WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2005
4B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NFL
Chiefs strive for 3-0 start
BY DOUG TUCKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. The unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs are holding back the swagger and putting off the party.
res, they're one of four teams in the AFC who are 2-0. They have impressive wins over the New York Jets and Oakland and reason to believe all their work toward rebuilding a crumbling defense is paying off.
"Normally, when you win a football game and you really feel good about it flying home, you look at tapes and it's not quite as good as you thought it was," Vermeil said yesterday.
But a review of the film of Sunday night's 23-17 victory at the Raiders brought to mind a lesson coach Dick Vermell learned long ago.
"Conversely, when you lose a football game and you fly home and look at it, it's not as bad as you thought it was. We know we aren't there yet. But we all feel we have the talent here to continue to get better."
Sobering, too, is the location of their next game, in Denver on Monday night. That's a place the Chiefs have traditionally had more than their share of trouble at. For his career, Vermeil is 0-4 in the Rockies.
Improved speed at linebacker, with rookie Derrick Johnson and veteran Kendrall Bell, should help contain those backbreaking bootleg plays the Broncos have hurt the Chiefs with year after year. But the Denver running game has always given Kansas City a headache.
"The big problem with them is their offensive line and their zone scheme." Vermeil said.
"They do an awfully good job with it. Everybody has a few zone scheme running plays. We do. But they build their offense
on that. They get you stretched, reaching out, and then they shove you out and cut right back underneath you. They do a good job of cutting the linebackers off."
For the second week in a row, Kansas City will probably be without Willie Roaf, a dominating Pro Bowl left tackle. Third-year man Jordan Black, who was switched from right tackle to Roaf's spot on the left side, would again step in.
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"One was at least a pretty good call," said Vermeil. "Sometimes, hey, if you're getting beat, you don't want the quarterback hit, you take the penalty. But overall, Jordan Black did a good job for his first start at left tackle. That's a tough position."
Black got mixed reviews and had one horrendous stretch. After Oakland tied it at 17, the Chiefs went on a nine-minute drive that got them to a first and goal at the 9. But then on successive plays Black was called for holding, and the Chiefs ended up kicking a field goal.
"He has the talent to play, just doesn't have the experience. And he's not Willie Roaf. He did have some problems."
Black also had his moments, Vermel said.
If they can hold together while in Denver and get away with a win, the Chiefs would seize control of the AFC West. They would have at least a two-game lead on everyone else.
But that kind of thinking, Vermeil cautioned, is getting far ahead of where he wants his players to be.
"None of us are disillusioned in any way. We know we're not where we have to be, where we want to be," he said. "It's way, way too early. We aren't arrogant in any way. We aren't cocky. We aren't strutting around bragging about how good we are."
Running back's court date postponed
NFL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The assault case against Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been postponed.
David Eulitt/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, center, walks out of municipal court in Kansas City, Mo., yesterday, Sept. 20, 2005, after his appearance in Courtroom E on a charge of domestic assault stemming from an incident at a Plaza nightclub Sept. 10. Johnson's case was continued until Nov. 29.
Johnson appeared in Kansas City Municipal Court yesterday for trial on an assault charge stemming from a Sept. 10 altercation with a woman in a bar. But the judge continued the case to Nov. 29, despite objections by Johnson's lawyer.
A woman said Johnson shoved her while inside the Kansas City bar. The 25-year-old woman, who lives in the suburb of Overland Park, said she had been involved with Johnson for more than two years.
Police cited Johnson for assault by writing him a ticket, which included a court date for Tuesday.
A city prosecutor asked for a continuance, saying a witness was not in court. Johnson's attorney, Kevin Regan, objected and said he had five witnesses ready to testify. Two worked at the bar and three were bystanders, he said.
A continuance "would be a gross injustice to my client, who is ready to defend himself," Regan said.
Kansas City Municipal Court Judge Leonard Guillem III said
he typically allows prosecutors continuances and would not deviate just because Johnson's case is high-profile.
The Kansas City charge could prompt reinstatement of
Johnson County, Kan., charges for a 2003 incident in Johnson's Leawood home, where he was accused of slapping a woman and threatening her with a gun.
Johnson agreed to enter a domestic-violence diversion program to avoid prosecution in that case. As part of the deal, he was ordered to stay clear of legal trouble for two years.
MLB
Congress talks to other players about perjury
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
suspended this year for failing a drug test.
WASHINGTON — Still trying to figure out whether Rafael Palmeiro lied under oath about using steroids, Congress wants to hear what other players might know.
The House Government Reform Committee is interviewing major leaguers connected to the Baltimore Orioles slugger, including a Colorado outfielder
A congressional source familiar with the committee's work, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Monday that "several active players" have spoken or will speak with the committee about Palmeiro. That source would not identify who was interviewed.
But Colorado Rockies outfielder Jorge Piedra said he spoke on the phone with the committee. He said investigators contacted him through his agent about a week ago, found out "all they wanted to know" in a matter of minutes and didn't plan to contact him again.
Piedra, the second player publicly identified under the sport's new steroid rules when he was suspended for 10 days in April,
said the committee "had a few questions and I just answered them honestly."
"I told them I didn't have anything to do with Palmeiro." Piedra said. "We only worked out a few times together."
Palmeiro was the seventh to be identified publicly, and by far the most accomplished, one of only four players in baseball history to collect at least 3,000 hits and 500 homers.
WI