CHIEFCANNON
08-25-2007, 09:32 AM
Posted on Fri, Aug. 24, 2007 10:43 PM
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Chiefs’ Waters hot over poor play
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
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Waters
Horrid as Thursday’ 30-7 loss to the Saints may have been, at least one member of the Chiefs said he’s glad it happened.
“The way we got our asses kicked was a plus going into the season,” guard Brian Waters said.
In a fiery postgame interview session, Waters said the heat for the Chiefs’ offensive woes this preseason should be placed not on coach Herm Edwards, but on the players. In three games, Kansas City’s starters have produced just one offensive touchdown.
“I know coach is going to take a lot of blame for this,” Waters said. “His job is to coach us. His job is not to play. Ultimately, as football players, we have to take responsibility for what we do on the field. What we do between now and opening week is on us.”
Now in his eighth NFL season, Waters is one of the most-respected players in the Chiefs’ locker room. He always commands attention when he speaks — and on those rare occasions when Waters becomes angry, people listen even harder.
That was the case Thursday, when Waters spoke loudly about the Chiefs’ offensive struggles for more than 7 minutes.
“A lot of the stuff we mess up on is mental,” Waters said. “That means that guys aren’t taking care of their business when they’re away from this stadium and this locker room. That’s something we’re going to fix.
“There’s no excuse for this. We’re far enough along in camp where we shouldn’t make the errors that we’re making right now.”
Playing almost exclusively with first- and second-teamers, Kansas City gained just 79 yards and produced only five first downs through three quarters Thursday. Quarterback Brodie Croyle threw yet another interception and never got into a rhythm. Dropped passes from Kolby Smith, Michael Bennett and Samie Parker didn’t help, either.
One of the biggest problems, though, was the play of the Chiefs’ offensive line. Edwards said the unit — which is without starting left tackle Damion McIntosh (knee) — has been inconsistent all preseason.
And it’s not as if Kansas City’s line is comprised of rookies. Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Chris Terry, Kyle Turley and John Welbourn are all NFL veterans.
“This offensive line has as much talent as any line in the league,” Waters said. “What you see is an experienced, athletic group. Are we playing as well as we’d like? No. But that’s something we’ve got two weeks to work on.”
Waters said he’s looking forward to silencing the detractors who have been loud in their criticism of Kansas City’s offensive line.
“It’s really starting to (tick) me off,” Waters said. “I know how good we are. Now we have to go out there and prove it. It’s not a reaction toward the people that are saying it. It’s a reaction toward us, because we’re the ones that can (correct) it.”
Kansas City has one more chance to improve when it plays at St. Louis on Thursday in the final preseason game for both teams. After that the focus will shift to the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Houston.
“Sometimes, in the preseason, you kind of fool yourself when you have great games,” Waters said. “You think, ‘Oh man, we’re the kings of the world.’ But when you have games like this you realize you’re not as far along as you need to be. It’s a good experience for us to learn going into the season.
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Chiefs’ Waters hot over poor play
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
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Waters
Horrid as Thursday’ 30-7 loss to the Saints may have been, at least one member of the Chiefs said he’s glad it happened.
“The way we got our asses kicked was a plus going into the season,” guard Brian Waters said.
In a fiery postgame interview session, Waters said the heat for the Chiefs’ offensive woes this preseason should be placed not on coach Herm Edwards, but on the players. In three games, Kansas City’s starters have produced just one offensive touchdown.
“I know coach is going to take a lot of blame for this,” Waters said. “His job is to coach us. His job is not to play. Ultimately, as football players, we have to take responsibility for what we do on the field. What we do between now and opening week is on us.”
Now in his eighth NFL season, Waters is one of the most-respected players in the Chiefs’ locker room. He always commands attention when he speaks — and on those rare occasions when Waters becomes angry, people listen even harder.
That was the case Thursday, when Waters spoke loudly about the Chiefs’ offensive struggles for more than 7 minutes.
“A lot of the stuff we mess up on is mental,” Waters said. “That means that guys aren’t taking care of their business when they’re away from this stadium and this locker room. That’s something we’re going to fix.
“There’s no excuse for this. We’re far enough along in camp where we shouldn’t make the errors that we’re making right now.”
Playing almost exclusively with first- and second-teamers, Kansas City gained just 79 yards and produced only five first downs through three quarters Thursday. Quarterback Brodie Croyle threw yet another interception and never got into a rhythm. Dropped passes from Kolby Smith, Michael Bennett and Samie Parker didn’t help, either.
One of the biggest problems, though, was the play of the Chiefs’ offensive line. Edwards said the unit — which is without starting left tackle Damion McIntosh (knee) — has been inconsistent all preseason.
And it’s not as if Kansas City’s line is comprised of rookies. Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Chris Terry, Kyle Turley and John Welbourn are all NFL veterans.
“This offensive line has as much talent as any line in the league,” Waters said. “What you see is an experienced, athletic group. Are we playing as well as we’d like? No. But that’s something we’ve got two weeks to work on.”
Waters said he’s looking forward to silencing the detractors who have been loud in their criticism of Kansas City’s offensive line.
“It’s really starting to (tick) me off,” Waters said. “I know how good we are. Now we have to go out there and prove it. It’s not a reaction toward the people that are saying it. It’s a reaction toward us, because we’re the ones that can (correct) it.”
Kansas City has one more chance to improve when it plays at St. Louis on Thursday in the final preseason game for both teams. After that the focus will shift to the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Houston.
“Sometimes, in the preseason, you kind of fool yourself when you have great games,” Waters said. “You think, ‘Oh man, we’re the kings of the world.’ But when you have games like this you realize you’re not as far along as you need to be. It’s a good experience for us to learn going into the season.