In the Genes
Sept. 11, 1998
So that's it. Derrick Thomas's parents are to blame for the excessive amount of grass Oakland Raiders quarterback Jeff George ingested last Sunday night.
Sound strange? It is — until you listen to Kansas City's outside linebacker explain how his feat of sending George mercilessly to the Arrowhead Stadium turf six times during the Chiefs' Week 1 victory had more to do with genes than means.
"It was a gift given to me long before I ever started playing football," Thomas said during a conference call with the media on Wednesday. "The ability to bend my hips and turn the corner, that's something that I had nothing to do with. That's hereditary."
And it's that gift that will eventually help put Thomas — not his parents — in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. Since being drafted out of Alabama in 1989, Thomas has used his unparalleled pass-rushing skill to plant quarterbacks like rhododendrons 113½ times — including Dave Krieg on seven different occasions during a 1990 contest to break the single-game record — and climb to ninth on the all-time list.
Now, after tripling his previous high for sacks in a season opener, Thomas has his sights set on yet another Mark: Gastineau — as in the former New York Jets defensive end whose 22 sacks in 1984 are the most ever in a season.
"I never think there's something I can't do," said Thomas, who will lead the Chiefs into Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on Sunday. "(That record) is in the back of my mind, but more importantly I have to do what it takes to help my team win games."
Not that that's ever been an issue. Thomas's stint in Kansas City is yet to include a losing season. But the fact that the Chiefs have been bounced from the postseason in recent years faster than George could yell "mayday" last weekend has weighed heavily on Thomas.
The most abrupt exit came in 1997, when Kansas City took an NFL-best 13-3 regular-season record into the playoffs only to suffer a heartbreaking loss to division-rival Denver in its first game.
"It was very disappointing," Thomas said of the defeat. "We thought we had a team capable of contending for the world championship — there was no doubt in my mind that we did. We just didn't go out and take care of our business."
The workmanlike performance the Chiefs produced in their season opener says they're ready to put last year behind them, though. The 28-8 rout of the Raiders was thorough, and the fact that it was accomplished without Chester McGlockton — the team's Pro Bowl defensive tackle acquired during the offseason — made it even more impressive.
Still, 15 games remain for a Chiefs team that will have to battle the injury bug in its quest to play in Miami next Jan. 31. Starting quarterback Elvis Grbac has suffered a shoulder injury for the second consecutive year, All-Pro guard Dave Szott could miss half the season with a torn tendon in his left arm and McGlockton is out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery last week.
"Unfortunately, we've started off the season with a bunch of injuries," Thomas said. "So we're going to have to fight until we get back healthy and hopefully we can continue to win. … Man for man everybody is capable of making plays in this system."
It's just that one man seems to stand out more than the rest, even if it is no fault of his own.
from nfl.com
