Teicher:Signing surprises Chiefs safety

Wile_E_Coyote · 03-17-2005, 08:04 PM

Signing surprises Chiefs safety

By ADAM TEICHER

Kansas City Star

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -

San Jose Mercury News article

Greg Wesley figured that as a five-year starting safety for the Chiefs, he was entitled to the benefit of a doubt.
Sure, last year wasn't Wesley's best, but he was bothered by injuries and, hey, it's not as if he was the only Chiefs defender who didn't play to expectations.

So it caught Wesley from the blind side last week when the Chiefs signed Miami free agent Sammy Knight and handed him Wesley's job as the starting strong safety.

The move leaves Wesley and another longtime starter, Jerome Woods, competing to be the free safety.

Having a few days to digest the news did little to curb Wesley's frustration.

"I can't see myself playing backup to anybody," he said Thursday. "I'm not a backup safety. I've been a starter in this league for five years, and I'm not about to be a backup now.

"I don't have a problem with them bringing somebody else in. I'm happy they're bringing some guys in to help the defense. Everybody knows the defense needs to improve. After the year we had, I expected something like this to happen. I just didn't expect it to happen to me."

Would Wesley ask for a trade or his release if Woods winds up winning the job?

"I'm not going to say yes or no," Wesley said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens."

Both Wesley and Woods were given new contracts last year that make a trade or a release impractical.

"We have a lot of confidence in Greg's ability," said his agent, Drew Pittman. "The Chiefs obviously think highly of him because they gave him a new contract last year."

Wesley's reaction is part of what the Chiefs were seeking when they signed Knight. They wanted to get the attention of both Woods and Wesley, players they view as part of the problem last year.

They particularly wanted to motivate Wesley. The Chiefs gave Wesley a new contract last year that paid bonuses totaling $5 million and believe he lost some of the fire that led them to give him the contract in the first place.

"That's ridiculous to me," Wesley said. "They talk about last year, but they don't talk about the four years I put in to get to where I am. I earned that money. I didn't have the year I wanted to have last year. I was hampered by a hamstring and everything. But I still don't think I had as bad a year as people make it seem."

The Chiefs don't begin organized offseason workouts until late March but are already impressed with Woods's efforts to regain what he lost last season. Woods hired a speed coach and trains with him at his offseason home in Memphis, Tenn.

The Chiefs have had little contact with Wesley since last season ended and were unsure of his efforts.

"I know what I have to do," Wesley said. "I've been working. I didn't hire a strength coach or a speed coach or anything. But I've been working on my own. I'm going to be there for the start of the offseason program so I can stay in shape."

siberian khatru · 03-17-2005, 08:07 PM

Yeah, Greg, it's everybody else who's played like shit on the D.

EVERYBODY on that D should be scared for their jobs. Except Eric Hicks, who dangles comfortably from Dick Vermeil's Lexus rear-view mirror.

KCFalcon59 · 03-17-2005, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Yeah, Greg, it's everybody else who's played like shit on the D.

EVERYBODY on that D should be scared for their jobs. Except Eric Hicks, who dangles comfortably from Dick Vermeil's Lexus rear-view mirror.

I thought it was a porsche.

Mr. Laz · 03-17-2005, 08:07 PM

what a cluster f_ck

beer bacon · 03-17-2005, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

what a cluster f_ck

How is this a cluster ****? The signing is already helping our team. It doesn't sound like Wesley is complacent anymore.

Mr. Laz · 03-17-2005, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beer baron

How is this a cluster ****? The signing is already helping our team. It doesn't sound like Wesley is complacent anymore.

just wait ... you'll see

i'm imagine it will go like this:

wesley will come into camp and look better at strong safety

knight will come into camp and look good at strong safety

woods will come into camp and look like dog dirt at free safety

we'll then start trying to convert wesley to free safety ... he won't like it, won't be very good at it.

then will dick around with 2 strong safeties trying to figure which guy will be the best free safety all preseason long.

finally we'll end up keeping Woods just in case ... but end up using him at cornerback because of warfields suspension and because we didn't upgrade the cornerback positon enough

so wesley will be back at strong safety
knight at free safety
woods at nickleback

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

and the fuggnut carl will give his arrogant little smirk and pretend like he had nothing to do with it ... prolly indirectly blame gunther because he knows goonther is too stupid to know how to stand up for himself.

carl's got his new contract ... he's golden, he can go back on vacation.

