Chiefs Herm recounts how Carl created him, and why it's not his fault!

Hammock Parties · 12-19-2008, 02:01 PM

http://www.montereyherald.com/sports...nclick_check=1

I have known Carl Peterson since I was 17 years old. He recruited me out of Monterey High when he was an assistant coach at UCLA.

When I got out of college, he signed me as an undrafted free agent for the Eagles when he was in Philadelphia. We kept a strong relationship.

I remember telling him when I get out of this game as a player, I want to coach. He told me start in college. He gave me an internship the first year he got to Kansas City in 1988.

Then he gave me a scouting position the following year where I worked with Tony Dungy. Carl actually gave me my first head coaching interview before I went to the Jets a year later.

Then he got me out of New York five years later for a fourth round pick. He traded for me.

No doubt Carl was the face of the Chiefs. The season ticket base was only 30,000 when he arrived 20 some years ago. Now it's filled each week. He has had a tremendous run. He put the Chiefs back on the map.

His legacy is what he has done for Kansas City and the NFL, not that he could not build a team to get to the Super Bowl. I'll tell you what. He's not going to retire. He will pop up somewhere.

With a new general manager coming in, we'll have to wait and see what direction he wants to go. It'll be his team. It's another distraction.

We've now lost seven games by seven points or less. But last week was the hardest defeat. Everything that could go wrong for us did in the final five minutes of the game.

We had an 11-point lead and we can't make a first down. They go on a long drive and score. Then we fumble the onside kick. It was unbelievable. Then we missed a field goal at the end.

Of course, it never should have come to that. That's youth — not having enough confidence to make a play at the end. It's almost as if we're waiting for something to happen.

We'll be a much better team for it in the long run. These guys have gone through a lot. But it's almost like they are waiting for something bad to happen instead of putting teams away.

I don't look at the last two weeks as players playing for jobs. We laid the foundation down this year. Ninety percent of the team will be back. Our gauge is to try and win a home game for these fans.

And there is an opportunity to knock someone out of a division lead in Miami. We have the pedal to the metal. We are doing everything we can to win a game. But we've struggled all year in the second half to score points.

We had 18 first downs in the first half against San Diego and three in the second half. Every week we look like a playoff team in the first half. It's a whole different deal in the second half. I don't know what that is. That's what we're trying to find out.

I look at Miami and say that could be us next year. It gives you hope we can do that. It's a mindset. They have won seven games by nine points or less. Of course, we've lost seven games by seven points or less.

We're still coaching and the players are still learning. Regardless of our record, we still get the opportunity to teach. There's a lot of pride with these players. And the coaches.

We've been pretty loose the last couple of weeks. We're trying to have fun. That's part of the deal. If you can't have fun, I don't want them coming to practice.

12-19-2008, 02:01 PM	Topic Starter
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4540478	Herm recounts how Carl created him, and why it's not his fault! http://www.montereyherald.com/sports...nclick_check=1 I have known Carl Peterson since I was 17 years old. He recruited me out of Monterey High when he was an assistant coach at UCLA. When I got out of college, he signed me as an undrafted free agent for the Eagles when he was in Philadelphia. We kept a strong relationship. I remember telling him when I get out of this game as a player, I want to coach. He told me start in college. He gave me an internship the first year he got to Kansas City in 1988. Then he gave me a scouting position the following year where I worked with Tony Dungy. Carl actually gave me my first head coaching interview before I went to the Jets a year later. Then he got me out of New York five years later for a fourth round pick. He traded for me. No doubt Carl was the face of the Chiefs. The season ticket base was only 30,000 when he arrived 20 some years ago. Now it's filled each week. He has had a tremendous run. He put the Chiefs back on the map. His legacy is what he has done for Kansas City and the NFL, not that he could not build a team to get to the Super Bowl. I'll tell you what. He's not going to retire. He will pop up somewhere. With a new general manager coming in, we'll have to wait and see what direction he wants to go. It'll be his team. It's another distraction. We've now lost seven games by seven points or less. But last week was the hardest defeat. Everything that could go wrong for us did in the final five minutes of the game. We had an 11-point lead and we can't make a first down. They go on a long drive and score. Then we fumble the onside kick. It was unbelievable. Then we missed a field goal at the end. Of course, it never should have come to that. That's youth — not having enough confidence to make a play at the end. It's almost as if we're waiting for something to happen. We'll be a much better team for it in the long run. These guys have gone through a lot. But it's almost like they are waiting for something bad to happen instead of putting teams away. I don't look at the last two weeks as players playing for jobs. We laid the foundation down this year. Ninety percent of the team will be back. Our gauge is to try and win a home game for these fans. And there is an opportunity to knock someone out of a division lead in Miami. We have the pedal to the metal. We are doing everything we can to win a game. But we've struggled all year in the second half to score points. We had 18 first downs in the first half against San Diego and three in the second half. Every week we look like a playoff team in the first half. It's a whole different deal in the second half. I don't know what that is. That's what we're trying to find out. I look at Miami and say that could be us next year. It gives you hope we can do that. It's a mindset. They have won seven games by nine points or less. Of course, we've lost seven games by seven points or less. We're still coaching and the players are still learning. Regardless of our record, we still get the opportunity to teach. There's a lot of pride with these players. And the coaches. We've been pretty loose the last couple of weeks. We're trying to have fun. That's part of the deal. If you can't have fun, I don't want them coming to practice.
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