keg in kc
09-11-2005, 01:21 AM
Cavalry has arrived (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/12613478.htm)
Knight, Surtain embrace challenge to help defense
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Sun, Sep. 11, 2005
Call Patrick Surtain and Sammy Knight mercenaries if you must. There’s probably some element of truth there.
The two defensive backs, among the newest members of the Chiefs, are getting a nice chunk of coin to help fix a forlorn unit that ranked near rock bottom of the NFL last year. That’s particularly true for Surtain, who could make as much as $51 million before his contract runs out.
But if it were only money, that could have been found elsewhere in the league. There are other reasons Surtain and Knight made the choice to parachute into Kansas City.
“We wanted guys who wanted the challenge of turning this culture around, and they wanted the challenge,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “I tried to sense it before they even got here. We knew a lot about the guys we brought in.”
The Chiefs took a look at many defensive free agents. More than anyone else, cornerback Surtain and safety Knight, who had been teammates at Miami, embraced the idea of making something out of nothing.
Both already were accomplished players. Knight is a former Pro Bowl selection who leads the NFL in takeaways during his eight seasons. Surtain is a two-time Pro Bowler and widely acknowledged as one of the game’s top cover corners.
It was also important for the Chiefs to have players who not only could deal with the stench of defensive failure, but who actually embraced it. Both players knew the Chiefs failed defensively in recent seasons and had been warned away from the situation by friends around the league.
They pressed on anyway.
“I wasn’t going to pay too much attention to what other people said,” Knight said. “I was going to make my decisions based on what I saw and what I experienced. We all knew Gunther was a great defensive coach. We all knew they had a lot of good defensive players already here. So it wasn’t like anybody was looking at this as an impossible situation.”
Impossible, no. A little frightening for some, maybe. As the Chiefs brought various job candidates to town for interviews, Cunningham watched closely as he mentioned the defensive issues.
He didn’t always like the body language or the words he heard in response.
“I had specific questions I was asking everybody we brought in about this situation,” Cunningham said. “ ‘Do you think you can come here and be the man and take control of this or that?’
“(Linebacker) Ed Hartwell came in and shook a lot of hands. I didn’t want a handshake. I want guys to come in here and knock other people on their butts. He’s a fine football player. I wouldn’t say anything bad about his ability. But he can’t run like I want our guys to run. That was a big deal to me.
“(Surtain and Knight) looked me right in the eye. They understood we brought them here to win football games. They accepted what the Kansas City Chiefs had and what we want to become.”
Surtain, a career Dolphin, played on some great defensive teams and with some great players on those units. The Dolphins were a top-10 defense in each of his seven seasons.
But because of a lifeless offense, Surtain’s Dolphins rarely achieved much. New coach Nick Saban saw Surtain’s fat contract as an obstruction to the rebuilding process and offered him to any interested taker.
Surtain started looking around at prospective new employers. The more he looked at the Chiefs, who showed interest from the start, the more he liked — particularly when they started talking contract figures.
“I was coming from a team that was oriented around the defense,” he said. “The offense wasn’t that good. To come in here and not necessarily be a savior but be counted on to make a play and make a difference, it was too good to pass up.
“I just felt this was the place for me because of where they were ranked defensively, because of the culture around here where offense ruled. I wanted to come here to make a difference.”
Surtain knew the Chiefs had some defensive players worth building around. He knew Eric Hicks once had a season with 14 sacks. Ryan Sims was a high draft pick. Jared Allen was coming off a promising rookie season. Surtain played with Jerome Woods in a Pro Bowl a couple of years back.
The Chiefs had already added Knight, Kendrell Bell and Carlos Hall and were about to draft Derrick Johnson with their No. 1 pick when they completed the trade with Miami for Surtain. The Dolphins received a No. 2 pick.
“Something didn’t add up here,” Surtain said. “I thought the players were better than the results, so something was missing.”
If the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl, Surtain will look even more like a football hero
“We have a chance to be pretty good,” Surtain said. “Guys are hungry, ready to get after it.”
