Evolving Linebackers

Aug 11, 2008, 6:07:16 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

RIVER FALLS, WI – Before he left his home to catch the Chiefs charter flight here to the northwoods for training camp, Gunther Cunningham told his wife that he had some athletic, fast and quick linebackers going to camp, he just didn’t know if they were tough enough.

As he backed out of the driveway, Cunningham stopped went back in the house and told his wife he wouldn’t be home until he had some tough linebackers.

Well Rene Cunningham, get ready because your husband will be home later this week when the Chiefs break camp and return to Kansas City.

There’s no question that in this Chiefs training camp, linebacker has been the position of most change. The three starters who opened camp are now down to one. Various bodies have moved in and out of the lineup. The only constant has been Derrick Johnson. Everything else has been up in the air.

If forced today to pick a normal contingent of six or seven linebackers for the final 53-man roster, Herm Edwards would say Derrick Johnson and … and … and …

But after two-plus weeks of work, Cunningham smiles when he talks about his backers. At the start of camp, he wasn’t able to do that. Just ask his wife.

“We’ll have three guys out there,” Cunningham said after the Chiefs practice on Sunday at UW-River Falls. “They will be three guys that are quick, fast, athletic and tough. We know that much.”

They will also play defense the way Cunningham wants it played. Since he returned to Kansas City in 2004, the Chiefs defense has had a problem with trust, especially at the linebacker position. “It’s the most important ingredient in any defense, trusting what the guys next to you are going to do.” Cunningham said. “When you don’t trust, you can’t succeed.”

Right now, Johnson, Pat Thomas and Demorrio Williams are playing linebacker the way Cunningham wants. They were able to take that from the practice field to the playing field last Thursday against the Bears.

“We’ve found three guys,” Cunningham said. “We are looking for more. I think we have a fourth, but we are still looking for more.”

That fourth would be veteran Donnie Edwards, who has missed over a week now trying to come back from a hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries limited Edwards last year, although he started all 16 games. Several of those starts came when he had barely practiced during the week of preparation.

Something like that will not happen in ‘08. Edwards has a streak of 153 consecutive starts, but that will end the week he can’t practice.

“You’ve got to practice to play this defense,” said Cunningham. “Last year, it hurt us when Donnie didn’t practice and then tried to play. It was the same thing the week D.J. (Johnson) missed because his Dad passed away. That’s a very emotional and personal thing, but without the preparation, he wasn’t ready to play.”

Nobody respects Donnie Edwards more than Cunningham. “You watch him work right now, trying to get back and there’s no questioning his commitment,” the defensive coordinator said. “We just have to find a way to keep him on the field.”

The player who has stepped forward and surprised Chiefs fans is Thomas. Signed during the season last year after he was released by Jacksonville, Thomas played n just four games and was largely active only in the kicking game.

But he started showing himself in the off-season program. When Cunningham grew unhappy with Harris and his play in the middle, he made the switch to Thomas and it’s stuck.

“He played a good game in Chicago, really showed his abilities,” Cunningham said. “He’s intelligent, he’s athletic and he’s tough. There have been times in practice where I’ve called out ‘Nice play D.J.’ only to look closer and see it was Pat Thomas who made the play.”

Recently, the linebacker who has made the biggest jump is Williams. Signed in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta, he had trouble making the transition to Cunningham’s defense. But some of those mental clouds have lifted and he’s begun making plays.

“We are giving him a chance to do some things he never had the chance to do down in Atlanta,” Cunningham said. “This is a very athletic guy.”

During Sunday’s practice, Cunningham had Williams rushing the passer off the edge of a 3-3-5 defensive look. His combination of speed with his ability to get low to the ground made him almost unstoppable for the Chiefs pass protection.

Johnson, Thomas, Williams and Edwards will make the team. That leaves room for two, maybe three more linebackers. The leader among the other LBs is rookie Wes Dacus out of Arkansas. “He’s done some good things,” said Cunningham. Another rookie LeRue Rumph started strong but he’s tailed off in the last week or so. “I think he’s just tired of me yelling at him,” said Cunningham. “If he can bounce back, he’ll be a factor.”

There’s a lot of work left to be done, but Gunther Cunningham likes what’s happened with his linebackers so far.

“We had questions about their toughness and some of those have been answered,” he said. “Now, they’ve got to keep it up.”

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A former beat reporter who covered the Pittsburgh Steelers during their glory years, Gretz covered the Chiefs for the Kansas City Star for nine years. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors. He has been the senior columnist for the Chiefs web site since its inception.