Chiefs' defense coming together as bye arrives

Sunday, October 10, 2004

By Doug Tucker

AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Knowing people were making fun of his players, Gunther Cunningham employed an ancient coaching ploy and made sure his players knew it, too.

It got their attention and fueled their drive, just as Cunningham expected. Playing together for a month and letting everybody get adjusted to a new system and a different attitude was also a big help.

As a result, the Kansas City Chiefs are enjoying their bye week much more than one would expect of a 1-3 team.

''It's coming,'' said Cunningham, the Chiefs' new defensive coordinator. ''I knew it was.''

What drew sneers around the league was the Chiefs' surprising offseason decision to virtually stand pat with an ineffective defense. Instead of working free agency for new players, the Chiefs concentrated on re-signing their own. The only meaningful change in a defense that ranked 32nd overall in 2002 and 29th in 2003 seemed to be in defensive coordinators.

Out was Greg Robinson, who had become unpopular with both players and fans. Back was Cunningham, the former defensive coordinator and head coach who was in charge of Kansas City defenses in the mid- and late 1990s that led the NFL in fewest points allowed.

But could a poor defense get appreciably better just by changing coaches?

The answer the first two games was a resounding no. People were calling them the ''Career-Day Defense'' when first Quentin Griffin and then DeShaun Foster gouged Kansas City for their best games as NFL running backs.

Now, after a three-point loss to Houston and a three-point victory in Baltimore, the answer, at worst, seems to be a resounding maybe.

The Texans struggled all day on offense. And at Baltimore last Monday night, the defense held NFL rushing champion Jamal Lewis to just 73 yards and thwarted two fourth-quarter drives to preserve what everyone viewed as a must win. Two Baltimore touchdowns came on a punt return and a trick play.

''It's a process. It takes time,'' Cunningham said. ''We are just staying with a plan we have and we're going to teach these guys to play football and how to play it the way we believe it should be played.

'''I think the players are buying into what we've been telling them. We've made steady progress, the last two games in particular.''

It's not entirely true the Chiefs have no new defensive players. Tackle Lionel Dalton, an almost overlooked free agent, has been a major help.

No. 1 draft choice Junior Siavii, a 330-pound tackle, is also providing assistance as he hones raw skills.

But improvement seems to be coming mostly from the same cast that failed to force even one punt out of Indianapolis in the playoffs.

''I took it real personally when I heard them saying the Chiefs could not be any good since they kept the same defensive players and only changed their defensive coordinator,'' Cunningham said.

''You've got to take something like that personally. And the guys did, too. They wanted to stand up and be accountable.''

Cunningham found no lack of willing workers.

''We've got a lot to prove,'' said safety Jerome Wods, who played on Cunningham's teams of the '90s. ''Everybody said we can't play defense. Well, it's time for us to just shut up and show everybody that hey, we can play defense.

''Guys are very intense. We want to get this thing turned around. Everybody's got a sour taste in their mouth from what happened last year.''

Another hopeful sign at Baltimore was the revitalization of the offense. With Priest Holmes rushing for 125 yards and quarterback Trent Green playing his best game in almost a year, the Chiefs piled up 398 yards, almost twice as many as Baltimore.

One worrisome sign -- besides a brutal schedule that still includes New England, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Tennessee -- has been sloppy special teams. Opponents have been gaining valuable field position on transitional kicking downs and Pro Bowl return star Dante Hall still has not broken free for a touchdown.

But all in all, the Chiefs seem to be holding true to what coach Dick Vermeil expected when they broke training camp with three preseason games on a Monday, a Saturday and an ensuing Thursday night.

''I did not like the last two weeks of training camp. I didn't like how it was organized. I didn't like the schedule and how we had to do things, how we had to practice,'' Vermeil said.

''It was very disruptive to continual growth as a football team. But that's how it is today.''

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