Chiefs’ Savage says fans helped him make the roster
R ookie Dantrell Savage thinks he made the final Chiefs roster because of one reason.
You. The fans.
“I think it was definitely the fans,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “I showed the fans that I could do the job, and they got behind me. The fans saw that I worked hard.
“They supported me and saw how much I was putting into it. It felt like they were rooting for me, and I think that made a difference.”
But does Savage, who was undrafted out of Oklahoma State, really think the fans could make that much of an impact on a decision by the coaches and front office?
“Fans really did influence them,” he said. “I believe that. When I was at the (Chiefs Kickoff) luncheon, fans kept coming up to me and saying they were 100 percent behind me.
“There were people that really cared that I made the team. And coaches saw that.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Savage said he wasn’t all that worried about surviving the cuts, even after he fumbled a kickoff return last week and also stepped out of bounds after fielding a kickoff in a previous game. Those were two big mistakes that could have doomed a rookie’s chances.
“But I didn’t have any sleepless nights,” he said. “I knew I did my best. I wasn’t really that worried.
“As long as I finished. Coaches told me that a lot of guys can’t come back from a fumble or stepping out of bounds. Some guys won’t finish. But I just kept going, kept trying. That’s finishing.”
And who did Savage call when he knew he’d made the roster?
“My mom,” he said. “I also prayed and gave thanks. It was a long trial for me. I went through a lot of hurdles to get here.”
And it may not be over. There’s no guarantee that Savage will be active for Sunday’s game or that he’s a lock to stay on the roster this season.
The Chiefs may even juggle the roster in the next day or two.
Eyes wide open
As Chiefs coach Herm Edwards began talking about how his young team would respond this season, I couldn’t help but ask him whether he thought they had absolutely any idea what they were going up against in New England.
Edwards shook his head, laughed and said, “Nah. No way.
“They’ve only seen this team on television … when they were in college.”
Good rating
The Rockhurst-Blue Springs South game on ESPN on Sunday pulled in an impressive 1.9 rating in Kansas City.
Each ratings point is the equivalent to 9,271 television homes here.
That 1.9 rating, by the way, equaled what the Royals-Tigers game drew on FSN Kansas City on Friday night.
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