KC Star - Law won't break

Hammock Parties · 12-22-2006, 02:19 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/16295180.htm

Law won’t break
Chiefs cornerback defends himself against the critics and says he still loves the game.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star

The lights glared on his white tank top and rippling Popeye guns, the team Web site crashed, and Ty Law, internally, rolled his eyes. He never liked the term savior. But he mugged for the cameras in July, flashed his $30 million smile and brought late-summer hope to a town awash with playoff — make that Super Bowl — hopes.

“Sometimes,” Law said, “your reputation precedes you.”

Nearly the entire team had filed out of the Chiefs’ locker room Thursday afternoon for a trip to Oakland, but Law wanted to stay and talk. He knows Kansas City had such high hopes when he signed with the team in July. He knows by Sunday night, the Chiefs could be officially eliminated from the playoff race.

Fingers have pointed, and many of them have been aimed at the guy who was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle, the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, the free agent Kansas City fans salivated over for two years.

Now they’re spitting mad. They call Law the “fall-down corner.” They wonder whether his 32-year-old legs have lost it. Law has no doubt it’s still there, because ultimately, he says, he doesn’t need this. He has all the money he wants. He has three Super Bowl rings.

But he loves football and yearns to hoist a trophy in another place besides New England. That’s what keeps him going, he says, through the cracks and the boos.

“I’ve been hired, I’ve been fired, I’ve been cursed at, I’ve been talked about,” Law said. “Hey, that’s all part of having a career. But to believe in yourself and to still have your peers’ respect … to have guys you play against tell you on the field, ‘Damn, you can still play, you can still run, you can still hit’ … That means more to me than anything.

“Because a lot of people who don’t put on a uniform don’t understand what’s going on between those lines or understand what my job might be at this particular time.”

Law had 10 interceptions with the Jets last season, and he did it with a bad foot. But in Kansas City, he’s defined by several slips. The most recent one happened two weeks ago against Baltimore, when Mark Clayton was as wide open as the Kansas countryside on an 87-yard touchdown catch.

Clayton got behind Law and safety Greg Wesley, and coach Herm Edwards later said the play resulted from miscommunication. Law admits there are a handful of plays from the 2006 season that he wishes he could have back, mostly missed tackles.

But he also insists he’d never leave a man that open and has never done it in his career.

Edwards wonders sometimes whether Law is pressing to make plays. This is Law’s third team in three years, three systems and different sets of expectations.

“It’s not the season he probably anticipated he’d have,” Edwards said. “But he’s done some things that you don’t see. Sometimes a guy’s playing really good because they’re not throwing balls his way and he’s doing a really good job.

“What happens with corners is your name is out there when you intercept passes. And he hasn’t had a lot of interceptions this year. He’s made some tackles, but then if anything bad happens. … You could play a whole game and be playing pretty good, but if you miss a tackle or get beat on a touchdown, that’s what people remember.”

Law has three interceptions — that’s what they remember — and the Chiefs have seen major defensive collapses at Cleveland and Pittsburgh. One tackle here, Law says, and maybe things would be different.

He blames some of the defensive struggles on the newness of playing together. Rookie Tamba Hali is new, and so are safeties Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard and interior linemen Ron Edwards and James Reed.

Law calls it a journey and compares this team to some of the greener groups he played with in New England before the Super Bowls. He hopes he’ll be part of the ride. The fans were so giddy about acquiring him last summer that the Chiefs’ Web site had more than 50,000 hits at once and crashed the day the deal was struck.

That’s what a reputation can do.

“I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be here,” he said. “I didn’t play to where I messed up the season or something like that. I don’t think it’s even a question, but in this game, this business, you never know what’s going to happen.

“I had an opportunity to go back to New England before I signed here. People don’t know that. I chose to come here for a reason. If it didn’t work out, hypothetically, I’ve had a good time here. To play in front of these fans here is incredible, even when they’re booing. It’s a crazy place to play in, man, and I like it.”

Mecca · 12-22-2006, 02:30 AM

This post belongs here......

