Chief QB Kenney Has a Different Opinion : He Says Kansas City’s Offense Stopped Itself, Without Chargers’ Help

Bill Kenney, Kansas City Chief quarterback, is so candid that he probably has a lot of his words tacked to boards in opponents’ locker rooms.

After the Chargers held the Chiefs to just three points and five first downs in the second half of their 31-20 win Sunday afternoon, Kenney said:

“I don’t think it was their defense that stopped us. Their defense didn’t do anything to confuse me. They didn’t do anything I didn’t expect them to do. I knew what they were doing at all times. I don’t think their defense was able to stop us and I think the films will verify that.”

Oh. But really Bill, the Charger unit must be better than the one you riddled for 31 and 42 points in two victories last season?

“I’ll tell you,” Kenney said. “Today, we were moving the ball right down the field on them.

“They can’t cause us to line up offsides. We had at least four or five pass completions called back because of penalties. We had offsides, motion and holding penalties. We had people open, but we had some crucial drops. We hurt ourselves.”

The Chiefs gained 325 yards, but lost one fumble, had two passes intercepted and were penalized seven times for 62 yards.

“I think our aggressiveness and attitude helped them not to look good and to self-destruct,” said Carlos Bradley, Charger linebacker.

The same Charger defense that allowed 49 and 41 points in consecutive games earlier this season had the crowd of 50,067 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium chanting “defense” at the start of the fourth quarter.

“I’ve heard them yell, ‘Kill the defense,’ but I never heard them yell, ‘Defense, Defense,’ ” said Chuck Weber, Charger linebacker coach.

The yells were followed by an even rarer standing ovation.

After San Diego took a 24-20 lead with about 11 minutes to play, the Charger defense had its finest series.

Defensive end Lee Williams sacked Kenney for a loss of eight yards. Tackle Chuck Ehin deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage. On third down, Henry Marshall was able to gain nine yards on a pass reception.

The Chiefs were punting and the fans were standing and screaming.

The Charger offense, buoyed by the defensive effort, proceeded to mount a nine-play, 53-yard touchdown drive, which made it 31-20, Chargers.

Kenney quickly drove the Chiefs from his 20-yard line to the Charger 12. However, on first down, his pass was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Wayne Davis.

“I expected the receiver (Stephone Paige) to go to the post, but instead, he went to the corner,” Kenney said. “It was my fault for throwing the ball.”

In addition to the mental anguish he suffered Sunday, Kenney was battered physically.

By the end of the game, he was playing with a sore left knee and hurt right ankle and back. He injured his knee when he was hit by a helmet in the second quarter, but except for one play, managed to remain in the game until the Chiefs’ final series.

Despite his frustrations, injuries and a rushing game that produced only 48 yards and played much of the second half without starting running back Herman Heard, Kenney had pretty impressive numbers.

He completed 24 of 36 passes for 304 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

“I don’t know how many people appreciate how tough he is,” Chief Coach John Mackovic said. “He is a courageous player who only comes out when he has to.”

Mackovic also had flattering things to say about the Charger defense.

“They charged, attacked and tackled the ball very well,” Mackovic said. “Our protection began to break down in the second half, but their pass rush was one of their strongest suits in the second half. San Diego deserves a great deal of credit. They have been playing improved football.”

In the two weeks since Dave Adolph replaced Tom Bass as defensive coordinator, the club has allowed 26 points to Seattle and 20 points to the Chiefs, who were averaging 30 points a game.

“The basic defense is the same, but our attitude has changed since the new coach came in,” Bradley said.

They might have a new attitude, but they had the same old look to Kenney.

“I thought we should have scored more than 20 points,” Kenney said. “I’m sick of my mental mistakes and everybody else’s mistakes. I can live with a couple of mistakes, but not 10 mistakes each game.”

The Chiefs had a very rough day in their 19-10 loss to the Raiders a week ago, and this week wasn’t much better.

In the first half of Sunday’s game, wide receiver Carlos Carson dropped a ball that probably would have resulted in a touchdown. With the scored tied at 17-17 in the third quarter, three consecutive penalties were called against the Chiefs. Two holding calls wiped out completions of 5 and 25 yards.

“Linemen forget who they should block, and I had some miscommunication with receivers,” Kenney said.

Those mistakes angered Kenney, and he expressed his feelings to his teammates.

“I was mad,” Kenney said. “I thought we’d be prepared to play this game, but we weren’t. I told the guys, ‘If you want to win, it’s up to you guys to do it.’ I was throwing the ball pretty well.”