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July 23rd, 2009
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 Five keys for the Chiefs heading into camp Five keys for the Chiefs heading into camp By ADAM "Water Head" TEICHER | THE KANSAS CITY STAR ateicher@kcstar.com When longtime president/general manager Carl Peterson was dismissed late last year, it was evident the Chiefs were in for a busy offseason. As things turned out, the turnover was more dramatic than anyone expected. Coach Herm Edwards quickly followed Peterson, and the Chiefs eventually traded tight end Tony Gonzalez, a franchise icon and last remaining link to the glory days of Marty Schottenheimer. In are general manager Scott Pioli, coach Todd Haley and quarterback Matt Cassel (left), but that’s not all. At least 36 of the 80 players they will bring to the start of training camp next week at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls are new to the Chiefs. “When a guy takes over, he tries to put his own stamp on it whether it’s right or it’s wrong,” said the coach of a Chiefs’ opponent. “You feel to some extent you’ve got to kind of say this is where you’re going and what you want to do. That’s certainly evident right now in what they’ve been doing there.” The laborious process of fitting together the many new pieces begins with the first camp practice on Aug. 1. 1. Elvis Bono is the man After three seasons spent wondering, “Who’s the quarterback?” the Chiefs finally have their answer. Now it’s up to them to make sure Cassel succeeds. Their initial efforts at surrounding him with talent — trading Gonzalez, picking up 33-year-old guard Mike Goff as their only major acquisition — were underwhelming. So job one for Haley, coordinator Chan Gailey and the rest of the offensive staff is to find ways to not only keep Cassel healthy but also allow him to flourish. 2. Take a bow, Dwayne The Chiefs need to replace not only the catches, yardage and touchdowns lost in the Gonzalez trade, but also the security blanket he provided for the quarterback. While the Chiefs can’t and won’t ask Dwayne Bowe to be their next Gonzalez, it is time he becomes a consistent receiver. If he merely catches what he dropped last season, Bowe becomes a Pro Bowler and Cassel has his go-to guy. 3. Find sacks — and lots of them That may seem a tall order for a team that had only 10 last season and added not a single significant pass rusher. But the Chiefs could easily triple last year’s total under new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. One of the offseason’s underrated hirings was that of Pendergast, who made a lot out of a little last year as the coordinator in Arizona. The Chiefs will, as the Cardinals did last season, have so many different looks that they can’t help but confuse the opponent at times. They will get more sacks with scheme than with personnel, a good thing because the Chiefs lack high-quality pass rushers. 4. Color them Brown It’s a good sign if veteran strong safety Mike Brown wins a starting job ahead of Bernard Pollard. It means the 31-year-old Brown can still make game-turning plays that he did for so many years with Chicago. Other than free safety Jarrad Page, who has shown the knack for making the big play at the right time, that element has long been missing from the Chiefs’ defense. If Brown does win the job, he might be the biggest immediate impact defender acquired by the Chiefs in the offseason, bigger than Tyson Jackson, Zach Thomas or Mike Vrabel. 5. Many happy returns The Chiefs have lacked an adequate kickoff and punt returner since they traded Dante Hall two years ago. It’s time for that to change. The Chiefs could use the field position boost (not to mention the occasional touchdown) that Hall once provided for them. Despite the obvious need, the Chiefs weren’t very aggressive in recruiting one or more strong candidates, so they will sort through a group that includes sixth-round pick Quinten Lawrence as well as second-year players Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage and hope to find some undiscovered talent. 
__________________ http://www.orangemane.com/ Perhaps the lowest day in Chiefs' history came on January 2, 1983, when they drew 11,902 fans to a season ending 37-13 win over the New York Jets. On that same day, the now defunct Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League attracted 15,000 to their game at Kemper Arena.      |
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