ChiefsPlanet - Pollard to replace Bell next year???

'Don’t be surprised if during the coming off-season, Pollard doesn’t get some work at weak side linebacker."

GRETZ: Bookends Of The '06 Draft
Nov 29, 2006, 8:37:52 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

It was last February and like the rest of the NFL, the Chiefs were holed up in Indianapolis for the league’s annual Scouting Combine.

Herm Edwards took his defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and secondary coach David Gibbs to lunch. Did the trio head for someplace fancy like Indy’s famous steakhouse St. Elmo’s? Not hardly.

Herm and the boys grabbed burgers to go at Johnny Rockets and headed back inside the RCA Dome.

“The safeties were working out that day and I remember sitting up in the stands with this giant burger in my lap and that’s when I first noticed Jarrad Page,” Cunningham said. “He looked big, like a coverage linebacker rather than a defensive back.

“Then, he started to move around and he showed his athletic ability and I remember looking at them (Edwards and Gibbs) and thinking, ‘Wow, what do we have here’.”

As they sat there munching burgers, the Chiefs coaches already knew about Tamba Hali. They had identified the Penn State defensive end as the type of player they were looking to add to the revamped defense: high intensity, good work habits, intelligent and they would find out, a lot faster than the times we posted at the Combine.

Almost nine months later, Hali and Page serve as bookends to the Chiefs 2006 Draft Class. Both have played big roles in on of the league’s most improved defenses. After 11 games, the Chiefs rank 12th in yards allowed (13th against the run, 12th against the pass), giving up an average of 308 yards per game. The Chiefs rank ninth in points allowed, giving up an average of 18.6 points per game. In the previous five seasons, the Chiefs allowed an average of 357 yards and 22.9 points per game.

Just in the last two victories, the bookend rookies have made big plays. It was Page’s interception in the end zone in the final seconds that sealed the victory over Oakland and in the Thanksgiving game against Denver, Hali had a pair of sacks that helped shutdown Jake Plummer and the Broncos offense.

Hali has been a contributor since his first days of off-season work and about the only thing that has slowed him down are a couple of injuries (ribs during the pre-season and a hip pointer in the last month.) He’s seventh on the team with 51 tackles and second with 5.5 sacks, just a half-sack behind Jared Allen. Hali has also forced five fumbles. He ranks among the best rookie pass rushers in the league.

Page started the Oakland game for the injured Greg Wesley, but otherwise has played as a fill-in for veteran Sammy Knight. Early in the season, he made some mistakes in coverage and some poor tackling. But over the last month, he’s elevated his play. He’s learned from his mistakes and against Miami and Oakland, he ranged wide and deep to knock down long passes. Overall, Page has 25 tackles and an interception. He’s also added six tackles in the kicking game.

Not bad for a seventh-round draft choice, the 228th player taken in the ‘06 Draft.

“He lasted that long because he didn’t time very well,” said Edwards. “But in watching him in person and then the tape from UCLA, you could see he had great anticipation. He had a real feel for coverage.”

So far, Hali and Page have made the only major contributions from the class of ‘06. Hali has started all 11 games, while Page has two starts. The only other rookie who has played in all 11 games is second-round safety Bernard Pollard, who has done most of his work on special teams. Don’t be surprised if during the coming off-season, Pollard doesn’t get some work at weak side linebacker.

Third-round quarterback Brodie Croyle has seen mop-up action in two games, while sixth-round wide receiver Jeff Webb has played in seven games, mostly on special teams. He has three catches for 23 yards, seven kick returns for a 24.1-yard average and four tackles in the kicking game.

Fifth-round cornerback Marcus Maxey has played in just one game, after leaving the team for several weeks when Chicago signed him off the practice squad. Eventually, the Bears released him and he re-signed with the Chiefs. Sixth-round guard Tre Stallings has not played in any games to date.

The Chiefs have gotten some production out of undrafted rookies DT Stephen Williams, OL Rudy Niswanger and RB Derrick Ross. Williams, who re-joined the active roster on Tuesday after spending a couple weeks on the practice squad, has five tackles and a fumble recovering in limited playing time. Niswanger has played in two games on special teams and Ross has played in three games, with three carries for eight yards and two special teams tackles.