Vermeil needs to quit making excuses

[ILChief]

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2004/11/15/qa_with_dick_vermeil/

[shaneo69]

Q&A with Dick Vermeil
Nov 15, 2004, 7:14:40 PM


Q: Penalties and turnovers have been a real factor in this team’s lack of success this year. What’s different this year?

DICK VERMEIL: Trent (Green’s) thrown three interceptions in the last two ball games and didn’t deserve any of them. The wide receiver falls down and he gets an interception; he gets hit last week against Tampa Bay and the ball goes off in a different direction; he gets jammed and tries to get the ball in a check-down and it’s intercepted because it gets batted in the air.

“Penalty-wise after a game I really don’t over-react until I get to look at them because each week you send a report in and you get the report back that this wasn’t a penalty, or that was or that wasn’t. In the meantime, you’ve gone to a player and been all upset about it and he says, ‘coach, it was no penalty.’ He then gets upset and then you get the report back and it wasn’t a penalty. So, I don’t over-react because people make mistakes. But we still have too many penalties.

Q: With all that said, there were some penalties that clearly were committed. They clearly took you out of what you wanted to do?

VERMEIL: “Which one do you know was clearly a penalty.”

Q: Scott Fujita off-sides.

VERMEIL: “You want to look at that at tape and call that a penalty clearly? Really marginal.”

Q: How about Jerome Woods’ personal foul?

VERMEIL: “Half the time it’s not called.”

Q: I say clearly, but on the stat sheet and in the game you were penalized. What do you tell your team as far as accountability goes?

VERMEIL: “Believe me, they’re held accountable. But they’re also showed on tape and they see what was called and what wasn’t called. Hey, there are sometimes penalties that are not called – penalties that should have been called on us. That’s how it works.”

Q: On the Woods personal foul where he pushed the player, what was going on there? I assume you talked to him.

VERMEIL: “I really don’t know. There is so much that goes on in those ballgames and things said, things done, and things done that we don’t see and that even television misses that lead up to things. To me, that was a minor incident. I’ve seen a guy get a forearm across the mouth and almost get knocked out and no penalty. But when it happens in front of somebody it looks glaring. For instance, they called a 15-yard penalty on Jason Dunn. It’s not a penalty, but it was called. Jason and I had a little meeting about some other things and he brought it up. I said, ‘Jason, I’m sorry. It wasn’t a penalty.’ So, he’s the guy that looks bad. It’s just the nature of our game.”

Q: If you knew coming into this season that it wasn’t going to go as planned, would you have rethought your decision to come back for a couple of years and are you thinking about maybe not coming back next year?

VERMEIL: “No. When I went into the last year of my contract – and I think I’ve said this about 50 times – if the season had not been good I would have left because I would have felt the program wasn’t working and the players deserved better coaching than I could give them under my leadership. When it went well I felt we were doing a good job, so I thought I’d keep doing it.

“Now, we’re doing some things better today than we were doing at the end of the season last year. Our offense is better than it was last year. But we’re still not winning football games.

“I don’t regret making the decision to stay and keep coaching. Five minutes on the airplane and five minutes into the locker room after the game, I say, ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ That’s human nature. You do that your first year in coaching. It’s a tough way to make a living. But, no, I don’t go back and forth on that.”

Q: When was the last time you had a season that the results really disappointed you like this one probably does? Was it that strike year in Philadelphia?

VERMEIL: “Yeah, ‘82 I would say, ‘81 a little bit. We came out of the Super Bowl and won six straight and then hobbled. I don’t believe in terms of my overall evaluation of where we were and what it was going to take to be what we ought to be I have ever been quite as far off as I am right now.”

Q: Including those two years we were just talking about?

VERMEIL: “Uh huh.”

Q: You said last week you might think about making some changes in the secondary, maybe in the safeties. Is that something you might think about this week?

VERMEIL: “No, I’m not right now. I’ve studied the game tapes with the defensive staff and I know where their concerns are and alerts are. I know we have to continue to improve, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll make any changes.”

Q: I suppose it’s part of the physicality of the game, but talk about the tackling in the game. Is tackling all over the league worse than it used to be?

VERMEIL: “I don’t know. Our tackling overall wasn’t that bad. We had a couple of missed tackles. So did they. The team that beat us had more than we did – a ton more. When you run for 200 yards you do. The thing is when games are tight and you’re shutting somebody down and, all of a sudden, a guy comes off a tackle it becomes a glaring play like a 15-yard penalty does. I can think of one on Greg Wesley. There’s a first round draft choice, 200-pound running back, ricochets and makes more yards. You’d like Greg Wesley to make the tackle. He didn’t. He hit him; he just didn’t hit him square enough. You’d like to have someone else with him. Overall, I didn’t rate our tackling as being poor in that ballgame.”

