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View Full Version : Chiefs Kareem Hunt’s Career Night Comes in First Game


DaneMcCloud
09-08-2017, 10:55 AM
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/08/kareem-hunt-kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-record-rookie-debut

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After most of his teammates left the field, after the national TV interview ended, Kareem Hunt finally headed to the locker room some time after midnight, his jersey stained with grass and a commemorative game ball tucked in hand. He made only a few steps into the tunnel before Chiefs fans stopped him: “Kar-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem!” Hunt signed some memorabilia for the fans and then trotted up the tunnel. Once he turned the corner, he took a long look at the game ball in his hands and then let out a long exhale.

The Chiefs had just shocked the NFL by handing the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots a 42–27 loss at home on the opening night of the season. Hunt, a rookie running back, a third-round pick from the University of Toledo, had led the Chiefs to victory. He compiled 246 total yards, setting an NFL record for the most yards from scrimmage in a players’ first career game, and scored three touchdowns. Over the course of the past four hours, Hunt went from an unproven rookie to bona fide star.

Hunt certainly looked like a rookie at the start of the game. On his very first career carry, Hunt took a handoff, started heading upfield, and found himself caught in a pile. Patriots corner Stephon Gilmore was wrapping his legs, and safety Jordan Richards was grabbing his waist, when Richards’ left hand happened to push the ball out of Hunt’s grasp. The Patriots recovered, as Hunt, laying on the ground, frantically swiped at the ball. “I was more in shock than anything,” Hunt said. “I couldn’t believe it. I feel like I got too lax with the ball. I thought I was going to be down. … It just came right out.”

Hunt had carried the ball 782 times over four years at Toledo—and he’d only fumbled once, in a game his freshman year against Western Michigan. He still remembered the fumble, from four years earlier. He also remembered that he’d recovered it himself. Hunt hung his head and started jogging off, clearly upset. He’d only made it a few steps when Bennie Logan, the Chiefs’ fifth-year veteran defensive tackle, grabbed him by the jersey, as he was coming onto the field. We’ve got your back, Logan told him. You’re good.

“He was down on himself; he knew what he had done,” Logan said after the game. “But you’ve got to rally around him. Just keep him boosted up. He’s just a young guy. He’s going to be a big help for us going through the season, so you don’t want to kill his confidence.” Once Hunt reached the sideline, though, Hunt had to face the wrath of Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs running backs coach. Bieniemy coached Adrian Peterson in Minnesota when he was a rookie, when Peterson fumbled 20 times in his first three years in the NFL. Bieniemy had been challenging Hunt to be better, especially since Spencer Ware had injured himself during the third preseason game, making the rookie the starter. On the sideline after the fumble, Coach Andy Reid said, Bieniemy and Hunt “were getting after each other a little bit.” Then Reid and Charcandrick West, Hunt’s backup, stepped in and “calmed the storm,” Reid said. Sit down, relax. You’re getting the ball the next play, Reid told Hunt. Get yourself ready to go.

The defense, in turn, did have Hunt’s back. After the Patriots marched to the Chiefs’ 10 yard-line, they found themselves in a 4th-and-1 situation—and Bill Belichick went for it. The Patriots ran Mike Gillislee up the gut, and Logan and the Chiefs front swallowed him up. True to his word, Reid gave Hunt the ball on the very next play. Hunt took the handoff, broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage, and burst ahead for nine yards. Four plays later, Hunt caught a swing pass for five yards and shouldered Malcolm Butler as he went out of bounds. Then Hunt took a handoff around the right side and ran over Duron Harmon.

Hunt was picking up steam. This was why the Chiefs moved up in the third round to snag Hunt in the draft, No. 86 overall. Last year, when Reid was preparing his game plans each Thursday night, he’d have on the weekly MAC game in the background, which meant that he’d seen several Toldeo games—and Hunt routinely caught his eye. In 13 games that season, Hunt compiled 1,878 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. “He seemed to get stronger as the game would go on,” Reid says now. “And they fed him and fed him and fed him.”

That’s what Reid did Thursday: he kept feeding Hunt. Hunt carried the ball 17 times for 148 yards and one touchdown, grabbing chunks of yards here and there, showing a great mix of vision, speed, and power. After his very first game, Hunt seemed to already have a rapport with the offensive line. “Sometimes you have leverage on a guy, and [the blocker] knows exactly what’s about to happen,” said Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the Chiefs right guard. “[The running back] is going to pinch back inside, make the cut, as you finish the block. It’s just a great feeling when you know where he’s at. It’s pretty impressive that after only his first game you’ve got that feeling, that connection between the line and the running back.”

