Chiefs want even more out of Davis

In the wake of the Chiefs’ first win of the season last Sunday, running back Knile Davis was spent, yet fulfilled.

It was a good feeling, the kind that comes with hitting the trifecta — rushing for over 100 yards, scoring a touchdown and getting the victory. For a running back, that constitutes a hard day’s work, and it was the first time Davis has been able to say he’s done so since his college days at Arkansas.

“I finally got 100 yards, I scored and we won,” said Davis, a third-round pick in 2013. “So I was pretty much happy.”

As he should have been. In the Chiefs’ 34-15 victory over the Dolphins, Davis set career highs with 32 attempts and 132 yards, and also scored a touchdown. Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who has a reputation for pushing his players hard, even congratulated him afterward.

“Coach E.B. just said ‘Way to fight and come away with the win,’” Davis recalled.

But the nature of the NFL is such that nothing short of a Super Bowl victory lasts too long. So during the next day’s film review, Davis heard all about the things he needed to improve.

“He congratulated me, then ripped me the next day,” Davis said with a laugh.

Start with his two fumbles on Sunday. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said one, which he simply dropped it and recovered, was a bit fluky. On the other, Davis needed to do a better job covering it up in traffic.

Davis, who was a noted fumbler in college, has worked hard to put those problems behind him since he arrived in the pros. Sunday’s game was yet another reminder of that.

“I’ve put more emphasis on putting it high-and-tight, like the Alabama running backs,” Davis said. “I try to do that … Sometimes in the game, being a playmaker, you forget about the ball because you’re trying to make a play.”

Another area where Davis wants to make improvement is his pass protection. Pro Football Focus credited Davis with two sacks allowed on Sunday, one of which led to a safety.

Davis knows he needs to improve in this area because Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a noted defensive mastermind, doesn’t miss opponent’s weaknesses.

“I can definitely be better,” Davis said. “Sometimes pass blocking has to do with communication. So as long as we’re on the same page and everybody knows who they’ve got, I think as a group, we’ll be fine this week.”

Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson agreed, adding the job of protecting quarterback Alex Smith won’t just fall on Davis.

“Alex helps him out on those as far as who to block,” Pederson said. “It all starts with the proper identification of linebackers and or safeties with the front and it just becomes a pride thing.”

On an individual level, Pederson is encouraged by the fact Davis wants to block.

“Knile’s a willing participant to stick his nose in there,” Pederson said. “He’s going to make mistakes, but the fact that he’s showing the willingness to block is important.”

The last area where Davis wants to improve is his receiving ability, which is an important fact of Reid’s offense. He’s caught seven passes for 29 yards this season, including a career-high six catches against Denver in week two, but also has two drops this season.

“But I could be better at running, too,” Davis said. “It’s just a process, and I’m getting there.”

His coaches aren’t debating that. The number one thing he is called on to do is run the ball, and there’s little doubt how much he’s improved in that area since last season.

Davis has nudged his yards-per-carry average up from 3.5 in 2013 to 3.9 this season, which he attributes to his improved vision and patience behind the line of scrimmage.

“I think it’s slowed down for him, that’s one of the big things,” Reid said. “When you first get into it, everything is moving fast, you might miss a read here or there. But with reps, things kind of slow down and you kind of figure it all out.”

Davis agreed, though he noted his college experience at Arkansas, which used a similar zone-blocking running scheme, has helped him adjust in that respect.

“It’s still fundamentally the same, it’s just guys are smarter and they play the cutback lanes so you’ve got to be more patient,” Davis said. “The safeties do a good job of playing downhill and filling the backside, whereas in college they really didn’t. You had more holes to run through.”

Reid, however, is comfortable with the improvement Davis has shown in this area and the others. That’s why he was so happy to see him step up against the Dolphins on Sunday, in what was just the latest positive sign in the young runner’s development.

“He’s so diligent and matter-of-fact about what he does,” Reid said. “You’re always pulling for him to do what he did the other day because he works so hard.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2014 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Chiefs want even more out of Davis."