Tribal Warfare
10-25-2010, 12:10 AM
Linebacker Johnson finally gets his hands on a touchdown (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/24/2348420/linebacker-johnson-finally-gets.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Derrick Johnson didn’t want to think about where he or the Chiefs might be if his hands were more reliable.
The veteran linebacker would have had a touchdown — and the Chiefs perhaps would have had a victory — two weeks ago in Indianapolis had he not dropped a Peyton Manning pass.
The Chiefs also would have vanquished the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier than they did Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium had Johnson not dropped a Todd Bouman pass, one he again would have returned for a score.
But Johnson finally didn’t let one out of his mitts in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 42-20 win Sunday. His interception and 15-yard touchdown return put the Chiefs up by eight points and ended Jacksonville’s hope for a big upset.
Even at that, Johnson wrestled with the ball before eventually pulling it into his arms.
“I’ve got some excuses,” he said, wriggling his fingers. “My fingers are getting all jammed. But I caught that one. That was the main thing.
“That’s what defense is for. One of us has to make a play to turn the game around. That’s what I’m here for. The coaches demand for me to make plays like that.”
It’s why the Chiefs have Johnson in their lineup. Johnson has delivered more this season, none bigger than the touchdown late in the third quarter that allowed the Chiefs to stretch what had been a one-point lead to 28-20.
But Johnson was still lamenting the two that got away from him.
“Both of those were house calls, too,” he said. “It hurt big-time to drop that first one. But you keep playing and you’ve got to have a short-term memory. That was in the first half. I got that out of my system and tried to make a play for my team and I came up with the big interception.”
Before Johnson’s interception and touchdown ended much of the day’s suspense, the Chiefs were clinging to their slim lead. Bouman signed only last week to play for the Jaguars when two of their quarterbacks were injured, but he played like he’d been with Jacksonville for months by throwing two touchdown passes.
But Bouman was only seven of 15 in the second half for 70 yards. Eric Berry also intercepted a second-half pass for the Chiefs.
“That’s why we weren’t really concerned what with quarterback they brought in,” Johnson said. “In this league, if you give them a little time, a quarterback is going to make some plays. My hat’s off to him. He played good in the first half. In the second half, we held him down.”
The Chiefs made Bouman work by limiting Jacksonville’s effectiveness in the running game. They held Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew to 47 yards in 16 carries.
“When you’ve got a new quarterback, you’ve got to stop the run first,” defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey said. “I think we did a pretty good job against one of the premier backs in the league. Then we got them in third down and long and had some fun in getting after the quarterback.”
The strong defensive finish was in contrast to last week’s game in Houston. The Chiefs allowed a touchdown on each of the Texans’ last four possessions in losing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“You’ve got to learn from your mistakes, and you’ve got to have a short-term memory,” Johnson said. “We gave up a few plays that we usually don’t give up.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Derrick Johnson didn’t want to think about where he or the Chiefs might be if his hands were more reliable.
The veteran linebacker would have had a touchdown — and the Chiefs perhaps would have had a victory — two weeks ago in Indianapolis had he not dropped a Peyton Manning pass.
The Chiefs also would have vanquished the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier than they did Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium had Johnson not dropped a Todd Bouman pass, one he again would have returned for a score.
But Johnson finally didn’t let one out of his mitts in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 42-20 win Sunday. His interception and 15-yard touchdown return put the Chiefs up by eight points and ended Jacksonville’s hope for a big upset.
Even at that, Johnson wrestled with the ball before eventually pulling it into his arms.
“I’ve got some excuses,” he said, wriggling his fingers. “My fingers are getting all jammed. But I caught that one. That was the main thing.
“That’s what defense is for. One of us has to make a play to turn the game around. That’s what I’m here for. The coaches demand for me to make plays like that.”
It’s why the Chiefs have Johnson in their lineup. Johnson has delivered more this season, none bigger than the touchdown late in the third quarter that allowed the Chiefs to stretch what had been a one-point lead to 28-20.
But Johnson was still lamenting the two that got away from him.
“Both of those were house calls, too,” he said. “It hurt big-time to drop that first one. But you keep playing and you’ve got to have a short-term memory. That was in the first half. I got that out of my system and tried to make a play for my team and I came up with the big interception.”
Before Johnson’s interception and touchdown ended much of the day’s suspense, the Chiefs were clinging to their slim lead. Bouman signed only last week to play for the Jaguars when two of their quarterbacks were injured, but he played like he’d been with Jacksonville for months by throwing two touchdown passes.
But Bouman was only seven of 15 in the second half for 70 yards. Eric Berry also intercepted a second-half pass for the Chiefs.
“That’s why we weren’t really concerned what with quarterback they brought in,” Johnson said. “In this league, if you give them a little time, a quarterback is going to make some plays. My hat’s off to him. He played good in the first half. In the second half, we held him down.”
The Chiefs made Bouman work by limiting Jacksonville’s effectiveness in the running game. They held Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew to 47 yards in 16 carries.
“When you’ve got a new quarterback, you’ve got to stop the run first,” defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey said. “I think we did a pretty good job against one of the premier backs in the league. Then we got them in third down and long and had some fun in getting after the quarterback.”
The strong defensive finish was in contrast to last week’s game in Houston. The Chiefs allowed a touchdown on each of the Texans’ last four possessions in losing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“You’ve got to learn from your mistakes, and you’ve got to have a short-term memory,” Johnson said. “We gave up a few plays that we usually don’t give up.”