....I don't question his "heart", I question that he probably runs about a 4.65. When you have old corners this happens.....he's obviously declining that's on the Chiefs not him.

GROB · 12-22-2006, 02:34 AM

He is the most overrated CB in the league. He was good before he left Pats but has lost alot of speed as mecca said. He spends more time on the ground than a cow turd.

tk13 · 12-22-2006, 02:37 AM

Well, a big part of his game was being physical. He was probably as big of a reason as anyone behind the Colts complaining about the contact rules and getting them enforced like they are now. We probably don't let him get up and hit WR's at the line enough. He'd get burned sometimes but I'm not sure he was ever as good as guys like Surtain or Bailey at covering people.

Mecca · 12-22-2006, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Well, a big part of his game was being physical. He was probably as big of a reason as anyone behind the Colts complaining about the contact rules and getting them enforced like they are now.

We obviously take advantage of that lining him up 10 yards off of recievers...

tk13 · 12-22-2006, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

We obviously take advantage of that lining him up 10 yards off of recievers...

Yeah, I added that in there... that's probably true. I mean he'd probably get burned sometimes but I guess he's doing that now anyway. When they used to play the Colts there were times he'd just take Harrison out at the line of scrimmage. Surtain was a lot better at running up and down the field with people, Law was better at hitting people and using his head to be in the right spot.

'Hamas' Jenkins · 12-22-2006, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Well, a big part of his game was being physical. He was probably as big of a reason as anyone behind the Colts complaining about the contact rules and getting them enforced like they are now. We probably don't let him get up and hit WR's at the line enough. He'd get burned sometimes but I'm not sure he was ever as good as guys like Surtain or Bailey at covering people.

He was *the* reason behind the rules change. He fucked Marvin Harrison up in the 2003 AFC Champ...the skinny bastard couldn't breathe. With that being said, it's on the coaches to use his strengths, namely jamming the hell out of receivers on the line. If we do that with him, he can still be very, very effective.

**DaneMcCloud** · 12-22-2006, 02:40 AM

As an old CB that's "played in this league", Herm should have known better. He should have known better than to sign a 32 year old CB to a high dollar contract, expecting him to the be Pro Bowl CB of old.

Hell, I knew it. I've posted in the past my feelings on guys like Hugh Douglas and Ty Law. Why doesn't a "Professional" like Herm Edwards know it? Or for fucks sake, King Carl (Dead Man Walking) Peterson know it?

Old Boys Network...CP hires only those who he *trusts* (i.e., control). Fans wait and watch. Buy tickets. CP wins again.

Carl Peterson is a latter day P.T. Barnum. And all the people living in Kansas City are the *Suckers*.

|Zach| · 12-22-2006, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Carl Peterson is a latter day P.T. Barnum. And all the people living in Kansas City are the *Suckers*.

Only if people allow themselves to be.

The victim mentality around here.

Wow.

Mojo Rising · 12-22-2006, 02:59 AM

The alternative to signing him would be to have Walls as the starter. They would have brought back some scrub (McLeon level) to fill the role that Walls is filling and the profits at Arrowhead would have been higher.

We would have also lost at AZ.

Law is not the savior Whitlock crowned him as (big surprise, JW is as wrong as CP.) However, he didn't cost the Chiefs a better FA. And, he didn't cost me any money.

htismaqe · 12-22-2006, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

As an old CB that's "played in this league", Herm should have known better. He should have known better than to sign a 32 year old CB to a high dollar contract, expecting him to the be Pro Bowl CB of old.

Hell, I knew it. I've posted in the past my feelings on guys like Hugh Douglas and Ty Law. Why doesn't a "Professional" like Herm Edwards know it? Or for fucks sake, King Carl (Dead Man Walking) Peterson know it?

Old Boys Network...CP hires only those who he *trusts* (i.e., control). Fans wait and watch. Buy tickets. CP wins again.

Carl Peterson is a latter day P.T. Barnum. And all the people living in Kansas City are the *Suckers*.

Law's contract isn't "high dollar" in any way other than face value. It's loaded with incentives and voidables.

