tk13
09-29-2004, 01:44 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/9784239.htm
Revived Vermeil is ready to hustle
JOE POSNANSKI
Dick Vermeil's weekly prayer meeting, shishkebob, news conference and Optimist's Club meeting reminded me once again why I like the man so much. In the movie “The Hustler,” there's a great scene where pool shark Fast Eddie is destroying the great Minnesota Fats. He has taken thousands and thousands of dollars off Fats, and it looks as if Fats is on the brink of utter collapse.
Then, after the two have played for many, many hours and both are exhausted and drunk and looking like death, Fats excuses himself. He goes to the bathroom. He washes his face, combs his hair, pulls the creases out of his shirt, tightens his tie and powders himself up. He comes out looking as if he's ready for church.
“Fast Eddie,” Fats says. “Let's play some pool.”
That was the man, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, on Tuesday afternoon. Ever since Sunday's loss — actually, for the last two weeks — Vermeil had looked tired, beaten down, cranky and, mostly, old. His voice was hoarse. His shoulders slumped. He snapped at questions. He complained about the officials. He made that bizarre (and completely overblown) crack about diapers. He second-guessed himself and then second-guessed his second-guessing.
Most of the time, he looked like you had just woken him up from a nap.
Tuesday, though, the man looked fresh. Overnight, he had dropped 20 years. His voice was back. His smile was back. He joked. He laughed. He motivated. His confidence was contagious. “We'd like nothing more than to do something for the first time,” he said. “Something that no one has done.”
Fast Eddie. Let's play some pool.
This is what makes Dick Vermeil a Hall of Famer. He looked as good as new on Tuesday. This start would have shattered another coach. It has shattered many other coaches. The loss to Denver was tough. The loss to Carolina was tougher. But the loss to Houston on Sunday was intolerable. Monday, it was like all the air was sucked out of Kansas City. Everywhere you went, you heard people say, “Man, I didn't even feel like coming to work today,” and “This is going to be a long winter,” and “I'm so depressed.”
(Column correction: On Tuesday, based on what appeared to be an overall sports funk in the city, I wrote a column saying, essentially, that in sports “We (stink).” Several dozen people wrote in to say that actually, we do not (stink) at all. The Kansas City Wizards won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Star regrets the error.)
After Monday's apparent malaise, I can't tell you how inspiring it was to see Vermeil on Tuesday, animated, energetic, looking as if all were right with the world. Reporters tried to get him to gripe about the officiating. He wouldn't do it. He would not talk about diapers or problems or how the season looked awfully grim.
No, Vermeil was pumped up. He was at the top of his game. He said the team has the heart and character to turn this around. He reminded everyone that this offense was good enough to lead the NFL in scoring the last two years, and it's still good enough to win games now. He said that the defense showed marked improvement Sunday (“We missed one tackle — one tackle!”) and the Chiefs are going to stop people.
“Deep down inside the heart of this football team, I think they like challenges,” he said.
Yes, going into Vermeil's press conference, you might have known the facts: that 0-3 teams almost never make the playoffs; that the Chiefs have given up more points than any team in the NFL; that the offense has not looked like itself at all this season.
Coming out, though, you figured the Chiefs might just go to Baltimore next Monday night and win and then win more and then shock the world. That's the power of Vermeil when he's at his best. This was the man who took Philadelphia and St. Louis to the Super Bowl.
“Just because teams haven't accomplished something before doesn't mean this football team can't,” he said.
Now, of course, a determined and enthused Vermeil doesn't mean this team will turn around. But it was still pretty stirring. We asked Vermeil what had changed his demeanor. He said he had talked to his Chiefs players. He had gotten calls from former players. He said he heard from Charles Barkley. He said Fred Dryer — the guy who played “Hunter” on TV — called. They all told him the same thing. Keep going. Things will turn around.
Vermeil said all that invigorated him.
“These people have been through it with me,” he said. “They know what's possible.”
OK, but that didn't explain this change. Monday, Vermeil looked like something out of “Shaun of the Dead.” Tuesday, though, he looked like he could deflect bullets, outrun Maurice Greene and then dance all night. He looked ready to turn this thing around. There's no way a call from Charles Barkley and Hunter could have done all that. No, something else must have happened. Something big.
Vermeil smiled.
