oaklandhater
11-28-2006, 07:37 AM
Chiefs running among NFL’s elite
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Team takes pride in seeing the improving rushing offense return back among the league’s top 10.
The move received little fanfare outside of the Chiefs’ locker room, but make no mistake about its significance within.
The Chiefs this week took what they believe is their rightful spot in the top 10 in rushing yardage. They will be sixth heading into Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland, just in time for the arrival of frosty air and right when they want their rushing game in top shape.
“We’ve worked on it and worked on it, and now we’re more consistent in what we’re doing,” guard Will Shields said. “That’s the key. Once you get consistent, you can make things happen.”
The Chiefs are no strangers to the NFL’s rushing top 10. They finished there in the last two seasons, in four of the last five and eight of the last 11.
Seldom have they been as challenged in getting there like this season. Between injuries on the offensive line and the eight-game loss of quarterback Trent Green because of a concussion, the running game was about as ugly as it could get early in the season.
The Chiefs dropped as low as 25th in rushing in mid-October after consecutive disastrous games in Arizona and Pittsburgh.
The problems were easy to see coming. One starting offensive lineman, Willie Roaf, retired on the eve of training camp. Another, John Welbourn, was suspended by the NFL. A third, Brian Waters, missed most of training camp because of injuries.
“It all started in the preseason for me,” coach Herm Edwards said. “You’re decimated early. You’ve got a guy retiring, and you get a guy hurt. Now you’re not playing with your line. Who are we kidding? This wasn’t going to be a fine-oiled machine on opening day. I knew that. But I thought we’d be OK because they’re veteran guys. But we weren’t where we are right now. There was a constant flux of changing guys. You can’t do that at that position. Those five guys have to play together.”
More line injuries forced even more shuffling of players. But through it all, the Chiefs retained a solid middle of their offensive line, one of the league’s top runners in Larry Johnson and in Edwards a coach determined to run the ball.
So the Chiefs always had the sense that a running revival was inevitable.
“We’re all creatures of habit,” Edwards said. “Your habits create who you are. If you continue to work on certain things in the run game, you’re going to get better. We’re focusing on the runs we feel we’re good at, and Larry likes running. We’re not going to give up on it. We’re committed to it.
“Offensive linemen have to get into a groove. The running back has to get into a groove. If you start dropping back to pass all the time, when it comes time to run, your runner doesn’t have enough carries to get into that groove and the offensive line has been pass-protecting all day and they don’t have that feel for it.”
With well more than 100 yards in five of the last six games, Johnson has surged to the lead among individual runners. Johnson has 1,202 yards, or 25 more than his closest pursuer, San Francisco’s Frank Gore.
More important to Edwards, Johnson’s per-carry average has climbed to 4.3. It was a sluggish 3.7 yards per carry as recently as four weeks ago.
More yards per carry not only means more long runs, but fewer negative runs. Johnson had no negative runs in 34 carries last week against Denver and only two in 31 carries the week before against Oakland.
That means fewer long-yardage situations for the Chiefs’ offense, something Edwards desperately wants to avoid.
“We’re having fewer negative runs and less opportunity for negative runs,” Waters said. “Three or four yards might sound like a big thing, but they’re a big thing to us because it’s not putting us in second and long or third and long. We did that too much in the past.
“We’ve been concentrating our efforts on good runs, runs we like. We don’t go into every game with a thousand plays and hoping that one works. Now we’re concentrating on the ones we really like, and we’re staying with them.”
Johnson was nothing but a power runner last season but added some moves to his game this year. He left Denver linebacker Ian Gold behind with a highlight-reel move last week.
“People have him labeled as a power runner, which he is, but he’s more than a power runner,” Edwards said. “He has some niftiness to the way he runs, too. He’s made some guys miss. He’s got good feet and good acceleration. He’s niftier than people give him credit for.”
Video study sessions that included both blockers and Johnson have also helped each side understand what the other is seeing and doing. Johnson has used more patience in waiting for holes to develop, as Priest Holmes once did so well.
“He knows when to hit it right up in there or wait for things to develop,” Shields said. “That’s just his experience showing. He’s trusting us more now. He’s seeing things more, and he’s becoming more comfortable with what we’re trying to do.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Team takes pride in seeing the improving rushing offense return back among the league’s top 10.
