Hammock Parties
10-14-2007, 06:13 AM
THIS WEEK IN CHIEFS HISTORY
October 16, 2005
KANSAS CITY 28, WASHINGTON 21
Holmes, Allen lead Chiefs past Redskins
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 16, 2005) -- Jared Allen had a huge day against Washington, with three sacks and two recovered fumbles.
But it was the play he didn't get credit for that his teammates said was the biggest of the game. Sammy Knight insists that Allen created the fumble that the defensive back returned for a momentum-swinging 80-yard touchdown in Kansas City's 28-21 victory against the Redskins.
"Jared Allen played a great game for us," said Knight, who also tipped the ball away from Santana Moss in the end zone on the game's last play. "He was all over the field making plays."
Defensive end Carlos Hall, who was given credit for knocking the ball out of Rock Cartwright's grasp, sheepishly admitted that Allen was also part of the play.
"I think I got an arm on the ball, then at the same time Jared came and finished it off," he said. "We both were there."
Allen thought he got it, too.
"Me and Carlos argued to see who got that one," he said with a grin. "I still say my head knocked it loose. He says he had a hand on it. We'll have to watch the tape and see."
Whatever the tape shows on the fumble, Knight got two good blocks from Derrick Johnson and sailed into the end zone for his fifth career TD, one of three long scoring plays in an eventful second half.
Moss, who caught 10 balls for 173 yards and two touchdowns, got loose on a 78-yard catch-and-run, Knight responded with his 80-yard fumble return and Priest Holmes turned a short pass into a beauty of a 60-yard touchdown play for what turned out to be the final TD.
"So far this year at least, we have been turning the ball over and we have not been getting turnovers," Washington coach Joe Gibbs said. "That formula will kill you."
The Redskins (3-2) drove into Kansas City territory in the final minute and on fourth down with only a few seconds to go, Mark Brunell heaved a pass toward Moss, who was streaking into the corner of the end zone.
"I was under it," Moss said. "The safety made a terrific play. I was hoping he'd bite and the ball would go over him. I had my hands up, hoping to see a goal and he just tipped it."
The Chiefs took a 14-7 lead on their first possession of the second half on Holmes' 6-yard touchdown run.
But a few minutes later, after Brunell was sacked for a 9-yard loss, Moss took a quick pass to the left flat and raced 78 yards down the sideline, making Knight miss on a desperate lunge and completing the Redskins' longest scoring play of the season.
The Chiefs then grabbed a 21-14 lead when Knight scored.
After Greg Wesley's end-zone interception was nullified by an illegal contract penalty against Dexter McCleon, Brunell hit Chris Cooley with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the third quarter.
The Chiefs had a first down on their own 40 on their next possession when Holmes took a short pass in the flat. The muscular running back, whose 66 touchdowns from 2002-2004 are the most by any player over a three-year span, started left, cut back against the grain, picked up a great block from Tony Gonzalez and went all the way.
Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 20 and 38 yards for the Chiefs.
Brunell passed for 331 yards to 181 for Trent Green. But he doesn't need to review the stat sheet to know what kind of day Allen had.
"Good player," Brunell said. "He just had a big day. You've got to give him a lot of credit. Very good athlete; very good football player."
WHITLOCK: KC can be Allen's town
It had been years since a Kansas City defensive player dominated a football game for 60 minutes and handed the Chiefs a victory.
Jared Allen ended that drought Sunday afternoon inside Arrowhead Stadium, terrorizing Washington during Kansas City’s 28-21 victory.
“If we don’t take the football away, we don’t win the game. That’s all there is to it,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil appropriately summarized.
It really is that simple. If Jared Allen hadn’t caused three fumbles and sacked Mark Brunell three times, the Chiefs would be a game below .500 today, nursing a three-game losing streak, and the whole town would be wondering who or what hijacked Kansas City’s record-setting offense (one touchdown Sunday).
Instead, Jared Allen has Kansas City football fans wondering what we witnessed Sunday — the second coming of Vonnie Holliday or the second coming of Neil Smith.
I’m leaning toward Neil Smith. Allen’s three-sack day won’t become the answer to a trivia question the way Holliday’s three-sack debut in a Chiefs uniform did. Allen has a shot at making KC’s defense respectable the rest of the season. And if Kansas City’s defense becomes respectable, the Chiefs, 3-2, can contend for a playoff spot.
