FEATURE STORIES

July 26, 2006

Chiefs' Defense: Secondary Change

By John Hepokoski
UW-RF Public Affairs

With every new NFL season comes new looks and philosophies. Every change made comes with the idea of improvement.

Improvement is a word that the Kansas City Chiefs defense must add into their vocabulary. The 25th ranked defense in the NFL last season must come together in the 2006 campaign if they have any hope of reaching the playoffs.

In the trenches, the Chiefs look to have one of the more impressive units on paper.

The defensive line is anchored by Eric Hicks, a nine-year veteran of the NFL and an always-steady threat from the left defensive end position. Hicks finished the 2005 season with 44 tackles and four sacks and must greatly improve on those numbers for the defense to succeed.

Ryan Sims and Lionel Dalton stack up the middle and will play a vital role in run stuffing. Sims, a top 10 draft pick in 2002, has yet to show flashes of what NFL scouts saw him do as a senior at North Carolina. This may be his last year in the holding tank before Chief executives decide to give up on him. The Chiefs must hope this added pressure will force Sims to break out of his shell and be a force. Dalton plays at the other tackle position and uses his 315-pound frame to plug holes and force runs to the sidelines. He has been a steady contributor for the Chiefs who like his size more than his athleticism.

Opposite of Hicks is right end Jared Allen. Allen has been pushed in recent seasons by the coaching staff to be a standout defensive player and 2005 saw glimpses of that. Allen polished off a great season by recording 11 sacks and 55 tackles. If Allen or Hicks slip up, Carlos Hall will be waiting in the wings to gain back a starting job that he once held with the Tennessee Titans.

John Browning will be the back-up defensive tackle with hopes of staying healthy throughout training camp. Jimmy Wilkerson and Ron Edwards look to be veteran back-ups who can step in and perform where needed. New to the line this season comes

Defensive end Tamba Hali, a first round pick out of Penn State, will provide speed that the Chiefs have lacked on the outside. That will allow Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham to get creative with pass rush schemes.

A young linebacker crew situates themselves behind the defensive line, led by second year outside linebacker Derrick Johnson. After holding out through most of last year’s training camp, the defensive stud from Texas looks to make a huge impact early. Johnson recorded 95 tackles and two sacks in his rookie campaign that was a good sign for what is coming.

Seasoned veteran Kendrell Bell plays on the right side and brings leadership and Pro Bowl experience to a young group. Bell was acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and put up descent numbers in his first stint with the Chiefs. Bell made 41 stops and 1.5 sacks while missing three games due to injury.

Kawika Mitchell started last season in the middle and put up admirable, but not great, numbers. Look for the Chiefs to plug different players in throughout camp to come up with the best athlete to aid Bell and Johnson. Keyaron Fox will back-up both outside positions and may get substantial playing time with the first unit. Kris Griffin and Rich Scanlon look to find back-up rolls to fill out the depth chart.

The secondary looked to be the most questionable unit coming into camp. The Chiefs believe they took care of their weakness with the combination of Patrick Surtain and Ty Law. Surtain has been a Pro Bowl cover corner throughout his career and will always lineup against opponent's best receiver. Surtain is joined by fellow Pro Bowler Ty Law who signed just days before training camp opened. Law, a long time New England Patriot and New York Jet, has been considered to be a top five corner in the league. The 5'11" defensive back joins the Chiefs after playing under Chief Head Coach Herm Edwards last season in New York. Law brings much needed leadership and Super Bowl experience.

The Chiefs brought in 6-4 Lenny Walls from Denver to hopefully aid in the nickel and dime roles. Throughout Walls' career, there has been hope that he would turn into the ideal corner due to his immense size and athleticism but that has yet to pan out. Tutoring from Law and Surtain might be what Walls needs. If the Walls experiment falls through, there is not much left behind him. The Chiefs released long time corner Eric Warfield after last season and might be forced to rely on the undersized Benny Sapp. Sapp is in his third year with the Chiefs and ideally would fill the nickel back or dime position.

At safety the fort is held down by veterans Sammy Knight and Greg Wesley. Neither looks to lose their starting jobs as competition is weak. The Chiefs hope that rookie Bernard Pollard from Purdue can come in and make a push for the job but most likely his job will end up being on special teams.