Post by lazarus on Aug 9, 2005 15:22:08 GMT -5
Old school D
Cunningham goes back to Chiefs' defensive roots
Posted: Tuesday August 9, 2005 1:44PM; Updated: Tuesday August 9, 2005 1:44PM
The Chiefs' defense finished 31st overall under coordinator Gunther Cunningham last season.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
There's a fierce intensity in the Kansas City Chiefs training camp that hasn't been seen in years. Defenders fly to the ball faster than ever. They smack ball carriers with more force than usual. They jump in the face of offensive players, just to let their teammates know they aren't playing second fiddle any longer. They do whatever it takes to catch the eye of defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham because they know jobs are on the line and he wants only the hungriest of competitors.
There can't be a happier man in Chiefs camp than Cunningham. When he stands at one edge of the practice field, his eyes hidden by yellow-tinted glasses and his Chiefs baseball cap pulled low on his forehead, he views a unit that finally has enough talent to play his style of defense. They have speed, quickness and instincts. Now all they need is that final touch that Cunningham knows how to provide -- the surly attitude that was the trademark of the Chiefs defenses he designed during the mid- to late 1990s.
Yes, it's early, but the Chiefs are looking like they could have a defense worth boasting about again. They have several key new faces -- most notably cornerback Patrick Surtain, strong safety Sammy Knight and linebackers Kendrell Bell and Derrick Johnson, the team's first-round pick in this year's draft -- but they also have an inspired Cunningham. Last season, in his first year back with the Chiefs, Kansas City fielded the second-worst defense in the league. This year, Cunningham says, "I feel real really good. I can call any scheme in practice and have confidence that they'll execute it. If you have a gun with six bullets, you shoot all of them. Last year, I had a gun with no bullets so now I feel totally different. It's exciting."
There's no question that a Cunningham defense armed with proven playmakers is a dangerous group for any offense to face. He possesses one of the game's sharpest defensive minds and his units were the heart of Kansas City's success for half a decade (Cunningham served as the Chiefs defensive coordinator from 1995-98 and as its head coach from 1999-2000). Those defenses excelled at everything Cunningham loves. They pounded quarterbacks. They took the ball away. They consistently beat teams down. During those five years Cunningham was involved with the team, the Chiefs averaged 33.5 turnovers a game.
But when thingy Vermeil took over the Chiefs in 2001, the emphasis went to offense. The Chiefs built an explosive team that could hang in any shoot-out imaginable. But let's be real -- this is a town that loves its defense first and now the Chiefs have a chance to return to their roots. Surtain is an exceptional cover corner. Knight has generated more turnovers (35 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries) than any defender in the league during his eight-year career. Bell and Johnson bring much-needed speed to the linebacking corps and defensive end Carlos Hall should be a valuable situational pass rusher.
Cunningham is doing his part to motivate, too. It isn't enough that this influx of new talent has generated plenty of competition for jobs. Cunningham says he's "turned back the clock" on his coaching techniques and become a more aggressive, in-your-face teacher this season. The reason: He wants his defenders to be just as feisty on game days. "I've never seen Gunther this intense," says defensive end Eric Hicks, one of the few Chiefs who played under Cunningham during his previous tenure in Kansas City. "He'd yell and curse before to show he had a fiery personality but now he's directing that anger at individuals. He's been calling guys out during team meetings, which is something he never used to do. It's really making people nervous."
You can't blame Cunningham for ratcheting up the intensity. He's waited a full year for some legitimate personnel and he wants to make the most of it. He also doesn't subscribe to the popular theory that all the Chiefs need from their defense is above-average play to reach the Super Bowl. Cunningham wants his unit to excel. Why not shoot for the top when you finally have the people to get you there?
Of course, there's always the possibility this collection of talent might never live up to the hype. Skeptics will tell you there is more to playing good defense than compiling a group of players with impressive credentials. It's a fair argument, but it won't apply in this case. "We're trying to change the culture here," Cunningham says. "They got into a passive defense that believed that offense would win it all and the defense got soft. We want to be a hard-hitting defense. What I want is for people to know this defense is tough. If we can come out of this camp with that attitude, I believe we'll be all right."
