Studebaker Gets Rolling … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

The last time Andy Studebaker was in the starting lineup for a game it was his Wheaton College Thunder playing North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on the North Central campus.

The crowd was right around 5,000 people.

When Studebaker goes out for the first play on the Chiefs defense Sunday afternoon, there will be about 60,000 fans sitting in Arrowhead Stadium, or more than watched his college team over an entire season.

Studebaker will not be awed by the scene. In 15 games over the last two seasons, he’s already put behind him the transition from Division III college football to the glamour of professional football.

For the Illinois native, Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers is about showing the Chiefs he has a future in the NFL.

“All any player wants is a chance to play,” Studebaker said. “It’s exciting to get the opportunity.”

Studebaker will step into the starting spot that for nine games has belonged to Mike Vrabel. For the Chiefs defense, losing the veteran linebacker is a big blow; he’s been one of the unit’s most consistent performers and he provided on-field leadership that is impossible to replace.

When you put the numbers down on paper, it’s quite a change going from Vrabel to Studebaker: 

• NFL games played — Vrabel 184, Studebaker 15.
• NFL games started — Vrabel 110, Studebaker 0.
• Total tackles — Vrabel 722, Studebaker 6.
• Sacks — Vrabel 56, Studebaker 0.
• Interceptions — Vrabel 11, Studebaker 0.
• Fumbles forced — Vrabel 16, Studebaker 0.
• Fumbles recovered — Vrabel 7, Studebaker 0.
• Passes defensed — Vrabel 35, Studebaker 1.

“He’s a great linebacker,” Studebaker said of Vrabel. “I just have to go out and be in the right places and do the right things. Maybe over 13 years I can match his production.”

So how did Studebaker do in the second half of last Sunday’s victory over Oakland?

“You are never as good as you think you are, you are never as bad as you think you are,” said Studebaker. “That’s the rule I always go by. I thought I fit in the defense pretty well, but at the same time I made some mistakes. This week, I’m working on minimizing those.”

Head coach Todd Haley liked what he saw.

“When he got the opportunity I thought it was not perfect but, that being said, for his first real action it did not appear too big for him,” Haley said. “He knew what to do. He did it. He made some plays. He was active. I think those are all good signs and he’s had a good week of practice.”

“Andy has been a bit of a bright spot for us. He’s a guy that’s been very good for us on special teams – definitely one of our top three special teamers week-in and week-out. He’s somebody we really count on.”

When Haley walked into the Chiefs building and looked at the roster he inherited, he wasn’t sure what to make of Studebaker. There are not many Division III players who make it to the NFL, and even fewer stay and have successful careers. One look at Studebaker told the head coach he had the physically tools to make a contribution.

“You can’t look any better than Andy,” Haley said of his 6-3, 248-pound linebacker. “I call him “Venice Beach” because he likes to take his shirt off. He likes to work out; he likes to lift; he loves to run. He wins every run there is just about. So you find yourself saying, ‘wow, is this going to translate to the football field?’ You don’t know until you see him actually playing. I would say he’s been a bright spot.

“It’s a big job but he’s prepared for it; he’s worked very hard and studies very well. He studies tape. He studies the game plan and I think he understands what we want him to do.”

At Eureka High School in Eureka, Illinois, Studebaker was a 205-pound defensive end, who drew no interest from any program offering a football scholarship. He ended up in Wheaton, where he would eventually win Division III All-America honors with the Thunder. At defensive end, he had 111 total tackles and 30 sacks. In his junior season of 2006, he had 17.5 sacks. His senior season was cut short after five games because of a foot injury.

But he’d shown enough that the Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the 203rd choice in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. They saw him as an outside linebacker, and that’s the position he played throughout training camp and the pre-season. Studebaker survived until the final cutdown, when he was released. He signed the next day with the Eagles practice squad and stayed there until November 19, when he signed with the Chiefs and was added to their active roster.

