Eric Berry and Dan Williams go 5th and 26th to the Chiefs and Cardinals
by Joel Hollingsworth on Apr 23, 2010 6:54 AM EDT
in Tennessee Volunteer Football
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Eric Berry and Dan Williams became the 6th and 7th first-round picks for the Vols since 2006, tying LSU and Florida for the most (and more than doubling another other SEC team) during that span .
Berry, selected 5th by the Kansas City Chiefs, was just the 6th UT player picked in the top five since 1940, and he was absolutely loving every blessed minute of it:
"This is what I’ve been waiting for all of my life, man," Berry said on the NFL Network. "Just to come here. Come to the draft. Play in the NFL. I love it. I’m loving it. I’m loving it." When asked what the Chiefs should expect, Berry said, "They should expect everything, expect a hard worker, a leader. Somebody that’s going to represent on and off the field. Somebody that wants to win championships. Let’s go to work baby. I’m ready."
The Chiefs, too, are quite happy, as well they should be:
"Eric has the characteristics we’re looking for,’’ Haley told The Kansas City Star. ‘’The captain of his college team. Extremely productive. Loves football. That’s clear when you’re around him for any period of time. Competitive. He’ll come in here and amp the competition up, and not just the secondary but all areas."
. . . .
"He’s a physical player," Haley said. "He looks for contact. I don’t think he’s afraid to make big plays. He’s versatile. He has the ability to cover, and in the division we’re in, we’ve got to cover tight ends and receivers and backs.
"That’s one of the big positives with him is that he does have some position flexibility, so to speak. He’s shown the ability to cover in man-to-man situations, and he’s a very good down-in-the-box hitter, and he’s been real good in the back end out in the open field. On top of that, he looks like he has a little knack for pressuring the quarterback.’’
And among Chiefs fans, Berry's approval rating at the time I'm writing this is 2213 approve, 85 trolls, and 63 people who can never make up their minds about anything. Denver Bronco fans? Not so happy about Berry going to rival Kansas City.
Dan Williams fell to the 26th pick by Arizona, but the prevailing wisdom on the free fall was that there was little need for a nose tackle above that and that the Cardinals were an excellent fit for Williams. In any event, Arizona fans are about as happy about Williams as Chiefs fans are about Berry, with a 386-12 approval vote at the time of this writing.
Congrats to Berry, Williams, the Chiefs, and the Cardinals. Make us proud.
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For once
I’m happy about where I live. I can see Eric play live pretty much all I want now WHOO HOO!!
"Gentlemen, it is better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football." John Heisman
Terrific fits for both players.
KC still has more needs to fill, and the general feeling is that they’ll go for Cody in order to secure their nose tackle rotation into the future. But if they take care of NT and inside LB, they’ll be pretty much ready on defense (at least as set as an NFL defense can expect to be).
For similar reasoning, the Cardinals did great to get Williams. Given that he improved so much from this time last year (remember his conditioning woes underneath Orgeron?), I hope that there’s still more room for improvement from him. But like Will said earlier, stopping the run is an absolute must for the Cards, and Williams is a big step in that direction.
Over the last few years, UT players have been largely fortunate to get drafted by teams that make for good fits. The Mayo to NE pick was excellent. Ayers to Denver was a really good one, though their state of constant transition makes it harder to see. Meachem to the Saints is working out quite dandy now as well.
From another Arrowheadpride member:
Here’s hoping you Vol’s fans can make the trip to Arrowhead to see our new safety for many years.
Love the pick.
Thanks to all Volunteer fans for Eric Berry. We will treat him well.
Straw-Berry Pie, Blue-Berry Pie, Poison-Berry Pie, Cherry-Berry Pie, Super-Berry Pie. I love them all!
Hello to all the awesome Tennesse fans. We are thrilled to have Eric Berry here in KC.
It’s a dream come true to get a lockdown player like Eric. He’s a role model on and off the field. You guys did a great job with him. Thanks so much to all of you great fans in Tennesee!
He took Inky Johnson's old number at KC. #29.
Heck of a tribute. Inky probably had more of an effect on that team than we even realize.
by David Hooper on Apr 23, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank you!
For Producing such a class act. As an Arrowheadpride member and an Avid Chiefs fan, i want to say Thank you, we hope that you will continue to watch your superstar for years to come mature with the Kansas City Chiefs!
