Chiefs Teicher: Savage makes an impression on Edwards. - Page 3

**BigRedChief** · 08-19-2008, 02:20 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/754716.html

Chiefs’ Savage makes a good impression on Edwards
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Dantrell Savage was only a fringe candidate at the start of training camp when the Chiefs pondered the identity of their next kick-return specialist.

It might be his job to lose now.

That became evident in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s exhibition game against Arizona. After his nifty 45-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Savage was called to the sideline for a quick consultation with coach Herm Edwards.

Edwards had some friendly advice for Savage, a rookie free agent.

“I just said, ‘That’s what I like. You just keep doing that.’ ” Edwards said after Monday’s practice. “When you get a player like that, when they do things like that, it gets the whole sideline enthusiastic. Not only the fans but the players, too.”

The head coach, too, evidently. It’s rarely Edwards’ style to publicly rave about a player, but he’s having trouble controlling himself with Savage, who signed with the Chiefs not immediately after the draft but after his invitation to a rookie tryout camp.

“I just think he’s a really good football player,” Edwards said. “He runs with a lot of passion. That’s what you like about the guy. He’s tough and physical. He’s pretty good. I’ll put it that way.”

Savage is only 5 feet 8 and 182 pounds and doesn’t have blazing speed to compensate, so he’s used to being overlooked.

“I feel I made their decision harder,” he said. “That’s what I have to do every day and every week. I just have to keep pushing and doing the things I have to do to make the team.”

Savage’s main competition is veteran B.J. Sams, who was once one of the game’s premier return specialists with Baltimore. Each of Sams’ last two seasons ended prematurely because of injury, and he is trying to re-establish himself.

Sams has also done well with his return chances in the preseason, but he’s been getting fewer than Savage.

“They’re just telling me to take it slow and they’ll ease me back in,” Sams said. “I feel like I’m 100 percent, back to where I used to be. I feel I can make the same moves and outrun some people. But they call the shots. I’m just going to do what they tell me to do.”

Edwards’ assessment of Sams was less than glowing

“He’s OK,” Edwards said simply. “He’s all right.”

When the subject moved back to Savage, Edwards’ mood changed abruptly.

“He’s like a bowling ball with butcher knives on it,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to tackle the guy. He’s not the biggest guy. He’s probably not the fastest guy. That’s probably why he wasn’t drafted.

“He doesn’t go down on the first hit. If you think you can just hit him with your shoulder and not wrap him up, you’ve got problems. He’s going to make yards.

“When he gets ready to get hit, he has the ability because he’s not the tallest guy to get his weight on you and hit you back. You’re not going to explode on him so much as he explodes on you. He’s not going down. You’ve got to tackle this guy to bring him down.”

Edwards has apparently been telling Savage the same things in private.

“He’s an admirer of my skills,” Savage said. “He thinks I’m fearless. That’s what I have to show him, that I’m not scared to run.”

Savage was a standout in his two seasons at Oklahoma State and showed some good things at the Senior Bowl practices last winter, but still he went undrafted. He also had offers from Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay and talked with Indianapolis and Atlanta but opted to come to the Chiefs.

“The best decision for me was to come to KC,” he said. “I’m getting a chance to return kicks here. Plus I looked at some of the running backs on those other clubs and didn’t know how much of a chance I would get. Here was the best fit for me.”

It initially seemed to be an odd choice. The Chiefs are as deep at running back as they’ve been in many years with Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle.

Savage is still only fifth on the depth chart at running back.

“I guess I’m the type of guy that likes competition,” he said. “If we’re going to play against a great defense, I’m up for the competition. I’ll end up playing better against a great defense. There are some great running backs here, but this will only make me better.”

Returning kicks would put him on the roster. He’s been spending extra time fielding punts, something he only occasionally did at Oklahoma State.

While Edwards is a solid Savage fan, it remains to be seen whether he would trust such an important job to a rookie.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Edwards said. “That’s a tough spot. It looks easy, but it takes funny turns. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence to be back there.”

