Babb: Second time the charm for Chiefs’ defense against Raiders

[Tribal Warfare]

Second time the charm for Chiefs’ defense against Raiders
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

OAKLAND, Calif. | Believe it or not, Brandon Flowers thought in the first quarter Sunday that the Chiefs would win.

Flowers, a rookie cornerback, saw Oakland making mistakes and Kansas City’s defense sticking to its assignments and figured that, hey, the 10-loss Chiefs had improved enough to beat the Raiders.

“You could just feel it out there,” Flowers said after the Chiefs’ 20-13 win. “The way the D-line was getting pressure, the way the linebackers were swarming to the ball and making plays — it just felt like a different team out there today.”

Ask around the locker room, and the Chiefs will say it: This is a different team. It’s different from the group of hapless youngsters that lost to the Raiders on Sept. 14. It’s not the same inexperienced bunch that allowed 300 yards rushing in that loss. Ask the right people, and they’d tell you that the team that won Sunday isn’t even the same group that allowed 54 points last week in a home loss to Buffalo.

“It’s a mind-set,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said.

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said last week that the second Raiders game was a pivotal one for the young Chiefs and their 17 rookies. They were seeing an NFL team for a second time, and they knew the weapons that Oakland would use.

“It just comes down to: when was the day going to come when we — not necessarily when we made the plays, but didn’t let them make the plays?” free safety Jarrad Page said. “When were we going to do what we were supposed to do? And we had that game.”

Flowers jarred the ball loose after Raiders tight end Zach Miller made what would have been a first-down catch. Flowers pumped his fist so hard, he fell forward and did a somersault. Another rookie, Maurice Leggett, sniffed out Oakland’s fake field goal in the second quarter, and when it fell apart, Leggett was there to scoop up the ball and run 67 yards for a touchdown.

And sure enough, the defense that allowed 300 yards rushing the last time didn’t permit half that much Sunday.

“We weren’t going to let that happen again,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the Chiefs didn’t employ any gimmicks Sunday; in fact, he said Kansas City’s defensive play-calling wasn’t much different than it was in the first game. But this time, he said, players didn’t abandon fundamentals or their assignments, which Edwards has said young players are prone to do when they panic.

The Chiefs weren’t perfect Sunday, but they were closer than they were 11 weeks ago. They didn’t allow a run longer than 20 yards. They rattled Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell — last year’s No. 1 overall pick completed just 10 of 28 passes Sunday — though the Chiefs still didn’t get a sack. And Edwards said Kansas City did something it hadn’t done in the last five weeks: protect a fourth-quarter lead.

“We finally put one away,” Edwards said.

Flowers said he knew the Chiefs were going to win Sunday after the Raiders’ first two series. Oakland made mistakes, and Kansas City didn’t. He said something seemed different about the Chiefs and it seemed as if the team had grown, even since last week.

One of the team’s veterans, safety Jon McGraw, said the defense looked nothing like the one the one that played Oakland before. He said it might have been as simple as knowing what to expect from the first team the Chiefs have now seen twice.

“There was an emphasis there this week that: ‘They came into our place and put it on us at the beginning of the season; we needed to make sure they know, don’t get used to it,’ ” McGraw said. “We haven’t arrived, but we’ve come a long way.”

[blueballs]

the slump buster
was on the other side of the field for a change

[blueballs]

athe calls for Leggett's head
have calmed down

[DeezNutz]

That was a different team, Flowers? Looked like the same old stuff to me, but, unbelievably, the Chiefs faced a more inept coaching staff.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

That was a different team, Flowers? Looked like the same old stuff to me, but, unbelievably, the Chiefs faced a more inept coaching staff.

They put 31 on Denver last week and won.

IN DENVER.

IF the Chiefs to that, then we'll be in agreement.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

They put 31 on Denver last week and won.

IN DENVER.

IF the Chiefs to that, then we'll be in agreement.

I don't know how to explain that. Each member of the Oakland coaching staff should be systematically kicked in the balls for their decision making today. IMO, the Chiefs were dog shit today. Gonzo was unbelievable, and Flowers himself had his moments, but the team, as a whole, was utter garbage. Oh, and Herm was at his clock management finest.

I would have to look at the box score again, but I believe Russell was actually pretty good last week, and I have absolutely no idea how that's possible. He was Leaf-like today.

[bringbackmarty]

well if you call completing 10 passes good. It's not all about the box score. Thigpen had the nutz today.....SO did our D.