Post by lazarus on Jun 9, 2003 8:12:40 GMT -5
Rookies under deadline to learn
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Rookie linebacker Kawika Mitchell arrived in Kansas City last month far from his comfort zone.
That would be in Florida, where he was born, attended high school and college and left his wife and newborn son.
The second-round draft pick wandered forlornly around Kansas City and the Chiefs' Truman Sports Complex practice facility.
Mitchell had plenty of company: The other rookies. This time of year, it's no problem telling the rookies from the guys who have done this before.
"You take living in a new city with all this new football stuff you have to learn and the first few days were kind of tough," said cornerback Julian Battle, a third-round pick from Tennessee. "There's all these different defenses we have. The offense is doing all this shifting and motions. I felt like I was swimming. As time progresses, you get used to it."
That's why this period of practice time is most important to the rookies. The Chiefs will hold three practice sessions next week, and they are scheduled to be the last until they reconvene in the middle of July for training camp at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
The rookies had better know their stuff by then. If they don't, they'll be left behind in the rapid pace of two-a-day practices.
"In some cases, the pressure helps people because they have to figure things out," said linebacker Scott Fujita, the Chiefs' rookie of the year last season. "Other people, it gets the best of them.
"It's an on-going process. I didn't say to myself that if I don't figure this out by such and such a date that I'm going to get released. I just thought about getting better tomorrow and getting better the next day and the next day after that. That's what you have to do.
"Some of the guys who came in with me last year were worried about that all the time. They were worried because they weren't getting many (practice snaps) or because they messed up in practice. You can't think about that stuff."
The Chiefs try to speed the process with meetings and extra tutoring sessions. But there's a lot of material to cover regarding the offensive or defensive systems, particularly for players at certain positions.
Two offensive linemen, fourth-round tackle Brett Williams of Florida State and fifth-round guard Jordan Black of Notre Dame, have dozens of complex blocking schemes they need to sort through. Unless they make quantum leaps in their progress, neither will get up to speed quickly enough to help the Chiefs when the season starts.
"Last year at this time, I had no idea even how to get from the stadium to the practice facility," Fujita said. "I'm looking around: `Do I walk down there?' For me, the comfort level is there this year but you can kind of see that in those guys. They're still walking around wide-eyed and don't know exactly what to expect.
"It's like being a freshman all over again but you don't have time to mess around. You have to learn it a lot quicker. You don't have the benefit of a redshirt year. In college, you're on scholarship and they can't release you."
For Battle, things aren't as difficult. He has a variety of coverage schemes to learn but the material for a cornerback isn't as varied or complex.
"Playing corner is a little bit different than playing safety," he said. "It's easier as far as what you need to learn about the defense. So I'm not with the coaches as much as I was at first. A lot of it is just common sense. I'm watching a lot of film, as much as I can."
Battle has already showed spectacular athletic skills and the Chiefs will count on him to help immediately.
"He'll make a contribution this year, a real solid contribution," coach thingy Vermeil said. "I can see him ascending fast enough to go in and play in the (four-cornerback) defense."
Mitchell and first-round draft pick Larry Johnson have formidable obstacles for their playing time. For Johnson, a halfback, it's Priest Holmes. If Holmes isn't healthy returning from his hip injury, the Chiefs will probably use a lot of one-back formations featuring Tony Richardson.
Mitchell is currently behind Mike Maslowski and Monty Beisel at middle linebacker. He has plenty of things to learn, like the terminology the Chiefs use for their various defensive strategies, the recognition of offensive formations and a variety of pass coverages.
"There's such a learning curve for these guys," linebackers coach Joe Vitt said. "But the way we do things -- we have walk-throughs, we have practices, we have meetings -- unless you just don't care and you're not paying attention, you're going to learn.
"It's a challenge for anybody. But if you're a kid that takes to coaching and wants to learn and wants to get better, it's not a problem. That's what Kawika is. He wants to get better."
Mitchell isn't as lost as when he first arrived in Kansas City, on or off the field. His wife Billie and son Lewai, who was born the week Mitchell was drafted by the Chiefs, have since joined him in Kansas City, giving him some peace of mind.
"I got here, and in all of the meetings they're talking in all of their terminology," he said. "If you can't talk that terminology, you can't understand a word they're saying. Now I understand what they're talking about.
"I'll put the time in to learn it all. They're only going to give me what they feel I can handle. So I'm not worried about it. I'll work as hard as I can. I know I'll have to work for it."