Oh, we'll be watching. No worries on that.
He’s on a really short list of the most revered players in UT history, along with Manning, Reggie White, Johnny Majors, and a few others.
Manning made a bunch of UT fans become Colts fans. It’s not too unreasonable to see a few new Chiefs fans here.
by David Hooper on Apr 23, 2010 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Another APer here
I’ve been following Berry for a year or so now with the hopes of one day seeing him in red on Sundays. What a man and player we just got. I can foresee him being the face of this organization for a long time to come. Thanks to the Vols coaches, players and fans for getting him to where he is today. Hopefully we can keep the train rolling.
You'll be pleased to know that most of the credit for Berry goes to Berry himself.
Given the roller-coaster ride it’s been for players at UT over the last few years (Fulmer fired, the Clawfense, Kiffin, etc.), Eric hasn’t had an ideal developmental setting. He’s made the best of it, though, and he’s the one who made sure he became as good as he could be.
That’s an innate quality of him, which is something you’ll absolutely love over the years.
by David Hooper on Apr 23, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Another happy chiefs fan
I have been in love with this guy since the first time I watched him play. He is so dynamic, and his character and love for the game are about as good as it gets. I am sure he will be sorely missed by you guys, but don’t worry, we’ll take real good care of him :) Thank you for a top shelf player and person.
Official Member of the "Draft Eric Berry" Fanclub
Official Member of the "Terrance 'Moobies' Cody" Fanclub
To the Arrowhead Pride folks
I wanted to come over and congratulate y’all myself, but you have that 24 hour rule.
I was really hoping Eric would go to the Chiefs, because I think it’s a good organization that’s on the rise (and really, with the current state of the Broncos and Raiders, they ain’t exactly in the AFC South). I don’t know how much you know about his choice of jersey number, but Inky Johnson was a poorly-regarded corner coming out of high school who became a big-time performer. He would’ve made the NFL if not for a freak injury against Air Force in 2006. He ripped a bunch of nerves in his shoulder, ended his career. I don’t know that there’s a better person to honor with the choice of jersey number.
If you want to know what we think of him, you can look at Joel’s NFL draft profile. Also take into consideration that many are now forced to split their favorite football Vols into offensive and defensive categories, because they can’t choose between Berry and Manning. That’s saying a lot. And finally, a lot of Vol fans are much more passionate about college sports than professional ones. A large number of those, myself included, will just root for their most-loved college players in the professional ranks. Believe you me, there are a whole lot of new Chiefs fans. I’d love to make it to Arrowhead one day and see him. I’m applying to grad school at Nebraska and St. Louis (among 14 other places), so maybe it’ll be in the cards one day.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:40 PM EDT reply actions
Well maybe you should apply for grad school in KC
I don’t know what field you are in, but if it’s medical KU Med Center is in KC. If non-medical, then Lawrence KS is only 45 mins from KC and is a great place to live. That was you could see EB live every other Sunday.
I'm in philosophy
And KU has an absolutely terrible program, sad to say. There really aren’t any top of the line schools in the general region, but Missouri, SLU, Nebraska, and Oklahoma are passable.
Come to think of it though, my top choice is Colorado. Maybe I could see Eric Berry steal one win per year in MILE HIGH. :-D
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
HEY NOW - don't even go there
Don’t you want to see EB plaster Tebow for years to come?
Wait. . .
You don’t want me to go there? I thought you’d be salivating at the thought of Eric Berry and the Chiefs picking up a win in Denver each year. Or is it just the thought of living in Colorado? I must say, I’m a sucker for mountains. You get that growing up in East Tennessee.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Also
Berry has been intercepting Tebow since the first start of his (Berry’s) career. Literally.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry ... I read that wrong.
Yes, go to CU – Boulder is a great place to live. And then you can go see Eric Berry laying out Tim Tebow – by accident of course, since Mr. Tebow will be watching from the sidelines.