Pants · 03-17-2005, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

just wait ... you'll see

i'm imagine it will go like this:

wesley will come into camp and look better at strong safety

knight will come into camp and look good at strong safety

woods will come into camp and look like dog dirt at free safety

we'll then start trying to convert wesley to free safety ... he won't like it, won't be very good at it.

then will dick around with 2 strong safeties trying to figure which guy will be the best free safety all preseason long.

finally we'll end up keeping Woods just in case ... but end up using him at cornerback because of warfields suspension and because we didn't upgrade the cornerback positon enough

so wesley will be back at strong safety
knight at free safety
woods at nickleback

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

and the fuggnut carl will give his arrogant little smirk and pretend like he had nothing to do with it ... prolly indirectly blame gunther because he knows goonther is too stupid to know how to stand up for himself.

carl's got his new contract ... he's golden, he can go back on vacation.

dude. Go eat some prozac.

beer bacon · 03-17-2005, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

just wait ... you'll see

i'm imagine it will go like this:

wesley will come into camp and look better at strong safety

knight will come into camp and look good at strong safety

woods will come into camp and look like dog dirt at free safety

we'll then start trying to convert wesley to free safety ... he won't like it, won't be very good at it.

then will dick around with 2 strong safeties trying to figure which guy will be the best free safety all preseason long.

finally we'll end up keeping Woods just in case ... but end up using him at cornerback because of warfields suspension and because we didn't upgrade the cornerback positon enough

so wesley will be back at strong safety
knight at free safety
woods at nickleback

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

and the fuggnut carl will give his arrogant little smirk and pretend like he had nothing to do with it ... prolly indirectly blame gunther because he knows goonther is too stupid to know how to stand up for himself.

carl's got his new contract ... he's golden, he can go back on vacation.

Gunther brought Knight in for a reason. He wants him to play strong safety. He wants him to knock the crap out of people. He wants him to stuff the run. He won't be wasted playing free safety.

Mr. Laz · 03-17-2005, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beer baron

Gunther brought Knight in for a reason. He wants him to play strong safety. He wants him to knock the crap out of people. He wants him to stuff the run. He won't be wasted playing free safety.

and who's gonna play free safety?

wesley? did he sound all happy,happy,joy,joy about playing backup or moving to free safety?

hell no ... he's gonna be pissed either way

not that i really care whether he's made or not, but i don't think he's free safety material anyway.

sound like another dam "conversion" situation to me ... our converting people on defense history realy sucks.

but hey, what do i know ... but just you wait

Wallcrawler · 03-17-2005, 08:30 PM

Knight has played free safety before though, so its not like it would be anything new.

Wesley never has had experience doing it.

I think Sammy should play strong though, because he is the hitter. He excels being the 8th man in the box, and makes a ton of plays, both making tackles/forcing fumbles, and intercepting the football. He picked off Tom Brady twice helping the lowly Dolphins knock off the New England Patriots. The guy can impact the game, thats what we need, and he should definately get the start at SS.

Wesley is fast enough to play free safety, and before last season he had back to back seasons with 6 interceptions. I think Wesley should make the adjustment just fine.

Or the Chiefs could trade his ass if he wants to be a bitch about it. Woods could hit the bricks along with him and see what can be done about acquiring picks, or a different free safety.

God knows that Woods and Wesley are not the only options on this roster to play free safety anyway. Pile, Harts, Battle, Bartee, any one of those guys could compete for that job also.

raypec85 · 03-17-2005, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

Actually Knight has played both strong safety and free safety.

