BigRedChief
08-19-2008, 02:20 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/754716.html
Chiefs’ Savage makes a good impression on Edwards
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Dantrell Savage was only a fringe candidate at the start of training camp when the Chiefs pondered the identity of their next kick-return specialist.
It might be his job to lose now.
That became evident in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s exhibition game against Arizona. After his nifty 45-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Savage was called to the sideline for a quick consultation with coach Herm Edwards.
Edwards had some friendly advice for Savage, a rookie free agent.
“I just said, ‘That’s what I like. You just keep doing that.’ ” Edwards said after Monday’s practice. “When you get a player like that, when they do things like that, it gets the whole sideline enthusiastic. Not only the fans but the players, too.”
The head coach, too, evidently. It’s rarely Edwards’ style to publicly rave about a player, but he’s having trouble controlling himself with Savage, who signed with the Chiefs not immediately after the draft but after his invitation to a rookie tryout camp.
“I just think he’s a really good football player,” Edwards said. “He runs with a lot of passion. That’s what you like about the guy. He’s tough and physical. He’s pretty good. I’ll put it that way.”
Savage is only 5 feet 8 and 182 pounds and doesn’t have blazing speed to compensate, so he’s used to being overlooked.
“I feel I made their decision harder,” he said. “That’s what I have to do every day and every week. I just have to keep pushing and doing the things I have to do to make the team.”
Savage’s main competition is veteran B.J. Sams, who was once one of the game’s premier return specialists with Baltimore. Each of Sams’ last two seasons ended prematurely because of injury, and he is trying to re-establish himself.
Sams has also done well with his return chances in the preseason, but he’s been getting fewer than Savage.
“They’re just telling me to take it slow and they’ll ease me back in,” Sams said. “I feel like I’m 100 percent, back to where I used to be. I feel I can make the same moves and outrun some people. But they call the shots. I’m just going to do what they tell me to do.”
Edwards’ assessment of Sams was less than glowing
“He’s OK,” Edwards said simply. “He’s all right.”
When the subject moved back to Savage, Edwards’ mood changed abruptly.
“He’s like a bowling ball with butcher knives on it,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to tackle the guy. He’s not the biggest guy. He’s probably not the fastest guy. That’s probably why he wasn’t drafted.
“He doesn’t go down on the first hit. If you think you can just hit him with your shoulder and not wrap him up, you’ve got problems. He’s going to make yards.
“When he gets ready to get hit, he has the ability because he’s not the tallest guy to get his weight on you and hit you back. You’re not going to explode on him so much as he explodes on you. He’s not going down. You’ve got to tackle this guy to bring him down.”
Edwards has apparently been telling Savage the same things in private.
“He’s an admirer of my skills,” Savage said. “He thinks I’m fearless. That’s what I have to show him, that I’m not scared to run.”
Savage was a standout in his two seasons at Oklahoma State and showed some good things at the Senior Bowl practices last winter, but still he went undrafted. He also had offers from Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay and talked with Indianapolis and Atlanta but opted to come to the Chiefs.
“The best decision for me was to come to KC,” he said. “I’m getting a chance to return kicks here. Plus I looked at some of the running backs on those other clubs and didn’t know how much of a chance I would get. Here was the best fit for me.”
It initially seemed to be an odd choice. The Chiefs are as deep at running back as they’ve been in many years with Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle.
Savage is still only fifth on the depth chart at running back.
“I guess I’m the type of guy that likes competition,” he said. “If we’re going to play against a great defense, I’m up for the competition. I’ll end up playing better against a great defense. There are some great running backs here, but this will only make me better.”
Returning kicks would put him on the roster. He’s been spending extra time fielding punts, something he only occasionally did at Oklahoma State.
While Edwards is a solid Savage fan, it remains to be seen whether he would trust such an important job to a rookie.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Edwards said. “That’s a tough spot. It looks easy, but it takes funny turns. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence to be back there.”
Chiefs’ Savage makes a good impression on Edwards
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Dantrell Savage was only a fringe candidate at the start of training camp when the Chiefs pondered the identity of their next kick-return specialist.
It might be his job to lose now.
That became evident in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s exhibition game against Arizona. After his nifty 45-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Savage was called to the sideline for a quick consultation with coach Herm Edwards.
Edwards had some friendly advice for Savage, a rookie free agent.
“I just said, ‘That’s what I like. You just keep doing that.’ ” Edwards said after Monday’s practice. “When you get a player like that, when they do things like that, it gets the whole sideline enthusiastic. Not only the fans but the players, too.”
The head coach, too, evidently. It’s rarely Edwards’ style to publicly rave about a player, but he’s having trouble controlling himself with Savage, who signed with the Chiefs not immediately after the draft but after his invitation to a rookie tryout camp.
“I just think he’s a really good football player,” Edwards said. “He runs with a lot of passion. That’s what you like about the guy. He’s tough and physical. He’s pretty good. I’ll put it that way.”
Savage is only 5 feet 8 and 182 pounds and doesn’t have blazing speed to compensate, so he’s used to being overlooked.
“I feel I made their decision harder,” he said. “That’s what I have to do every day and every week. I just have to keep pushing and doing the things I have to do to make the team.”
Savage’s main competition is veteran B.J. Sams, who was once one of the game’s premier return specialists with Baltimore. Each of Sams’ last two seasons ended prematurely because of injury, and he is trying to re-establish himself.
Sams has also done well with his return chances in the preseason, but he’s been getting fewer than Savage.
“They’re just telling me to take it slow and they’ll ease me back in,” Sams said. “I feel like I’m 100 percent, back to where I used to be. I feel I can make the same moves and outrun some people. But they call the shots. I’m just going to do what they tell me to do.”
Edwards’ assessment of Sams was less than glowing
“He’s OK,” Edwards said simply. “He’s all right.”
When the subject moved back to Savage, Edwards’ mood changed abruptly.
“He’s like a bowling ball with butcher knives on it,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to tackle the guy. He’s not the biggest guy. He’s probably not the fastest guy. That’s probably why he wasn’t drafted.
“He doesn’t go down on the first hit. If you think you can just hit him with your shoulder and not wrap him up, you’ve got problems. He’s going to make yards.
“When he gets ready to get hit, he has the ability because he’s not the tallest guy to get his weight on you and hit you back. You’re not going to explode on him so much as he explodes on you. He’s not going down. You’ve got to tackle this guy to bring him down.”
Edwards has apparently been telling Savage the same things in private.
“He’s an admirer of my skills,” Savage said. “He thinks I’m fearless. That’s what I have to show him, that I’m not scared to run.”
Savage was a standout in his two seasons at Oklahoma State and showed some good things at the Senior Bowl practices last winter, but still he went undrafted. He also had offers from Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay and talked with Indianapolis and Atlanta but opted to come to the Chiefs.
“The best decision for me was to come to KC,” he said. “I’m getting a chance to return kicks here. Plus I looked at some of the running backs on those other clubs and didn’t know how much of a chance I would get. Here was the best fit for me.”
It initially seemed to be an odd choice. The Chiefs are as deep at running back as they’ve been in many years with Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle.
Savage is still only fifth on the depth chart at running back.
“I guess I’m the type of guy that likes competition,” he said. “If we’re going to play against a great defense, I’m up for the competition. I’ll end up playing better against a great defense. There are some great running backs here, but this will only make me better.”
Returning kicks would put him on the roster. He’s been spending extra time fielding punts, something he only occasionally did at Oklahoma State.
While Edwards is a solid Savage fan, it remains to be seen whether he would trust such an important job to a rookie.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Edwards said. “That’s a tough spot. It looks easy, but it takes funny turns. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence to be back there.”