Berry, McCluster & Arenas State Their Case

From the Georgia Dome

There were not a lot of smiles in the Chiefs locker room after their 10-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

But on the long flight home to Kansas City after the game it’s a good bet that Scott Pioli and Todd Haley will happily compare notes on the play of their top draft choices.

On this night at least, Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas took what they have been doing on the practice field in St. Joseph and transferred it to the game field against the Falcons.

It was not a night of big numbers for anybody, let alone these guys playing in their first NFL game of any kind. But those three especially made plays and got things done. For instance:

• Berry was credited with one tackle on defense and another on special teams. He did not have much of a chance to get his hands on any passes, but he flashed several times on coverage.
• McCluster ran five times for 25 yards, working out of the halfback position, a spot where he hasn’t gotten a lot of practice time. He also caught three passes for 23 yards. He could have had another 23 yards had he not dropped one pass where he had open field in front of him.
• Arenas picked up three tackles on defense, and he had three kick returns for a 28.3-yard average. Most disappointing was a 99-yard return for a touchdown that was wiped out by a holding call against the Chiefs.

“We were all disappointed when we saw that,” said Berry. “He was so close a couple times. But then to break it and have that happen, we just have to get better.”

Six of the Chiefs seven selections for the 2010 NFL Draft were dressed and participating. The only man missing was third-round TE Tony Moeaki, who did not make the trip because of a right ankle injury that’s kept him off the practice field for the last week.

Third-round G Jon Asamoah saw a lot of playing time at both left and right guard. Fifth-round S Kendrick Lewis saw a lot of playing time at free safety and was credited with a hit on the quarterback on a blitz that forced an incompletion. Fifth-round LB Cameron Sheffield had two tackles and was credited with defending a pass.

For Berry it was a homecoming for his first NFL game. He grew up in Fairburn, a town on the edge of the Atlanta sprawl about 12 miles southwest of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and 22 miles from the Georgia Dome itself.

His family and friends couldn’t get their tickets together, so they were scattered throughout the stadium, little pockets of No. 29 in red sprinkled in with the Falcons fans.

“I was able to spot them as the game went on,” said Berry. “I wish I could have given them something to cheer about so I could have heard them.”

Berry’s tackle on special teams came on the game’s opening kickoff as he helped pull down returner Eric Weems after a 31-yard jaunt.

“It’s good when you have those pre-game butterflies if you can get the first hit out of the way early, especially on the kickoff,” said Berry, who admitted that he’s had butterflies before every game he’s played since peewee ball. “It’s just part of the experience.”

McCluster was happy to be able to contribute, although he was not happy with himself for dropping the one pass that could have been the big play.

“It was a great chance to perform, and that’s what we like to do,” McCluster said. “I’ve got to take this and learn from it and get better.”