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Chiefs see blueprint for success
Edwards hopes his team can emulate the Super Bowl champion Steelers, this Sunday’s opponent.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Herm Edwards will be able this weekend to see the vision of what he wants his team to be.
To find it, he won’t be looking at the Chiefs, but their opponent on Sunday at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field.
If there’s any team that’s a role model for what Edwards is trying to accomplish, it’s the Steelers. Their 1-3 start to the season notwithstanding, the Steelers play the way Edwards wants the Chiefs to.
Play good defense. Run the ball well. Play smart. Play tough.
The Steelers are the NFL icons for all of those qualities.
The fact they are the defending Super Bowl champions isn’t incidental. But Edwards’ desire has much more to do with the Steelers’ ability to sustain their success and the way they achieved it.
“These guys obviously take a lot of pride in who they are and what they’re about,” Edwards said. “They’ve played a lot of big games and won a lot of big games. They’ve had some down years, but they find ways to obviously come back.
“They’re very tough, a tough-minded team, and they’re physically tough, too. Right now they’ve lost some close games. Their backs are against the wall, so what we’re walking into is going to be big for us.”
Sunday’s game is not just a chance for the 2-2 Chiefs to get above .500 for the first time this season. It’s also a gauge for how far along they are in becoming Edward’s type of team.
“Pittsburgh is the type of football team that we would like to be,” guard Brian Waters said. “They are struggling. We know that. But they’re at home, and they have a lot of pride. This is the game where they can really get out of a hole. It’s going to be a mentally tough thing for us. I want to see how we do in that situation.
“They play the game the way you want it to be played: Great defense, great special teams, run the ball well, big plays on offense, don’t turn the ball over much. Those are the types of teams you admire. That’s good football all the way around. That’s the type of football that week in and week out you can count on. That’s the type of team that wins in the playoffs, that wins it all.”
The ties between Edwards and Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher go back to their days as teammates for the Eagles for two seasons in the 1980s. They both became NFL assistant coaches under Marty Schottenheimer, Cowher with the Browns and Edwards with the Chiefs.
With both rooted in MartyBall, it’s little wonder their teams try playing similar styles.
“We were both able to learn from one of the best coaches in the game in Marty,” Cowher said. “At the same time, you still have to be yourself. Herm has done that. He has his way, his style. As you grow in this league, you grow as a coach. Both of us have done that. We were tremendously influenced by Marty, but at the same time you continue to grow individually as a coach.
“His teams play hard, and they play with a passion. That’s had a lot to do with his success.”
Edwards said: “Bill was always good with the players. He was always very, very honest with them. He believed in certain principles. Toughness was always one of his main things. He preached that. He preached fundamentals. I also believe in those things. We had some of the same philosophies.”
Linebacker Kendrell Bell said the mold Edwards is using with the Chiefs is similar to the one Cowher used for the Steelers.
“They both keep the game simple,” said Bell, who played for the Steelers before joining the Chiefs as a free agent last year. “They keep the X’s and O’s simple. They believe in running the ball and having an aggressive defense. They believe that if you can hold the ball and not turn it over, you have a better chance to win.”
The Steelers have been one of the NFL’s best teams in recent years in imposing their will on opponents and making them play the game on their terms. The Chiefs have yet to do that this season.
But the Chiefs have succeeded in taking opponents out of their normal offensive games. Cincinnati and particularly Denver played conservatively. San Francisco tried but failed to establish its high-scoring offense.
After getting two first-quarter touchdowns last week, the Cardinals fizzled and score only two field goal in the last three periods.
“You can see already the emphasis that’s being put on the defensive side of the ball,” Cowher said. “They got down 14-0 last week, and they were able to come back and play the way they did (and) not panic. The way they came back spoke volumes about their football team.”
The Chiefs hope it says the right things and not just that they took advantage of the forlorn Cardinals.
“We don’t want to be an up-and-down team,” Waters said. “That’s one thing in the past we have been. It’s hard to win consistently when you’re great and the next you play badly. I don’t think we’re that kind of team anymore.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15745032.htm
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Edwards hopes his team can emulate the Super Bowl champion Steelers, this Sunday’s opponent.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Herm Edwards will be able this weekend to see the vision of what he wants his team to be.
