German_Force » his and other players' helmets

When Dee Ford was asked what excited him most about the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense Mark Giordano Jersey , the fifth-year linebacker could have talked about finally being healthy or an influx of new young players.

Instead, the first thing that came to mind was the revamped coaching staff.

Ford hardly meant that as a slight to Garry Gibbs, the longtime linebackers coach who was let go after the Kansas City defense folded like a lawn chair in the playoffs. Rather it spoke volumes about the benefits that came with coach Andy Reid separating one position into two: Mike Smith was promoted to outside linebackers coach and Mark DeLeone was promoted to inside linebackers coach.

”I’m very happy for a lot of young coaches that have an opportunity now,” said Ford, who enters the final year of his rookie deal trying to recapture what once made him a first-round draft pick.

”We brought in some great guys,” he said, ”and some new faces in new positions.”

The decision to restructure defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s staff was in response to the way linebackers are used in the modern NFL. There is very little in common between outside linebackers and inside linebackers these days, and the increased use of hybrid linebackers – essentially safeties that have moved into the box – adds another layer of complexity to the defense.

The way they rush the quarterback is different. Same with the way they drop into coverage or stop the run. And one of the inside linebackers carries the headset connecting him to the coaches; that means he’s responsible for calling the play and getting everybody in position.

”That’s a big position to just have one person doing, so we did split it up and it seems to be working fine,” Reid said. ”They’ve been able to get more individual work, more film study, specific to their positions http://www.officialoilers.com/authentic-adidas-connor-mcdavid-jersey , and they’re completely different positions.”

Especially in the 3-4 defensive scheme.

”When you have both of (the linebackers) in the same room and you’re talking about inside, what are the outside guys doing?” Smith asked. ”Now you’re talking about pass rushes, so in a 3-4 you have to separate them. … You just get to focus on those guys and you really get to dive in deep.”

It’s especially helpful this season, when the Chiefs are trying to rebuild a linebacker corps without Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali for the first time in years. Newcomers such as Anthony Hitchens and rookies Breeland Speaks and Dorian O’Daniel get more one-on-one time with the coaching staff, allowing them to get up to speed much more quickly.

The Redskins and 49ers have similar setups on their coaching staffs, and new Titans coach Mike Vrabel brought in Tyrone McKenzie to coach inside linebackers and Shane Bowen to work with the outside linebackers when he was hired this past offseason.

Joey Porter handles the outside for the Steelers and Jerry Olsavsky handles the inside.

”It’s great because we have somebody who keys in on the things we’re going to do at practice that day,” Redskins linebacker Preston Smith said. ”We’ve got a lot of emphasis on a lot of technique we need to work on throughout the day, and on the plays we’re going to run and the footwork and the things it takes as an outside linebacker. It’s kind of hard for an inside linebacker coach.”

Packers associate head coach Winston Moss handles outside linebackers and Patrick Graham doubles as inside coach and run game defensive coordinator. A few other teams have a quality control coach lending a hand. But the majority of teams still rely on a single linebackers coach.

”It’s great just to have an outside linebackers coach,” said Justin Houston, now the elder statesman of the Chiefs’ corps. ”There’s so much we get to do now just focusing on ourselves and the little things we need to work on. I think last year, we had a lot going on. You have to coach a lot of guys, inside and out. It’s hard to do that in the little bit of time you have. Now you have a separate coach Eddie Goldman Jersey , we can just focus on one thing: that’s us.”

Notes: DT Derrick Nnadi left on a cart late in Wednesday’s practice with an elbow injury. WR Marcus Kemp hurt his ankle. … ILB Reggie Ragland (knee) and RB Charcandrick West (concussion) were not on the practice field. … ILB Otha Peters practiced for the first time since signing a contract Tuesday. He was wearing No. 52.

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this story.

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Mark Gastineau made an emotional plea to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to help him and former players who are dealing with what he claims are football-related health issues.

The former New York Jets star said during a radio interview on 710 WOR Radio in New York that aired Thursday night that he wants ailing players to be taken care of by the NFL. The 61-year-old Gastineau announced last year that he was diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and believes the conditions are the result of brain trauma from playing in the NFL for 10 seasons.

"I want the NFL to treat people right," Gastineau said during the interview. "They've got to. They have to."

Gastineau said Goodell told him when they talked at a Jets game over a year ago that he should let him know if he needs anything.

"The Commissioner told me, he said, 'Listen, Mark, you know what? You need anything, let me know,'" Gastineau told host Pete McCarthy. "He was my ball boy. I treated him great. He told me. ... Hey http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/aaron-rodgers-jersey , Roger Goodell, treat people right."

An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on Gastineau's statements.

Gastineau is the Jets' career sacks leader and was one of the NFL's most recognizable stars because of his entertaining dances after taking down quarterbacks for New York from 1979-88. He and Goodell have known each other since the early 1980s, when Goodell interned in the Jets' public relations department.

"I want to hold you to your promise, Roger Goodell," Gastineau said. "You said, 'Anything I need! I want the players to be treated right."

Gastineau, who was joined by his wife JoAnn and lawyer Jason Luckasevic, began to cry during the interview when he spoke of his daily struggles to get out of bed and remember people's names.

"My brain isn't the same," he said. "My wife, she and I used to go around and do yard work," Gastineau said while crying. "But you know what? She does everything now for me. ... It's not good, it's not good.

"When I'm laying in bed until 3 Scott Hartnell Jersey , 4 or 5 (p.m.), it's not good. There will be days I get up and I'm good. ... My wife will tell you, she helps me get out of bed ... and she'll help me remember names. I used to think I was all that, I did. But you know what? I was nothing. You know why? Because of what happened to me."

Gastineau, who said he routinely cracked his and other players' helmets during big hits in practices and games, dabbled in boxing after retiring from football and had 17 professional fights. He is a plaintiff in the concussion lawsuit against the NFL, but has not received any money as a result. JoAnn Gastineau said NFL doctors questioned her husband's dementia diagnosis, but approved it in October after eight months. She said the NFL sent a notice to Luckasevic 30 days later saying it was appealing the settlement again for Gastineau's Parkinson's diagnosis.

"The NFL is wrong," Gastineau said. "The NFL is wrong, they're wrong. I'm not telling them to give me zillions of dollars. I don't want zillions of dollars. I just want to be treated with respect."

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