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CHIEFS OPEN FULL-SQUAD MINICAMP
Secondary vets try to keep jobs
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
It is football tradition to defer to age, so the Chiefs went with experience over youth in their starting secondary on the first day of full-squad minicamp Friday.
Incumbent Sammy Knight was the first-team strong safety; rookie Bernard Pollard was not. Veteran Lenny Walls was the starting right cornerback instead of, among others, injured draft pick Marcus Maxey.
The Chiefs will follow the protocol only for so long, so the arrangement could easily change in time for the Sept. 10 season opener against Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium. Pollard, a second-round draft pick, lurks close behind Knight and free safety Greg Wesley.
At cornerback, Walls paired with Patrick Surtain. Others, including Maxey, will get a look in Walls’ spot. Also looming is the considerable specter of veteran Ty Law, who isn’t under Chiefs contract but could be by the time training camp begins in late July.
Even without Law, the competition for starting jobs is on.
Nowhere at minicamp is a spot more contested than between Knight and Pollard. The Chiefs drafted Pollard out of Purdue in the second round to be their eventual starter, but Pollard’s time could come sooner than anticipated.
“His athletic skills are better than what I thought I saw when I watched tape of him from college,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “That’s a good sign because the one thing we know about him is that he will hit you.”
Knight quickly became a defensive leader for the Chiefs last season after signing as a free agent. He preserved a couple of narrow victories by breaking up late fourth-quarter passes in the end zone against Oakland and Washington.
But he doesn’t have great range and isn’t the big hitter Cunningham and coach Herm Edwards want in the secondary.
“I want to bring the mentality of when you catch the ball or if you’re trying to catch the ball, you’re going to get hit,” Pollard said. “I’m coming here, and I’m going to smack you. I want them to know that, and I look forward to getting some big hits. But I want to be a solid tackler, too, and I look forward to doing that.
“I don’t know if that’s my trademark, but it’s something that I like to do. There have to be some big hits in every game. I look forward to making some big hits. I look forward to being a solid tackler. I look forward to being a good defender and a solid all-round safety. Hopefully I’ll get that done and get some playing time.”
Edwards has a history from his time as coach of the New York Jets of starting rookie defensive backs. He started a rookie safety in each of the last two years.
“If someone is going to be a starter, they have to earn it,” Edwards said. “It’s not given to you. (Knight and Wesley) are two good safeties. With the guys we have backing them up, we have good competition back there.”
Knight defended his turf well Friday. He intercepted Trent Green’s deep sideline pass intended for Eddie Kennison and on the next play broke up a pass for Kris Wilson on an underneath route.
The Chiefs are planning to look at Walls, Maxey and perhaps Julian Battle at one cornerback spot in offseason practices. Walls, who formerly played for Denver, is the only one to start an NFL game.
That gives him an edge. Walls, at 6 feet 4, is abnormally tall for a cornerback and has to convince Cunningham he’s for real.
“I’ve never seen a corner 6-4 who was able to play, but he does things on the field that amaze me for a guy of his size,” Cunningham said. “There have been some real positive signs.”
The Chiefs hoped to look at Maxey, a fifth-round pick out of Miami, this weekend, but a bruised knee is keeping him out. He did play in last week’s rookie camp.
“The one thing he can do right now is that he does a good job of playing Cover 2,” said Cunningham, referring to the type of zone coverage favored by Edwards. “But there’s more to this defense than just playing Cover 2. He’s got good size, he’s strong and he will tackle you. All these deficiencies he has, we can fix. That gives us hope he can help soon.”
If all else fails, Law remains an option — unless he signs with another team first.
“At the end of the day, it has to be a good match for both parties,” Edwards said. “Right now, that’s the least of my worries. I’m going to coach the guys that are here. I haven’t talked to him (lately). I’m coaching the team. We have some young corners here that I think can play.