Q: You’re big at breaking down the numbers and in all nine games this year you’ve either been in front or tied or within a score going into the fourth quarter. Six of them you’ve lost. Is that a positive or a sign of….

VERMEIL: “We’ve also had more sacks in the fourth quarter. I haven’t really checked the turnovers in the fourth quarter. Usually, you either find a way in the fourth quarter or your opponent finds a way to win it. Right now, we’re finding a way. We had an opportunity. We’re 20-27 and we go down there and don’t get it done. We turn it over. The whole mood of everything changes. What we have to do is get it done.

“We had an exact replay in the first quarter. The second time we had the ball the receiver gets the ball knocked out. You talk about putting an over-emphasis on those kinds of things on the practice field! We almost had fist fights on the field last week with receivers getting mad at defensive backs trying to knock the ball out. Right now, we have things like that happening to us and we’re not making up for it offensively.

“We should have scored more points than we did yesterday. You make 500 yard you ought to score more points.”

Q: How do you stop the talk in the locker room of being snake-bit? Is this thing on the verge of snow-balling downhill?

VERMEIL: “No. That isn’t controlled by just one win. It’s controlled by the character of your football team. Have these guys ever at any time in the last couple of years displayed a lack of character? Have they? You guys are the experts. I’ve never felt it. I’ve had very few football practices that I’m embarrassed about or upset with – very, very few. Fewer here than any time I’ve ever coached anywhere. These are quality, hard-working kids. They have a lot of pride and earn their money the hard way. They work and we spend a lot of time on the practice field.

“I look for them to be down like I am, like Carl Peterson is, like Lamar Hunt is. I know these guys well enough. I’ve already had a few of them in my office today who came in and wanted to know how I felt. I think the character of this football team is outstanding. I think they’ll prove it Monday night.”

Q: Winning the division and going to the playoffs are the goals every year, but once those goals are out of reach is it hard to redirect the energy?

VERMEIL: “No, we direct our energy weekly to one event. Of course our ultimate goal is to have enough positive weekends to go to the playoffs. But as that picture dims, your focus on week to week remains the same. Ongoing skill development, for example. Look at what Trent Green has done? He’s the most overlooked quarterback in the National Football League right now. Look at how he’s playing the game. It’s amazing. He just set a new Kansas City Chiefs record for 300 plus yard games. He has equaled Len Dawson’s career percentage per pass completion. He’s done it in a short period of time. He just set a record for consecutive starts for a quarterback in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs. He just keeps going on.

“But we still have to do a better job when we get down in there. You know we’ve led the NFL in scoring in the Red Zone two years in a row. So, I’m not embarrassed about what we’ve done. But we’re not getting points where we have to.”

Q: Obviously you want to win these last seven games, but are there others things you want to see from your team these last weeks?

VERMEIL: “I haven’t thought about it. The only thing I think of is winning this next one.”

Q: Any thought about getting some younger guys in just to get a good look at some of them?

VERMEIL: “The only reason the other guys go in to play is because the veterans need to play better or need some rest. We’ve been doing that for quite a while at right tackle. We put Chris Bober in to play at right tackle for 15 snaps a ball game just to take pressure off a guy playing coming off a knee operation. The 46-man roster doesn’t allow you to do too much of it.

“I could have put Larry Johnson in the game yesterday to see how he does. But it doesn’t make very good sense to do that when someone’s running like hell, just to see how somebody else does. But he was ready to go and go play. That was really Derrick’s (Blaylock) first shot. He carried the ball 33 times and never really got tired. It wasn’t as physical a running game. He had clean lines of scrimmage a number of times. He was in the secondary when they touched him. Derrick Blaylock delivered and came close to setting an all-time Kansas City record with 15 more yards.”

Q: You talked about the tougher schedule. Do you think your team plays up to the competition or down to it?

VERMEIL: “I don’t know. We’ve beaten three good teams and lost to some teams that didn’t have winning records. But every Sunday is a totally new experience. We lost to Tampa in Tampa and to New Orleans in New Orleans. It would have been very easy to win both of those football games and we didn’t win them. So you can say it’s poor coaching or we just can’t win on the road, or we’re snake-bitten, or whatever. They won and we didn’t. That’s the nature of this business. It’s very easily defined by the scoreboard.”

Q: You’ve been around a lot of teams. You’ve talked about the character of this team and you’ve seen other programs. Is it possible to get too close to the players – that you could miss something?