To find it, he won’t be looking at the Chiefs, but their opponent on Sunday at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field.
If there’s any team that’s a role model for what Edwards is trying to accomplish, it’s the Steelers. Their 1-3 start to the season notwithstanding, the Steelers play the way Edwards wants the Chiefs to.
Play good defense. Run the ball well. Play smart. Play tough.
The Steelers are the NFL icons for all of those qualities.
The fact they are the defending Super Bowl champions isn’t incidental. But Edwards’ desire has much more to do with the Steelers’ ability to sustain their success and the way they achieved it.
“These guys obviously take a lot of pride in who they are and what they’re about,” Edwards said. “They’ve played a lot of big games and won a lot of big games. They’ve had some down years, but they find ways to obviously come back.
“They’re very tough, a tough-minded team, and they’re physically tough, too. Right now they’ve lost some close games. Their backs are against the wall, so what we’re walking into is going to be big for us.”
Sunday’s game is not just a chance for the 2-2 Chiefs to get above .500 for the first time this season. It’s also a gauge for how far along they are in becoming Edward’s type of team.
“Pittsburgh is the type of football team that we would like to be,” guard Brian Waters said. “They are struggling. We know that. But they’re at home, and they have a lot of pride. This is the game where they can really get out of a hole. It’s going to be a mentally tough thing for us. I want to see how we do in that situation.
“They play the game the way you want it to be played: Great defense, great special teams, run the ball well, big plays on offense, don’t turn the ball over much. Those are the types of teams you admire. That’s good football all the way around. That’s the type of football that week in and week out you can count on. That’s the type of team that wins in the playoffs, that wins it all.”
The ties between Edwards and Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher go back to their days as teammates for the Eagles for two seasons in the 1980s. They both became NFL assistant coaches under Marty Schottenheimer, Cowher with the Browns and Edwards with the Chiefs.
With both rooted in MartyBall, it’s little wonder their teams try playing similar styles.
“We were both able to learn from one of the best coaches in the game in Marty,” Cowher said. “At the same time, you still have to be yourself. Herm has done that. He has his way, his style. As you grow in this league, you grow as a coach. Both of us have done that. We were tremendously influenced by Marty, but at the same time you continue to grow individually as a coach.
“His teams play hard, and they play with a passion. That’s had a lot to do with his success.”
Edwards said: “Bill was always good with the players. He was always very, very honest with them. He believed in certain principles. Toughness was always one of his main things. He preached that. He preached fundamentals. I also believe in those things. We had some of the same philosophies.”
Linebacker Kendrell Bell said the mold Edwards is using with the Chiefs is similar to the one Cowher used for the Steelers.
“They both keep the game simple,” said Bell, who played for the Steelers before joining the Chiefs as a free agent last year. “They keep the X’s and O’s simple. They believe in running the ball and having an aggressive defense. They believe that if you can hold the ball and not turn it over, you have a better chance to win.”
The Steelers have been one of the NFL’s best teams in recent years in imposing their will on opponents and making them play the game on their terms. The Chiefs have yet to do that this season.
But the Chiefs have succeeded in taking opponents out of their normal offensive games. Cincinnati and particularly Denver played conservatively. San Francisco tried but failed to establish its high-scoring offense.
After getting two first-quarter touchdowns last week, the Cardinals fizzled and score only two field goal in the last three periods.
“You can see already the emphasis that’s being put on the defensive side of the ball,” Cowher said. “They got down 14-0 last week, and they were able to come back and play the way they did (and) not panic. The way they came back spoke volumes about their football team.”
The Chiefs hope it says the right things and not just that they took advantage of the forlorn Cardinals.
“We don’t want to be an up-and-down team,” Waters said. “That’s one thing in the past we have been. It’s hard to win consistently when you’re great and the next you play badly. I don’t think we’re that kind of team anymore.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15745032.htm
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