Post by lazarus on Jul 28, 2005 13:06:58 GMT -5
Posted on Thu, Jul. 28, 2005
Training camp begins today
How do KC'S new pieces fit?
With so many new faces from new places, the Chiefs will try to blend their revamped defense into a cohesive, successful unit
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
T he best thing about that first summer was that it wasn’t forced. Well, not totally. A pizza for your favorite 307-pound center. A night out with some adult beverages at the watering hole in River Falls.
Say what you will about Elvis Grbac, but in the summer of 1997, the new Chiefs quarterback brought a group of strangers together.
“We became very close in training camp,” former center Tim Grunhard said. “Anytime you bring in some new guys, the most important time of year for transition is obviously (offseason workouts) and the first couple of weeks of training camp. You’ve got to build a trust first. And after that, you have to learn the intricacies of what your guys do.”
Can five months of shopping bring respectability back to one of the worst defenses in the NFL? Can five new starters blend together in 23 days? Don’t ask Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson. He’s trying to get one of the biggest additions, rookie linebacker Derrick Johnson, to sign a contract and come to camp.
Don’t ask coach thingy Vermeil, the master of team mojo. He thinks the Chiefs will be fine despite their biggest overhaul on one side of the ball since the ’97 offense.
“In the second World War, they got guys ready to land in Iwo Jima in six weeks,” Vermeil said. “And all we have to do is play in Arrowhead. … You can pull them together within that period of time. Especially if you have good leadership like we have on our team. We’ve added some leadership on our team.”
The overhaul started late in the winter, when the Chiefs acquired linebacker Kendrell Bell, safety Sammy Knight and defensive end Carlos Hall. Cornerback Patrick Surtain signed a contract that topped $50 million just hours before the Chiefs drafted Johnson. As players met in River Falls, the team was officially introduced to Ashley Ambrose, who was acquired after minicamp.
That’s a lot of handshakes, and change, but ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth says some teams don’t need a long transitional stage to be successful. In 1995, the former guard came to Denver and joined a line with three new starters. By the end of training camp, Schlereth said the group was “as tight as a woven basket.”
Grbac promoted Chiefs’ harmony in ’97. He came in with tight end Tony Gonzalez and receiver Andre Rison, and knew the offense had to like each other to click. Grbac took the receivers out for beers and hung out with the linemen. That team went 13-3.
But chemistry, Schlereth said, can be overrated. Sometimes teams come together because they have something to prove. Schlereth’s 1995 group included some castoffs, players who were counted out of the NFL.
In some ways, they remind him of the 2005 Chiefs.
“I don’t look at it from the standpoint of Kansas City getting a bunch of big-money prima donnas,” he said. “To me, every one of those guys is playing with a chip on his shoulder. They trade Patrick Surtain from Miami after he led the league in interceptions from the cornerback position and you don’t think he has something to prove? Same thing with Sammy Knight. Here’s a guy who doesn’t run very fast, isn’t very athletic and on and on. He bounces from the Saints to Miami, and all he does is make plays.
“Then there’s Kendrell Bell, who’s coming off injuries, but I’ll tell you what, he was an absolute beast his rookie year. It’s not like they’ve made wholesale changes on a bunch of guys who were the cat’s pajamas. Every one of those guys feels like they have something to prove.”
Defensive end Eric Hicks counts himself in that group. He’s starting his eighth season with the Chiefs but has spent the last three years on a defense that has ranked near the bottom of the NFL.
Hicks said there is a feeling of anticipation, and anxiety, heading into camp. The coaches have told the team to expect rather drastic changes in River Falls. The players have yet to figure out what those changes will be.
Grunhard has heard that one of the changes involves a not-so-kinder, gentler Gunther Cunningham. The fiery defensive coordinator isn’t going to hold his tongue anymore, Grunhard said. In the days since his new personnel started rolling in, Cunningham has been talking about a new culture of the Chiefs’ defense.
“I think you’re going to see Gunther ride these guys hard and break them down,” Grunhard said. “After he breaks them down, he’ll build them up. He’s going to find out who can handle the pressure and who can’t.”
Hicks, for one, is ready for the heat, the competition, and the 23 days of bonding in River Falls.
“I think it’s just a thing that we have to pull together,” Hicks said. “We don’t have any other choice.
“I don’t want to say it’s now or never, but time is definitely running out.”
