Ahh, music to my ears: Out with Kurt's soft zone, in with the physical stuff...

DaWolf · 08-02-2001, 10:22 PM

Nice article at the Star regarding our hard hitting safety duo...

[url=http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/sports.pat,sports/3accde0c.802,.html]Chiefs at ease with Woods and Wesley[/url]

[quote]Robinson's early comfort level speaks volumes, because he's asking the safeties to do different things than former defensive coordinator Kurt Schottenheimer.

Under Schottenheimer, the Chiefs primarily played soft zones, which called for Woods and Wesley to lie back in coverage and read what was happening in front of them.

Robinson prefers to lock his corners into man-to-man coverage and use the safeties to blitz, cover and roam the secondary. Aside from the occasional blown coverage, which is understandable given the newness of the system, Woods and Wesley appear to be adjusting nicely.

"It's a lot more complicated," Wesley said. "The defense we ran last year was a lot more predictable. This year, the safeties are involved in everything. Sometimes we're back, sometimes we're covering somebody, and sometimes we're up in the box to play the run. I like that. Now you never know where a guy is coming from, and I think it's going to be better for us because we have great athletes back there."

So far, the changes haven't limited either player's thirst for contact. Wesley in particular has had to hold back from pounding his own players in practice.

Although still relatively new to the position, having started only 22 games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he was a walk-on, Wesley is a natural when it comes to contact. He could quickly earn mention with established NFL hitmen like Minnesota's Robert Griffith and Tampa Bay's John Lynch.

"You could tell from the first day we put on pads that Greg is a hitter," Robinson said.

Even when the Chiefs don full pads, practice etiquette calls for defensive players to hold up on contact. Yet there are times when it seems that Wesley almost can't help himself.

"Yeah, that's Wes," Woods said with a proud smile. "It seems like he's always in the right place at the right time. Sometimes in practice, I have to tell him, `Hey, slow down, those are our teammates. We don't want to be hurting ourselves or our team.' I have to remind him to save it for a game."

Then again, Woods also likes the idea of opponents feeling fear when they roll through the Chiefs' secondary.

"It's very important that we have that reputation," Woods said. "If receivers know that you're going to knock the snot out of them, they'll be more careful about coming across the middle. That's all I heard in the offseason. People were like, `Man, you and Wes be stickin' those fools.' That's how we want people to think of us."[/quote]

08-02-2001, 10:22 PM	Topic Starter
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	Ahh, music to my ears: Out with Kurt's soft zone, in with the physical stuff... Nice article at the Star regarding our hard hitting safety duo... [url=http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/sports.pat,sports/3accde0c.802,.html]Chiefs at ease with Woods and Wesley[/url] [quote]Robinson's early comfort level speaks volumes, because he's asking the safeties to do different things than former defensive coordinator Kurt Schottenheimer. Under Schottenheimer, the Chiefs primarily played soft zones, which called for Woods and Wesley to lie back in coverage and read what was happening in front of them. Robinson prefers to lock his corners into man-to-man coverage and use the safeties to blitz, cover and roam the secondary. Aside from the occasional blown coverage, which is understandable given the newness of the system, Woods and Wesley appear to be adjusting nicely. "It's a lot more complicated," Wesley said. "The defense we ran last year was a lot more predictable. This year, the safeties are involved in everything. Sometimes we're back, sometimes we're covering somebody, and sometimes we're up in the box to play the run. I like that. Now you never know where a guy is coming from, and I think it's going to be better for us because we have great athletes back there." So far, the changes haven't limited either player's thirst for contact. Wesley in particular has had to hold back from pounding his own players in practice. Although still relatively new to the position, having started only 22 games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he was a walk-on, Wesley is a natural when it comes to contact. He could quickly earn mention with established NFL hitmen like Minnesota's Robert Griffith and Tampa Bay's John Lynch. "You could tell from the first day we put on pads that Greg is a hitter," Robinson said. Even when the Chiefs don full pads, practice etiquette calls for defensive players to hold up on contact. Yet there are times when it seems that Wesley almost can't help himself. "Yeah, that's Wes," Woods said with a proud smile. "It seems like he's always in the right place at the right time. Sometimes in practice, I have to tell him, `Hey, slow down, those are our teammates. We don't want to be hurting ourselves or our team.' I have to remind him to save it for a game." Then again, Woods also likes the idea of opponents feeling fear when they roll through the Chiefs' secondary. "It's very important that we have that reputation," Woods said. "If receivers know that you're going to knock the snot out of them, they'll be more careful about coming across the middle. That's all I heard in the offseason. People were like, `Man, you and Wes be stickin' those fools.' That's how we want people to think of us."[/quote]
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