Knight, Surtain embrace challenge to help defense
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Sun, Sep. 11, 2005
Call Patrick Surtain and Sammy Knight mercenaries if you must. There’s probably some element of truth there.
The two defensive backs, among the newest members of the Chiefs, are getting a nice chunk of coin to help fix a forlorn unit that ranked near rock bottom of the NFL last year. That’s particularly true for Surtain, who could make as much as $51 million before his contract runs out.
But if it were only money, that could have been found elsewhere in the league. There are other reasons Surtain and Knight made the choice to parachute into Kansas City.
“We wanted guys who wanted the challenge of turning this culture around, and they wanted the challenge,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “I tried to sense it before they even got here. We knew a lot about the guys we brought in.”
The Chiefs took a look at many defensive free agents. More than anyone else, cornerback Surtain and safety Knight, who had been teammates at Miami, embraced the idea of making something out of nothing.
Both already were accomplished players. Knight is a former Pro Bowl selection who leads the NFL in takeaways during his eight seasons. Surtain is a two-time Pro Bowler and widely acknowledged as one of the game’s top cover corners.
It was also important for the Chiefs to have players who not only could deal with the stench of defensive failure, but who actually embraced it. Both players knew the Chiefs failed defensively in recent seasons and had been warned away from the situation by friends around the league.
They pressed on anyway.
“I wasn’t going to pay too much attention to what other people said,” Knight said. “I was going to make my decisions based on what I saw and what I experienced. We all knew Gunther was a great defensive coach. We all knew they had a lot of good defensive players already here. So it wasn’t like anybody was looking at this as an impossible situation.”
Impossible, no. A little frightening for some, maybe. As the Chiefs brought various job candidates to town for interviews, Cunningham watched closely as he mentioned the defensive issues.
He didn’t always like the body language or the words he heard in response.
“I had specific questions I was asking everybody we brought in about this situation,” Cunningham said. “ ‘Do you think you can come here and be the man and take control of this or that?’
“(Linebacker) Ed Hartwell came in and shook a lot of hands. I didn’t want a handshake. I want guys to come in here and knock other people on their butts. He’s a fine football player. I wouldn’t say anything bad about his ability. But he can’t run like I want our guys to run. That was a big deal to me.
“(Surtain and Knight) looked me right in the eye. They understood we brought them here to win football games. They accepted what the Kansas City Chiefs had and what we want to become.”
Surtain, a career Dolphin, played on some great defensive teams and with some great players on those units. The Dolphins were a top-10 defense in each of his seven seasons.
But because of a lifeless offense, Surtain’s Dolphins rarely achieved much. New coach Nick Saban saw Surtain’s fat contract as an obstruction to the rebuilding process and offered him to any interested taker.
Surtain started looking around at prospective new employers. The more he looked at the Chiefs, who showed interest from the start, the more he liked — particularly when they started talking contract figures.
“I was coming from a team that was oriented around the defense,” he said. “The offense wasn’t that good. To come in here and not necessarily be a savior but be counted on to make a play and make a difference, it was too good to pass up.
“I just felt this was the place for me because of where they were ranked defensively, because of the culture around here where offense ruled. I wanted to come here to make a difference.”
Surtain knew the Chiefs had some defensive players worth building around. He knew Eric Hicks once had a season with 14 sacks. Ryan Sims was a high draft pick. Jared Allen was coming off a promising rookie season. Surtain played with Jerome Woods in a Pro Bowl a couple of years back.
The Chiefs had already added Knight, Kendrell Bell and Carlos Hall and were about to draft Derrick Johnson with their No. 1 pick when they completed the trade with Miami for Surtain. The Dolphins received a No. 2 pick.
“Something didn’t add up here,” Surtain said. “I thought the players were better than the results, so something was missing.”
If the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl, Surtain will look even more like a football hero
“We have a chance to be pretty good,” Surtain said. “Guys are hungry, ready to get after it.”