Tribal Warfare
11-04-2008, 02:26 AM
Chiefs’ secondary has a youthful look to it (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/873546.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
He was so caught up in the intensity of the game, rookie Brandon Carr didn’t take notice until a third-quarter break during Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay.
It was only then that Carr, all of eight games into his NFL career, looked around and figured out he was the veteran among Chiefs cornerbacks.
“I’m a rookie, but I had the most experience out there,” Carr said Monday, still amused by the thought. “It kind of reminded me of my college days when they would bring in freshmen.”
Because of injuries to Brandon Flowers and Patrick Surtain, the Chiefs were forced to use undrafted rookie Maurice Leggett and Tyron Brackenridge, who joined the Chiefs only last week, along with Carr.
While Carr may have been a little slow to notice, Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia wasn’t. He attacked Leggett and Brackenridge, and his 24-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant, the one that sent the game into overtime, came against Leggett.
Next up are the Chargers and Philip Rivers, the NFL’s highest-rated quarterback. So the status of Flowers and Surtain will be of extreme interest in both Kansas City and San Diego.
Flowers, for his part, said Monday he would be ready to play in San Diego. He left the Bucs game early in the third quarter because of a sore hamstring.
“I feel I would have hurt my team more if I tried to play through it and let it get worse and worse and have it bother me all season,” he said. “I’ll be in treatment all day trying to get the hamstring right.”
Coach Herm Edwards was less optimistic that Surtain would be ready, so the Chiefs probably will need Leggett or Brackenridge as their third and fourth cornerbacks in San Diego.
“They find you,” Edwards said, referring to opposing quarterbacks looking for the weaker defenders in coverage. “When they throw the ball 43 times, they will find you. You sit there and you hope the guy can make the play, but there’s nothing you can do.
“The one guy was on the street for the last eight weeks. The other kid is a rookie out of Valdosta (State). It isn’t his fault. He’s a young kid. He’s not like the other two kids we drafted. There’s a reason he’s a free agent. He’s got a chance to be a good player, but to put him in that situation, that’s tough.”
In large part because they had been so easy to run against, the Chiefs had been playing some decent pass defense until Garcia and the Bucs came to town. Denver’s Jay Cutler threw for 361 yards when the Broncos were at Arrowhead Stadium in September, but he tried 49 passes.
Garcia had almost half of his 339 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, when Flowers was out with the injury. After Flowers left, Leggett and Carr were the regular cornerbacks and Brackenridge the nickel back.
“I knew I had the most experience, so I was trying to give Leggett some pointers of things to look for out there,” Carr said. “I just told him to stay focused and that even though we were leading, it was a long game.”
Leggett hesitated while covering Bryant on the game-tying touchdown and allowed the veteran receiver to get behind him in the end zone.
“I was watching the quarterback on the scramble,” said Leggett, who played mostly on special teams until the Tampa game. “I hesitated a little bit, and I lost him. I was so worried about making a play that I tried to do too much. I learned a lot from that, and I’ll play it better next time.”
Brackenridge was the nickel back for the Chiefs for much of last season as an undrafted rookie. He went to camp with the Chiefs this year but was released before the start of the regular season.
The Chiefs brought him back last week after releasing Dimitri Patterson. He was the victim on Laveranues Coles’ game-winning touchdown in the previous week’s game against the Jets in New York.
During his absence from the Chiefs, Brackenridge worked out for the Texans, Rams and Jets but wasn’t offered a job. So he was happy when the Chiefs asked him back, but he didn’t expect to be needed as soon as he was.
“I made a few mistakes, but as far as being out for two months and just coming back, I was all right,” said Brackenridge, who returned a fourth-quarter fumble 50 yards for the clinching touchdown in last year’s win at San Diego. “I’ll be a whole lot better if I get to play this week.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
He was so caught up in the intensity of the game, rookie Brandon Carr didn’t take notice until a third-quarter break during Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay.
It was only then that Carr, all of eight games into his NFL career, looked around and figured out he was the veteran among Chiefs cornerbacks.
“I’m a rookie, but I had the most experience out there,” Carr said Monday, still amused by the thought. “It kind of reminded me of my college days when they would bring in freshmen.”
Because of injuries to Brandon Flowers and Patrick Surtain, the Chiefs were forced to use undrafted rookie Maurice Leggett and Tyron Brackenridge, who joined the Chiefs only last week, along with Carr.
While Carr may have been a little slow to notice, Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia wasn’t. He attacked Leggett and Brackenridge, and his 24-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant, the one that sent the game into overtime, came against Leggett.
Next up are the Chargers and Philip Rivers, the NFL’s highest-rated quarterback. So the status of Flowers and Surtain will be of extreme interest in both Kansas City and San Diego.
Flowers, for his part, said Monday he would be ready to play in San Diego. He left the Bucs game early in the third quarter because of a sore hamstring.
“I feel I would have hurt my team more if I tried to play through it and let it get worse and worse and have it bother me all season,” he said. “I’ll be in treatment all day trying to get the hamstring right.”
Coach Herm Edwards was less optimistic that Surtain would be ready, so the Chiefs probably will need Leggett or Brackenridge as their third and fourth cornerbacks in San Diego.
“They find you,” Edwards said, referring to opposing quarterbacks looking for the weaker defenders in coverage. “When they throw the ball 43 times, they will find you. You sit there and you hope the guy can make the play, but there’s nothing you can do.
“The one guy was on the street for the last eight weeks. The other kid is a rookie out of Valdosta (State). It isn’t his fault. He’s a young kid. He’s not like the other two kids we drafted. There’s a reason he’s a free agent. He’s got a chance to be a good player, but to put him in that situation, that’s tough.”
In large part because they had been so easy to run against, the Chiefs had been playing some decent pass defense until Garcia and the Bucs came to town. Denver’s Jay Cutler threw for 361 yards when the Broncos were at Arrowhead Stadium in September, but he tried 49 passes.
Garcia had almost half of his 339 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, when Flowers was out with the injury. After Flowers left, Leggett and Carr were the regular cornerbacks and Brackenridge the nickel back.
“I knew I had the most experience, so I was trying to give Leggett some pointers of things to look for out there,” Carr said. “I just told him to stay focused and that even though we were leading, it was a long game.”
Leggett hesitated while covering Bryant on the game-tying touchdown and allowed the veteran receiver to get behind him in the end zone.
“I was watching the quarterback on the scramble,” said Leggett, who played mostly on special teams until the Tampa game. “I hesitated a little bit, and I lost him. I was so worried about making a play that I tried to do too much. I learned a lot from that, and I’ll play it better next time.”
Brackenridge was the nickel back for the Chiefs for much of last season as an undrafted rookie. He went to camp with the Chiefs this year but was released before the start of the regular season.
The Chiefs brought him back last week after releasing Dimitri Patterson. He was the victim on Laveranues Coles’ game-winning touchdown in the previous week’s game against the Jets in New York.
During his absence from the Chiefs, Brackenridge worked out for the Texans, Rams and Jets but wasn’t offered a job. So he was happy when the Chiefs asked him back, but he didn’t expect to be needed as soon as he was.
“I made a few mistakes, but as far as being out for two months and just coming back, I was all right,” said Brackenridge, who returned a fourth-quarter fumble 50 yards for the clinching touchdown in last year’s win at San Diego. “I’ll be a whole lot better if I get to play this week.”