Tribal Warfare
10-26-2008, 12:23 AM
Chiefs are on each other to play better defense (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/858545.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | When it comes to historically bad defensive teams, the 2008 Chiefs are rushing into the conversation.
The Chiefs are allowing about 207 rushing yards per game. If they continue to let teams run over them at that rate, they would set an NFL season record. Even if they make marginal improvements, the club record, set by the 2-12 Chiefs of 1977, would be in danger.
And you think it’s been torture to watch these guys? What must it be like to play?
“It’s been horrible,” safety Bernard Pollard said last week, a couple of days after the Chiefs had yielded a team-record 332 yards in a loss to Tennessee.
“For a team to run for 300 yards against us? That’s … poor. We have not swung back yet. We’ve taken every blow from every team and have not swung back. You don’t want to be in that position. When you get into a fight, you want to be able to fight back and you want to come out on top in that fight. We haven’t come out on top.”
The Chiefs finally showed some signs last week that they are ready to swing back, as they prepared for today’s game against the Jets at the Meadowlands. Pollard and fellow safety Jarrad Page told of a series of contentious meetings and practice sessions in which players called out teammates for mistakes.
That may not sound like much, but it’s something new.
“We had a few times where people have done things that weren’t right, and we’re actually speaking up now as players,” Page said. “We don’t need the coaches to just jump on somebody.
“We’ve got to call people out if you mess up. It’s not about being disrespectful. It’s all about getting better as a unit. It’s got to come from us, because obviously it doesn’t mean enough when the coaches tell us.”
To the Chiefs and their players, it’s long overdue.
“If we’re going to call ourselves teammates, we should act like that,” Pollard said. “We should be able to get on each other but it’s not like that right now. When we talk to each other, it’s like: He’s a guy that I just met (recently). It’s not like that. We’ve been together all training camp and all of the preseason. You can’t hold anything back.
“We should be able to get on each other on the sideline and nobody should take it (personally). Having a team rush for 300 yards — and the way they rushed for 300 yards, big runs at the end of a game — that’s … poor. We never want that.
“We’ve got to be able to say, ‘If he’s going to get on me, I know why he got on me. I know he’s not getting on me just to embarrass me. He’s getting on me to make this team right.’ ”
That could be a product of youth. The Chiefs start three rookies on defense. The senior member in terms of experience is linebacker Derrick Johnson, who isn’t even midway through his fourth NFL season.
Johnson is generally quiet. Other players had also been reluctant to speak up.
“This is only my third year and sometimes you’re kind of uncomfortable having to tell somebody (they’re doing something wrong), especially if you don’t know the guy very well,” Page said. “It sounds stupid, because we’re around each other all day. But if you don’t hang out a whole lot outside this building, you don’t know guys as well as you could.”
The Chiefs are expecting help today from the return of veteran linebacker Donnie Edwards, who hasn’t played for more than a month because of a high ankle sprain.
Coordinator Gunther Cunningham moved from the press box down to the sideline for the loss to Tennessee, thinking that his proximity to the players would help with communication.
It obviously didn’t make a difference against the Titans, but Cunningham will remain on the sideline today and probably for the rest of the season.
Fixing the defense won’t be as simple as getting players to yell at one another, plugging in a new linebacker or moving the coordinator’s game-day vantage point. The Chiefs are suffering a crisis of confidence, and it’s not only the players.
“You get nervous about everything you call,” coach Herm Edwards said. “You wonder if you should call a certain defense, because the last time you got beat on it. You’re not confident or sure what they can do correctly.
“We’ve gone through everything. We’re practicing. We’re meeting. We’re meeting before practice, and we’re meeting after practice. We meet so much with these guys. Then we play, and all of a sudden we get out of whack.”
Cunningham had a magic touch as Chiefs coordinator for four seasons in the 1990s but hasn’t been able to get the same results since returning in 2004.
“I tell the players: If you play 75 plays, you’re going to make a couple of screw-ups here and there,” Cunningham said. “That goes for the coaches, too. If you’re a good signal-caller, you understand you’re going to miss one once in awhile. When I miss one, it grates on me for weeks.