The Chiefs’ defense was more opportunistic than dominant on Sunday. Washington rolled up nearly 400 yards of offense and 26 first downs and moved the ball all day. Its offense stalled primarily when Allen disrupted it with pass-rush pressure or just plain hustle.
Allen forced two fumbles with sheer extra effort, chasing down Brunell from behind and hitting running back Rock Cartwright downfield. Sammy Knight picked up Cartwright’s fumble and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Washington was moving in for a go-ahead score when Cartwright coughed up the ball in the third quarter. Defensive end Carlos Hall got the credit for forcing the fumble, but Allen was there.
Allen’s other forced fumble thwarted Washington’s opening possession of the game, which reached the KC 7. Allen sprinted around the offensive tackle and stripped Brunell of the ball just as he was preparing to sling it.
Allen was worth at least 13 points Sunday. He caused a fumble that led directly to a Kansas City touchdown, and he cost Washington two opportunities to kick short field goals. You can’t ask a defensive player to do any more than what Allen delivered.
“Jared Allen was very special,” Vermeil said. “He has such an unbelievable motor. You expect him to run out of gas, and he just keeps humming.”
Allen said his big day was a product of picking up a “snap key” — something that helps a defensive lineman anticipate the snap — in film study. He also said the coaching staff challenged the defensive linemen to get sacks.
“We kind of got called out in our defensive-line meeting,” Allen said. “They said that we’re getting pressure, but we’re not putting the quarterback down.”
Allen’s potential ascension as a pass-rush force dictated Carl Peterson’s offseason philosophy. The Chiefs spent their free-agent money on linebacker Kendrell Bell and safety Sammy Knight and drafted linebacker Derrick Johnson in the first round because they believed Allen could fix KC’s problems along the line of scrimmage simply by improving on his nine-sack rookie season. That’s the main reason Vermeil reacted so strongly when Allen started slowly in training camp and preseason. Vermeil benched Allen.
“I knew I could play,” said Allen, who has five sacks this season. “I knew I was going to be fine. I just kept my head up.”
Allen, KC’s sack leader last year, is supposed to be the playmaker on the Chiefs’ front four. Without a playmaker up front, it’s difficult for KC’s new defenders to make an impact. Without a playmaker up front, Gunther Cunningham’s defense looks like Greg Robinson’s defense.
“Anybody who knows football knows that everything starts up front on both sides of the ball,” Allen said.
Allen’s play and intensity seemed to spark his linemates. Tackles Lional Dalton and John Browning were more active. Dalton flushed Brunell, and Browning picked up the sack. The Chiefs held Kansas City-killer Clinton Portis to 77 rushing yards in 21 carries. More important, Portis had a long run of just 13 yards.
There are still problems in KC’s secondary. Throwing mostly at Dexter McCleon and to Santana Moss, Brunell passed for 331 yards and three TDs. You’d think that Eric Warfield would return to KC’s lineup next week against the Dolphins. And Miami doesn’t have much of a passing attack anyway. There’s time to improve KC’s secondary, and it starts with continued strong play from Allen and the defensive line.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING --
WAS: C.Portis 21-77, R.Cartwright 4-14, J.Thrash 1-8, M.Brunell 2-2.
KC: L.Johnson 13-53, T.Green 5-25, P.Holmes 14-18.
PASSING --
WAS: M.Brunell 25-41-0-331.
KC: T.Green 15-25-0-181.
RECEIVING --
WAS: S.Moss 10-173, C.Cooley 6-54, C.Portis 4-51, J.Thrash 2-29, D.Patten 2-22, M.Sellers 1-2.
KC: P.Holmes 5-100, S.Parker 2-25, M.Boerigter 2-20, D.Hall 2-15, T.Gonzalez 2-13,
J.Dunn 1-6, L.Johnson 1-2.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5743/8allen5nk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6228/8allen1qx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4464/8allen4td9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1931/8allen3so4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3129/8allen2xp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5098/8hallok2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3324/8greendt5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1778/8holmeszh6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/509/8holmesscreentdvt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4033/98856076rj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2268/86900416jl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/8901/67055645vq4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
October 16, 2005
KANSAS CITY 28, WASHINGTON 21
Holmes, Allen lead Chiefs past Redskins
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 16, 2005) -- Jared Allen had a huge day against Washington, with three sacks and two recovered fumbles.
