Brandon Flowers is right in both his observation and sentiment. And the Chiefs hopes for 2010 ride on exactly that.
As Flowers recently said following the loss to the Bucs in their second preseason game, "They put it on (the secondary) to be the playmakers, the leaders of the defense. We’ll take that job with open arms. We’ve got nothing but playmakers back there in the secondary. I see why they put that title on us."
That secondary he's referring to includes the Chiefs recent first-round choice, No. 5 overall, Eric Berry at safety. Flowers himself has been a consummate performer at the cornerback position and in this third year, the former second rounder from Virginia Tech should truly breakout himself onto the national scene.
Both Berry and Flowers give the Chiefs athletic playmakers at both defensive back positions. Included alongside these young talents are the impressive cornerback Brandon Carr, who has started every game since being selected in the fifth round in 2008 and new draft picks Javier Arenas and Kendrick Lewis. The Chiefs have to hope that veteran Jon McGraw can step up in a major way this season, while also hoping Maurice Leggett's injury isn't as serious as seems either, since he provides valuable depth at both corner and safety.
Yet even if those hopes fail to come to fruition, the Chiefs are still stacked with young, explosive talent in the secondary. Most teams would kill for this level of talent on paper. For the Chiefs, the defensive deficiencies up front from last season might continue this season, placing even more pressure on the defensive backs. As Flowers notes, the Chiefs have placed his unit in the spotlight with their 2010 draft emphasis and are banking on them to perform. With the NFL being a pass-happy league, perhaps that's a proper strategy.
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