It's all a matter of getting in
CU had 270 applicants this year for 5 spots. But if I get in, the only places that would make me think twice are Notre Dame and Yale. And maybe North Carolina. And if I end up there, I will definitely be visiting Mile High when the CHIEFS come to town.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Dan Williams fell to the 26th pick by Arizona, but the prevailing wisdom on the free fall was that there was little need for a nose tackle above that and that the Cardinals were an excellent fit for Williams
Many Chiefs fans expected Williams to go to Denver at 12 (and he probably should have)…their new 3-4 defense wasn’t great in its first year (2009) and they haven’t addressed it like most thought they would
Ryan Succop will be the kicker for the AFC in the 2011 Pro Bowl
I'd agree with you there
Once you got Eric, I was kinda hoping Dan would fall to the second round and you could just keep collecting Vols, but that was unreasonable. I think he’s in a much better situation in Arizona than he would’ve been in Denver, so good for him!
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry for inundating your UTenn site with Chiefs fans, but we are GIDDY with this pick.
A lot of us loved him based on his football skills before the draft, but the more we learn about him as a person the more we love the guy.
Hey, were it not for the 24 hour rule, AP would be innundated with Vol fans
Also, if you’re not in Texas, you can call us UT. And your handle is amazing. Best. Movie. Ever.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah well, it should be Soze, but at least its close.
And yes, top 5 underrrated movies of all time.
Here's one grateful Chiefs fan
From early on I was impressed with what I saw of him on film (also I can’t seem to get that rap song “Eric Berryyyyyyyyyy Eric Bery, Eric Berry” out of my head haha) …a ball hawk, tough hitter, knows what to do with the ball in his hands, great hands, great sense of where he is on the field in relationship to receivers, big time versatility, and then I learned about his personal life, family, leadership, personality, passion for the game and work ethic…
Eric Berry will be the guy everyone compares their DB’s to in the future…Ed Reed, Troy Pal will fade into the background. Crennel will make great use of this young man.
We love this pick at ArrowheadPride. The fans will come out and rock the house at Arrowhead Stadium even more so because of EB. Vols have a great program and we wish you all the best. Thanks for giving him up a year early to join the future Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Official Member: Eric Berry Fan Club
Tweet me @GiftNate
N. Gift
by giftedchiefsfan on Apr 23, 2010 1:55 PM EDT reply actions
future SB Champion ...
If you get a Super Bowl ring on Berry’s finger, I think we can call it even for him leaving a year early. ;-)
by David Hooper on Apr 23, 2010 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
What he said ^
We’re doing this again, right?
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a deal!!!!!!
A number of AP members believe that the Chiefs will (at the very least) challenge for the AFC West title and break into the playoffs this year. The offense improved so much through the course of the year in ’09 and have only gotten better with FA pickups Thomas Jones (RB), Lilja (RG), Weigmann © on Offense.
Now with EB and hopefully more Defensive picks remaining in the draft our D should improve immensely in ‘10. 9 games were decided by less than a touchdown last year. The additions of Coaches Weiss (OC), Crennel (DC), Thomas (DB’s) and off-season player acquisitions (several to come in the draft) should make for a much improved D as well.
A SB win is returning to KC very soon.
Official Member: Eric Berry Fan Club
Tweet me @GiftNate
N. Gift
by giftedchiefsfan on Apr 23, 2010 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't follow the NFL to nearly the degree that I follow college
But the Chiefs seemed like a franchise that was moving in the right direction and on the cusp of winning a lot of games. I don’t know enough to call playoffs this year, but I think they’re in the near future, and I’m really glad to see Eric in such a great situation. Y’all get him a ring, now, ya hear? Also, what do you think about learning “Rocky Top” to make Eric, Brad, and Dustin feel more at home? :-p
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
We are thrilled to have Eric Berry here in KC!
Berry’s a Class Act!
"Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport."
--Duffy Daugherty
"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."
--Bill Shankly
My hope:
Just once, Manning wins NFL offensive player of the year and Eric Berry wins NFL defensive player of the year in the same year. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 23, 2010 2:11 PM EDT reply actions
So thrilled
I’m a Chiefs fan (born & raised in KC) transplant in Nashville – I’ve had the pleasure of watching Berry play for the Vols for the past 3 seasons. Top tier talent, top tier character, about as well rounded (on and off the field) as you can ask for.
I couldn’t be more happy with the pick – I’ve wanted him from the word “go”.
I can’t wait to watch him tear up the AFC West for years to come.
Love EB!!!!!!!!
Thanks Vols..Having lived in Nashville I know the love of football (and NASCAR) down there! Loved living there and proud to have a player from Tenn going to my beloved Chiefs! Makes the pick even sweeter!!
PR
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