VERMEIL: “The closer you are to them the less you miss. Just the opposite occurs. There aren’t any secrets when you’re close to a football team. Believe me.”

Q: How do you explain New England and what they’ve been able to do? They obviously have some very good players but that’s not the most talented roster in the league.

VERMEIL: “Who’s evaluating it? The quarterback ain’t bad. The offensive line is pretty good. The defensive tackles are pretty darn good. That football team is a pretty darn good football team and it’s put together for a purpose and it’s put together better than anybody else could put it together.”

Q: So is this maybe the most talented team we’ll see?

VERMEIL: “It’s hard to say who the most talented team is. It really is. Sometimes people rank talent by the number of first round picks. That can be a real fallacy. Who’s our best football player? He wasn’t even drafted. Maybe they have six Priest Holmes’ over there.

“They have some very fine football players who weren’t high draft picks, but they also have done a very great job of supplementing their roster with specific guys that can play specific roles like they would like him to play. They do that better than anybody in football.”

Q: So if they’re not the most talented then they’re the most efficient?

VERMEIL: “I think they’re talented and the most efficient. But definitely the most efficient. I can’t tell the most talented team. I think each team has different strengths and weaknesses. This team we played yesterday. There aren’t many teams that have the skill positions that they have. I don’t know who they are. They’re scary as far as athletic ability.”

Q: As a coach when you see that Bill Belichick has a wide receiver as a defensive back and they’ve still won against good teams, what do you think?

VERMEIL: “I think he has those kinds of athletes who can do that. They also worked some of that in training camp. They’ve done some of those things preparing for the future. They cut guys every year and then bring them back. They just do a great job of what they do with their scheme and fit it with this kind of player. Sometimes it’s easier to tell what kind of player he is after he’s played a year for you. This guy will fit perfect and they bring him back.”

[tk13]

Q: How do you explain New England and what they’ve been able to do? They obviously have some very good players but that’s not the most talented roster in the league.

----------------

What a stupid question....

[Phobia]

These guys earn their money the hard way, huh?

Shit. That's the funniest thing I've ever read.

[shaneo69]

Let me summarize......

Trent's INT's weren't his fault.

After talking with the players, DV has concluded that the penalties called on the Chiefs were bad calls by the refs. Especially Fujita's, Woods', Warfield's, and Dunn's.

Our offense is better than it was last year.

We're not going to bench Woods and Wesley; they just need to continue to improve.

Our tackling wasn't bad against the Saints.

Even though we over-emphasized ball security this week in practice, Johnny Johnson still had the ball knocked out of his hands.

We're not on the verge of this season snow-balling downhill because these guys are the hardest workers DV's ever been around.

Trent Green is better than Len Dawson was.

We're not going to let the younger guys play unless the veterans get hurt. We could've played Larry Johnson, but he didn't feel like putting him in the game.

DV can be more objective about evaluating this team because he's so close to the players. He has no secrets with them.

The Patriots are talented but not the most talented team in the league, but they are the most efficient team in the league.

[shaneo69]

Q: How do you explain New England and what they’ve been able to do? They obviously have some very good players but that’s not the most talented roster in the league.

----------------

What a stupid question....

They were trying to get DV to admit that Belichick is a genius.

[Chiefnj]

I can't believe they aren't even considering benching Woods.

[ChiTown]

I can't believe they aren't even considering benching Woods.

Whadoyamean? Hell, Woody is a Gunther guy. I mean, he's one of the players that's supposed to "flourish" in Gun's system, right?

Wow. This season keeps getting darker and darker every week......

[tk13]

They were trying to get DV to admit that Belichick is a genius.
Oh I realize that, I think there are better ways to word the question....

[OldTownChief]

Q: How do you explain New England and what they’ve been able to do? They obviously have some very good players but that’s not the most talented roster in the league.

----------------

What a stupid question....

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.

[OldTownChief]

I can't believe they aren't even considering benching Woods.

Who are we gonna put out there? Thats the only defence DV has in an interview short of saying "My boss sucks ass"

[OldTownChief]

I can't believe they aren't even considering benching Woods.

Just to go one further, Woods is the best safety we have on the team, he had a bad game. Week after week one or two players on this D will step it up and there is always someone who sucks, take your pick on who it will be this next week. It's a ****ing crap shoot. After one quarter of football our weakness for the week will be exposed and it's all over. Woods will play the game of his career and Fugita and Mitchell will be the ones. Take your pick, we have no talent or depth as a team.

[Phobia]

I can't believe the Chiefs continue to publish Vermeil's press conference on their website. Wow, what an embarrassment he has become. He should follow Bobbie Knight's lead and refund his entire salary.

