Chiefs Chiefs beef up sagging defense with stud safety Eric Berry

T-post Tom · 04-22-2010, 11:55 PM

**** you, Prisco...

Chiefs beef up sagging defense with stud safety Eric Berry
By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Anyone who wonders why the Kansas City Chiefs took safety Eric Berry with the fifth overall selection on Thursday night needs only to recall some of last season's dizzying passing statistics.

•The 32 NFL teams combined to set a record with 111,853 passing yards.

•Each game averaged 436.9 passing yards, second-highest total in league history after 441.6 yards in 1995.

•A record 10 quarterbacks gunned for more than 4,000 yards, three more than the previous mark set in 2007.

To Tiki Barber, who retired as the New York Giants' all-time leading rusher, Berry's prominence said much about the let-it-fly state of the game.

"The nature of the league has changed," he said, recalling the smash-mouth style he and the Giants played. "You are seeing a de-valuing of what used to be marquee positions like running back.

"With spread offenses, there is a bigger priority on safeties and quarterbacks."

The 5-11, 211-pound Berry showed during his three-year career at Tennessee that he can play any position asked of him in the defensive secondary while starring on special teams as well.

He was a consensus All-America in each of the last two seasons and was SEC defensive player of the year in 2009, finishing with a career-high 87 tackles — 56 solo — with seven stops for losses.

Berry had 14 interceptions in his Volunteers career and possesses some shake-and-bake once the ball is in his hands.

With 494 return yards, Berry fell only 7 yards shy of breaking the NCAA record set by Terrell Buckley of Florida State from 1989 to '91.

Kansas City, coming off the worst three-year stretch in franchise history, clearly had a need for a talent such as Berry.

The Chiefs ranked 30th overall defensively, including 22nd against the pass.

He had a chance to visit with Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers when he was in Kansas City and said he felt then that he would be returning. He said Flowers "told me to come in ready to work. I think we'll have a lot of chemistry in the defensive backfield," Berry said.

Barber sees Berry as a rare commodity.

"He's a big kid and a little bit of a hybrid," he said. "He can play a lot of positions and that is big because you don't know what offenses are going to step on the field."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...ic-berry_N.htm

04-22-2010, 11:55 PM	Topic Starter
T-post Tom Busy in a Kohl's restroom Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Milk/Honey/Gazland Casino cash: $1747293	Chiefs beef up sagging defense with stud safety Eric Berry ** you, Prisco... Chiefs beef up sagging defense with stud safety Eric Berry** By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY NEW YORK — Anyone who wonders why the Kansas City Chiefs took safety Eric Berry with the fifth overall selection on Thursday night needs only to recall some of last season's dizzying passing statistics. •The 32 NFL teams combined to set a record with 111,853 passing yards. •Each game averaged 436.9 passing yards, second-highest total in league history after 441.6 yards in 1995. •A record 10 quarterbacks gunned for more than 4,000 yards, three more than the previous mark set in 2007. To Tiki Barber, who retired as the New York Giants' all-time leading rusher, Berry's prominence said much about the let-it-fly state of the game. "The nature of the league has changed," he said, recalling the smash-mouth style he and the Giants played. "You are seeing a de-valuing of what used to be marquee positions like running back. "With spread offenses, there is a bigger priority on safeties and quarterbacks." The 5-11, 211-pound Berry showed during his three-year career at Tennessee that he can play any position asked of him in the defensive secondary while starring on special teams as well. He was a consensus All-America in each of the last two seasons and was SEC defensive player of the year in 2009, finishing with a career-high 87 tackles — 56 solo — with seven stops for losses. Berry had 14 interceptions in his Volunteers career and possesses some shake-and-bake once the ball is in his hands. With 494 return yards, Berry fell only 7 yards shy of breaking the NCAA record set by Terrell Buckley of Florida State from 1989 to '91. Kansas City, coming off the worst three-year stretch in franchise history, clearly had a need for a talent such as Berry. The Chiefs ranked 30th overall defensively, including 22nd against the pass. He had a chance to visit with Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers when he was in Kansas City and said he felt then that he would be returning. He said Flowers "told me to come in ready to work. I think we'll have a lot of chemistry in the defensive backfield," Berry said. Barber sees Berry as a rare commodity. "He's a big kid and a little bit of a hybrid," he said. "He can play a lot of positions and that is big because you don't know what offenses are going to step on the field." http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...ic-berry_N.htm
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