KCJake · 03-17-2005, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

just wait ... you'll see

i'm imagine it will go like this:

wesley will come into camp and look better at strong safety

knight will come into camp and look good at strong safety

woods will come into camp and look like dog dirt at free safety

we'll then start trying to convert wesley to free safety ... he won't like it, won't be very good at it.

then will dick around with 2 strong safeties trying to figure which guy will be the best free safety all preseason long.

finally we'll end up keeping Woods just in case ... but end up using him at cornerback because of warfields suspension and because we didn't upgrade the cornerback positon enough

so wesley will be back at strong safety
knight at free safety
woods at nickleback

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

and the fuggnut carl will give his arrogant little smirk and pretend like he had nothing to do with it ... prolly indirectly blame gunther because he knows goonther is too stupid to know how to stand up for himself.

carl's got his new contract ... he's golden, he can go back on vacation.

You are the smartest mofo on this board. I totally agree with everything you just said.

CrazyHorse · 03-18-2005, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

just wait ... you'll see

i'm imagine it will go like this:

wesley will come into camp and look better at strong safety

knight will come into camp and look good at strong safety

woods will come into camp and look like dog dirt at free safety

we'll then start trying to convert wesley to free safety ... he won't like it, won't be very good at it.

then will dick around with 2 strong safeties trying to figure which guy will be the best free safety all preseason long.

finally we'll end up keeping Woods just in case ... but end up using him at cornerback because of warfields suspension and because we didn't upgrade the cornerback positon enough

so wesley will be back at strong safety
knight at free safety
woods at nickleback

it will be screwy all season long because we needed a gawd dam free safety and cornerback and we ended up getting another strong safety.

and the fuggnut carl will give his arrogant little smirk and pretend like he had nothing to do with it ... prolly indirectly blame gunther because he knows goonther is too stupid to know how to stand up for himself.

carl's got his new contract ... he's golden, he can go back on vacation.

Damn.

Dr. Johnny Fever · 03-18-2005, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beer baron

How is this a cluster ****? The signing is already helping our team. It doesn't sound like Wesley is complacent anymore.

I agree. I'm totally in favor of signing Sammy Knight and sending a wake-up call to both Woods and Wesley. Everyone on the defense should be scared of losing their job.

For Wesley to think he was so safe was half of his problem imo. This is a good thing.

Chiefnj · 03-18-2005, 09:03 AM

My bold prediction: Woods retains the FS spot. I think he's smarter than Wesley, and was hindered by injuries all of last year. I believe that with a better off season conditioning plan he'll return to form. Woods didn't hire the speed trainer in response to the Knight signing, he went ahead and did it for the first time in his career because he wants to be a better player. He could have said "I'm getting up there in NFL years, I just signed a nice contract, I'm going to coast", but he didn't. He was proactive and tried to better himself. That's a good sign.