[Rausch]

The problem is our defense is average to good, any position you name, with a few "really sucks" thrown in.

On offense we have an all star offensive line, HB, TE, and average WR's.

We need a STUD on defense, and unless some dumbazz GM is willing to trade us one cheap we're going to have to land one in the draft...

[OldTownChief]

The problem is our defense is average to good, any position you name, with a few "really sucks" thrown in.

On offense we have an all star offensive line, HB, TE, and average WR's.

We need a STUD on defense, and unless some dumbazz GM is willing to trade us one cheap we're going to have to land one in the draft...

I agree, we need a leader that can fire these zombies up on every play. If we can make that happen next season and DV can keep his trap shut and let Gun talk for the D we may still have a shot next year. After that our O is gone.

[RealSNR]

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask?

[OldTownChief]

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask?

You just answered your own question. :p

[tk13]

Really though, I don't think there's any right answer to how you should coach the team and handle the press.... I know everybody puts so much stock into it. Look at Bill Parcells right now, everybody here loves him because he rips the hell out of his players every week and does this and does that....it's sure not doing them any good....

[RealSNR]

You just answered your own question. :pNo, I didn't. It still wasn't proven to me why there are no stupid questions.

[Swanman]

Q: How about Jerome Woods’ personal foul?

VERMEIL: “Half the time it’s not called.”



What the fug kind of rationale is that? Hey Dicky, I've got a coaching tip for you and I'll even give this one to you for free. How about coaching your "profile" players to shut their damn mouth and go back to the huddle after the play, ESPECIALLY after we've stopped a good offense on third down. Also, you need to let your players know that they can't talk trash if they suck, it just looks silly.

[KCTitus]

I have to agree the Woods shove PF was a bad play by Woods, they stopped them, just get off the damn field.

The one I couldnt get around was the Jason Dunn PF for late hit...I never heard a whistle during that replay. Of course the announcers, and especially Brent Jones, couldnt keep the teams straight, so it was no suprise that no real scrutiny was put on the actual play on the field.

[Swanman]

I have to agree the Woods shove PF was a bad play by Woods, they stopped them, just get off the damn field.

The one I couldnt get around was the Jason Dunn PF for late hit...I never heard a whistle during that replay. Of course the announcers, and especially Brent Jones, couldnt keep the teams straight, so it was no suprise that no real scrutiny was put on the actual play on the field.

With referees these days, they either don't blow the whistle until 25 seconds after the play is over, or they blow it clearly before the play is over.

[KCTitus]

With referees these days, they either don't blow the whistle until 25 seconds after the play is over, or they blow it clearly before the play is over.

There were several plays that I can recall not hearing a whistle after the tackle was made. Im not sure if I couldnt hear it over Brent Jones blather or if it was an audio problem, but did find it interesting.

[NY CHIEF]

What a crock of crap!!!!! With our season on the line we just lost to 2 asshat teams tb ond no ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! Players should be cut not coddled STFU

[jspchief]

I have to agree with Vermeil on the INT thing. Maybe you could blame him for the ball that got tipped at the end against NO. But that was a fluke play and Blaylock loooked like he had no idea the ball was coming. At least you could put some of the blame on pressure.

As far as the rest...what a load of crap. I now understand why we suck. Vermeil goes into meetings following every game and tells these guys that they can do no wrong. There are no repurcussions for failing. You can just about bet that Woods isn't getting called out for continually giving up big plays. And excusing the penalties? When is Vermeil going to accept the rules of the NFL? Dunn and Woods committed penalties. Maybe they don't get called "half the time", but unless they don't get called 100% of the time, it's a penalty. And when is someone going to mention the freaking false starts? We have guys jumping in a stadium that couldn't make noise if you set off a bomb in it.

I'm certain that our team is made up of spoiled kids now. The lack of sack is a direct reflection of Vermeil not expecting them to have sack. For chrissakes, if we're going to be the most penalized team in the league,can we at least get some actual shots on someone?

[Swanman]

[QUOTE=jspchief]

Dunn and Woods committed penalties. Maybe they don't get called "half the time", but unless they don't get called 100% of the time, it's a penalty. And when is someone going to mention the freaking false starts? We have guys jumping in a stadium that couldn't make noise if you set off a bomb in it.

QUOTE]

About the Woods and Dunn penalties (esp. the Woods penalty), if calls like that are made just 1% of the time, you don't do it because it does not give you an advantage during the play. If something gives you an advantage during a play, then committing a penalty is kind of a calculated risk, but taunting a guy gains you no advantage and is just stupid, especially if you're a shitty toasted safety that has no business taunting anyone. Maybe we should change Burntee's picture over to Woods.