And the Chiefs moved him back to defensive end for the final six games, only two of which saw him play at all on defense. He finished with two defensive tackles and three tackles in the kicking game.

Haley’s arrival meant a change in defensive schemes, and Studebaker was one of three defensive ends to make the move to outside linebacker. Tamba Hali has flourished with the move. Turk McBride struggled and was released.

Studebaker has thrived with the move.

“It wasn’t the most natural switch in the world, but there was some carryover from my short time as a linebacker with the Eagles,” he said. “I think it’s gone pretty well. At the start of OTAs with all new coaches, you knew it was going to be a process. Our group has made the transition pretty well. Guys are confident in the system. We’ve made a lot of progress.”

And now Andy Studebaker gets the chance to show that progress.

“I’m not overwhelmed,” Studebaker said. “It’s a great opportunity. I’m pretty excited about it.”

SIGNINGS, INJURIES & MOVEMENT AROUND THE LEAGUE

• BEARS – RB Garrett Wolfe will miss the rest of the’09 season due to a lacerated kidney; promoted RB Kahlil Bell promoted from practice squad; out of Sunday’s game against the Eagles is LB Pisa Tinoisamoa.
• BILLS – placed LB Keith Ellison on the injured-reserve list (quadriceps); promoted CB Cary Harris from the practice squad; DT Marcus Stroud, OT Demetrius Bell, TE Derek Fine and CB Ashton Youboty will not play Sunday against the Jaguars.
• BRONCOS – not playing against the Chargers on Sunday are OT Ryan Harris and RB LaMont Jordan.
• CARDINALS – LB Chike Okeafor will not play against the Rams on Sunday.
• CHARGERS – out of Sunday’s game against the Broncos was C Nick Hardwick.
• COLTS – out of Sunday’s game against the Ravens are OT Daniel Federkeil, CB Aaron Francisco, WR Anthony Gonzalez, CB Kelvin Hayden and K Adam Vinatieri.
• COWBOYS – OT Marc Colombo, S Ken Hamlin and CB Allen Rossum will not play Sunday against the Redskins.
• EAGLES – will be without S Quintin Demps, LB Akeem Jordan, WR Kevin Curtis and RB Brian Westrbrook for Sunday’s game against the Bears.
• FALCONS – WR Brian Finneran has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Giants.
• 49ERS – ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Packers were CB Nate Clements and OT Joe Staley.
• GIANTS – LB Antonio Pierce is out indefinitely with a bulging disc in his neck.
• JAGUARS – CB Rashean Mathis will not play in Sunday’s game against the Bills.
• LIONS – placed G Stephen Peterman on the injured-reserve list; promoted WR Eric Fowler from the practice squad; ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Browns are S Kalvin Pearson, G Stephen Peterman and LB Ernie Sims.
• JETS – LB Vernon Gholston was declared out of Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
• RAMS – ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals were G Richie Incognito and DE C.J. Ah You.
• PATRIOTS – ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Jets was RB Fred Taylor.
• RAIDERS – LB Ricky Brown, WR Nick Miller and WR Javon Walker will not play Sunday against the Bengals.
• RAVENS – out of Sunday’s game against the Colts are LB Terrell Suggs, RB Matt Lawrence,
• REDSKINS – TE Chris Cooley, RB Clinton Portis and RB Eddie Williams are out of Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
• SAINTS – ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers were CB Jabari Greer, WWR Lance Moore and CB Tracy Porter.
• SEAHAWKS – out of Sunday’s game against the Vikings is RB Julius Jones.
• STEELERS – SS Troy Polamalu and DE Travis Kirschke will not play on Sunday against the Chiefs.

