ChiefsPlanet - Q&A with Napoleon Harris

Q: Talk about your familiarity with the cover two and what you bring to the Chiefs.

HARRIS: “Number one it is a system that has been proven over time. It started out with Coach Dungy bringing it to the league. Along with Coach Edwards they had a lot of success with it in Tampa. (Edwards) took it to the Jets and now he’s here and I think that system has proven itself to be a good system and give your team a chance to win.”

Q: What did Herm Edwards and Gunther Cunningham tell you about their plans for you?

HARRIS: “Just going through coach Edwards’ track record; everywhere he’s been he’s been a winner. Playing for a guy who has a lot of integrity, it’s like they say they apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; he’s done the same as Coach Dungy who has had success wherever he’s been. Gunther Cunningham has also done well and is a proven coach in this league.”

Q: Is that what attracted you to come here; what Gun and Herm do?

HARRIS: “Definitely, that makes it all the more attractive when you are able to align yourself with great coaches that are going to put you in a situation to win.”

Q: Were you planning on making any other free agent visits?

HARRIS: “I had made plans to go other places and I’ve been other places, but here is where my heart was at.”

Q: What made you want to sign here?

HARRIS: “There are so many things besides the money. When you get into free agency everyone is competitive and wants to get you to their place. What you have to see is within yourself is if the money is the only thing that is taking you there or do you want to win? Do you want to compete at a high level? What are your ultimate goals? My ultimate goals are to one day win a world championship. I had an opportunity to participate in that game when I played in Oakland, but unfortunately we didn’t win it. Hopefully being here with the Kansas City Chiefs I will have a chance to be part of something special and win it.”

Q: What do you bring as a player and a person to this defense?

HARRIS: “I think that I definitely bring experience as well as leadership. I have played in this system and have had success in this system. It’s one thing to be a player and do a good job, but when you are able to get others to step their game up and follow suit and play well; I think that is a great thing and I think I’ll be able to do that with the guys around me and I think I’ll be able to gel with the guys that are already here and be a better and productive defense.”

Q: Do you know any of the guys that you will be playing with next year?

HARRIS: “I know a few of them, but not many. Last year in Minnesota it was kind of the same thing. We had some free agents come in and some guys that were on the first-time-around basis and we had success there. I don’t see why it should be any different here.”

Q: You were a three-down guy in Minnesota. Do you feel like pass coverage is one of your strengths?

HARRIS: “I think that I can do everything pretty decently. I can definitely cover a tight end or a back out of the backfield as well as a run stopper. That’s what I hope to bring to this team and I want to help the defense to continue to move in the right direction.”

Q: You are obviously familiar playing in the AFC West with Oakland.

HARRIS: “The AFC West, to me, has always been one of the tougher divisions in the league and if you just look at it you have three teams in the division that were over .500. That says a lot about the conference when you have three teams that are over the .500 mark in the division; that shows a lot of toughness.”