Teicher: Johnson, Toribio and Lewis sit out Chiefs practice with injuries

[Tribal Warfare]

Johnson, Toribio and Lewis sit out Chiefs practice with injuries
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs began their practice week Monday without four defensive starters, including their two Pro Bowl linebackers. They’re preparing to play against the Atlanta Falcons, who were seventh in the NFL in scoring last season, that could present a problem.

The situation could improve some by the time the Chiefs and Falcons open their seasons against one another on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. But even early in the week, things were far from ideal.

“You’d like to have all your guys all the time,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “But in this business you don’t have all of them all the time and so you have to depend on other guys to step up and do their part when they’re called on.”

Linebacker Derrick Johnson, nose tackle Anthony Toribio and free safety Kendrick Lewis didn’t go through team portions of practice. Johnson and Toribio have injured ankle, Lewis an injured shoulder.

Johnson, injured in the final preseason game against the Packers, appeared the most likely of the group to be ready for Sunday’s game.

“As long as I make progress every day, that’s the plan,” Johnson said when asked whether he would play against the Falcons. “I am a fast healer. Let’s hope that this week I can be even faster.”

The Chiefs’ other Pro Bowl linebacker, Tamha Hali, will not play against Atlanta. He is serving his one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Cornerback Brandon Flowers, who didn’t play in the preseason and hadn’t practiced for more than a month, was back to work Monday. But Flowers, who has what the Chiefs have called as bruised heel, said he didn’t know if he would play Sunday and suggested the decision might come down to day of the game.

“If I’m out there on Sunday, then that means I’m ready to go,” he said “We’ll know game day.”

For one day, at least, the Chiefs patched together a lineup that included backups in four spots. Cory Greenwood and Brandon Siler took turns at Johnson’s position. Rookie Dontari Poe is starting for Toribio and veteran Abe Elam for Lewis.

Andy Studebaker, Edgar Jones and Cameron Sheffield have been rotating in Hali’s spot.

“Particularly (in Hali’s spot), that’s what has to happen,” Crennel said. “We’ll have to rotate guys in there and we will during the course of the week and I expect all of them to step and to be able to produce. Now, are they going to produce the way Tamba is able to produce? Only time will tell that.”

All coaches have jitters the opening week of the season given the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Even before the injuries, suspension and resulting lineup changes, this would have been an anxious week for Crennel.

The Chiefs are one of the NFL’s youngest teams. They have five players who are 30 and they are the oldest. Heading into their ninth NFL seasons, guard Ryan Lilja and special teams player Terrance Copper have the most NFL experience.

“If you have a veteran team (with players) who have proven themselves and that you feel good about, I think you can be less anxious,” Crennel said. “I think everybody gets anxious when the season starts. But if you’ve got a veteran team and you’re solid all across the board, then I think you can be less anxious because you know what you have.

“(The Chiefs) have some young players who have to play and we all know that young players make mistakes. You don’t know how many mistakes they’re going to make or what a mistake might cost you during the course of the game. Some guys, when there are 70,000 or 80,000 in the stands and they know that it counts, they react differently. We’re going to have to see how all of that plays out.”

Adding to the mystery about how well the Chiefs will play on Sunday is their uneven preseason. The Chiefs went 1-3 with the starters playing well in the first and fourth games but not so in the middle two, when the defense was particularly disappointing.

Crennel said he takes comfort in the fact the Chiefs have gotten it done, even if not consistently.

“In the first preseason game, the way they executed in that game and then the last game, they showed they could execute at a good level,” he said. “So I think they gave us enough to feel good about going into the regular season.

“One of the things I wanted to do was to be able to say we could be solid and sound coming out of the last (preseason) game. I think from our play versus their first guys, we were solid and sound coming out of that game.”

Atlanta was also 1-3 in the exhibition season, losing to Baltimore, Cincinnati and Jacksonville while beating Miami. The Falcons made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, though they lost their playoff game each time.

“This is a good Atlanta team coming in,” Crennel said. “They have some skill on all sides of the ball, really. So we’re going to have to play our best to win.”

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

Yes he is.