Surtain's contract is "high dollar".

**2112** · 12-22-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

As an old CB that's "played in this league", Herm should have known better. He should have known better than to sign a 32 year old CB to a high dollar contract, expecting him to the be Pro Bowl CB of old.

Hell, I knew it. I've posted in the past my feelings on guys like Hugh Douglas and Ty Law. Why doesn't a "Professional" like Herm Edwards know it? Or for fucks sake, King Carl (Dead Man Walking) Peterson know it?

Old Boys Network...CP hires only those who he *trusts* (i.e., control). Fans wait and watch. Buy tickets. CP wins again.

Carl Peterson is a latter day P.T. Barnum. And all the people living in Kansas City are the *Suckers*.

Coaches who know they are in over their head and dont have a clue are scared to play rookies or young players so they attach themselves to the veterans.
Thats Herm's mantra..he let Cotchery rot on the bench for 3 years while playing that POS McCariens..

htismaqe · 12-22-2006, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill parcells

Coaches who know they are in over their head and dont have a clue are scared to play rookies or young players so they attach themselves to the veterans.
Thats Herm's mantra..he let Cotchery rot on the bench for 3 years while playing that POS McCariens..

If you want to bitch about Marty or Vermeil and their love of mediocre veterans, by all means, have at it.

But shut up about Herm.

We have more young players starting and contributing this year than we have since Carl Peterson arrived.

**2112** · 12-22-2006, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

If you want to bitch about Marty or Vermeil and their love of mediocre veterans, by all means, have at it.

But shut up about Herm.

We have more young players starting and contributing this year than we have since Carl Peterson arrived.

I was talking about Law..and used that to generalize why he wanted a very expensive overrated player..thats all.

htismaqe · 12-22-2006, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill parcells

I was talking about Law..and used that to generalize why he wanted a very expensive overrated player..thats all.

I know, and that's why I called you on it.

It was a generalization that simply isnt true, and there's no reason to bag on Herm for the ONE THING HE'S DONE RIGHT in KC - play the young guys.

12-22-2006, 02:19 AM	Topic Starter
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $810478	KC Star - Law won't break http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/16295180.htm Law won’t break Chiefs cornerback defends himself against the critics and says he still loves the game. By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star The lights glared on his white tank top and rippling Popeye guns, the team Web site crashed, and Ty Law, internally, rolled his eyes. He never liked the term savior. But he mugged for the cameras in July, flashed his $30 million smile and brought late-summer hope to a town awash with playoff — make that Super Bowl — hopes. “Sometimes,” Law said, “your reputation precedes you.” Nearly the entire team had filed out of the Chiefs’ locker room Thursday afternoon for a trip to Oakland, but Law wanted to stay and talk. He knows Kansas City had such high hopes when he signed with the team in July. He knows by Sunday night, the Chiefs could be officially eliminated from the playoff race. Fingers have pointed, and many of them have been aimed at the guy who was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle, the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, the free agent Kansas City fans salivated over for two years. Now they’re spitting mad. They call Law the “fall-down corner.” They wonder whether his 32-year-old legs have lost it. Law has no doubt it’s still there, because ultimately, he says, he doesn’t need this. He has all the money he wants. He has three Super Bowl rings. But he loves football and yearns to hoist a trophy in another place besides New England. That’s what keeps him going, he says, through the cracks and the boos. “I’ve been hired, I’ve been fired, I’ve been cursed at, I’ve been talked about,” Law said. “Hey, that’s all part of having a career. But to believe in yourself and to still have your peers’ respect … to have guys you play against tell you on the field, ‘Damn, you can still play, you can still run, you can still hit’ … That means more to me than anything. “Because a lot of people who don’t put on a uniform don’t understand what’s going on between those lines or understand what my job might be at this particular time.” Law had 10 interceptions with the Jets last season, and he did it with a bad foot. But in Kansas City, he’s defined by several slips. The most recent one happened two weeks ago against Baltimore, when Mark Clayton was as wide open as the Kansas countryside on an 87-yard touchdown catch. Clayton got behind Law and safety Greg Wesley, and coach Herm Edwards later said the play resulted from miscommunication. Law admits there are a handful of plays from the 2006 season that he wishes he could have back, mostly missed tackles. But he also insists he’d never leave a man that open and has never done it in his career. Edwards wonders sometimes whether Law is pressing to make plays. This is Law’s third team in three years, three systems and different sets of expectations. “It’s not the season he probably anticipated he’d have,” Edwards said. “But he’s done some things that you don’t see. Sometimes a guy’s playing really good because they’re not throwing balls his way and he’s doing a really good job. “What happens with corners is your name is out there when you intercept passes. And he hasn’t had a lot of interceptions this year. He’s made some tackles, but then if anything bad happens. … You could play a whole game and be playing pretty good, but if you miss a tackle or get beat on a touchdown, that’s what people remember.” Law has three interceptions — that’s what they remember — and the Chiefs have seen major defensive collapses at Cleveland and Pittsburgh. One tackle here, Law says, and maybe things would be different. He blames some of the defensive struggles on the newness of playing together. Rookie Tamba Hali is new, and so are safeties Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard and interior linemen Ron Edwards and James Reed. Law calls it a journey and compares this team to some of the greener groups he played with in New England before the Super Bowls. He hopes he’ll be part of the ride. The fans were so giddy about acquiring him last summer that the Chiefs’ Web site had more than 50,000 hits at once and crashed the day the deal was struck. That’s what a reputation can do. “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be here,” he said. “I didn’t play to where I messed up the season or something like that. I don’t think it’s even a question, but in this game, this business, you never know what’s going to happen. “I had an opportunity to go back to New England before I signed here. People don’t know that. I chose to come here for a reason. If it didn’t work out, hypothetically, I’ve had a good time here. To play in front of these fans here is incredible, even when they’re booing. It’s a crazy place to play in, man, and I like it.”
Posts: 297,432