03-17-2005, 08:04 PM	Topic Starter
Wile_E_Coyote avatar down for remodel Join Date: Jul 2001 Casino cash: $10004900	Teicher:Signing surprises Chiefs safety Signing surprises Chiefs safety By ADAM TEICHER Kansas City Star KANSAS CITY, Mo. - San Jose Mercury News article Greg Wesley figured that as a five-year starting safety for the Chiefs, he was entitled to the benefit of a doubt. Sure, last year wasn't Wesley's best, but he was bothered by injuries and, hey, it's not as if he was the only Chiefs defender who didn't play to expectations. So it caught Wesley from the blind side last week when the Chiefs signed Miami free agent Sammy Knight and handed him Wesley's job as the starting strong safety. The move leaves Wesley and another longtime starter, Jerome Woods, competing to be the free safety. Having a few days to digest the news did little to curb Wesley's frustration. "I can't see myself playing backup to anybody," he said Thursday. "I'm not a backup safety. I've been a starter in this league for five years, and I'm not about to be a backup now. "I don't have a problem with them bringing somebody else in. I'm happy they're bringing some guys in to help the defense. Everybody knows the defense needs to improve. After the year we had, I expected something like this to happen. I just didn't expect it to happen to me." Would Wesley ask for a trade or his release if Woods winds up winning the job? "I'm not going to say yes or no," Wesley said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens." Both Wesley and Woods were given new contracts last year that make a trade or a release impractical. "We have a lot of confidence in Greg's ability," said his agent, Drew Pittman. "The Chiefs obviously think highly of him because they gave him a new contract last year." Wesley's reaction is part of what the Chiefs were seeking when they signed Knight. They wanted to get the attention of both Woods and Wesley, players they view as part of the problem last year. They particularly wanted to motivate Wesley. The Chiefs gave Wesley a new contract last year that paid bonuses totaling $5 million and believe he lost some of the fire that led them to give him the contract in the first place. "That's ridiculous to me," Wesley said. "They talk about last year, but they don't talk about the four years I put in to get to where I am. I earned that money. I didn't have the year I wanted to have last year. I was hampered by a hamstring and everything. But I still don't think I had as bad a year as people make it seem." The Chiefs don't begin organized offseason workouts until late March but are already impressed with Woods's efforts to regain what he lost last season. Woods hired a speed coach and trains with him at his offseason home in Memphis, Tenn. The Chiefs have had little contact with Wesley since last season ended and were unsure of his efforts. "I know what I have to do," Wesley said. "I've been working. I didn't hire a strength coach or a speed coach or anything. But I've been working on my own. I'm going to be there for the start of the offseason program so I can stay in shape."
Posts: 6,009

03-17-2005, 08:07 PM	#2
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $2554950	Yeah, Greg, it's everybody else who's played like shit on the D. EVERYBODY on that D should be scared for their jobs. Except Eric Hicks, who dangles comfortably from Dick Vermeil's Lexus rear-view mirror.
Posts: 69,173

03-17-2005, 08:07 PM	#4
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	what a cluster f_ck __________________
Posts: 95,626

03-17-2005, 08:30 PM	#10
Wallcrawler How tall is this thing? Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ground 0 for enema of US. Casino cash: $4242912	Knight has played free safety before though, so its not like it would be anything new. Wesley never has had experience doing it. I think Sammy should play strong though, because he is the hitter. He excels being the 8th man in the box, and makes a ton of plays, both making tackles/forcing fumbles, and intercepting the football. He picked off Tom Brady twice helping the lowly Dolphins knock off the New England Patriots. The guy can impact the game, thats what we need, and he should definately get the start at SS. Wesley is fast enough to play free safety, and before last season he had back to back seasons with 6 interceptions. I think Wesley should make the adjustment just fine. Or the Chiefs could trade his ass if he wants to be a bitch about it. Woods could hit the bricks along with him and see what can be done about acquiring picks, or a different free safety. God knows that Woods and Wesley are not the only options on this roster to play free safety anyway. Pile, Harts, Battle, Bartee, any one of those guys could compete for that job also. __________________ She did not open her eyes this morning. I don't know what else to say.
Posts: 6,931

03-18-2005, 09:03 AM	#15
Chiefnj MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Willis, Harris and Davis. Casino cash: $10004900	My bold prediction: Woods retains the FS spot. I think he's smarter than Wesley, and was hindered by injuries all of last year. I believe that with a better off season conditioning plan he'll return to form. Woods didn't hire the speed trainer in response to the Knight signing, he went ahead and did it for the first time in his career because he wants to be a better player. He could have said "I'm getting up there in NFL years, I just signed a nice contract, I'm going to coast", but he didn't. He was proactive and tried to better himself. That's a good sign. __________________ "I always tell (the assistant coaches), 'Make it simple, 'cause I'm stupid,'" Edwards said. "This ain't computer football." Herm Edwards, 3-20-07 Q: Herm, back on December 25th you were asked if Trent Green was your starter going into next season and you said, ‘yeah, why wouldn’t he be?’ Have you changed your mind on that? EDWARDS: No, I have not.” (1-11-07)
Posts: 6,811