Cunningham goes back to Chiefs' defensive roots
Posted: Tuesday August 9, 2005 1:44PM; Updated: Tuesday August 9, 2005 1:44PM
The Chiefs' defense finished 31st overall under coordinator Gunther Cunningham last season.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
There's a fierce intensity in the Kansas City Chiefs training camp that hasn't been seen in years. Defenders fly to the ball faster than ever. They smack ball carriers with more force than usual. They jump in the face of offensive players, just to let their teammates know they aren't playing second fiddle any longer. They do whatever it takes to catch the eye of defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham because they know jobs are on the line and he wants only the hungriest of competitors.
There can't be a happier man in Chiefs camp than Cunningham. When he stands at one edge of the practice field, his eyes hidden by yellow-tinted glasses and his Chiefs baseball cap pulled low on his forehead, he views a unit that finally has enough talent to play his style of defense. They have speed, quickness and instincts. Now all they need is that final touch that Cunningham knows how to provide -- the surly attitude that was the trademark of the Chiefs defenses he designed during the mid- to late 1990s.
Yes, it's early, but the Chiefs are looking like they could have a defense worth boasting about again. They have several key new faces -- most notably cornerback Patrick Surtain, strong safety Sammy Knight and linebackers Kendrell Bell and Derrick Johnson, the team's first-round pick in this year's draft -- but they also have an inspired Cunningham. Last season, in his first year back with the Chiefs, Kansas City fielded the second-worst defense in the league. This year, Cunningham says, "I feel real really good. I can call any scheme in practice and have confidence that they'll execute it. If you have a gun with six bullets, you shoot all of them. Last year, I had a gun with no bullets so now I feel totally different. It's exciting."
There's no question that a Cunningham defense armed with proven playmakers is a dangerous group for any offense to face. He possesses one of the game's sharpest defensive minds and his units were the heart of Kansas City's success for half a decade (Cunningham served as the Chiefs defensive coordinator from 1995-98 and as its head coach from 1999-2000). Those defenses excelled at everything Cunningham loves. They pounded quarterbacks. They took the ball away. They consistently beat teams down. During those five years Cunningham was involved with the team, the Chiefs averaged 33.5 turnovers a game.
But when thingy Vermeil took over the Chiefs in 2001, the emphasis went to offense. The Chiefs built an explosive team that could hang in any shoot-out imaginable. But let's be real -- this is a town that loves its defense first and now the Chiefs have a chance to return to their roots. Surtain is an exceptional cover corner. Knight has generated more turnovers (35 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries) than any defender in the league during his eight-year career. Bell and Johnson bring much-needed speed to the linebacking corps and defensive end Carlos Hall should be a valuable situational pass rusher.
Cunningham is doing his part to motivate, too. It isn't enough that this influx of new talent has generated plenty of competition for jobs. Cunningham says he's "turned back the clock" on his coaching techniques and become a more aggressive, in-your-face teacher this season. The reason: He wants his defenders to be just as feisty on game days. "I've never seen Gunther this intense," says defensive end Eric Hicks, one of the few Chiefs who played under Cunningham during his previous tenure in Kansas City. "He'd yell and curse before to show he had a fiery personality but now he's directing that anger at individuals. He's been calling guys out during team meetings, which is something he never used to do. It's really making people nervous."
You can't blame Cunningham for ratcheting up the intensity. He's waited a full year for some legitimate personnel and he wants to make the most of it. He also doesn't subscribe to the popular theory that all the Chiefs need from their defense is above-average play to reach the Super Bowl. Cunningham wants his unit to excel. Why not shoot for the top when you finally have the people to get you there?
Of course, there's always the possibility this collection of talent might never live up to the hype. Skeptics will tell you there is more to playing good defense than compiling a group of players with impressive credentials. It's a fair argument, but it won't apply in this case. "We're trying to change the culture here," Cunningham says. "They got into a passive defense that believed that offense would win it all and the defense got soft. We want to be a hard-hitting defense. What I want is for people to know this defense is tough. If we can come out of this camp with that attitude, I believe we'll be all right."