12-22-2006, 02:30 AM	#2
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-702950	This post belongs here...... ....I don't question his "heart", I question that he probably runs about a 4.65. When you have old corners this happens.....he's obviously declining that's on the Chiefs not him.
Posts: 115,380

12-22-2006, 02:34 AM	#3
GROB Banned Join Date: Sep 2004 Casino cash: $9854900	He is the most overrated CB in the league. He was good before he left Pats but has lost alot of speed as mecca said. He spends more time on the ground than a cow turd.
Posts: 422

12-22-2006, 02:37 AM	#4
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $-1887500	Well, a big part of his game was being physical. He was probably as big of a reason as anyone behind the Colts complaining about the contact rules and getting them enforced like they are now. We probably don't let him get up and hit WR's at the line enough. He'd get burned sometimes but I'm not sure he was ever as good as guys like Surtain or Bailey at covering people.
Posts: 56,712

12-22-2006, 02:40 AM	#8
DaneMcCloud Supporter Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hollywood, CA Casino cash: $10053648	As an old CB that's "played in this league", Herm should have known better. He should have known better than to sign a 32 year old CB to a high dollar contract, expecting him to the be Pro Bowl CB of old. Hell, I knew it. I've posted in the past my feelings on guys like Hugh Douglas and Ty Law. Why doesn't a "Professional" like Herm Edwards know it? Or for fucks sake, King Carl (Dead Man Walking) Peterson know it? Old Boys Network...CP hires only those who he trusts (i.e., control). Fans wait and watch. Buy tickets. CP wins again. Carl Peterson is a latter day P.T. Barnum. And all the people living in Kansas City are the Suckers.
Posts: 88,960

12-22-2006, 02:59 AM	#10
Mojo Rising Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: OC Casino cash: $10009560	The alternative to signing him would be to have Walls as the starter. They would have brought back some scrub (McLeon level) to fill the role that Walls is filling and the profits at Arrowhead would have been higher. We would have also lost at AZ. Law is not the savior Whitlock crowned him as (big surprise, JW is as wrong as CP.) However, he didn't cost the Chiefs a better FA. And, he didn't cost me any money.
Posts: 1,792