“Personnel-wise, we’re there. But they need experience. That’s what I’m trying to do is force-feed them. I deal with those guys every day, and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody. I think I see the light. I’m trying to get them to see it a little faster.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | When it comes to historically bad defensive teams, the 2008 Chiefs are rushing into the conversation.
The Chiefs are allowing about 207 rushing yards per game. If they continue to let teams run over them at that rate, they would set an NFL season record. Even if they make marginal improvements, the club record, set by the 2-12 Chiefs of 1977, would be in danger.
And you think it’s been torture to watch these guys? What must it be like to play?
“It’s been horrible,” safety Bernard Pollard said last week, a couple of days after the Chiefs had yielded a team-record 332 yards in a loss to Tennessee.
“For a team to run for 300 yards against us? That’s … poor. We have not swung back yet. We’ve taken every blow from every team and have not swung back. You don’t want to be in that position. When you get into a fight, you want to be able to fight back and you want to come out on top in that fight. We haven’t come out on top.”
The Chiefs finally showed some signs last week that they are ready to swing back, as they prepared for today’s game against the Jets at the Meadowlands. Pollard and fellow safety Jarrad Page told of a series of contentious meetings and practice sessions in which players called out teammates for mistakes.
That may not sound like much, but it’s something new.
“We had a few times where people have done things that weren’t right, and we’re actually speaking up now as players,” Page said. “We don’t need the coaches to just jump on somebody.
“We’ve got to call people out if you mess up. It’s not about being disrespectful. It’s all about getting better as a unit. It’s got to come from us, because obviously it doesn’t mean enough when the coaches tell us.”
To the Chiefs and their players, it’s long overdue.
“If we’re going to call ourselves teammates, we should act like that,” Pollard said. “We should be able to get on each other but it’s not like that right now. When we talk to each other, it’s like: He’s a guy that I just met (recently). It’s not like that. We’ve been together all training camp and all of the preseason. You can’t hold anything back.
“We should be able to get on each other on the sideline and nobody should take it (personally). Having a team rush for 300 yards — and the way they rushed for 300 yards, big runs at the end of a game — that’s … poor. We never want that.
“We’ve got to be able to say, ‘If he’s going to get on me, I know why he got on me. I know he’s not getting on me just to embarrass me. He’s getting on me to make this team right.’ ”
That could be a product of youth. The Chiefs start three rookies on defense. The senior member in terms of experience is linebacker Derrick Johnson, who isn’t even midway through his fourth NFL season.
Johnson is generally quiet. Other players had also been reluctant to speak up.
“This is only my third year and sometimes you’re kind of uncomfortable having to tell somebody (they’re doing something wrong), especially if you don’t know the guy very well,” Page said. “It sounds stupid, because we’re around each other all day. But if you don’t hang out a whole lot outside this building, you don’t know guys as well as you could.”
The Chiefs are expecting help today from the return of veteran linebacker Donnie Edwards, who hasn’t played for more than a month because of a high ankle sprain.
Coordinator Gunther Cunningham moved from the press box down to the sideline for the loss to Tennessee, thinking that his proximity to the players would help with communication.
It obviously didn’t make a difference against the Titans, but Cunningham will remain on the sideline today and probably for the rest of the season.
Fixing the defense won’t be as simple as getting players to yell at one another, plugging in a new linebacker or moving the coordinator’s game-day vantage point. The Chiefs are suffering a crisis of confidence, and it’s not only the players.
“You get nervous about everything you call,” coach Herm Edwards said. “You wonder if you should call a certain defense, because the last time you got beat on it. You’re not confident or sure what they can do correctly.
“We’ve gone through everything. We’re practicing. We’re meeting. We’re meeting before practice, and we’re meeting after practice. We meet so much with these guys. Then we play, and all of a sudden we get out of whack.”
Cunningham had a magic touch as Chiefs coordinator for four seasons in the 1990s but hasn’t been able to get the same results since returning in 2004.
“I tell the players: If you play 75 plays, you’re going to make a couple of screw-ups here and there,” Cunningham said. “That goes for the coaches, too. If you’re a good signal-caller, you understand you’re going to miss one once in awhile. When I miss one, it grates on me for weeks.
“Personnel-wise, we’re there. But they need experience. That’s what I’m trying to do is force-feed them. I deal with those guys every day, and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody. I think I see the light. I’m trying to get them to see it a little faster.”