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Rookie linebacker Kawika Mitchell arrived in Kansas City last month far from his comfort zone.
That would be in Florida, where he was born, attended high school and college and left his wife and newborn son.
The second-round draft pick wandered forlornly around Kansas City and the Chiefs' Truman Sports Complex practice facility.
Mitchell had plenty of company: The other rookies. This time of year, it's no problem telling the rookies from the guys who have done this before.
"You take living in a new city with all this new football stuff you have to learn and the first few days were kind of tough," said cornerback Julian Battle, a third-round pick from Tennessee. "There's all these different defenses we have. The offense is doing all this shifting and motions. I felt like I was swimming. As time progresses, you get used to it."
That's why this period of practice time is most important to the rookies. The Chiefs will hold three practice sessions next week, and they are scheduled to be the last until they reconvene in the middle of July for training camp at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
The rookies had better know their stuff by then. If they don't, they'll be left behind in the rapid pace of two-a-day practices.
"In some cases, the pressure helps people because they have to figure things out," said linebacker Scott Fujita, the Chiefs' rookie of the year last season. "Other people, it gets the best of them.
"It's an on-going process. I didn't say to myself that if I don't figure this out by such and such a date that I'm going to get released. I just thought about getting better tomorrow and getting better the next day and the next day after that. That's what you have to do.
"Some of the guys who came in with me last year were worried about that all the time. They were worried because they weren't getting many (practice snaps) or because they messed up in practice. You can't think about that stuff."
The Chiefs try to speed the process with meetings and extra tutoring sessions. But there's a lot of material to cover regarding the offensive or defensive systems, particularly for players at certain positions.
Two offensive linemen, fourth-round tackle Brett Williams of Florida State and fifth-round guard Jordan Black of Notre Dame, have dozens of complex blocking schemes they need to sort through. Unless they make quantum leaps in their progress, neither will get up to speed quickly enough to help the Chiefs when the season starts.
"Last year at this time, I had no idea even how to get from the stadium to the practice facility," Fujita said. "I'm looking around: `Do I walk down there?' For me, the comfort level is there this year but you can kind of see that in those guys. They're still walking around wide-eyed and don't know exactly what to expect.
"It's like being a freshman all over again but you don't have time to mess around. You have to learn it a lot quicker. You don't have the benefit of a redshirt year. In college, you're on scholarship and they can't release you."
For Battle, things aren't as difficult. He has a variety of coverage schemes to learn but the material for a cornerback isn't as varied or complex.
"Playing corner is a little bit different than playing safety," he said. "It's easier as far as what you need to learn about the defense. So I'm not with the coaches as much as I was at first. A lot of it is just common sense. I'm watching a lot of film, as much as I can."
Battle has already showed spectacular athletic skills and the Chiefs will count on him to help immediately.
"He'll make a contribution this year, a real solid contribution," coach thingy Vermeil said. "I can see him ascending fast enough to go in and play in the (four-cornerback) defense."
Mitchell and first-round draft pick Larry Johnson have formidable obstacles for their playing time. For Johnson, a halfback, it's Priest Holmes. If Holmes isn't healthy returning from his hip injury, the Chiefs will probably use a lot of one-back formations featuring Tony Richardson.
Mitchell is currently behind Mike Maslowski and Monty Beisel at middle linebacker. He has plenty of things to learn, like the terminology the Chiefs use for their various defensive strategies, the recognition of offensive formations and a variety of pass coverages.
"There's such a learning curve for these guys," linebackers coach Joe Vitt said. "But the way we do things -- we have walk-throughs, we have practices, we have meetings -- unless you just don't care and you're not paying attention, you're going to learn.
"It's a challenge for anybody. But if you're a kid that takes to coaching and wants to learn and wants to get better, it's not a problem. That's what Kawika is. He wants to get better."
Mitchell isn't as lost as when he first arrived in Kansas City, on or off the field. His wife Billie and son Lewai, who was born the week Mitchell was drafted by the Chiefs, have since joined him in Kansas City, giving him some peace of mind.
"I got here, and in all of the meetings they're talking in all of their terminology," he said. "If you can't talk that terminology, you can't understand a word they're saying. Now I understand what they're talking about.
"I'll put the time in to learn it all. They're only going to give me what they feel I can handle. So I'm not worried about it. I'll work as hard as I can. I know I'll have to work for it."