Then once Hunt hit the open field, he showed his elite level speed. When the Chiefs had the ball, down six points, at the start of the fourth quarter, Hunt ran a route up the seam past Marsh Cassius, a backup linebacker the Patriots had just acquired in a trade, and Alex Smith hit Hunt in stride, for an easy 78-yard touchdown. Later in the fourth, when the Chiefs needed to put the game away, Hunt took a carry around the left end for 58 yards. “He had an amazing college career, and that carried over,” West, the veteran backup, said after. “You don’t wake up and forget how to play football. That’s what we expect from him. That’s why we drafted him.”

Once Hunt reached the locker room, reporters mobbed him, and he answered every question wearing a big grin. The only thing that could damper his mood was, every now and then, he said, when he’d remember that fumble from his first career carry. “I’m excited and still a little bit, you know, kind of disappointed in myself, because I let one go—slip,” Hunt said. He still couldn’t help but beam as he spoke. “I still think about it a little bit. But I ain’t going to forget about it now. I’m going to be cautious and learn from my mistake and just keep coming.”

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More proof that Dorsey wasn't solely responsible for this team's talent level.

wazu
09-08-2017, 11:10 AM
Dorsey wasn't solely responsible, but he was sure as hell going to be the one most held accountable. He doesn't lose points because he collaborated with his head coach or trusted heavily in the opinions of certain scouts.

milkman
09-09-2017, 09:28 AM
No one ever said that Dorsey was solely responsible for the talent on this team.

Every successful GM has a team of people, including the head coach, that they rely on to help him make the right choices.

But, in the end, the final decision is on the GM, and Dorsey did a great job in collecting the information and making the right decisions.

Now we can wait, and hope, that Veach does the same.

Rausch
09-09-2017, 09:38 AM
But, in the end, the final decision is on the GM, and Dorsey did a great job in collecting the information and making the right decisions.

Now we can wait, and hope, that Veach does the same.

For his whole time here I'd give Dorsey a B+.

I disagreed strongly with a few picks but he was excellent in rounds 5-7 and signing FA's...

Hog's Gone Fishin
09-09-2017, 10:45 AM
Great story, thanks Dane. We can be as excited about Kareem now as we have been for Mahomy.

DaneMcCloud
09-09-2017, 10:51 AM
I disagreed strongly with a few picks but he was excellent in rounds 5-7 and signing FA's...

His free agent signings were, for the most part, an epic disaster.

Dunta Robinson, Dwayne Bowe, Jeremy Maclin, Tamba Hali, Jaye Howard, etc. and so on.

When the Chiefs had the #1 waiver priority in 2013, he claimed several players that were nice additions to the squad but his just about every player given a contract more than Vet Minimum turned out to bite them in the ass in terms of quality, longevity and Dead Money.

Earthling
09-09-2017, 11:04 AM
Great pick and makes me really excited about the future! Man I'm glad we got Hunt and not some other team.

mdchiefsfan
09-09-2017, 11:09 AM
Great read. Thanks for sharing.

In all honesty, a fumble is certain to happen. I'm glad its behind him and out of the way. Those kinds of stats can become a hindrance to a player the longer they exist, as pressure to maintain it increases. I loved his fortitude and his ability to continue playing his game.

Rausch
09-09-2017, 11:16 AM
His free agent signings were, for the most part, an epic disaster.

Dunta Robinson, Dwayne Bowe, Jeremy Maclin, Tamba Hali, Jaye Howard, etc. and so on.

When the Chiefs had the #1 waiver priority in 2013, he claimed several players that were nice additions to the squad but his just about every player given a contract more than Vet Minimum turned out to bite them in the ass in terms of quality, longevity and Dead Money.

Technically you're 100% correct.

I should have said undrafted FA's, low round draft picks, and mid-season additions.

Honestly, I was a huge fan of bringing him on board (yes, I WANTED DORSEY) but we shit (SHIT) our pants a number of times in the draft and his negotiations ALL were failures.

At no point did Dorsey ever SAVE us money in contract negotiations...

Buehler445
09-09-2017, 11:17 AM
Interesting read on Logan. Good on him. I hope he can stay healthy. He appears to be a hell of an addition.

RunKC
09-09-2017, 11:17 AM
His free agent signings were, for the most part, an epic disaster.

