10 questions for the Chiefs
How will the Chiefs look this season? They need to come up with some answers as they get ready to go to River Falls.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
The U.S. is out of the World Cup, and the Royals are an afterthought again before the All-Star break. What’s a poor sports schlub in Kansas City to do but count the days until training camp? It’s 33, by the way. And it should be an intriguing fall, with a new coach and a new focus … on defense.
Through two minicamps and a month of offseason workouts, Herm Edwards proved that he’s hands-on, he’s not afraid to root for the defense, and that he digs grass stains and soaked uniforms, not high-maintenance finesse.
But there are still many questions to be answered before the team packs for River Falls, Wis. Here are the biggest ones:
1 Will Priest Holmes be back?
It seemed kind of strange that the only public appearance Holmes has made in the last seven months in these parts was at a camp in Warrensburg, Mo. Then again, it’s not so strange if you know Holmes. The mystery man seems to get a chuckle out of making people second-guess him and wonder. He’s supposed to undergo some final tests to determine if he’s neurologically sound within weeks, then he’s supposed to decide if he’ll play in 2006. Don’t be surprised if the issue isn’t resolved by training camp.
2 Brodie or Casey?
The Chiefs are in somewhat of a quandary with their quarterback situation. For the first time in, well, forever, they have two developmental quarterbacks — Brodie Croyle and Casey Printers — who are progressing well. So who do they keep after training camp? And do they risk losing one of them? Herm would be hard-pressed to carry four quarterbacks on his roster. Could one of the young guys look so good in River Falls that he leapfrogs Damon Huard?
3 How about that other rookie?
When asked last week which draft picks had impressed him the most, Edwards said he wasn’t going to mention defensive end Tamba Hali. “He is what he is,” Edwards said. “What you saw in college, he’s doing the same thing out here. He doesn’t impress me; we expected that out of him.” Hali was running with the No. 1 defense for much of the spring, but part of that was because Eric Hicks is recovering from shoulder surgery. We know Tamba will play a lot. He may even start.
4 How much will Al Saunders’ departure hurt the offense?
You knew these two guys probably couldn’t coexist — a high-flying offensive guru and a defensive-minded coach who wants to run the ball more. As much as Dick Vermeil was proud of the fact that the Chiefs had the No. 1 offense the last two years, Edwards knows it wasn’t enough to get them in the playoffs. He wants the offense to help the defense more. What that means on Sundays is anybody’s guess.
5 Has now or never finally come for Ryan Sims?
Remember last year in River Falls, when everybody was buzzing about the new-and-improved Ryan Sims? Sims had a little setback. He injured his foot in the season opener, then showed up for minicamp a few pounds heavy. Sims recently has drawn the ire of defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, and maybe Gun can make him his next project, a la Kawika Mitchell. This much is known — it’s been four years since the Chiefs made Sims an early first-round draft pick, and the clock is running.
6 Willie Roaf’s really coming back, right?
Roaf said this spring that the excitement at the end of 2005 compelled him to come back for another season. But the 11-time Pro Bowl tackle hasn’t been around in recent offseason workouts, prompting the rumor that maybe he’d had a change of heart. Edwards is counting on him being back. “He’s fine,” Edwards said. “He’s with his family, with his kids.”
7 If Priest can’t go, who will back up L.J.?
The Chiefs plan to run the ball more in 2006, and Larry Johnson (below) can’t carry the whole load. Dee Brown appears to have made a big impression with the coaches this spring. Brown, added to the roster after Holmes went down last fall, is a well-traveled veteran with stops at Carolina, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
8 Can Larry run for 2,000 yards?
The numbers say it’s plausible. He’s not splitting time with Priest anymore, and he did rush for 1,750 yards despite not starting nearly half of the season. The bigger question could be this: Now that Johnson is officially The Man, how will he handle it? Johnson was present at all the offseason workouts, and early indications say he’ll embrace it.
9 Where does Kyle Turley fit into the Chiefs’ plans?
With the surprise retirement of John Welbourn, big. Turley looks kind of skinny right now to be an offensive lineman, but Edwards is confident Turley will be much bigger by River Falls. “The one thing he brings that he can’t show right now,” Edwards said, “is when he puts the pads on and it becomes a physical game.”
10 Will Ty Law look good in red and gold?
OK, we know the Law talk is getting old. We’re sick of hearing about the guy who installed his cable in Overland Park and the cab driver who overheard he’s on his way. Good news is, it’ll be over soon. Expect Edwards to chat with his old friend a couple of times now that practice is over, and maybe they’ll get something worked out. Then again, maybe Law will go back to New England and out of the Kansas City consciousness forever.