“I got a full night's sleep,” he said.
Revived Vermeil is ready to hustle
JOE POSNANSKI
Dick Vermeil's weekly prayer meeting, shishkebob, news conference and Optimist's Club meeting reminded me once again why I like the man so much. In the movie “The Hustler,” there's a great scene where pool shark Fast Eddie is destroying the great Minnesota Fats. He has taken thousands and thousands of dollars off Fats, and it looks as if Fats is on the brink of utter collapse.
Then, after the two have played for many, many hours and both are exhausted and drunk and looking like death, Fats excuses himself. He goes to the bathroom. He washes his face, combs his hair, pulls the creases out of his shirt, tightens his tie and powders himself up. He comes out looking as if he's ready for church.
“Fast Eddie,” Fats says. “Let's play some pool.”
That was the man, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, on Tuesday afternoon. Ever since Sunday's loss — actually, for the last two weeks — Vermeil had looked tired, beaten down, cranky and, mostly, old. His voice was hoarse. His shoulders slumped. He snapped at questions. He complained about the officials. He made that bizarre (and completely overblown) crack about diapers. He second-guessed himself and then second-guessed his second-guessing.
Most of the time, he looked like you had just woken him up from a nap.
Tuesday, though, the man looked fresh. Overnight, he had dropped 20 years. His voice was back. His smile was back. He joked. He laughed. He motivated. His confidence was contagious. “We'd like nothing more than to do something for the first time,” he said. “Something that no one has done.”
Fast Eddie. Let's play some pool.
This is what makes Dick Vermeil a Hall of Famer. He looked as good as new on Tuesday. This start would have shattered another coach. It has shattered many other coaches. The loss to Denver was tough. The loss to Carolina was tougher. But the loss to Houston on Sunday was intolerable. Monday, it was like all the air was sucked out of Kansas City. Everywhere you went, you heard people say, “Man, I didn't even feel like coming to work today,” and “This is going to be a long winter,” and “I'm so depressed.”
(Column correction: On Tuesday, based on what appeared to be an overall sports funk in the city, I wrote a column saying, essentially, that in sports “We (stink).” Several dozen people wrote in to say that actually, we do not (stink) at all. The Kansas City Wizards won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Star regrets the error.)
After Monday's apparent malaise, I can't tell you how inspiring it was to see Vermeil on Tuesday, animated, energetic, looking as if all were right with the world. Reporters tried to get him to gripe about the officiating. He wouldn't do it. He would not talk about diapers or problems or how the season looked awfully grim.
No, Vermeil was pumped up. He was at the top of his game. He said the team has the heart and character to turn this around. He reminded everyone that this offense was good enough to lead the NFL in scoring the last two years, and it's still good enough to win games now. He said that the defense showed marked improvement Sunday (“We missed one tackle — one tackle!”) and the Chiefs are going to stop people.
“Deep down inside the heart of this football team, I think they like challenges,” he said.
Yes, going into Vermeil's press conference, you might have known the facts: that 0-3 teams almost never make the playoffs; that the Chiefs have given up more points than any team in the NFL; that the offense has not looked like itself at all this season.
Coming out, though, you figured the Chiefs might just go to Baltimore next Monday night and win and then win more and then shock the world. That's the power of Vermeil when he's at his best. This was the man who took Philadelphia and St. Louis to the Super Bowl.
“Just because teams haven't accomplished something before doesn't mean this football team can't,” he said.
Now, of course, a determined and enthused Vermeil doesn't mean this team will turn around. But it was still pretty stirring. We asked Vermeil what had changed his demeanor. He said he had talked to his Chiefs players. He had gotten calls from former players. He said he heard from Charles Barkley. He said Fred Dryer — the guy who played “Hunter” on TV — called. They all told him the same thing. Keep going. Things will turn around.
Vermeil said all that invigorated him.
“These people have been through it with me,” he said. “They know what's possible.”
OK, but that didn't explain this change. Monday, Vermeil looked like something out of “Shaun of the Dead.” Tuesday, though, he looked like he could deflect bullets, outrun Maurice Greene and then dance all night. He looked ready to turn this thing around. There's no way a call from Charles Barkley and Hunter could have done all that. No, something else must have happened. Something big.
Vermeil smiled.
“I got a full night's sleep,” he said.