Dunta Robinson, Dwayne Bowe, Jeremy Maclin, Tamba Hali, Jaye Howard, etc. and so on.

When the Chiefs had the #1 waiver priority in 2013, he claimed several players that were nice additions to the squad but his just about every player given a contract more than Vet Minimum turned out to bite them in the ass in terms of quality, longevity and Dead Money.

Jaye Howard-$5 million (dead money)
Jeremy Maclin-$2.4 million (dead money)
Tamba Hali-$8 million

Yikes

PAChiefsGuy
09-09-2017, 11:26 AM
He reminds me of Priest Holmes...

Rausch
09-09-2017, 11:31 AM
He reminds me of Priest Holmes...

How?

chiefzilla1501
09-09-2017, 11:33 AM
Technically you're 100% correct.

I should have said undrafted FA's, low round draft picks, and mid-season additions.

Honestly, I was a huge fan of bringing him on board (yes, I WANTED DORSEY) but we shit (SHIT) our pants a number of times in the draft and his negotiations ALL were failures.

At no point did Dorsey ever SAVE us money in contract negotiations...

We didn't shit our pants in the draft. Dorsey was outstanding in the draft. I don't think we lose much in talent evaluation with veech. I just hope veech has the cajones Dorsey had in the draft. He was not afraid to reach or to aggressively trade into a pick. He made risky draft calls and most of them have paid off big time.

PAChiefsGuy
09-09-2017, 11:36 AM
How?

His vision, pass catching and balance. Shifty rather than pure speed. I didn't think much of him in preseason but man that was one hell of a 1st game.

Rausch
09-09-2017, 11:38 AM
We didn't shit our pants in the draft. Dorsey was outstanding in the draft.

No.

In fact he passed over no less than 4 pro-bowl players drafted after his 1st round picks.

I don't think we lose much in talent evaluation with veech. I just hope veech has the cajones Dorsey had in the draft. He was not afraid to reach or to aggressively trade into a pick. He made risky draft calls and most of them have paid off big time.

I think the exact opposite. Dorsey had no balls, balked, then caved.

EVERY TIME IN EVERY NEGOTIATION.

Did he save us money with Berry? Houston? Left-Taint?

chiefzilla1501
09-09-2017, 11:42 AM
How?

It's an interesting comparison. Both have excellent vision, both excellent receivers, both lack breakaway speed. But I agree the comparison might drop there. Priest was an elite vision back with out of this world burst. Perfect for the oline he was given. He could break tackles but he often didn't have to. Hunt has a little more power. Probably a better fit for our current oline.

Rausch
09-09-2017, 11:42 AM
His vision, pass catching and balance. Shifty rather than pure speed. I didn't think much of him in preseason but man that was one hell of a 1st game.

You've sold me.

I think, yeah, that's a fair comparison.

Hog's Gone Fishin
09-09-2017, 11:49 AM
I noticed long ago , the BEST QB's have vision down field. The best RBs have vision ahead. Knile Davis is a prime example. He could have been a great back if he would look ahead. Jamaal, Priest both had great vision. Hunt has that, even his fumble run was a good run.

chiefzilla1501
09-09-2017, 12:04 PM
No.

In fact he passed over no less than 4 pro-bowl players drafted after his 1st round picks.



I think the exact opposite. Dorsey had no balls, balked, then caved.

EVERY TIME IN EVERY NEGOTIATION.

Did he save us money with Berry? Houston? Left-Taint?

He wasn't a good negotiator and made not great free agency decisions. But he was nails in the draft. You kind of give a mulligan for the first draft. Solid draft in 2014. Outstanding drafts the past 3 years and he's done this mostly outside the top 15. Every GM will pass a few pro bowlers. But in 5 drafts, almost 3/4 of our starters/contributors were drafted/UFAs by Dorsey. We have one of the best starting rosters in football and one of the best benches. Considering Dorsey has sucked in free agency, that speaks volumes about his drafting.

Starters/contributors (16): Kelce, Tyreek, Peters, Conley, Santos, Ramik, Steven Nelson, Sorenson, Ford, DAT, Chris Jones, Albert Wilson, Fisher, Morse, LDT, Ehringer (probably)
Quality bench depth: Murray, Demarcus Robinson, Nunez-Roches

And that's not even counting a lot of outstanding special teamers. For a guy who's picked outside the top 15 almost every season, that's an outstanding track record and we haven't even begun to find out what our 2017 class is capable of.

Demonpenz
09-09-2017, 12:19 PM
I also cumed at his first game.