Chiefs Covitz: In second year, Jalil Brown turns a corner for the Chiefs - Page 5

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-09-2012, 02:05 AM

In second year, Jalil Brown turns a corner for the Chiefs
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
A year ago, Chiefs cornerback Jalil Brown wouldn’t have been ready for this.

Because the lockout kept teams from holding offseason programs or minicamps, Brown, like most of last year’s rookies, was not prepared for the demands of an NFL training camp, much less seeing substantial playing time at the start of the preseason.

But one year later, Brown is playing with confidence and moxie. A foot injury to Brandon Flowers early in camp elevated Brown to the starting left cornerback position.

When Flowers lined up at left corner during the Tuesday morning walk-through, Brown slid over to right cornerback in place of Stanford Routt, a free-agent acquisition. But Flowers was back on the sidelines on Wednesday, so it appears Brown will start at left corner on Friday night in the preseason opener against Arizona.

“Jalil has some flexibility,” head coach Romeo Crennel said. “He’s made some plays in practice. We’ll probably roll him in just a little bit more so we can get a better look at him. I would have to say that what he’s done deserves more look.

“He’s more confident because I think he understands the system. He understands what it takes to play the game. Last year, he didn’t really know what it took to play the game. I saw improvement toward the end of the year, particularly on special teams. That’s where his improvement showed up … his effort, his toughness, as well.”

Brown, the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick from Colorado in 2011, discovered it took more than raw athletic ability to play cornerback in the NFL.

“Last year, I didn’t realize it at the time, but without having the OTAs and minicamps, that definitely set me back a ton,” Brown said. “I didn’t realize how much I was at a disadvantage.

“I had to learn how to be a professional going through the year, and going through OTAs, I learned what it takes to go in the training room and get ready and how to spend extra time in the film room.”

Brown, who is from Phoenix, is especially looking forward to Friday night’s game against his hometown Cardinals. He matched up against Cardinals superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the teams’ joint practice on Tuesday and could be defending Fitzgerald on Friday, depending on how much the Arizona starters play.

“When you go against a receiver of that caliber, you learn what you have to do to compete with him,” Brown said of Fitzgerald. “I’ll be ready to go. I know now the coaches have me playing both sides. They throw me in left or right, whichever will help the team, I’ll do it.”

Fitzgerald took notice of Brown during Tuesday’s practice and was surprised to hear he had so little experience at the NFL level.

“He’s in his second year?” Fitzgerald said. “He’s physical, he has good ball skills … he broke up a couple balls on me. He’s an impressive athlete.”

Brown, 6-1, 204, honed his coverage skills at Colorado, facing the likes of Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin and Denario Alexander, Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon, and Texas’ Jordan Shipley, among others.

But at Colorado, he was the other corner. Most attention was focused on the Buffaloes’ Jimmy Smith, who was taken in the first round by Baltimore. That worked to Brown’s advantage.

“We came in the same year, so we were competing since day one and working our way up to our senior year,” said Brown, who made 28 starts in his college career and intercepted six passes, including a team-high three in 2010.

“It helped me to play with a little chip on my shoulder, because when we were playing, I was trying to be the best out there, and he was doing the same, so to see him get some recognition made me want to try harder, and that, in turn, helped me perform better and get some looks.”

Brown appeared in 14 games as a rookie with the Chiefs last year and ranked second on the team with eight special-teams tackles, plus he recovered a fumble on a kickoff return against the Jets.

“Early on, there’s no telling when you’re going to get out there on offense or defense as a rookie, so your first mark is to get out there on special teams, and that’s exactly what I was trying to do,” Brown said. “Fortunately for me, at the end of the season, I started to figure out things a little bit and started to come along. Special teams helped me perform better and get some confidence.”

Brown also was a quick study behind Flowers and Brandon Carr, the Chiefs’ starter at right cornerback who signed with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent this year.

“It was great to play behind them,” Brown said. “There were little small things I watched and learned from them, talked with them … little tips they gave me, how to align, how to stay square, how to play different receivers different ways.

“You can’t go out there with the same technique against every guy because every technique has a weakness, so you have to have multiple (skills) to use against them.”