-------------------------------------------------
By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star
---------------------------------------------------
To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com
Training camp begins today
How do KC'S new pieces fit?
With so many new faces from new places, the Chiefs will try to blend their revamped defense into a cohesive, successful unit
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
T he best thing about that first summer was that it wasn’t forced. Well, not totally. A pizza for your favorite 307-pound center. A night out with some adult beverages at the watering hole in River Falls.
Say what you will about Elvis Grbac, but in the summer of 1997, the new Chiefs quarterback brought a group of strangers together.
“We became very close in training camp,” former center Tim Grunhard said. “Anytime you bring in some new guys, the most important time of year for transition is obviously (offseason workouts) and the first couple of weeks of training camp. You’ve got to build a trust first. And after that, you have to learn the intricacies of what your guys do.”
Can five months of shopping bring respectability back to one of the worst defenses in the NFL? Can five new starters blend together in 23 days? Don’t ask Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson. He’s trying to get one of the biggest additions, rookie linebacker Derrick Johnson, to sign a contract and come to camp.
Don’t ask coach thingy Vermeil, the master of team mojo. He thinks the Chiefs will be fine despite their biggest overhaul on one side of the ball since the ’97 offense.
“In the second World War, they got guys ready to land in Iwo Jima in six weeks,” Vermeil said. “And all we have to do is play in Arrowhead. … You can pull them together within that period of time. Especially if you have good leadership like we have on our team. We’ve added some leadership on our team.”
The overhaul started late in the winter, when the Chiefs acquired linebacker Kendrell Bell, safety Sammy Knight and defensive end Carlos Hall. Cornerback Patrick Surtain signed a contract that topped $50 million just hours before the Chiefs drafted Johnson. As players met in River Falls, the team was officially introduced to Ashley Ambrose, who was acquired after minicamp.
That’s a lot of handshakes, and change, but ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth says some teams don’t need a long transitional stage to be successful. In 1995, the former guard came to Denver and joined a line with three new starters. By the end of training camp, Schlereth said the group was “as tight as a woven basket.”
Grbac promoted Chiefs’ harmony in ’97. He came in with tight end Tony Gonzalez and receiver Andre Rison, and knew the offense had to like each other to click. Grbac took the receivers out for beers and hung out with the linemen. That team went 13-3.
But chemistry, Schlereth said, can be overrated. Sometimes teams come together because they have something to prove. Schlereth’s 1995 group included some castoffs, players who were counted out of the NFL.
In some ways, they remind him of the 2005 Chiefs.
“I don’t look at it from the standpoint of Kansas City getting a bunch of big-money prima donnas,” he said. “To me, every one of those guys is playing with a chip on his shoulder. They trade Patrick Surtain from Miami after he led the league in interceptions from the cornerback position and you don’t think he has something to prove? Same thing with Sammy Knight. Here’s a guy who doesn’t run very fast, isn’t very athletic and on and on. He bounces from the Saints to Miami, and all he does is make plays.
“Then there’s Kendrell Bell, who’s coming off injuries, but I’ll tell you what, he was an absolute beast his rookie year. It’s not like they’ve made wholesale changes on a bunch of guys who were the cat’s pajamas. Every one of those guys feels like they have something to prove.”
Defensive end Eric Hicks counts himself in that group. He’s starting his eighth season with the Chiefs but has spent the last three years on a defense that has ranked near the bottom of the NFL.
Hicks said there is a feeling of anticipation, and anxiety, heading into camp. The coaches have told the team to expect rather drastic changes in River Falls. The players have yet to figure out what those changes will be.
Grunhard has heard that one of the changes involves a not-so-kinder, gentler Gunther Cunningham. The fiery defensive coordinator isn’t going to hold his tongue anymore, Grunhard said. In the days since his new personnel started rolling in, Cunningham has been talking about a new culture of the Chiefs’ defense.
“I think you’re going to see Gunther ride these guys hard and break them down,” Grunhard said. “After he breaks them down, he’ll build them up. He’s going to find out who can handle the pressure and who can’t.”
Hicks, for one, is ready for the heat, the competition, and the 23 days of bonding in River Falls.
“I think it’s just a thing that we have to pull together,” Hicks said. “We don’t have any other choice.
“I don’t want to say it’s now or never, but time is definitely running out.”
-------------------------------------------------
By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star
---------------------------------------------------
To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com