Mama Hip Rockets · 08-19-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Sams has also done well with his return chances in the preseason.

FALSE!

Demonpenz · 08-19-2008, 11:12 AM

everyone is a fan of the wonder years

**BigRedChief** · 08-19-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

everyone is a fan of the wonder years

I use to love that show.

Pablo · 08-19-2008, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

everyone is a fan of the wonder years

fuck yeah dude. I still wanna plow Winnie Cooper.

**BigRedChief** · 08-19-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GonzoRox88

fuck yeah dude. I still wanna plow Winnie Cooper.

She's still hot. A lawyer or something now? Went to some Ivy league college etc.

**BigRedChief** · 08-19-2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

She's still hot. A lawyer or something now? Went to some Ivy league college etc.

But back on topic.....

New depth chart is out and Sams is still the punt and kickoff returner.

Pablo · 08-19-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

She's still hot. A lawyer or something now? Went to some Ivy league college etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_McKellar

Apparently she's all about math now or something.

I have a math equation for her:

My cack + her hot vag = love explosion on her tummy

blueballs · 08-19-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

But back on topic.....

New depth chart is out and Sams is still the punt and kickoff returner.

I hope all the Savage talk
isn't like making Boone a DE
just trying to motivate someone else

**BigRedChief** · 08-20-2008, 07:13 AM

More on Savage

I understand thoroughly that the NFL draft is an art and not a science but it always amazes me how certain guys fall through the cracks.
I'm not predicting a great career for the Chiefs' Dantrell Savage. It could happen and the chances are better that it won't. But I think the guy deserved more consideration than to be begging for a job a week after the draft.

He's only 5-8 and about 180 pounds and isn't fast enough to compensate. But he was a productive player at Oklahoma State against pretty good competition. I saw him myself for the first time at the Senior Bowl practices in Alabama and thought he was at least a draftable player. He has some skills.

I remember when another undrafted player, Eric Hicks, first showed up at Chiefs camp. He was skinny, underdeveloped. But you could see from his first practice that he had considerable pass rush skills.
He didn't deserve to be drafted in the first round but somewhere in the seven. Teams spend millions of dollars on scouting so that they don't make these kinds of mistakes. How 32 teams passed on Hicks seven times and didn't at least make Savage an offer in the minutes following the draft will remain two of life's mysteries.

Submitted by Adam Teicher on August 19, 2008 - 9:00am.
login or register to post comments

Reerun_KC · 08-20-2008, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I remember when another undrafted player, Eric Hicks, first showed up at Chiefs camp. He was skinny, underdeveloped. But you could see from his first practice that he had considerable pass rush skills.

Oh dear god!

He cant be serious?

Mr Bootleg was pwned more than not...

