Tribal Warfare
08-02-2007, 08:38 PM
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/08/02/qa_with_mike_priefer__82/
http://www.kcchiefs.com/2006_tc_hq/
Q: You’ve got a new kicker and long snapper out there; what do you see so far?
MIKE PRIEFER: “They’re working extremely hard. I said earlier in camp the toughest thing right now so far is Dustin (Colquitt) moving over to hold for a left footed kicker. We’re working a lot with JP (Darche) snapping and with the jugs gun to get as many snaps as possible. [Medlock’s] improved immensely.
“Dustin is punting the ball well and Justin Medlock has kicked off well [today] and he’s hitting field goals better and better.”
Q: He had a day the other day where he missed four [kicks]. Is that a blip on the radar or is that something you pay attention to?
PRIEFER: “I think a little bit of both. You have to pay attention to it, but as I told him right after that happened: ‘Justin, it’s July 31.’ It’s not a bad thing to happen. It’s part of the maturation process for a young kicker. He’s going to have a bad day. Once he realizes that he’s going to be fine. I think he did. He came back the next two days and was four-for-four yesterday and three-for-four today. I think he’s hitting the ball pretty well.”
Q: What about kick returner? Is it Jeff Webb’s job to lose?
PRIEFER: “I wouldn’t necessarily say that. It’s going to come down to pre-season games: who’s going to stick it up in there. We want to have a good four-man wedge, good power running game. Who’s going to run them the way we want them to run with great ball security. The guy who performs the best will get the job.”
Q: Herm said today that Justin [Medlock] was eight of nine before his bad day. Is that right?
PRIEFER: “He was exactly eight-of-nine and seven of eight since then.”
Q: How hard is it for you to pick guys for special teams as the roster is whittled down?
PRIEFER: “That’s the most fun part of my job. I get to work with these young guys who are young and eager and coachable. The smart ones know. If they’re not a starter and a young guy they’re competing with everyone else on the team for a job on special teams. That’s what keeps me going. The guys that stand out are the guys that I can trust. The guys you can throw in a game and do the things you want them to do.”
Q: Do the guys you have lined up now mean anything at all?
PRIEFER: “I don’t think the depth chart means anything. We’re training a lot of guys at a lot of different spots and they’re not necessarily going to play those exact spots in the pre-season or regular season. I’m going to move as many guys around and train them so they’re prepared.”
Q: Can you put the pieces together, starter versus third guy?
PRIEFER: “We have a head coach here that allows us to use starters on special teams and that is a tremendous plus and tremendous advantage. You have to pick and choose your spots. If Bernard Pollard is a starting safety then he can only play on certain teams. If Jarrad Page is a starting safety then he can only play on certain teams. The two linebackers on the punt team in DJ and Napoleon are not going to be used in a lot of stuff. But we’re going to use them on punt and possibly on field goal block and pick and choose our spots.”
Q: With Dante Hall no longer here. Some thought he was a flash in the pan. How big a loss is he to you here? How do you think he’ll be in St. Louis?
PRIEFER: “I don’t think Dante Hall has ever been described as a flash in the pan. He had several good years here and was one of the greatest returners in this organization and in the NFL. I think he’ll still be a positive. He’s in a dome. It depends on how they utilize him. I think it’s a new look for him; it’s a fresh start for him. And, it’s a fresh start for us and I’m excited about our future.”
http://www.kcchiefs.com/2006_tc_hq/
Q: You’ve got a new kicker and long snapper out there; what do you see so far?
MIKE PRIEFER: “They’re working extremely hard. I said earlier in camp the toughest thing right now so far is Dustin (Colquitt) moving over to hold for a left footed kicker. We’re working a lot with JP (Darche) snapping and with the jugs gun to get as many snaps as possible. [Medlock’s] improved immensely.
“Dustin is punting the ball well and Justin Medlock has kicked off well [today] and he’s hitting field goals better and better.”
Q: He had a day the other day where he missed four [kicks]. Is that a blip on the radar or is that something you pay attention to?
PRIEFER: “I think a little bit of both. You have to pay attention to it, but as I told him right after that happened: ‘Justin, it’s July 31.’ It’s not a bad thing to happen. It’s part of the maturation process for a young kicker. He’s going to have a bad day. Once he realizes that he’s going to be fine. I think he did. He came back the next two days and was four-for-four yesterday and three-for-four today. I think he’s hitting the ball pretty well.”
Q: What about kick returner? Is it Jeff Webb’s job to lose?
PRIEFER: “I wouldn’t necessarily say that. It’s going to come down to pre-season games: who’s going to stick it up in there. We want to have a good four-man wedge, good power running game. Who’s going to run them the way we want them to run with great ball security. The guy who performs the best will get the job.”
Q: Herm said today that Justin [Medlock] was eight of nine before his bad day. Is that right?
PRIEFER: “He was exactly eight-of-nine and seven of eight since then.”
Q: How hard is it for you to pick guys for special teams as the roster is whittled down?
PRIEFER: “That’s the most fun part of my job. I get to work with these young guys who are young and eager and coachable. The smart ones know. If they’re not a starter and a young guy they’re competing with everyone else on the team for a job on special teams. That’s what keeps me going. The guys that stand out are the guys that I can trust. The guys you can throw in a game and do the things you want them to do.”
Q: Do the guys you have lined up now mean anything at all?
PRIEFER: “I don’t think the depth chart means anything. We’re training a lot of guys at a lot of different spots and they’re not necessarily going to play those exact spots in the pre-season or regular season. I’m going to move as many guys around and train them so they’re prepared.”
Q: Can you put the pieces together, starter versus third guy?
PRIEFER: “We have a head coach here that allows us to use starters on special teams and that is a tremendous plus and tremendous advantage. You have to pick and choose your spots. If Bernard Pollard is a starting safety then he can only play on certain teams. If Jarrad Page is a starting safety then he can only play on certain teams. The two linebackers on the punt team in DJ and Napoleon are not going to be used in a lot of stuff. But we’re going to use them on punt and possibly on field goal block and pick and choose our spots.”
Q: With Dante Hall no longer here. Some thought he was a flash in the pan. How big a loss is he to you here? How do you think he’ll be in St. Louis?
PRIEFER: “I don’t think Dante Hall has ever been described as a flash in the pan. He had several good years here and was one of the greatest returners in this organization and in the NFL. I think he’ll still be a positive. He’s in a dome. It depends on how they utilize him. I think it’s a new look for him; it’s a fresh start for him. And, it’s a fresh start for us and I’m excited about our future.”