Chiefs fail against Giants

By Clayton Wendler  |   Wednesday, August 23, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Kansas City Chiefs
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
The Kansas City Chiefs failed their first 'practice test' of the preseason, falling 17-0 to New York and accomplishing little along the way.

In order to improve, they'll need a tutor. And who better to tutor them than their own head coach? Herm Edwards knows exactly what the team needs.

"We've got to play with some emotion," said Edwards, "and obviously when you play at home you're going to have more emotion than when you're on the road. We know we're going to play with emotion at home. But there's nothing you can do about it now, it's over with. We just have to play like we practice. We've had some good practice and we've got to play that way this weekend."

Ironically, the only player to earn a passing grade against the Giants was punter Dustin Colquitt, playing a position that requires little emotion. He boomed his punts for the second consecutive week. His teammates brought down the overall grade.

The Chiefs failed to block New York's defensive line consistently, no matter which offensive linemen were on the field. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora dominated left tackle Kyle Turley when the Chiefs' first-team offense took the field. His counterpart, Michael Strahan, took third-year right tackle Kevin Sampson to school.

When backup quarterback Casey Printers was on the field, guards Jordan Black and Chris Bober failed to provide him with adequate protection. As a result, Printers improved little from his first appearance, completing just five passes for 33 yards.

Kansas City's defense was equally ineffective. The Giants ran and passed at will against the starters. The only thing that stopped New York's offense were penalties.

But there's still time for the Chiefs to earn a passing grade. The St. Louis Rams come to Arrowhead Stadium this weekend for the annual Governor's Cup matchup.

Kansas City's starters will see more action. Trent Green and Larry Johnson have been on the field for only four possessions in two games.

The first-team unit will also receive some reinforcements in the form of Pro Bowl left guard Brian Waters, who has missed most of the preseason with a sprained foot. Unfortunately, right guard Will Shields will miss the game after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Giants.

Sampson remains the weak link on the starting offensive line. Rams defensive end Leonard Little could play this week, and would provide a good test with his speed and quickness as a pass rusher.

But the main concern for Kansas City will be the defense yet again. The starters have allowed 266 yards through two preseason games. Those numbers are almost identical to the yardage that the first-team defense gave up through two preseason games last year.

Fortunately, help is on the way in the form of rookie defensive end Tamba Hali. After missing time with sore ribs, the 20th overall pick from April's draft will see his first NFL action this weekend, replacing veteran Eric Hicks at left DE.

The Rams' starters haven't scored a touchdown yet this preseason, so they'll be eager to get in the end zone during their last extended action before the regular season. Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt will provide a test similar to the one the Giants posed last week.

Rookie quarterback Brodie Croyle will also play in his first pro game. He's been held out of practice with a sore shoulder for several days now.

C.E. Wendler can be reached at cwendler@realfootball365.com

Get more Kansas City Chiefs coverage at Realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report