Teicher: Giants will test Chiefs with pass rush

[tk13]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/13409893.htm

Giants may give Chiefs a real rush
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs spent the last few weeks thinking they have finally solved their pass-protection problems. They will get a definitive answer to that in Saturday’s game against the Giants at the Meadowlands.

New York has the NFL’s best one-two pass rush combination in veteran Michael Strahan and young Osi Umenyiora. They lead the NFC in sacks, Umenyiora with 12 1/2 and Strahan with 11 1/2 . “These two guys are very good,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. “They’re very active, and they don’t take them out of the ball game. They play every snap, and they play hard.

“They’ll be a challenge for us. Fortunately right now, our tackles are blocking well, playing well. John Welbourn is playing right tackle probably as well as he ever played left guard. He’s doing a good job. Willie (Roaf) will play well come Saturday. He’s that quality of a football player.”

Quarterback Trent Green was harassed the first half of the season like at no time since he joined the Chiefs. Green was sacked 23 times in the first nine games, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He was also knocked down and hurried far more often than the Chiefs would like.
Green since then has generally had the protective bubble he’s come to expect. The Chiefs changed some of their protection schemes, and the return of Roaf helped, though this turnaround began while he was still out and nursing his sore hamstring.

But the Chiefs haven’t seen an opponent with the pass-rush skills of Strahan and Umenyiora. How well they handle these two could determine Saturday’s outcome.

“You know those two are always coming,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “They have outstanding motors. They’re persistent. You might put two people on Strahan, but somehow, some way he finds a way to pressure. Same with Osi. They have outstanding endurance. Late in the game, they’re coming just as hard as they were in the beginning.

“We’ve had really outstanding pressure coming off each edge. It’s caused the quarterback to be under duress a percentage of the time.”
Strahan has been harassing NFL quarterbacks for years. He is one of the NFL’s all-time sack leaders and holds the single-season record for sacks.

Umenyiora emerged last season with seven sacks and now is a top rusher in his own right. He is tied for second in sacks this season behind Oakland’s Derrick Burgess. A teammate of Chiefs kicker Lawrence Tynes in college at Troy, he was a late bloomer.

Umenyiora was born in England and played only one year of high school football.

“I knew he was a good player, but I wasn’t sure he would ever (be among the NFL leaders) in sacks,” Tynes said. “I knew he’d be good. He was dominant in college, that’s for sure.”

Roaf said: “He’s faster than Strahan. Strahan is more of a power guy, more of a get-in-your-face guy. (Umenyiora) is more of a get-around-the-edge, spin and all that type of stuff.

“I’ve got to get my hands on him and not let him get out into space. You want to get to him as quick as possible so he doesn’t get up field and do all those things like likes to do.”

The Chiefs will counter with Welbourn, their right tackle who opposes Strahan, and Roaf, who will block Umenyiora.

Welbourn played against Strahan when he was with the Eagles. He was then a guard. The only time he played against Strahan as a tackle was in a handful of snaps in a preseason game for the Chiefs last season.

Welbourn missed the first four games of the season because of a steroid-related NFL suspension. This will be his seventh straight start at right tackle, giving the Chiefs stability at the position they didn’t have earlier.

Welbourn joined the Chiefs last year while he was coming off knee surgery. The Chiefs were so unimpressed with the way he played that they moved him to guard during the offseason. Injuries to others forced him back to tackle.

“I was hurt all of last year,” Welbourn said. “I’m healthier now than I’ve been in a couple of years. Last year I was maybe 50, 60 percent before I got hurt. I couldn’t even walk. I couldn’t run.”

The Chiefs are prepared to help their tackles with others on Saturday.

“We’ll have some interesting matchups,” Vermeil said. “We’ll have some interesting concepts to utilize, too. We’re not so naïve to think we can block them every single time. Hopefully, we’ll do some very intelligent things as well.”

It’s nothing new for the Giants and Coughlin. Each week they see opponents struggling to cope with Strahan and Umenyiora.

“You see the conventional things,” Coughlin said. “You see the tight end kept in or the line slide that way or the backs chips or whatever.

“They allow us to have some single situations on the inside. (Tackle) Fred Robbins the other day was able to overcome some single protection things and pressure the quarterback.”

[BigRedChief]

Welbourne has been playing an excellent RT. Willie doesn't need to be scared of anyone. But its a moot point. We will run between the tackles and play action all game.

[jidar]

I would have been much more worried if our running game up the middle was still as weak as it used to be. That said they are talking about getting push on both sides without having to overload so that still leaves plenty of people to stuff the middle. It's going to be an interesting contest.

[Wile_E_Coyote]

check the papers!

[siberian khatru]

Play-action. Screens. Draws.

[Chief Henry]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Play-action. Screens. Draws.

Xactly my thoughts

[Warrior5]

Teams that ran on NY: SD (268 yds), DEN (191 yds), SEA (127 yds)
Teams that passed on NY: StL (442 yds), SEA (249 yds)

This is gonna be war in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. Whitfield's comments on Allen have added fuel to the fire.

As long as the Chiefs O doesn't regress into Buffalo mode, they'll put up points. My biggest concern is our D going up against Manning, Barber, Toomer, Burress, and Shockey. The only way to slow that O down is to keep them off the field.

On O, just like you all have said: draws, screens, play-action.

On D, well...let's hope Gun has something up his sleeve to pressure Manning into bad throws we can pick off. Please use Bell smartly. We'll need at least 3 TOs.

[ChiefsGirl]

Originally Posted by Warrior5

Teams that ran on NY: SD (268 yds), DEN (191 yds), SEA (127 yds)

Didn't a no-name back from Philly run all over them last week as well?

[Warrior5]

Originally Posted by ChiefsGirl

Didn't a no-name back from Philly run all over them last week as well?

Absolutely; good catch ChiefsGirl.

[B_Ambuehl]

I was a tad worried about Willie Roaf going against Demarcus Ware last week but that was a very dominating performance by Willie. Omenyiora is the same type of speed rusher so shouldn't be a problem. The other side might be a different story. Strahan has that damn outside in sort've half swim move that has given the right side of the KC oline problems this year. The backs are gonna need to be very aware of that.

[Calcountry]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Welbourne has been playing an excellent RT. Willie doesn't need to be scared of anyone. But its a moot point. We will run between the tackles and play action all game.

More like the game will turn like the last game, our pass rush.