Siler isn't a better tackler, toss place is far from homer central.
Posted via Mobile Device

When people are posting that Siler misses 1 tackle in every 141 attempts and Johnson misses 1 tackle every 104 attempts, BlackBob is not the one getting smashed.

Also, tackle numbers along don't prove you're a good tackler. They just prove you're prolific. Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

I agree that his homer argument is pretty ****ing stupid, though.

[Ming the Merciless]

How many pro bowls does siler have?

[the Talking Can]

Other things Siler is better at than DJ:

Tetris
sitting on benches
blowing out achilles
making it rain at Hooters
signing vet minimum contracts
impressing morons
folding laundry
picking up gum wrappers at arrowhead
getting cut
carrying DJ's helmet

[KCUnited]

Siler's achilles weeps at this thread.

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

I agree that tackles in and of themselves arent that meaningful, but did you read the article/stats that pestilence showed you?

Yeah but he still misses tackles. I never said he shouldn't be on the field. I just said Siler is a better tackler. That means nothing to me.

Derrick Johnson won the Dick Butkus trophy and the Bronco Nagursky trophy

Which one did siler win?

Siler played in the SEC where everyone can tackle.

Lol, that's not very homer. Ray has lost a step.

Stop and actually think about what you are saying.

At this point DJ IS better than ray Lewis.

Then DJ shouldn't miss more tackles by their logic right? Then why did he?

[Hammock Parties]

Uh, do you even realize what 141 vs 104 means?

It means Brandon Siler misses one tackle every two games, more or less, if he was a starter.

It means Derrick Johnson misses one tackle every two games.

It's a negligible difference.

And since Brandon Siler hasn't played more than 387 snaps in a season the last FOUR ****ING YEARS, using missed tackle stats to elevate him over DJ, who plays 1,000 snaps a year, is pretty clueless.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

we're really having to convince someone that siler is just a scrub backup....when he is actually DJ's scrub backup?

It's worse than that. He's Belcher's scrub backup.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

When people are posting that Siler misses 1 tackle in every 141 attempts and Johnson misses 1 tackle every 104 attempts, BlackBob is not the one getting smashed.

Did you see what pestilence posted?

Its all about the stops....

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

When people are posting that Siler misses 1 tackle in every 141 attempts and Johnson misses 1 tackle every 104 attempts, BlackBob is not the one getting smashed.

Also, tackle numbers along don't prove you're a good tackler. They just prove you're prolific. Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

I agree that his homer argument is pretty ****ing stupid, though.

siler is a backup for a reason. He isn't too good.

I know you probably don't see all the games, but this is a case of the numbers not relating the truth, IMO.

DJ gets to a lot of players and gets his hands on them a lot when a guy like siler would have never gotten close...
Posted via Mobile Device

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

How many pro bowls does siler have?

DJ is a better player. He just isn't as good of a tackler. If you think he is, then bet me.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

Then DJ shouldn't miss more tackles by their logic right? Then why did he?

He didnt -

they both had about 1 missed tackle for every 10 they made

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

Yeah but he still misses tackles. I never said he shouldn't be on the field. I just said Siler is a better tackler. That means nothing to me.



Siler played in the SEC where everyone can tackle.



Then DJ shouldn't miss more tackles by their logic right? Then why did he?

DJ missed three more tackles than ray in 200 more attempts.

Ray was worse last year, I don't see how you can debate that...
Posted via Mobile Device

[BigMeatballDave]

Black Knob polisher is either amazingly dense, or this is the most successful troll performance ever.

[Black Bob]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

siler is a backup for a reason. He isn't too good.

I know you probably don't see all the games, but this is a case of the numbers not relating the truth, IMO.

DJ gets to a lot of players and gets his hands on them a lot when a guy like siler would have never gotten close...
Posted via Mobile Device

NO SHIT. I have been saying that the whole time. McGraw was a better tackler than Lewis but, guess what? I wanted Lewis to start.

It is not uncommon for back ups to be better at fundamentals than starters. NFL starters are generally play makers. That's what makes them the best of the best.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by BlackBob

DJ is a better player. He just isn't as good of a tackler.

Where is the evidence that Brandon Siler is a good tackler?