08-19-2008, 02:20 AM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $2579627 VARSITY	Teicher: Savage makes an impression on Edwards. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/754716.html Chiefs’ Savage makes a good impression on Edwards By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star Dantrell Savage was only a fringe candidate at the start of training camp when the Chiefs pondered the identity of their next kick-return specialist. It might be his job to lose now. That became evident in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s exhibition game against Arizona. After his nifty 45-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Savage was called to the sideline for a quick consultation with coach Herm Edwards. Edwards had some friendly advice for Savage, a rookie free agent. “I just said, ‘That’s what I like. You just keep doing that.’ ” Edwards said after Monday’s practice. “When you get a player like that, when they do things like that, it gets the whole sideline enthusiastic. Not only the fans but the players, too.” The head coach, too, evidently. It’s rarely Edwards’ style to publicly rave about a player, but he’s having trouble controlling himself with Savage, who signed with the Chiefs not immediately after the draft but after his invitation to a rookie tryout camp. “I just think he’s a really good football player,” Edwards said. “He runs with a lot of passion. That’s what you like about the guy. He’s tough and physical. He’s pretty good. I’ll put it that way.” Savage is only 5 feet 8 and 182 pounds and doesn’t have blazing speed to compensate, so he’s used to being overlooked. “I feel I made their decision harder,” he said. “That’s what I have to do every day and every week. I just have to keep pushing and doing the things I have to do to make the team.” Savage’s main competition is veteran B.J. Sams, who was once one of the game’s premier return specialists with Baltimore. Each of Sams’ last two seasons ended prematurely because of injury, and he is trying to re-establish himself. Sams has also done well with his return chances in the preseason, but he’s been getting fewer than Savage. “They’re just telling me to take it slow and they’ll ease me back in,” Sams said. “I feel like I’m 100 percent, back to where I used to be. I feel I can make the same moves and outrun some people. But they call the shots. I’m just going to do what they tell me to do.” Edwards’ assessment of Sams was less than glowing “He’s OK,” Edwards said simply. “He’s all right.” When the subject moved back to Savage, Edwards’ mood changed abruptly. “He’s like a bowling ball with butcher knives on it,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to tackle the guy. He’s not the biggest guy. He’s probably not the fastest guy. That’s probably why he wasn’t drafted. “He doesn’t go down on the first hit. If you think you can just hit him with your shoulder and not wrap him up, you’ve got problems. He’s going to make yards. “When he gets ready to get hit, he has the ability because he’s not the tallest guy to get his weight on you and hit you back. You’re not going to explode on him so much as he explodes on you. He’s not going down. You’ve got to tackle this guy to bring him down.” Edwards has apparently been telling Savage the same things in private. “He’s an admirer of my skills,” Savage said. “He thinks I’m fearless. That’s what I have to show him, that I’m not scared to run.” Savage was a standout in his two seasons at Oklahoma State and showed some good things at the Senior Bowl practices last winter, but still he went undrafted. He also had offers from Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay and talked with Indianapolis and Atlanta but opted to come to the Chiefs. “The best decision for me was to come to KC,” he said. “I’m getting a chance to return kicks here. Plus I looked at some of the running backs on those other clubs and didn’t know how much of a chance I would get. Here was the best fit for me.” It initially seemed to be an odd choice. The Chiefs are as deep at running back as they’ve been in many years with Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle. Savage is still only fifth on the depth chart at running back. “I guess I’m the type of guy that likes competition,” he said. “If we’re going to play against a great defense, I’m up for the competition. I’ll end up playing better against a great defense. There are some great running backs here, but this will only make me better.” Returning kicks would put him on the roster. He’s been spending extra time fielding punts, something he only occasionally did at Oklahoma State. While Edwards is a solid Savage fan, it remains to be seen whether he would trust such an important job to a rookie. “That’s what we’re going to find out,” Edwards said. “That’s a tough spot. It looks easy, but it takes funny turns. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence to be back there.”
Posts: 79,316

08-19-2008, 11:12 AM	#32
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $2662136	everyone is a fan of the wonder years __________________
Posts: 54,365

08-20-2008, 07:13 AM	#39
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $2579627 VARSITY	More on Savage I understand thoroughly that the NFL draft is an art and not a science but it always amazes me how certain guys fall through the cracks. I'm not predicting a great career for the Chiefs' Dantrell Savage. It could happen and the chances are better that it won't. But I think the guy deserved more consideration than to be begging for a job a week after the draft. He's only 5-8 and about 180 pounds and isn't fast enough to compensate. But he was a productive player at Oklahoma State against pretty good competition. I saw him myself for the first time at the Senior Bowl practices in Alabama and thought he was at least a draftable player. He has some skills. I remember when another undrafted player, Eric Hicks, first showed up at Chiefs camp. He was skinny, underdeveloped. But you could see from his first practice that he had considerable pass rush skills. He didn't deserve to be drafted in the first round but somewhere in the seven. Teams spend millions of dollars on scouting so that they don't make these kinds of mistakes. How 32 teams passed on Hicks seven times and didn't at least make Savage an offer in the minutes following the draft will remain two of life's mysteries. Submitted by Adam Teicher on August 19, 2008 - 9:00am. login or register to post comments __________________ Time is worth more than money.
Posts: 79,316