But it was the play he didn't get credit for that his teammates said was the biggest of the game. Sammy Knight insists that Allen created the fumble that the defensive back returned for a momentum-swinging 80-yard touchdown in Kansas City's 28-21 victory against the Redskins.
"Jared Allen played a great game for us," said Knight, who also tipped the ball away from Santana Moss in the end zone on the game's last play. "He was all over the field making plays."
Defensive end Carlos Hall, who was given credit for knocking the ball out of Rock Cartwright's grasp, sheepishly admitted that Allen was also part of the play.
"I think I got an arm on the ball, then at the same time Jared came and finished it off," he said. "We both were there."
Allen thought he got it, too.
"Me and Carlos argued to see who got that one," he said with a grin. "I still say my head knocked it loose. He says he had a hand on it. We'll have to watch the tape and see."
Whatever the tape shows on the fumble, Knight got two good blocks from Derrick Johnson and sailed into the end zone for his fifth career TD, one of three long scoring plays in an eventful second half.
Moss, who caught 10 balls for 173 yards and two touchdowns, got loose on a 78-yard catch-and-run, Knight responded with his 80-yard fumble return and Priest Holmes turned a short pass into a beauty of a 60-yard touchdown play for what turned out to be the final TD.
"So far this year at least, we have been turning the ball over and we have not been getting turnovers," Washington coach Joe Gibbs said. "That formula will kill you."
The Redskins (3-2) drove into Kansas City territory in the final minute and on fourth down with only a few seconds to go, Mark Brunell heaved a pass toward Moss, who was streaking into the corner of the end zone.
"I was under it," Moss said. "The safety made a terrific play. I was hoping he'd bite and the ball would go over him. I had my hands up, hoping to see a goal and he just tipped it."
The Chiefs took a 14-7 lead on their first possession of the second half on Holmes' 6-yard touchdown run.
But a few minutes later, after Brunell was sacked for a 9-yard loss, Moss took a quick pass to the left flat and raced 78 yards down the sideline, making Knight miss on a desperate lunge and completing the Redskins' longest scoring play of the season.
The Chiefs then grabbed a 21-14 lead when Knight scored.
After Greg Wesley's end-zone interception was nullified by an illegal contract penalty against Dexter McCleon, Brunell hit Chris Cooley with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the third quarter.
The Chiefs had a first down on their own 40 on their next possession when Holmes took a short pass in the flat. The muscular running back, whose 66 touchdowns from 2002-2004 are the most by any player over a three-year span, started left, cut back against the grain, picked up a great block from Tony Gonzalez and went all the way.
Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 20 and 38 yards for the Chiefs.
Brunell passed for 331 yards to 181 for Trent Green. But he doesn't need to review the stat sheet to know what kind of day Allen had.
"Good player," Brunell said. "He just had a big day. You've got to give him a lot of credit. Very good athlete; very good football player."
WHITLOCK: KC can be Allen's town
It had been years since a Kansas City defensive player dominated a football game for 60 minutes and handed the Chiefs a victory.
Jared Allen ended that drought Sunday afternoon inside Arrowhead Stadium, terrorizing Washington during Kansas City’s 28-21 victory.
“If we don’t take the football away, we don’t win the game. That’s all there is to it,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil appropriately summarized.
It really is that simple. If Jared Allen hadn’t caused three fumbles and sacked Mark Brunell three times, the Chiefs would be a game below .500 today, nursing a three-game losing streak, and the whole town would be wondering who or what hijacked Kansas City’s record-setting offense (one touchdown Sunday).
Instead, Jared Allen has Kansas City football fans wondering what we witnessed Sunday — the second coming of Vonnie Holliday or the second coming of Neil Smith.
I’m leaning toward Neil Smith. Allen’s three-sack day won’t become the answer to a trivia question the way Holliday’s three-sack debut in a Chiefs uniform did. Allen has a shot at making KC’s defense respectable the rest of the season. And if Kansas City’s defense becomes respectable, the Chiefs, 3-2, can contend for a playoff spot.
