ChiefsPlanet - Chiefs Q&A with HERM EDWARDS

Q&A with HERM EDWARDS - 10/2
Oct 02, 2008, 2:47:48 PM

Highlights

HERM EDWARDS: “Branden Albert is out. Pat (Surtain) is limited.”

Q: Any indication how long Branden is out?

EDWARDS: “No. He’s out this week and next week’s the bye which is good. He’s feeling better but his elbow is still swollen.”

Q: Is an elbow injury more important to a left tackle than any other position?

EDWARDS: “I think you need both of them. It’s hard to play. You’ve got to use your hands in football. It came out and then it went back in. He’ll be ok.”

Q: After Damon Huard’s performance last week how much different do you feel at this point this week versus last week?

EDWARDS: “Always had confidence in Damon. That’s kind of his role; his role since I’ve been here has been that kind of guy. You trust him to manage the game, don’t turn the ball over. That was our plan going into (the Denver) game: manage it, don’t turn it over and he did that. The running game helped him; it helps all quarterbacks. He made some good throws when he had to, made some good throws against the blitz. Very smart guy, been around a long time.

“That’s why we decided he was the guy to start: the stability at that position right now. It was so up and down with different guys playing.”

Q: Is it easier to make a game plan with him rather than with Tyler (Thigpen) because you’re a little more sure what you’re going to get?

EDWARDS: “Yeah, you know his strengths, you know what he can do. There are certain things that you play to with him playing. Tyler’s a little bit different. I thought the team adjusted very well.”

Q: Is Brodie Croyle a 100% yet?

EDWARDS: “Ummm, he’s close. He’s close. He can throw it. He’s been throwing all week and he’s not sore. Next week he’ll be ready to play.

“If he could have it his way he’d probably try to play, but not with your throwing arm. That’s not a smart move. I think another week will be good for him. He’s throwing the ball fairly decent.”

Q: Carolina’s defensive line a couple of years ago was one of the top ones in all of football. Talk about Julius Peppers.

EDWARDS: “He’s a disruptor now. You’ve got to know where he’s at. He’ll rush the passer, plays the run well. They drop him in pass coverage. He’s everything they thought he was going to be as a first round player. They’ve got a good linebacker corps that’s fast.

“What these guys don’t do is they don’t give up a lot of big plays. They keep the ball in front of them and have a mindset that they always play in close games if you watch them. They’ve been basically close if you watch all four of their games. They play field position football and it always seems you’re driving on a long field against these guys. That’s how they play.”

Q: Do they flip Peppers around from side-to-side some?

EDWARDS: “They move him around some, but mostly he’s on the right.”

Q: Can you talk about them offensively.

EDWARDS: “They present the problem of hard-to-tackle. One guy generally won’t tackle their backs or their receivers. They’re very good after the catch. They’re running backs run through tackles.

“I’ve charted a couple of plays going into last week’s game and (the opponents had) six missed tackles for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Missing tackles on backs and receivers. That’s going to be a key for us, to tackle these guys.”

Q: How do you feel about your corners going up against their veteran receivers?

EDWARDS: “Every week two rookie corners always play against veteran receivers. That’s every week like that. The more they play the more confidence they get and they’re going to have some games that are going to be tough. You anticipate that. But I think they’re learning and getting better. You can play as a rookie and it makes you grow up a lot.”

Q: So if Pat is limited he might not play much?

EDWARDS: “We’ll see where he is tomorrow. He feels much better. He’s moving around. You can’t dress all the DB’s. We’ll have to put one of them down. I don’t know which one.”

Q: What is the learning curve for your new receiver Bradley? Does he have a chance to dress this week?

EDWARDS: “Be kind of fast for him…by the bye and Tennessee. He’s got some talent. He’s still got to learn it. Different vocabulary in our system than where he’s been before. But he’s got some talent.”

Q: This is the first two weeks in a row where you know who your starting QB is going to be. What’s that like for you?

EDWARDS: “It’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing. The quarterback is generally tied to the coach’s hip, that’s how it works in this league. When you have good quarterbacks you generally win a lot of games in this league, especially when they’re healthy. We haven’t kept them healthy for some reason. It’s good we’ve got the same guy starting again. We know what he can do. I think that’s the best thing for the most part. The offense knows. Tony has a good rapport with Damon, Bowe does too.”

Q: So you can turn your attention now, maybe, to other areas?

EDWARDS: “There are a lot of areas with this many young guys. Every day it’s five or six guys you’re trying to coach. That’s what I try to do every day – pick five or six off my list. They’re all young and all need encouragement and the head coach to talk to them. That’s what is good when you come to work every day.”

Q: Carolina has a very good run defense and you’ve been good these last two weeks running the ball.

EDWARDS: “Something has got to give and it’s going to be a good test for us. They have not allowed a rusher to run for a 100 yards. We like running the ball and they like running the ball.

“I think the more you can stay in the game the more you have the ability to run the ball. If you keep it within a one-score game you’re always going to have the ability to run the ball. When you get it out of whack it’s not good, especially on the road. You don’t want to get behind on the road early because it’s really tough. Then you have to start throwing the ball.”

Q: Can you talk about Dantrell Savage? That’s turned out to be a nice little success story.

EDWARDS: “He was one of the guys we brought in when we had the rookie camp. It was basically all free agents and no draft choices. We did that on purpose. We had about 45 or 50 guys and knew we were going to sign college free agents and he was one of the guys we signed.

“He had a very good college career but obviously size and his measurements caught him and no one wanted to draft him. There are guys like that all the time that can play in this league if given an opportunity. He was at the bottom of the pole. You’ve got Larry Johnson, Charles, you’ve got Kolby, you’ve got Battle. He’s looking at himself and he’s saying, ‘man, as soon as I sign I’m the fifth running back.’ How did I do that?

“To his credit, he came in, worked, and played well on special teams and did some things on kicks. I talked to him when he first got to camp and said you’ve got to learn how to catch punts. That’s going to be key for you. If you can catch punts you’re going to have a great opportunity to make this football team.

“You like the guy. You like what he brings. He brings emotion. The players like the guy, they pull for this guy. In the (Denver) game he ran the one kickoff and someone missed a block and he almost got decapitated. He walks over to the guy who missed the block and it was another young guy. He taps him on the head and says, ‘hey, I need you now. Don’t get down. We’re going to get another chance.” Sure enough, he breaks one for 50 at the end and puts us in great field position to go ahead and get it to two scores again at the end of game.”