tk13
10-05-2004, 01:11 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/9837707.htm
Offensive line takes it right at Ray Lewis
By IVAN CARTER
The Kansas City Star
BALTIMORE — Ray Lewis got the party started inside Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Monday night with his trademark pregame dance, which could only be duplicated by Michael Jackson on a sugar rush.
Three-and-a-half hours later, after the NFL's best offensive line (and Tony Richardson) finished with him, Lewis wasn't in a partying mood.
“They stuck it to us,” a tired, battered and beaten Lewis said after Kansas City's physical 27-24 victory over the Ravens. “They had a game plan, stuck to it and took it to us. Unfortunately, we didn't execute ours.”
The Chiefs controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes and pounded out 178 yards on the ground primarily because they ran at, rather than away from, Lewis, a man whom Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil already considers to be “one of the all-time greats.”
Lewis finished with a game-high 11 tackles but had only six solos and just one tackle for loss. Richardson set the tone early when he dove into the guard-tackle gap and drove Lewis off the ball, opening a lane for Priest Holmes.
At the end of the play, a frustrated Lewis turned Richardson and threw him to the ground. But the damage had been done, and Lewis knew what kind of night he was in for.
“You have to run right at Ray Lewis,” Richardson said. “He's too fast and too smart to try and run sideways against him. If you run sideline to sideline with him, he'll make plays.”
Another key was the way the Chiefs attacked Baltimore's 3-4 defense. The Chiefs faced a 3-4 defense last week against Houston and despite the loss, left tackle Willie Roaf played one of his strongest games in a Kansas City uniform.
From that loss, the Chiefs realized the best way to attack the Ravens was to run right at them.
The ploy worked as Roaf repeatedly sealed right defensive end Marques Douglas while Casey Wiegmann, Brian Waters, Will Shields and John Welbourn held their blocks and got downfield.
“We were just coming off the ball,” Vermeil said. “It wasn't too fancy.”
At different points, each of the Chiefs got their licks on Lewis. Once it was Wiegmann clearing the path for a 13-yard Trent Green scramble by rushing downfield and knocking Lewis to the ground.
Later, it was Shields pulling around Wiegmann and into the hole, where he greeted Lewis head up and flipped him on his back as Priest Holmes dived over both big bodies for a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“It was all luck,” Shields said with a smile.
Yeah, and so are those nine Pro Bowls.
Perhaps Waters, who has been playing at a Pro Bowl level himself, put it best:
“I don't know if he had a bad game, but you can't just worry about one man,” Waters said. “You have to play your game.”
Offensive line takes it right at Ray Lewis
By IVAN CARTER
The Kansas City Star
BALTIMORE — Ray Lewis got the party started inside Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Monday night with his trademark pregame dance, which could only be duplicated by Michael Jackson on a sugar rush.
Three-and-a-half hours later, after the NFL's best offensive line (and Tony Richardson) finished with him, Lewis wasn't in a partying mood.
“They stuck it to us,” a tired, battered and beaten Lewis said after Kansas City's physical 27-24 victory over the Ravens. “They had a game plan, stuck to it and took it to us. Unfortunately, we didn't execute ours.”
The Chiefs controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes and pounded out 178 yards on the ground primarily because they ran at, rather than away from, Lewis, a man whom Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil already considers to be “one of the all-time greats.”
Lewis finished with a game-high 11 tackles but had only six solos and just one tackle for loss. Richardson set the tone early when he dove into the guard-tackle gap and drove Lewis off the ball, opening a lane for Priest Holmes.
At the end of the play, a frustrated Lewis turned Richardson and threw him to the ground. But the damage had been done, and Lewis knew what kind of night he was in for.
“You have to run right at Ray Lewis,” Richardson said. “He's too fast and too smart to try and run sideways against him. If you run sideline to sideline with him, he'll make plays.”
Another key was the way the Chiefs attacked Baltimore's 3-4 defense. The Chiefs faced a 3-4 defense last week against Houston and despite the loss, left tackle Willie Roaf played one of his strongest games in a Kansas City uniform.
From that loss, the Chiefs realized the best way to attack the Ravens was to run right at them.
The ploy worked as Roaf repeatedly sealed right defensive end Marques Douglas while Casey Wiegmann, Brian Waters, Will Shields and John Welbourn held their blocks and got downfield.
“We were just coming off the ball,” Vermeil said. “It wasn't too fancy.”
At different points, each of the Chiefs got their licks on Lewis. Once it was Wiegmann clearing the path for a 13-yard Trent Green scramble by rushing downfield and knocking Lewis to the ground.
Later, it was Shields pulling around Wiegmann and into the hole, where he greeted Lewis head up and flipped him on his back as Priest Holmes dived over both big bodies for a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“It was all luck,” Shields said with a smile.
Yeah, and so are those nine Pro Bowls.
Perhaps Waters, who has been playing at a Pro Bowl level himself, put it best:
“I don't know if he had a bad game, but you can't just worry about one man,” Waters said. “You have to play your game.”