Marcellus · 08-09-2012, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Yeah. Pioli would totally draft Dwayne Bowe

He drafted Baldwin, what is the huge difference? Seriously?

suzzer99 · 08-09-2012, 06:02 PM

Can he play safety if needed?

**SAUTO** · 08-09-2012, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaj22

being that Travis Daniels is the only guy that can play the outside if Flowers or Routt go down. I wouldnt mind an upgrade over Jalil Brown or Jacque ****ing turd stain Reeves.

This is evident by the fact if Eric Berry has to or wants to take reps going outside to the LOS and cover a teams best WR in Larry Fitz, then we are in trouble for outside cover guys.

It's very Charles Woodson-like. He had to do that on the Packers for years because their CBs couldnt cover

I don't see berry WANTING to cover Fitz as an indictment of out cbs, I see it more as he wanted to test HIMSELF.
Posted via Mobile Device

**RealSNR** · 08-09-2012, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

He drafted Baldwin, what is the huge difference? Seriously?

Baldwin and Bowe are completely different players coming out of college.

Baldwin was far more polished with experience in a pro offense.

Bowe had none of that. All he had at LSU was a series of (impressive) athletic plays.

-King- · 08-09-2012, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Baldwin and Bowe are completely different players coming out of college.

Baldwin was far more polished with experience in a pro offense.

Bowe had none of that. All he had at LSU was a series of (impressive) athletic plays.

LSU didn't run a pro style offense?

And Bowe finished his college career with more receptions, more yards, and more touchdowns than Baldwins.

**RealSNR** · 08-09-2012, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -King-

LSU didn't run a pro style offense?

And Bowe finished his college career with more receptions, more yards, and more touchdowns than Baldwins.

Not when Bowe was there.

patteeu · 08-09-2012, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

This is reeruned.

Everyone was calling Derrick Johnson a bust until the regime change. Tamba Hali was on the historically worst pass rush before the 3-4 changed his career.

When it came time for Peterson to pay his leading pass rusher, he traded him to Minnesota. Pioli paid his.

Jamaal Charles exploded after Pioli got rid of Larry Johnson. Yeah, let's all just gloss over Peterson drafting Larry Johnson. And why? To keep from paying Priest Holmes.

Pioli has had nothing close to the epic abortion that was Ryan Sims. Or Junior Siavii. Or any of the litany of busts that Peterson drafted.

Quit saying that Pioli has only turned this team around based on 7 guys that happened to be good players after a decade of Peterson drafts. I guarantee that, if Tony Gonzalez weren't desperate for a ring, it would have been 8 players. Fine.

But come on, this is getting silly. Carl Peterson ALSO had a defense with Dorsey, DJ, Hali, and Flowers. He had an offense with Bowe, Charles, and Albert. Guess what? THEY ALL SUCKED.

It's silly to say Pioli's drafts have sucked. It's also silly to say Peterson's drafts didn't bring in any good young players.

**RealSNR** · 08-09-2012, 10:04 PM

Hudson not used to being the center of attention

patteeu · 08-09-2012, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Hudson not used to being the center of attention

Dorsey and Jackson hold up their ends of the deal?

**RealSNR** · 08-09-2012, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patteeu

Dorsey and Jackson hold up their ends of the deal?

End of the story not yet written on Dorsey and Jackson

Direckshun · 08-09-2012, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

In second year, Jalil Brown turns a corner for the Chiefs

Wait, DAMN!

Did he turn the corner back?

**RealSNR** · 08-09-2012, 11:01 PM

Steve Maneri reminded of the Hs and pains of going back to H-back

Chiefshrink · 08-10-2012, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Obviously 2012's class has yet to play out, but even with the 2009 draft included,

With that said, I think the 2012 class gets an extra year of evaluation IMO. It would be awesome to see this kid step up and take Routt's spot sooner than later.

mcaj22 · 08-10-2012, 03:57 AM

the fact that Dorsey still needs to be "evaluated" is hilariously sad.

