Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark had what might’ve been his best game of the season last Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers — Clark had seven pressures, two quarterback hits, four hurries and four run-stops in the game.
It’s the kind of performance the Chiefs have been expecting from Clark since they acquired him in the offseason, and the defensive end made it pretty clear what led to his breakout performance.
“I was hurt in the beginning of the season,” Clark said on Wednesday after practice. “There was a lot going on that was slowing me down, and that [wasn’t] enabling me to be myself.”
Now that he seems to be getting healthier, we may see even better play from Clark this season. Even Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo saw a difference in Clark heading into the Chargers game.
“I thought he had really good focus during the week,” Spagnuolo said of Clark. “It was nice to see that when that happens, that it results in good play. He helped us a lot. I mean, people will look at the sacks and whatnot, but there was a third-and-3 where he came through and tackled and I thought that was as important of a play as any.”
Clark acknowledged his better preparation leading up to that game, and you could probably guess what he said led to his improved focus.
“My health, my health got better (and) my health is getting better.” Clark said. “It’s a whole different type of football that I play when my health is where it needs to be. When your neck is affecting you, it’s nerves, man. It’s only so much I can do when it’ nerves affecting me. When you eliminate stuff like that, then it comes down to just ability.
“My neck...that stuff is in the past now, so (NFL teams) getting some football from Frank Clark right now.”