The Chiefs’ defense was more opportunistic than dominant on Sunday. Washington rolled up nearly 400 yards of offense and 26 first downs and moved the ball all day. Its offense stalled primarily when Allen disrupted it with pass-rush pressure or just plain hustle.
Allen forced two fumbles with sheer extra effort, chasing down Brunell from behind and hitting running back Rock Cartwright downfield. Sammy Knight picked up Cartwright’s fumble and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Washington was moving in for a go-ahead score when Cartwright coughed up the ball in the third quarter. Defensive end Carlos Hall got the credit for forcing the fumble, but Allen was there.
Allen’s other forced fumble thwarted Washington’s opening possession of the game, which reached the KC 7. Allen sprinted around the offensive tackle and stripped Brunell of the ball just as he was preparing to sling it.
Allen was worth at least 13 points Sunday. He caused a fumble that led directly to a Kansas City touchdown, and he cost Washington two opportunities to kick short field goals. You can’t ask a defensive player to do any more than what Allen delivered.
“Jared Allen was very special,” Vermeil said. “He has such an unbelievable motor. You expect him to run out of gas, and he just keeps humming.”
Allen said his big day was a product of picking up a “snap key” — something that helps a defensive lineman anticipate the snap — in film study. He also said the coaching staff challenged the defensive linemen to get sacks.
“We kind of got called out in our defensive-line meeting,” Allen said. “They said that we’re getting pressure, but we’re not putting the quarterback down.”
Allen’s potential ascension as a pass-rush force dictated Carl Peterson’s offseason philosophy. The Chiefs spent their free-agent money on linebacker Kendrell Bell and safety Sammy Knight and drafted linebacker Derrick Johnson in the first round because they believed Allen could fix KC’s problems along the line of scrimmage simply by improving on his nine-sack rookie season. That’s the main reason Vermeil reacted so strongly when Allen started slowly in training camp and preseason. Vermeil benched Allen.
“I knew I could play,” said Allen, who has five sacks this season. “I knew I was going to be fine. I just kept my head up.”
Allen, KC’s sack leader last year, is supposed to be the playmaker on the Chiefs’ front four. Without a playmaker up front, it’s difficult for KC’s new defenders to make an impact. Without a playmaker up front, Gunther Cunningham’s defense looks like Greg Robinson’s defense.
“Anybody who knows football knows that everything starts up front on both sides of the ball,” Allen said.
Allen’s play and intensity seemed to spark his linemates. Tackles Lional Dalton and John Browning were more active. Dalton flushed Brunell, and Browning picked up the sack. The Chiefs held Kansas City-killer Clinton Portis to 77 rushing yards in 21 carries. More important, Portis had a long run of just 13 yards.
There are still problems in KC’s secondary. Throwing mostly at Dexter McCleon and to Santana Moss, Brunell passed for 331 yards and three TDs. You’d think that Eric Warfield would return to KC’s lineup next week against the Dolphins. And Miami doesn’t have much of a passing attack anyway. There’s time to improve KC’s secondary, and it starts with continued strong play from Allen and the defensive line.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING --
WAS: C.Portis 21-77, R.Cartwright 4-14, J.Thrash 1-8, M.Brunell 2-2.
KC: L.Johnson 13-53, T.Green 5-25, P.Holmes 14-18.
PASSING --
WAS: M.Brunell 25-41-0-331.
KC: T.Green 15-25-0-181.
RECEIVING --
WAS: S.Moss 10-173, C.Cooley 6-54, C.Portis 4-51, J.Thrash 2-29, D.Patten 2-22, M.Sellers 1-2.
KC: P.Holmes 5-100, S.Parker 2-25, M.Boerigter 2-20, D.Hall 2-15, T.Gonzalez 2-13,
J.Dunn 1-6, L.Johnson 1-2.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5743/8allen5nk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6228/8allen1qx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4464/8allen4td9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1931/8allen3so4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3129/8allen2xp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5098/8hallok2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3324/8greendt5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1778/8holmeszh6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/509/8holmesscreentdvt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4033/98856076rj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2268/86900416jl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/8901/67055645vq4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)