By Nick Athan
Warpaint Illustrated Publisher
Posted Aug 3, 2008
With the youth movement on warp drive in Kansas City, there are so many interesting facets to this team because so many young players are beginning to hit their stride. Some are climbing the depth chart, especially in the secondary.
Since the early stages of OTAs I’ve been raving about the Chiefs young cornerbacks. Once in River Falls, you weren’t sure who was going to make the adjustments in shoulder pads, but if this defense is going to improve upon its rankings this year, it’ll be led by a couple of rookies.
We’ve touched on this topic often since the NFL Draft, but the job the ‘Brandon’ Boys are doing in the secondary still can’t be ignored. Before Saturday’s Family Fun Night practice, I ran into the Voice of the Kingdom, Mitch Holthus, and we started talking about the young corners.
We both agreed that Flowers is a player, and not only will he start in 2008 but he’ll make an impact. To me, Flowers just has the one thing you want from a starting shutdown corner - he loves contact.
Whether you play bump and run or zone, sooner or later you have to hit someone. Flowers loves to make contact and he loves to attack the ball. There isn’t any doubt he has the skill level to be one of the best corners in the AFC West Division. How long it takes to climb that mountain remains to be seen.
But so far, he’s backed down from nobody despite the fact he’s giving four or five inches in height to some of the receivers he’s facing in practice.
On the other side, Brandon Carr is head and shoulders above any of the nickel backs who have been on this football team in the last three or four years. In fact, he’s already making a push to become a starter. If not for the veteran savvy of Patrick Surtain, who is having a great camp, Carr would be lining up opposite Flowers in the season opener at New England.
Holthus told me that since day one of camp, Carr has wanted to match up with second-year receiver Dwayne Bowe every chance he gets. That tells me he wants to go up against the best of the best of the NFL.
In the deep secondary, third-round draft pick DaJuan Morgan has been pushing safety Bernard Pollard. Initially, the rookie had his number, but Pollard has turned it on the last several days and has drawn the praise of his defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham.
Pollard has everything to be a great safety in this league. His problem has always been the angle he takes to the ball. If that can be corrected and the corners are indeed more physical when the real games begin, Pollard and fellow safety Jarrad Page form a nucleus for one of the NFL’s best young secondaries.
Nick’s Notes:
DT Glenn Dorsey - He sprained his knee on Saturday night and he’ll likely be out for a spell. The Chiefs didn’t seem too concerned about it but they’ll be cautious with their $51 million man. Dorsey was starting to come around and was having a great practice Saturday night, but this latest setback won’t cost him his starting job. Even if he sits out the next week or two, he’ll be in the starting lineup when he returns.
LT Branden Albert - The young tackle was wearing a supportive brace today and the Chiefs are optimistic he can return soon. But don’t look for him to play against the Chicago Bears this Thursday night. In fact, it’s possible he won’t play until the KC’s third preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
C Rudy Niswanger - Thus far I can’t see any flaws in his game. The defense, when they get to the quarterback, are only able to do so around the edges. Up the middle Niswanger is getting the job done. He has really adjusted well to his new starting responsibility and he’s probably one of the hardest working guys on the team. The fact he’s come this far from a knee injury that might have ended some player’s career, is a true testament to his character and drive.
QB Damon Huard - The veteran quarterback had what I thought was his best practice in River Falls. He was moving well, throwing well and made some throws that reminded me of his run in 2006. With Tyler Thigpen still learning this offense, it appears Huard has the lockdown on the number two slot. I was encouraged by his practice Saturday night.
LT Herb Taylor - He continued to play left tackle for the injured Albert despite the fact he’s battling his own issue - a sore hand. But he looked good again going up against KC’s pass rushers. I’m not willing to say he’s as good as Albert, but the Chiefs must develop a group of backups. Taylor would be a good start.
