Guru
12-04-2005, 01:33 AM
Defense, show us something
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So here’s the test for Gunther Cunningham’s revamped defense. Gunther’s unit had the whole month of November to prepare for this monthlong final exam that begins today with the Denver Broncos inside Arrowhead Stadium.
A year and a half, four defensive free agents and youngsters Jared Allen and Derrick Johnson is more than enough time and more than enough investment to see if Gunther Cunningham truly is a defensive mastermind.
We can judge Gunther now. It’s fair. He can’t complain that he wasn’t provided the tools. The Chiefs have a high-priced secondary with players Gunther approved. He’s got a linebacking corps that has lots of speed and maybe even a couple of potential stars in Johnson and Kawika Mitchell. Up front, the Chiefs don’t have a Steel Curtain, but the line is serviceable, and Cunningham believes in them.
Nope. Today there should be no excuses. The crowd will be loud, the weather will be cold and the Broncos’ game plan is no secret.
Jake Plummer will run the boot, and Denver’s running backs will run the stretch.
Can Cunningham’s defense stop it?
If it can’t, kiss your Chiefs’ playoff aspirations goodbye — even if the Chiefs win. As the Chiefs wrap up the regular season, three of the NFL’s best offenses will visit Arrowhead Stadium.
You have to figure the best the Chiefs can do is split road games against the Cowboys and the Giants. So that’s at least one loss. And if KC’s defense isn’t truly improved, then it’s difficult for me to believe that the Chiefs can sweep home games against high-scoring San Diego and Cincinnati.
Nope. The Chiefs must play good defense today and win. There are, of course, reasons to believe that they will. And, of course, there are reasons to be suspicious. Let’s start with the positive.
The Chiefs — for the first time since 1997 — are showing signs of having a legitimate defensive strength. KC’s secondary is becoming a weapon. Over the last month, safeties Greg Wesley and Sammy Knight have become consistent playmakers. Wesley had three interceptions against Tom Brady. Knight stole a Brady pass, too.
Wesley and Knight have also been more consistent in run support.
Corner Eric Warfield has been very physical in run support. He’s tackled better this year than in any of his previous seasons. Warfield and big-ticket free agent Patrick Surtain give KC a solid corner combination.
When you toss in blitz specialist Benny Sapp, Kansas City’s secondary has an identity and the players in the secondary have roles and you know what to expect. Wesley is a terrific center fielder. Sapp rushes the passer. Knight is a headhunter. Surtain is a cover guy. Warfield is a combo, high-risk, big-play corner.
It’s been a long time since KC’s defense has had an attribute or players it could count on to do certain things. Having a consistent strength gives Cunningham freedom to turn loose some of his other defenders and take risk.
It also gives the other defensive players confidence. You can see this added confidence the most in middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell. He’s beginning to run around and make plays the way Donnie Edwards used to.
Now, what makes me skeptical about KC’s defensive improvement is that the Chiefs haven’t done anything against an outstanding offense. Beating up on Oakland, Buffalo, Houston and a New England offense that featured Heath Evans at running back just doesn’t cut it.
Slowing down Denver, San Diego and Cincinnati would prove something.
One of Kansas City’s defenders has a chance to really make a name for himself today. This is a high-profile game. Jared Allen dominated Washington a few weeks back with three sacks, two forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries. Wesley had a big day against the Patriots.
Great players make plays against the best competition. We’ll find out today if the Chiefs have any great defensive players. They’ll need at least one to beat the Broncos.
http://www.kansascity.com/images/common/spacer.gif
So here’s the test for Gunther Cunningham’s revamped defense. Gunther’s unit had the whole month of November to prepare for this monthlong final exam that begins today with the Denver Broncos inside Arrowhead Stadium.
A year and a half, four defensive free agents and youngsters Jared Allen and Derrick Johnson is more than enough time and more than enough investment to see if Gunther Cunningham truly is a defensive mastermind.
We can judge Gunther now. It’s fair. He can’t complain that he wasn’t provided the tools. The Chiefs have a high-priced secondary with players Gunther approved. He’s got a linebacking corps that has lots of speed and maybe even a couple of potential stars in Johnson and Kawika Mitchell. Up front, the Chiefs don’t have a Steel Curtain, but the line is serviceable, and Cunningham believes in them.
Nope. Today there should be no excuses. The crowd will be loud, the weather will be cold and the Broncos’ game plan is no secret.
Jake Plummer will run the boot, and Denver’s running backs will run the stretch.
Can Cunningham’s defense stop it?
If it can’t, kiss your Chiefs’ playoff aspirations goodbye — even if the Chiefs win. As the Chiefs wrap up the regular season, three of the NFL’s best offenses will visit Arrowhead Stadium.
You have to figure the best the Chiefs can do is split road games against the Cowboys and the Giants. So that’s at least one loss. And if KC’s defense isn’t truly improved, then it’s difficult for me to believe that the Chiefs can sweep home games against high-scoring San Diego and Cincinnati.
Nope. The Chiefs must play good defense today and win. There are, of course, reasons to believe that they will. And, of course, there are reasons to be suspicious. Let’s start with the positive.
The Chiefs — for the first time since 1997 — are showing signs of having a legitimate defensive strength. KC’s secondary is becoming a weapon. Over the last month, safeties Greg Wesley and Sammy Knight have become consistent playmakers. Wesley had three interceptions against Tom Brady. Knight stole a Brady pass, too.
Wesley and Knight have also been more consistent in run support.
Corner Eric Warfield has been very physical in run support. He’s tackled better this year than in any of his previous seasons. Warfield and big-ticket free agent Patrick Surtain give KC a solid corner combination.
When you toss in blitz specialist Benny Sapp, Kansas City’s secondary has an identity and the players in the secondary have roles and you know what to expect. Wesley is a terrific center fielder. Sapp rushes the passer. Knight is a headhunter. Surtain is a cover guy. Warfield is a combo, high-risk, big-play corner.
It’s been a long time since KC’s defense has had an attribute or players it could count on to do certain things. Having a consistent strength gives Cunningham freedom to turn loose some of his other defenders and take risk.
It also gives the other defensive players confidence. You can see this added confidence the most in middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell. He’s beginning to run around and make plays the way Donnie Edwards used to.
Now, what makes me skeptical about KC’s defensive improvement is that the Chiefs haven’t done anything against an outstanding offense. Beating up on Oakland, Buffalo, Houston and a New England offense that featured Heath Evans at running back just doesn’t cut it.
Slowing down Denver, San Diego and Cincinnati would prove something.
One of Kansas City’s defenders has a chance to really make a name for himself today. This is a high-profile game. Jared Allen dominated Washington a few weeks back with three sacks, two forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries. Wesley had a big day against the Patriots.
Great players make plays against the best competition. We’ll find out today if the Chiefs have any great defensive players. They’ll need at least one to beat the Broncos.