FROM THE PAGES OF CHIEFS HISTORY

On November 21, 1965, the Chiefs and Boston Patriots played to a 10-10 tie at Fenway Park in Boston. The Chiefs only score touchdown came in the second quarter, when QB Len Dawson hooked up with WR Chris Burford on an eight-yard score. Tommy Brooker added the PAT kick and also had a 32-yard FG. Brooker had a chance to win the game with 30 seconds to play, but missed a 37-yard FG attempt. Burford finished the game with nine catches for 120 yards. The KC defense had an interception by CB Fred Williamson (left).

On November 21, 1971, the Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 28-10 at Municipal Stadium. Len Dawson threw three TD passes and the Kansas City defense harassed the Broncos all day in front of 49,945 fans. Dawson threw scoring passes to WR Elmo Wright, RB Jim Otis and TE Morris Stroud, while RB Ed Podolak added a TD on the ground. The Chiefs defense picked off Denver QB Tom Ramsey three times, two of those by CB Emmitt Thomas. They also had four sacks.

On November 21, 1976, the Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 at Arrowhead Stadium. A late fourth-quarter touchdown run gave the Bengals the victory. Cincinnati jumped t o a 14-0 first quarter lead, thanks to a 77-yard TD run by RB Archie Griffin (right) and a 18-yard run by FB Boobie Clark. The Chiefs TDs came on a pair of one-yard runs by RB Tommy Reamon and a 34-yard TD pass from QB Mike Livingston to TE Walter White. CB Emmitt Thomas had an interception of Bengals QB Ken Anderson.

On November 21, 1993, the Chiefs lost to the Chicago Bears 19-17 at Arrowhead Stadium. In front of a crowd of 76,872 fans, the Chiefs took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter but saw the Bears get a late touchdown from RB Neal Anderson to win the game. The Chiefs had a pair of first half TD runs by RB Marcus Allen of two and eight yards. The Bears came back on the arm and legs of Jim Harbaugh, who ran for 56 yards and threw for another 98 yards. The Chiefs picked him off twice, with interceptions by DE Neil Smith and CB Albert Lewis.

On November 21, 1999, the Chiefs lost to the Seattle Seahawks 30-19 at Arrowhead Stadium. In front of a crowd of 78,714, the Chiefs trailed by just one point at half-time. But in the third quarter, the Seahawks added 10 points and never gave up the lead from there. RB Donnell Bennett had two touchdown runs of two and four yards. Pete Stoyanovich had a pair of 29-yard FGs. Seattle RB Ricky Watters scored three touchdowns, with a pair of runs and a 22-yard TD pass from QB Jon Kitna. Watters finished the game with 174 yards in offense. The KC defense forced a pair of turnovers, including an interception by CB Eric Warfield. Chiefs QB Elvis Grbac was 30 of 49 for 320 yards and an interception.

SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY …

Born on November 21, 1035 in Algona, Iowa was K/P Mike Mercer (right). He joined the Chiefs in 1966 and handled the team’s kicking duties in that AFL Championship season. Mercer entered pro football in 1961 and spent two years with the Vikings and then three years with Oakland. After the ‘66 season, he spent two years kicking for Buffalo, two in Green Bay and a final season in San Diego.

Born on November 21, 1951 in Memphis, Tennessee was OT Bill Story. He was selected in the ninth-round of the 1973 NFL Draft out of Southern Illinois. Story played one season (1975), appearing in 14 games that season with two starts. That ‘75 season was his only NFL experience.

Born on November 21, 1964 in North Little Rock, Arkansas was LB Mike Junkin. He joined the Chiefs in 1989 after two seasons with Cleveland where he was the Browns first-round selection in the 19897 NFL Draft out of Duke. Junkin played five games in that one season with the Chiefs. He did not play after his time in Kansas City.

Born on November 21, 1965 in Pittsburgh was OL Tom Ricketts. He joined the Chiefs in 1993, after spending three years in Pittsburgh and one with Indianapolis. Ricketts entered the NFL as a first-round selection of the Steelers in the 1989 NFL Draft. He played that one season with the Chiefs, appearing in three games at the end of his five-season career.