World no longer ‘crashing down,’ healthier Chiefs DE Frank Clark ready for playoffs
Nobody loves to play more than Frank Clark, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the relentless defensive end had mustered 31 snaps at New England in December despite what initially was described as the flu, and then an unspecified stomach ailment that diminished him some 12-15 pounds in a matter of days.
“We tried to actually ration the number of plays that he played,” Reid said, “and he wanted to, like, fight somebody. That’s how he’s wired.”
That mindset is perhaps no surprise from someone who spent much of his childhood homeless living what he calls the “real Hunger Games.” And his inner Terminator speaks to how and why Clark even got onto the field in October for the preliminary bout against the Houston Texans, their opponent in an AFC Divisional Round playoff game Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite being encumbered with what he called two “huge elbow braces” … and that pesky pinched nerve in his neck that he played through for weeks and weeks.
“You get hurt, and then you feel like everything just goes to shambles,” he said Thursday. “You feel like it’s just all bad, (like) the world’s crashing down on you.”
Not that it was any pity, he said, and he doesn’t need sympathy.
“I pride myself on being one of the baddest football players in the world, so at the end of the day it’s not an injury that’s going to stop me from doing what I have to do,” said Clark, estimating he was at about 50 to 60% against Houston the first time around, and adding, “But, you know, 50 to 60 percent of mine is probably better than a lot of guys who are 100 percent.”
And while Clark says he feels every day of the season right now just like anyone else, the unexpected last-second luxury of the bye week allowed him to “get my body back together.” Most likely, it bolsters him as much as about anyone on a defense that underwent a facelift last offseason — and another renovation of sorts since that 31-24 loss to the Texans, in which the Chiefs failed to generate a sack and allowed 192 rushing yards.
Most obviously, defensive tackle Chris Jones (who missed practice Friday after Reid said he had “tweaked his calf”) and linebacker Anthony Hitchens were out with injuries then. The Chiefs’ front seven also has been enhanced by in-season acquisitions Terrell Suggs and Mike Pennel, all part of the reason their defense gave up just 69 points in a six-game winning streak to end the regular season.
But it’s also no small factor to have a much healthier Clark against a team that actually is susceptible to the sack. Despite quarterback DeShaun Watson’s mobility, Houston has allowed 16 in its last three games.
Starting at New England, Clark has registered sacks in three of the last four games and has been much more rangy and aggressive than what he previously has called a “timid” version of himself earlier in the season.
“You never know what a guy is going through when you leave here; (my teammates) didn’t know what I was going through for a minute,” said Clark, who missed games against the Packers and Vikings. “I’ve got that ‘tough guy syndrome,’ where you don’t want to tell … what you’re going through. You want to keep everything inside and, you know, fight through, fight through.
“But it got to a point where I couldn’t fight any more. And I needed some help. I needed some advice. I needed the comfort from my teammates, understanding that they were battling through stuff too, understanding that nobody’s perfect, understanding that injuries happen.”
If there was an upside to that “tough guy syndrome,” he saw it as another way for him to influence his teammates, something the charismatic Clark takes as seriously as the Chiefs’ other crucial offseason defensive signee: safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Whether he sees it as part of his job or just part of who he is, Clark feels a duty “to come in here with a work ethic to inspire others.”
Knowing they knew he was hurting, whether by injury or by ailment, comes with knowing they are watching how he’ll handle it. Fully participating in meetings. Keeping up with his meticulous note-taking. Being engaged on the field even when he couldn’t practice or play.
“I know there’s eyes on me,” he said. “So it was really just showing the younger players, showing the guys around me, that no matter what I’m going through, no matter what challenges, whether I’m in the hospital or not, I’m here for y’all.”
And vice versa, as it happens.
Referring to time spent in the hospital with what he clarified Friday was a gastrointestinal issue related to an appendectomy in 2017, he noted that Jones and coaches, among others, had come to see him. And that Reid, “a very understanding coach,” made certain to convey that Clark’s health was the priority and he should take all the time he needs.
“Once he allowed that to happen,” Clark said, “look what happened: Everything got on the right foot.”
As long as Reid doesn’t try to ration his plays.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 5:47 PM.