08-09-2012, 02:05 AM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2787187	Covitz: In second year, Jalil Brown turns a corner for the Chiefs In second year, Jalil Brown turns a corner for the Chiefs By RANDY COVITZ The Kansas City Star A year ago, Chiefs cornerback Jalil Brown wouldn’t have been ready for this. Because the lockout kept teams from holding offseason programs or minicamps, Brown, like most of last year’s rookies, was not prepared for the demands of an NFL training camp, much less seeing substantial playing time at the start of the preseason. But one year later, Brown is playing with confidence and moxie. A foot injury to Brandon Flowers early in camp elevated Brown to the starting left cornerback position. When Flowers lined up at left corner during the Tuesday morning walk-through, Brown slid over to right cornerback in place of Stanford Routt, a free-agent acquisition. But Flowers was back on the sidelines on Wednesday, so it appears Brown will start at left corner on Friday night in the preseason opener against Arizona. “Jalil has some flexibility,” head coach Romeo Crennel said. “He’s made some plays in practice. We’ll probably roll him in just a little bit more so we can get a better look at him. I would have to say that what he’s done deserves more look. “He’s more confident because I think he understands the system. He understands what it takes to play the game. Last year, he didn’t really know what it took to play the game. I saw improvement toward the end of the year, particularly on special teams. That’s where his improvement showed up … his effort, his toughness, as well.” Brown, the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick from Colorado in 2011, discovered it took more than raw athletic ability to play cornerback in the NFL. “Last year, I didn’t realize it at the time, but without having the OTAs and minicamps, that definitely set me back a ton,” Brown said. “I didn’t realize how much I was at a disadvantage. “I had to learn how to be a professional going through the year, and going through OTAs, I learned what it takes to go in the training room and get ready and how to spend extra time in the film room.” Brown, who is from Phoenix, is especially looking forward to Friday night’s game against his hometown Cardinals. He matched up against Cardinals superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the teams’ joint practice on Tuesday and could be defending Fitzgerald on Friday, depending on how much the Arizona starters play. “When you go against a receiver of that caliber, you learn what you have to do to compete with him,” Brown said of Fitzgerald. “I’ll be ready to go. I know now the coaches have me playing both sides. They throw me in left or right, whichever will help the team, I’ll do it.” Fitzgerald took notice of Brown during Tuesday’s practice and was surprised to hear he had so little experience at the NFL level. “He’s in his second year?” Fitzgerald said. “He’s physical, he has good ball skills … he broke up a couple balls on me. He’s an impressive athlete.” Brown, 6-1, 204, honed his coverage skills at Colorado, facing the likes of Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin and Denario Alexander, Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon, and Texas’ Jordan Shipley, among others. But at Colorado, he was the other corner. Most attention was focused on the Buffaloes’ Jimmy Smith, who was taken in the first round by Baltimore. That worked to Brown’s advantage. “We came in the same year, so we were competing since day one and working our way up to our senior year,” said Brown, who made 28 starts in his college career and intercepted six passes, including a team-high three in 2010. “It helped me to play with a little chip on my shoulder, because when we were playing, I was trying to be the best out there, and he was doing the same, so to see him get some recognition made me want to try harder, and that, in turn, helped me perform better and get some looks.” Brown appeared in 14 games as a rookie with the Chiefs last year and ranked second on the team with eight special-teams tackles, plus he recovered a fumble on a kickoff return against the Jets. “Early on, there’s no telling when you’re going to get out there on offense or defense as a rookie, so your first mark is to get out there on special teams, and that’s exactly what I was trying to do,” Brown said. “Fortunately for me, at the end of the season, I started to figure out things a little bit and started to come along. Special teams helped me perform better and get some confidence.” Brown also was a quick study behind Flowers and Brandon Carr, the Chiefs’ starter at right cornerback who signed with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent this year. “It was great to play behind them,” Brown said. “There were little small things I watched and learned from them, talked with them … little tips they gave me, how to align, how to stay square, how to play different receivers different ways. “You can’t go out there with the same technique against every guy because every technique has a weakness, so you have to have multiple (skills) to use against them.”
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08-09-2012, 06:02 PM	#62
suzzer99 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: L.A. Casino cash: $-595716	Can he play safety if needed?
Posts: 28,353

08-10-2012, 03:57 AM	#74
mcaj22 MVP Join Date: Feb 2010 Casino cash: $10014454	the fact that Dorsey still needs to be "evaluated" is hilariously sad.
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