The Cleveland Daily Banner Sunday, January 10, 2016 | Page 20

20—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 10, 2016

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Chiefs beat Texans for first playoff win since 1994
HOUSTON (AP) — After 22
years without a playoff victory,
the Kansas City Chiefs secured
this one early thanks to a touchdown off the opening kickoff and
a harassing defense that forced
five turnovers and shut out the
Houston Texans Saturday.
Alex Smith and the Kansas
City offense was effective, if not
explosive, while Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer had the worst
game of his career and was booed
most of the afternoon in a 30-0
loss in the wild-card round of the
NFL playoffs. Houston lost J.J.
Watt to an injury in the third
quarter and Jadeveon Clowney
never even put on his jersey.
The Chiefs extended their NFLbest winning streak to 11 games
and will face Denver or New
England next week.
On the opening kickoff, Knile
Davis got three good blocks
around the 10-yard line and then
simply outran t he rest of the
defenders for the 106-yard kickoff return score, the secondlongest kickoff return TD in postseason history.
The defense took over after
that, forcing Hoyer into a fumble
and a three of his career-high
four interceptions before halftime
to help the Chiefs (12-5) take a
13-0 lead.
Smith threw a touchdown pass
late in the third and Spencer
Ware added a 5-yard TD run on
the first play of the fourth quarter
to make it 27-0.
The victory breaks a streak of
eight straight playoff losses by
the Chiefs and is their first postseason win since beating the
Oilers in Houston on Jan. 16,
1994.
Hoyer was 15 of 34 for 136
yards as Houston (9-8) lost a
home playoff game for the first
time.
Travis Kelce, who also had
more than 100 yards receiving in
the first meeting with the Texans
this year, had another big day,

Alfred Blue got Houston to the
Kansas City 13. The Texans got a
first down at the 2 and Watt and
defensive tackle Vince Wilfork
came in on offense, with Watt
lined up as the wildcat quarterback and Wilfork blocking. Watt
took the direct snap but had
nowhere to go and lost a yard on
his first career carry. Hoyer was
intercepted on the next play by
Josh Mauga.
Hoyer had also struggled
against the Chiefs in the season
opener, being benched in the
fourth quarter of a 27-20 loss.
Clowney, the top overall pick in
the 2014 draft, was inactive with
a foot injury.

49ers interview Buccs
OC Dirk Koetter

AP photo

KAnsAs City Chiefs qUArterbACK Alex Smith (11) is hit by Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (59) in the first
half of the NFL wild-card game between the Chiefs and Texans Saturday, in Houston.
finishing with eight receptions for
128 yards.
Watt missed most of the second half after injuring his groin
in the third quarter. Last year's
Defensive Player of the Year and
the NFL sack leader didn't have a
sack on Saturday as Houston's
defense played well but couldn't
hold off an offense that got so
many extra chances because of
Hoyer's terrible day.

Watt injured his groin midway
through the third quarter. He
returned after a few plays, but
soon left the game again when he
was pushed to the ground by the
head by tackle Eric Fisher.
Kansas City receiver Jeremy
Maclin injured his right knee on
the same play and didn't return.
The Chiefs capped that drive
when Smith found rookie Chris
Conley in the back of the end

zone for 9-yard touchdown that
extended the lead to 20-0.
Houston defensive end Jared
Crick got a personal foul late in
the third quarter when he hit
Fisher after a play, in an apparent retaliation for the Watt hit.
Hoyer threw an interception to
Eric Berry with about seven minutes left in the first quarter. It
didn't matter though as two plays
later Kareem Jackson deflected a

pass by Smith and it was intercepted by Brian Cushing to give
Houston the ball right back.
The Texans were driving after
the interception when Hoyer was
sacked by Allen Bailey and he
fumbled. Dontari Poe recovered it
at the Kansas City 42 for the
Chiefs and they extended their
lead to 10-0 on a 49-yard field
goal on the ensuing drive.
Trailing 13-0, a 49-yard run by

(AP) — A person with direct
knowledge of the meeting says
Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Dirk
Koetter
interviewed
Saturday for the San Francisco
49ers coaching vacancy.
The meeting took place in
Tampa, Florida, the person said
Saturday, speaking on condition
of anonymity because the
process and scheduled interviews
are not being made public by the
franchise.
San Francisco is expected to
interview Hue Jackson on
Sunday, though his agent, John
Thornton, hasn’t returned
requests to confirm the meeting.
Former Oakland Raiders coach
Jackson very well could emerge
as the leading candidate for CEO
Jed York and general manager
Trent Baalke as they search for
an experienced coach to replace
Jim Tomsula, the former defensive line coach fired after one season as head coach and a 5-11
record.
Tomsula — who replaced Jim
Harbaugh last January — was
dismissed within a couple of
hours after the season-finale 1916 overtime win against St. Louis
on Jan. 3.

