The Kansas City Chiefs front seven went through so many changes over the past six months. A brand new defense where nearly every player switched positions was designed for one major reason: Pressure the quarterback.
The irony, though, is that the first sack of the 2009 preseason came from a cornerback. On 3rd and 11, Maurice Leggett came in from the left side of the defense untouched and quickly wrapped up Matt Schaub. The quarterback didn't really stand a chance from the start (and he knew it).
Tyson Jackson combined for a half sack but Leggett was the clubhouse leader in the category that everyone points to as the Chiefs biggest deficiency.
Glenn Dorsey is stuck in the is-he-or-isn't-he category when it comes to playing defensive end. Head coach Todd Haley is expected to tweak the defensive line to help exploit Dorsey's strengths and put him in the backfield more often.
It's just funny that we're sitting here, the day after, and it's a defensive back that's atop the leader board in the sack category. The two sacks last night represented 20% of the Chiefs 2009 sack total. So, either they're improving....
.....Or the bar has been set very, very low. After the jump, I've got post game quotes from Dorsey and Leggett.
Glenn Dorsey
It's been a while since the Chiefs have been winning. How difficult is that to handle, especially after today?
"It's tough man. It's always tough to lose. With the coaching staff this year, we've put so much emphasis on winning. It's disappointing when you don't get that result but we get a chance next week to come out and get a win. We're going up to River Falls to work harder."
How do you feel physically?
"I'm getting there. I'm okay. Like I keep saying, you have to take it one day at a time and hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. That's my mind set."
Bernard said this defense already looks farther ahead than last year. Do you see that?
"I'm not sure. I know we did step up and get some stops when we needed to and to give our team an opportunity to win in the second half so you have to take it one day at a time. We'll try to correct the mistakes on film, they'll critique film, and just come out next week and try to perform better."
What did Clancy say?
"Just not to make mistakes and come out and play hard. He wanted to see guys come out and play hard today. We came out and played hard and I felt like we had an opportunity to win in the second half.
"So, we're just going to back to River Falls and go to work."
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Maurice Leggett
On today's game:
"We're just working on getting better each and every day. We'll just look at film and see what we have to work on."
What was the most disappointing aspect of this and what were some of the positives?
"The defeat was the most disappointing. The positives, there are some signs out there that the guys aren't quitting. We just have to get some other guys to hustle and show the young guys that in everything we do we hustle."
How does it feel to go up against another team?
"It feels good. The tough part about training camp is not going against anyone so you tag a game at the end of the week and it's motivating to us. We look forward to playing each and every week.
Will practice be tougher this week coming off a loss?
"You can only tell when practice starts. It's a new system and a new staff. Taking this defeat, we're 0-1. We got that one in the wrong column.
"I feel like it's going to be the same. We're always working hard so it can't get much tougher. If you're working hard you have no reason to make it harder on yourself."
How did you feel out there?
"I felt pretty comfortable. A little rusty in some points. It'll get better as time goes along. And after that, it's just doing my job."