp it will be good to get all the reps. I now need to use those to improve as much as I can and prove to all of the coaching staff that I want to be the guy.

TC: And how are you preparing with the new PAT rule?

CS: We have been kicking a bunch just to get used to the feeling. It's now a 33 yard field goal instead of a 20 yarder. You can't afford to mishit a ball, now you have to really be on your game, consistency is definitley the focus. I think in the long run it will be good for kicker as consistent kicker will last longer in the league.

TC: How important is Justin Houston?

CS: He is a huge player. He is a really vocal guy that brings the team up a level when we are losing. Hugely important. I am very confident something will get done and we take this opportunity to make him happy so he carry on performing and winning games for us.

TC: And finally, what can we expect from the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs?

CS: There is a lot of excitement. You will see a different offense, you will see a very good defense and you will see reliable special teams. The three things will all come together at training camp and see how that turns out. Really looking forward to making the playoffs this year.

There you have it Chiefs Kingdom, we are making the playoffs this year. Cairo has called it. Justin has since signed a new contract so maybe we should start planning for the post season, Cairo clearly knows his stuff.