The move received little fanfare outside of the Chiefs’ locker room, but make no mistake about its significance within.
The Chiefs this week took what they believe is their rightful spot in the top 10 in rushing yardage. They will be sixth heading into Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland, just in time for the arrival of frosty air and right when they want their rushing game in top shape.
“We’ve worked on it and worked on it, and now we’re more consistent in what we’re doing,” guard Will Shields said. “That’s the key. Once you get consistent, you can make things happen.”
The Chiefs are no strangers to the NFL’s rushing top 10. They finished there in the last two seasons, in four of the last five and eight of the last 11.
Seldom have they been as challenged in getting there like this season. Between injuries on the offensive line and the eight-game loss of quarterback Trent Green because of a concussion, the running game was about as ugly as it could get early in the season.
The Chiefs dropped as low as 25th in rushing in mid-October after consecutive disastrous games in Arizona and Pittsburgh.
The problems were easy to see coming. One starting offensive lineman, Willie Roaf, retired on the eve of training camp. Another, John Welbourn, was suspended by the NFL. A third, Brian Waters, missed most of training camp because of injuries.
“It all started in the preseason for me,” coach Herm Edwards said. “You’re decimated early. You’ve got a guy retiring, and you get a guy hurt. Now you’re not playing with your line. Who are we kidding? This wasn’t going to be a fine-oiled machine on opening day. I knew that. But I thought we’d be OK because they’re veteran guys. But we weren’t where we are right now. There was a constant flux of changing guys. You can’t do that at that position. Those five guys have to play together.”
More line injuries forced even more shuffling of players. But through it all, the Chiefs retained a solid middle of their offensive line, one of the league’s top runners in Larry Johnson and in Edwards a coach determined to run the ball.
So the Chiefs always had the sense that a running revival was inevitable.
“We’re all creatures of habit,” Edwards said. “Your habits create who you are. If you continue to work on certain things in the run game, you’re going to get better. We’re focusing on the runs we feel we’re good at, and Larry likes running. We’re not going to give up on it. We’re committed to it.
“Offensive linemen have to get into a groove. The running back has to get into a groove. If you start dropping back to pass all the time, when it comes time to run, your runner doesn’t have enough carries to get into that groove and the offensive line has been pass-protecting all day and they don’t have that feel for it.”
With well more than 100 yards in five of the last six games, Johnson has surged to the lead among individual runners. Johnson has 1,202 yards, or 25 more than his closest pursuer, San Francisco’s Frank Gore.
More important to Edwards, Johnson’s per-carry average has climbed to 4.3. It was a sluggish 3.7 yards per carry as recently as four weeks ago.
More yards per carry not only means more long runs, but fewer negative runs. Johnson had no negative runs in 34 carries last week against Denver and only two in 31 carries the week before against Oakland.
That means fewer long-yardage situations for the Chiefs’ offense, something Edwards desperately wants to avoid.
“We’re having fewer negative runs and less opportunity for negative runs,” Waters said. “Three or four yards might sound like a big thing, but they’re a big thing to us because it’s not putting us in second and long or third and long. We did that too much in the past.
“We’ve been concentrating our efforts on good runs, runs we like. We don’t go into every game with a thousand plays and hoping that one works. Now we’re concentrating on the ones we really like, and we’re staying with them.”
Johnson was nothing but a power runner last season but added some moves to his game this year. He left Denver linebacker Ian Gold behind with a highlight-reel move last week.
“People have him labeled as a power runner, which he is, but he’s more than a power runner,” Edwards said. “He has some niftiness to the way he runs, too. He’s made some guys miss. He’s got good feet and good acceleration. He’s niftier than people give him credit for.”
Video study sessions that included both blockers and Johnson have also helped each side understand what the other is seeing and doing. Johnson has used more patience in waiting for holes to develop, as Priest Holmes once did so well.
“He knows when to hit it right up in there or wait for things to develop,” Shields said. “That’s just his experience showing. He’s trusting us more now. He’s seeing things more, and he’s becoming more comfortable with what we’re trying to do.”