“Knowing him, he won’t sign until July. That’s what he always does. He’s going to wait until training camp. That’s what veteran guys do.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/14624932.htm
Secondary vets try to keep jobs
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
It is football tradition to defer to age, so the Chiefs went with experience over youth in their starting secondary on the first day of full-squad minicamp Friday.
Incumbent Sammy Knight was the first-team strong safety; rookie Bernard Pollard was not. Veteran Lenny Walls was the starting right cornerback instead of, among others, injured draft pick Marcus Maxey.
The Chiefs will follow the protocol only for so long, so the arrangement could easily change in time for the Sept. 10 season opener against Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium. Pollard, a second-round draft pick, lurks close behind Knight and free safety Greg Wesley.
At cornerback, Walls paired with Patrick Surtain. Others, including Maxey, will get a look in Walls’ spot. Also looming is the considerable specter of veteran Ty Law, who isn’t under Chiefs contract but could be by the time training camp begins in late July.
Even without Law, the competition for starting jobs is on.
Nowhere at minicamp is a spot more contested than between Knight and Pollard. The Chiefs drafted Pollard out of Purdue in the second round to be their eventual starter, but Pollard’s time could come sooner than anticipated.
“His athletic skills are better than what I thought I saw when I watched tape of him from college,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “That’s a good sign because the one thing we know about him is that he will hit you.”
Knight quickly became a defensive leader for the Chiefs last season after signing as a free agent. He preserved a couple of narrow victories by breaking up late fourth-quarter passes in the end zone against Oakland and Washington.
But he doesn’t have great range and isn’t the big hitter Cunningham and coach Herm Edwards want in the secondary.
“I want to bring the mentality of when you catch the ball or if you’re trying to catch the ball, you’re going to get hit,” Pollard said. “I’m coming here, and I’m going to smack you. I want them to know that, and I look forward to getting some big hits. But I want to be a solid tackler, too, and I look forward to doing that.
“I don’t know if that’s my trademark, but it’s something that I like to do. There have to be some big hits in every game. I look forward to making some big hits. I look forward to being a solid tackler. I look forward to being a good defender and a solid all-round safety. Hopefully I’ll get that done and get some playing time.”
Edwards has a history from his time as coach of the New York Jets of starting rookie defensive backs. He started a rookie safety in each of the last two years.
“If someone is going to be a starter, they have to earn it,” Edwards said. “It’s not given to you. (Knight and Wesley) are two good safeties. With the guys we have backing them up, we have good competition back there.”
Knight defended his turf well Friday. He intercepted Trent Green’s deep sideline pass intended for Eddie Kennison and on the next play broke up a pass for Kris Wilson on an underneath route.
The Chiefs are planning to look at Walls, Maxey and perhaps Julian Battle at one cornerback spot in offseason practices. Walls, who formerly played for Denver, is the only one to start an NFL game.
That gives him an edge. Walls, at 6 feet 4, is abnormally tall for a cornerback and has to convince Cunningham he’s for real.
“I’ve never seen a corner 6-4 who was able to play, but he does things on the field that amaze me for a guy of his size,” Cunningham said. “There have been some real positive signs.”
The Chiefs hoped to look at Maxey, a fifth-round pick out of Miami, this weekend, but a bruised knee is keeping him out. He did play in last week’s rookie camp.
“The one thing he can do right now is that he does a good job of playing Cover 2,” said Cunningham, referring to the type of zone coverage favored by Edwards. “But there’s more to this defense than just playing Cover 2. He’s got good size, he’s strong and he will tackle you. All these deficiencies he has, we can fix. That gives us hope he can help soon.”
If all else fails, Law remains an option — unless he signs with another team first.
“At the end of the day, it has to be a good match for both parties,” Edwards said. “Right now, that’s the least of my worries. I’m going to coach the guys that are here. I haven’t talked to him (lately). I’m coaching the team. We have some young corners here that I think can play.
“Knowing him, he won’t sign until July. That’s what he always does. He’s going to wait until training camp. That’s what veteran guys do.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/14624932.htm