KC Star - Law won't break - Page 4

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.”

**HemiEd** · 12-22-2006, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

For the love of god man, let us have alittle hope?

If you let someone on a BB take your hope away, that is your fault.

htismaqe · 12-22-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Looks like Herm might of left it that way in NY? His predicessor isnt doing to bad...

I know we are not going to rebuild, but hey as Chiefs fans championships are so such a pipe dream with Carl here

, We have to have some hope.

Dont take that away from us Htismaqe. For the love of god man, let us have alittle hope?

How could I possibly take anything from YOU?

You're the doom and gloomer.

ck_IN · 12-22-2006, 10:01 AM

But our teams are going in different directions that's the worst thing to me. Bills are a young ascending team same for the Titans where we on the other hand are the old declining team.

That's because we can't seem to draft worth a crap and we keep signing aging FA's to fill in for our draft mistakes. We also sign those FA's because it creates a buzz among the fans and sells tickets.

Reerun_KC · 12-22-2006, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

If you let someone on a BB take your hope away, that is your fault.

I was thinking about Chris Farleys SNL skits...

Just was craking me up!

Reerun_KC · 12-22-2006, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

You're the doom and gloomer.

Its not all doom and gloom, there is a ray of hope we do have Damon Huard...

LOL!

Zouk · 12-22-2006, 10:16 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..

C'mon man - WR's take time to develop. You can find lots of Wideouts around the league who blossomed in their 3rd year, that doesn't mean all the guys that coached those players were stupid for not starting them in their rookie or sophmore years.

Didn't Erik Coleman and Kerry Rhodes both start as rookies?

**HemiEd** · 12-22-2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

I was thinking about Chris Farleys SNL skits...

Just was craking me up!

**Easy 6** · 12-22-2006, 10:39 AM

I agree with those who say he's not being used correctly, he's always been known as a premier press CB who excels a jamming guys at the line.

Have i been very disappointed at times...Yes.

Is there plenty of blame to spread around...Yes.

NOBODY can lock down a man or a zone for the 10 minutes that teams often seem to have against us. And i believe the D coaches are just as much to blame for that as anyone.

If we had played a more "Let it Rip" style of D this season there is no way we would be sitting at .500. We had Livers imploding with AGGRESSIVE D. The browns game would have had a completely different outcome if they had been chasing derrick friggin anderson around like that.

I think Ty can/will still be a playmaker for a year or 2, pinning it all on him
is a mistake.

Its time for the coaches to accept some of the blame for schemes that dont seem to maximize what we do have.

**DaneMcCloud** · 12-22-2006, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

The reason the Titans are a "crap team" is because overall they lack talent.

Don't kid yourself, Jeff Fisher COACHED them to where they are.

Uh, that's what I said. "Jeff Fisher takes a crap team from 0-5 to 7-7 because of coaching and front office acquistions". There's also the Vince Young factor but at least Fisher and his owner aren't afraid to play a rookie QB (albeit, a rookie with massive talent and potential).

htismaqe · 12-22-2006, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Uh, that's what I said. "Jeff Fisher takes a crap team from 0-5 to 7-7 because of coaching and front office acquistions". There's also the Vince Young factor but at least Fisher and his owner aren't afraid to play a rookie QB (albeit, a rookie with massive talent and potential).

Actually, you were bitching about lack of household names. The Titans aren't resplendent with talent, they just have a good coach.

**DaneMcCloud** · 12-22-2006, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

Other than Tait and Edwards the Chiefs problem hasn't been cutting ties with players to soon it's been holding onto aging players to long.....

Donnie Edwards was drafted in 1996, Tait in 1999. So the Chiefs, under Carl Peterson, have had exactly TWO players leave in the last 10 years that actually made an impact on their new teams.

That's some high-quality player personnel decisions.

**Baby Lee** · 12-22-2006, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Donnie Edwards was drafted in 1996, Tait in 1999. So the Chiefs, under Carl Peterson, have had exactly TWO players leave in the last 10 years that actually made an impact on their new teams.

That's some high-quality player personnel decisions.

Joe Horn
Keith Traylor
Reggie Tongue
Scott Fuijita

**DaneMcCloud** · 12-22-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Joe Horn

He was drafted in 1995.

Redrum_69 · 12-22-2006, 11:55 AM

Theres no such thing as Santa Claus

**Baby Lee** · 12-22-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

He was drafted in 1995.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

have had exactly TWO players leave in the last 10 years

12-22-2006, 02:19 AM
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $800478	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: 297,438

12-22-2006, 10:01 AM	#48
ck_IN Feels so good. Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10004900	But our teams are going in different directions that's the worst thing to me. Bills are a young ascending team same for the Titans where we on the other hand are the old declining team. That's because we can't seem to draft worth a crap and we keep signing aging FA's to fill in for our draft mistakes. We also sign those FA's because it creates a buzz among the fans and sells tickets. __________________ As sweet as Tupelo Honey
Posts: 2,718

12-22-2006, 10:39 AM	#53
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $-182225	I agree with those who say he's not being used correctly, he's always been known as a premier press CB who excels a jamming guys at the line. Have i been very disappointed at times...Yes. Is there plenty of blame to spread around...Yes. NOBODY can lock down a man or a zone for the 10 minutes that teams often seem to have against us. And i believe the D coaches are just as much to blame for that as anyone. If we had played a more "Let it Rip" style of D this season there is no way we would be sitting at .500. We had Livers imploding with AGGRESSIVE D. The browns game would have had a completely different outcome if they had been chasing derrick friggin anderson around like that. I think Ty can/will still be a playmaker for a year or 2, pinning it all on him is a mistake. Its time for the coaches to accept some of the blame for schemes that dont seem to maximize what we do have.
Posts: 98,489

12-22-2006, 11:55 AM	#59
Redrum_69 Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: your nightmares Casino cash: $10004900	Theres no such thing as Santa Claus
Posts: 6,358

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