Unknown players could star on wild-card weekend
(AP) — Aaron Rodgers, Adrian
Peterson, Ben Roethlisberger,
J.J. Watt and the other star players got their teams to the playoffs.
With the season on the line, a
lesser-known player often makes
the difference.
Remember Malcolm Butler?
The Green Bay Packers won
three road games as a sixth-seed
in 2010 before they beat
Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
They wouldn’t have advanced if it
weren’t for a surprise performance in the wild-card round,
when rookie James Starks had
123 yards rushing in a 21-16 win
at Philadelphia after only running for 101 yards in the regular
season.
Jermaine Kearse had seven
catches and two TDs in 2013.
But he caught the go-ahead TD
AP photo pass in Seattle’s 23-17 win over
KAnsAs City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware (32) runs San Francisco in the NFC chamaway from Oakland Raiders linebacker Curtis Lofton (50) in the first pionship game. The Seahawks
went on to beat Denver in the
half in Kansas City, Mo., in this Jan. 3 file photo.

Super Bowl.
So don’t be surprised if the big
play this weekend comes from
someone other than A.J. Green,
Antonio Brown, Russell Wilson
or DeAndre Hopkins.
Here are potential unsung
heroes for each team this wildcard weekend:
CHIEFS:
Running
back
Spencer Ware. Charcandrick
West became the primary back
after Jamaal Charles went down
for the season, but Ware had a
better average (5.6) and more
TDs (six). He’ll probably get fewer
touches against the Texans, but
should make the most of them.
Look for Ware to get the ball in
short-yardage and goal-line situations.
TEXANS: Offensive lineman
Chris Clark. He fills in for twotime Pro Bowl left tackle Duane
Brown, who sustained a seasonending injury in Week 17. Clark
has a tough task going against
Chiefs
linebacker
Justin

Houston, who returns after missing five games with a knee injury.
Clark is no ordinary backup. He
started four games this season
and 21 over the previous two
with Denver. He’s familiar with
Kansas City and a strong game
from him cold help the Texans
advance.
STEELERS: Wide receiver
Markus Wheaton. He was the
fourth-leading receiver on the
team. While the defense focuses
on Brown and Martavis Bryant,
Roethlisberger could look to him
for a clutch catch or two. The
Steelers are missing DeAngelo
Williams, so expect them to pass,
pass, pass against the Bengals.
BENGALS: Quarterback AJ
McCarron. He isn’t an unknown
because of the position he plays
and the fact he won two national
titles at Alabama. But he has
only three career starts and isn’t
expected to do much. His biggame experience could help him
take a 1-0 lead over Andy Dalton

in playoff victories.
SEAHAWKS: Wide receiver
Tyler Lockett. The rookie gets
overlooked behind Wilson,
Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin
and Jimmy Graham. But he had
six TD catches and returned one
punt and one kickoff for scores.
He can change the game on one
return.
VIKINGS:
Peterson’s
masseuse. Peterson missed practices to rest a back injury suffered in a victory in Green Bay
last weekend. He needs to be at
his best for the Vikings to beat
Seattle so whoever is taking care
of his back has an important job.
REDSKINS: Running back
Pierre Thomas. The veteran only
joined the team last month and
is behind Alfred Morris and Matt
Jones on the depth chart. But
Thomas has turned into a key
third-down back and one conversion in a critical spot could help
the Redskins knock off the
Packers.

For Clemson’s Swinney, roots run deep in Alabama
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (AP) — Before
coming to Clemson 13 years ago, all Dabo
Swinney ever knew was Alabama.
The Tigers coach grew up in near
Birmingham, and like so many boys his
age, dreamed of playing football for the
University of Alabama and coach Bear
Bryant. He fulfilled part of that dream.
Swinney graduated from Alabama, married a girl he met in first grade, and
worked as a Crimson Tide assistant coach
in Tuscaloosa. When he was away from
coaching, he worked in commercial real
estate for a former Crimson Tide football
star. One of the shopping centers Swinney
helped create during his other life is still
thriving in Hoover.
Now Swinney stands at the pinnacle of
his career, facing his past. The top-ranked
Tigers (14-0) face No. 2 Alabama (13-1) on
Monday night in the College Football
Playoff, seeking a national title.

