On the latest episode of Hard Knocks, the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks played their most recent preseason game when a hilarious scene ensued.
During a spot check on the field, star tight end Travis Kelce is heard on camera as he announced his grievances with the league’s new technology.
The husband of global superstar Taylor Swift was not appreciative of the league’s new virtual measurement tool and was caught on hot mic as he yelled at referee Bill Vinovich.
“Man, bring the chain back, man, this is some bullsh*it,” Kelce said.
Even Travis Kelce misses the chain gang pic.twitter.com/uWGUR6xZD0
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 2, 2026
The chain gang is no longer used as a measurement system in the NFL, as it has been replaced by Sony Hawk-Eye systems as the main source for determining spots of the ball and first downs.
The league hopes to shorten measurement time with the new tool but still plans to use officials to spot the ball by hand.
Fans and are baffled by the recent change and look to be heard on the field and on social media.
“I coached and played in grade school, high school and college over the last 65 years and have seen some pretty hilarious things with the chain gang. They are usually supplied by the home team and I have seen them try and pull real some stunts. Please don’t ever take it away,” one fan posted on X.
“I miss how they would all gather around the chains and celebrate the measurement. The @NFL makes some dumb decisions. They killed a 40 year tradition to save 40 seconds per measurement, and it still won’t fix bad spots by the officials, the actual problem. Tech for tech’s sake,” someone else wrote.
“The chain gang needs to come back or they need to speed up the virtual measurements. They take way too long. Even baseball has faster replay,” another fan added.
The Kansas City Chiefs open up Monday Night Football to start the season, and we will get first looks at the new measurement tool used in real time.
The post ‘Man bring the chain back!’: Travis Kelce calls out NFL officiating appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.