Frank Clark wants to be more versatile in defense of Chiefs

After the Kansas City Chiefs won a 33-31 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, defensive end Frank Clark said there was plenty of room for the defense to improve.

“There are going to be mistakes throughout the game – and throughout the season – but [we have] to eliminate these big mistakes, ”he told reporters.

“Penalties, mental errors and everything. I mean, the stuff you can control – get out [of] your gap, not being a sound. That’s when you get 15, 20 games – those great racing games.

There have certainly been games where the Chiefs gave up more rushing yards than they did against Carolina on Sunday – but all things considered, maintaining a team with running back Christian McCaffrey at 104 yards (at 4.3 yards per carry) wasn’t a bad day’s work for the running defense.

However, allowing Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to throw for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns (and an opponent’s passer rating above the 103.3 average) was not ideal. Chiefs have sacked Bridgewater twice. Clark had one of them – his fourth of the season – plus a pair of quarterback hits. While defensive tackle Chris Jones has been among the league’s leaders in quarterback pressures this season, Clark hasn’t – and none of them seem to have as many sacks as you might expect. .

“I think last year I had a sack – probably none – like six games in the season,” Clark recalled, “but I don’t stumble over things like that. And I know my teammates don’t. not really stumble, especially Chris.

Photo by David Eulitt / Getty Images

Clark’s memory was correct: he had a sack in the first six games of last season – then seven in the last 10. But he was careful to explain that what he’s doing on the pitch isn’t always a question of sacks – or even quarterback pressures. .

“I put a lot on us,” said Clark, “because it’s our defensive line. But in reality, it is our defense. A lot of things have to do with appeals and the like. You have to understand: I’m dropping more than usual over the years – I’m doing a lot more dropping coverage.

“Maybe you’re on a defensive call and you’re excited to rush in, but the offense might show you something else – they might show a screen. We have a great defensive coordinator; he’s on top of things like that. Usually when he calls a coin it puts you – as a player – in the right position to be successful.

On Sunday, that included shots where Clark and Jones dashed off from opposite ends of the line. And Clark said he would like to see more.

“It’s pretty easy for a team to plan their game when you have two of the best rushers in the league – or two of the best D-ends or defensive players in the league – on one side,” he explained. . “It’s easy to plan this. We both love the right side. This is one of those things where I said to him, “I want to be able to move more. I want to be able to do more. Move me everywhere – I don’t care. I’ll play the right end, I’ll play the left end. I can play D-tackle [or] nose in pass-rush situations. I know it. So looking at him from the other side … it was like, ‘Dude, that opens up a lot.’