Fire Me Boy!
10-02-2006, 06:42 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15656928.htm
Offensive line holds up well
Thanks to protection up front, Chiefs beat 49ers with passing game.
The match looked more like a mismatch — the 49ers and their top pass rush against the Chiefs and their patchwork offensive line.
San Francisco came to Arrowhead Stadium with 12 sacks. The Chiefs had allowed seven in one game and were afraid to let their quarterback throw deep because of fears for his safety in the other.
It was a mismatch Sunday in an unexpected way. The Chiefs not only kept quarterback Damon Huard clean but also allowed him to throw for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-0 win.
The 49ers appeared unconcerned about their ability to get pressure on Huard. They waited on the running game and Larry Johnson and made things difficult for him.
Johnson rushed for 101 yards but needed 30 carries to get there.
They instead dared the Chiefs to beat them with the passing game, and that’s exactly what they did.
“When we were averaging only 2 or 3 yards a carry, (the 49ers) thought they were having some success,” guard Brian Waters said. “Really, they were letting us get to the point where we could set up some big plays down the field.
“It’s a great thing for us when they do that because it means they’re probably going to be one step slower (in the pass rush). As long as we stayed out of third and long, those guys were going to stay in that (mode), it’s great for us.
“They challenged us. They challenged our receivers, they challenged our quarterback. They said they were going to stop the run and see if we could make plays. Our guys did.”
The Chiefs never gave up on their running game even though it was not their most efficient method of ball movement.
“We tried to stay with the run as much as we could,” Waters said. “But we had no choice. We’re always going to take what they give us.”
The Chiefs used their third offensive line in three games. Jordan Black, who struggled at left tackle last season as Willie Roaf’s injury replacement, started there for the first time in place of the ailing Kyle Turley.
Black held his ground.
“They were still trying to bring the pressure,” Black said. “They were coming. We were just prepared, and everybody did his job.”
Black and right tackle Kevin Sampson weren’t the only ones doing the job. The middle three linemen of Waters, Will Shields and Casey Wiegmann helped provide ample time for Huard.
“What Damon did was he stepped up in the pocket a couple of times,” coach Herm Edwards said. “They kept the middle open. If the quarterback can step up, he’s going to buy himself some time, and he did that.
“When the middle of the pocket is clean, obviously you can move the ball down the field.”
Offensive line holds up well
Thanks to protection up front, Chiefs beat 49ers with passing game.
The match looked more like a mismatch — the 49ers and their top pass rush against the Chiefs and their patchwork offensive line.
San Francisco came to Arrowhead Stadium with 12 sacks. The Chiefs had allowed seven in one game and were afraid to let their quarterback throw deep because of fears for his safety in the other.
It was a mismatch Sunday in an unexpected way. The Chiefs not only kept quarterback Damon Huard clean but also allowed him to throw for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-0 win.
The 49ers appeared unconcerned about their ability to get pressure on Huard. They waited on the running game and Larry Johnson and made things difficult for him.
Johnson rushed for 101 yards but needed 30 carries to get there.
They instead dared the Chiefs to beat them with the passing game, and that’s exactly what they did.
“When we were averaging only 2 or 3 yards a carry, (the 49ers) thought they were having some success,” guard Brian Waters said. “Really, they were letting us get to the point where we could set up some big plays down the field.
“It’s a great thing for us when they do that because it means they’re probably going to be one step slower (in the pass rush). As long as we stayed out of third and long, those guys were going to stay in that (mode), it’s great for us.
“They challenged us. They challenged our receivers, they challenged our quarterback. They said they were going to stop the run and see if we could make plays. Our guys did.”
The Chiefs never gave up on their running game even though it was not their most efficient method of ball movement.
“We tried to stay with the run as much as we could,” Waters said. “But we had no choice. We’re always going to take what they give us.”
The Chiefs used their third offensive line in three games. Jordan Black, who struggled at left tackle last season as Willie Roaf’s injury replacement, started there for the first time in place of the ailing Kyle Turley.
Black held his ground.
“They were still trying to bring the pressure,” Black said. “They were coming. We were just prepared, and everybody did his job.”
Black and right tackle Kevin Sampson weren’t the only ones doing the job. The middle three linemen of Waters, Will Shields and Casey Wiegmann helped provide ample time for Huard.
“What Damon did was he stepped up in the pocket a couple of times,” coach Herm Edwards said. “They kept the middle open. If the quarterback can step up, he’s going to buy himself some time, and he did that.
“When the middle of the pocket is clean, obviously you can move the ball down the field.”