Football
Associated Press 15y

Rookie CB Leggett coming on strong for Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Looking at Maurice Leggett, Herm Edwards almost feels as though he's dusted off a 30-year-old photograph of himself.

Like Leggett, the Kansas City Chiefs' coach was a cornerback at a college that never played in a major bowl game or figured in the arguments over the national championship. Like Leggett, Edwards endured the sting of rejection, ignored by every team in every round of the NFL draft.

But Edwards did not let that deter him. He leaped on an opportunity to try out for a team as an undrafted free agent, and won a spot for himself on the roster.

And so has Leggett.

It's a long way from Division II Valdosta State to the NFL -- just as it was a long way from San Diego State for Edwards. And while no one is predicting that Leggett will attain the stardom that Edwards experienced as a cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, he seems to be proving, week by week, game by game, that he belongs in the NFL.

"I know when I make mistakes," Leggett said. "It's just a matter of trying to learn from your mistakes every week."

The 5-foot-11, 188-pounder had by far his best game last week at Oakland. In addition to four tackles, he also scooped up a fumble on a botched fake field goal attempt and sped 67 yards for a touchdown that turned out to be the difference in a 20-13 victory that snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Edwards admits that he's always had a soft spot for undrafted rookie free agents who are trying to beat the odds and prove the scouts were all wrong. In Leggett's case, there were 31 cornerbacks drafted last year. But he was not one of them.

So he wound up in a special rookie camp the Chiefs put on after the draft. Players the Chiefs had drafted were not invited. This was strictly for undrafted players.

"He stood out right away," said Edwards. "You could see he had some talent. Again, he was just a walk-on guy. But he did a very good job, was very athletic."

He was also helped by the fact his college coach used a system and terminology similar to what Kansas City uses.

"In the preseason, you could see some athletic ability, but not knowing what to do so much," Edwards said. "When he got in the game, it was a little bit big for him."

There have been bumps in the road. Thrust into action when injuries thinned out the defensive secondary, he started two games and also played nickel back. Against Tampa Bay's outstanding wide receiver Antonio Bryant, he got beat for the touchdown that enabled the Bucs to erase a 21-point deficit and win in overtime.

But Edwards stayed with him.

"As he kept playing, he started growing up," said Edwards. "The last couple of weeks, he's done such a good job, we put him in there at nickel."

By giving Leggett and other undrafted rookies a chance to prove themselves, Edwards is also keeping faith with himself.

"That's the one thing that I always promised myself if I was ever in this position, a coach in this league, that you never overlook a free agent guy because of his size or all those measurables -- what school he went to," Edwards said.

"You look at guys and you try to look at them for what they're worth. If they have some athletic talent, if they want to be coached, and if they're mentally tough, they've got a chance. He had all those intangibles."

Sunday's victory was only the second since October 2007 for the Chiefs (2-10). But it did wonders for everyone's spirits as they get ready for a trip this week to Denver (7-5), a place where they've lost seven years in a row.

"We had lost (seven) games in a row, but the attitude was just, 'We're still working hard each week," said quarterback Tyler Thigpen. "The only thing that's different now is the smile that's on their face because of the win. The attitude is the same, everyone is working week in and week out."

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