Swinney’s love of Alabama football came
from his father, Ervil Swinney. William
Christopher became Dabo when he was
just a baby and his older brother called
him “that boy,” and it sounded like Dabo.
Swinney grew up watching the Tide
dominate on Saturdays and Coach Bryant
talk about the previous day’s game on his
Sunday television show. Bryant retired
after the 1982 season and died only a few
months later. Swinney cried that day.
His high school years were hard. His
father became violent when he drank and
his parents split when he was in high
school. Swinney eventually reconciled
with Ervil, who died last year at 70 after a
lengthy illness.
Just finding a place to live was tough for
Carol Swinney, now McIntosh, and her
sons. When Dabo Swinney was at
Alabama, his mom moved in with him and
his roommate. Dabo and his mom shared

a bedroom and a bed.
In his first year as a graduate assistant
coach, “we got fancy,” he said. “We rented
a little house over toward City in Coventry
was what it was called. We rented a little
house, and we each had our own room.
That was big-time.”
Both apartment 81 and that place on
Coventry were destroyed by the tornado
that devastated Tuscaloosa in 2011, and
the thought of losing a bit of his past still
seems to sadden Swinney.
Swinney was a scrawny wide receiver at
Pelham High School. When he went to the
University of Alabama it was not with a
football scholarship. He sat in the stands
at Bryant-Denney Stadium as a freshman
and watched games with that girl he met
in first grade, Kathleen Bassett. Swinney
saw receivers dropping passes and
thought he could do better. So he went out
for the team and made it as a walk-on. Bill

Curry was the coach at the time, but when
he left Gene Stallings took over in 1990.
Stalling had played for and coached under
Bryant.
Swinney was never a great player. He
caught seven passes in his career at
Alabama and played on special teams.
Swinney’s final game for the Crimson
Tide was the 1993 Sugar Bowl against
Miami. The Tide upset the Hurricanes to
win its first national title since Bryant had
stepped down. It was also the last one
until Nick Saban showed up in Tuscaloosa
in 2007.
When Swinney was done playing, he
became a graduate assistant under
Stallings and eventually Stallings gave
him his first full-time job in coaching.
Swinney stayed at Alabama even after
Stallings was gone, but when coach Mike
Dubose was fired after the 2000 season,
Swinney was let go, too.

AP photo

Clemson head coach Dabo
Swinney
celebrates
after
Clemson
defeated
North
Carolina 45-37 in the Atlantic
Coast Conference championship, Charlotte, N.C.

Bama’s deep, diverse line pivotal to title run
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) —
Run up the middle against
Alabama and you’re likely to be
greeted by powerful big men like
A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran
Reed. Drop back to pass, and
there’s a fair chance explosive
pass rushers such as Jonathan
Allen and Tim Williams will be in
hot pursuit.
The most impressive part of
the second-ranked Crimson
Tide’s formidable defense has
been a front line that is both
deep and diverse, even by ‘Bama
standards.
The line thoroughly controlled
Michigan State in a 38-0 semifinal thrashing, smothering quarAP photo terback Connor Cook and clampAlAbAmA defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson (86) runs drills ing down on the run. Doing the
during practice Wednesday, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
same against Clemson and dual-

threat quarterback Deshaun
Watson in the national championship game Monday night in
Glendale, Arizona, will be easily
the biggest test of all for that
group.
However, Watson & Co. haven’t
faced a bigger challenge either.
Sure, the Tide offense has
quarterback
Jake
Coker,
Heisman Trophy winner Derrick
Henry and wide receiver Calvin
Ridley. Defensive backs Eddie
Jackson and Cyrus Jones also
have had terrific seasons.
No part of t he team has been
more pivotal to the Tide’s success than a front seven that
starts with Robinson and Reed,
backed up by linebackers Reggie
Ragland, Reuben Foster and
Williams. Robinson, Reed and

Ragland are projected as likely
first-round NFL draft picks.
Alabama leads the nation in
run and scoring defense and
sacks, and is second in total
defense.
No Nick Saban defense has
averaged this many sacks (3.57 a
game) since his 1999 Michigan
State team anchored by Julian
Peterson (3.73 per game).
This one has done it with an
array of stars, personalities and
diverse talents:
THE RUN STOPPERS: Reed
and Robinson are both 6-foot-4
and listed at a shade under 315
pounds. Reed has 56 tackles,
almost all against the run.
Robinson is a consensus AllAmerican and Outland Trophy
finalist who also is a strong pass

rusher. Teammates say he’s a
freakish athlete, as evidenced by
his hurdle of LSU’s line to block
an extra point attempt.
THE PASS RUSHERS: Allen
and Williams are the headliners.
Allen has 12 sacks, including two
against Michigan State. Williams
is listed as a linebacker but his
primary job this season is clear:
Get the quarterback.
Williams has 19 tackles — and
10.5 sacks.
“Tim’s probably one of the
most unique guys on the team,”
Alabama tight end O.J. Howard
said. “His pass rushing skills are
probably, I think, the best out of
everybody. Fast, hard to block,
so quick, kind of small but I
mean he’s just very different
from a lot of people, man.”