Season preview: Kansas City Chiefs
By Adam Teicher, SportingNews
August 7, 2006
For five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs tried it one way: all offense all the time, with defense just along for the ride.
Though the Chiefs often played thrill-a-minute football under former coach Dick Vermeil, they usually weren't successful. They reached the playoffs once, and then they failed to win a game.
So upon Vermeil's retirement last winter, the Chiefs decided to try it a different way. They hired Herm Edwards as coach.
Though Edwards is a protege of Vermeil – he played for Vermeil with the Eagles – their styles are different. Edwards will demand the team improve a forlorn defense that could never find its way under Vermeil.
"If you look at the playoffs, obviously defense wins," Edwards says. "It's cold, and you have to play defense. It's the old saying, 'You throw to score, and you run the football to win.' But if you're going to win a championship, you have got to have a great defense. There is no doubt about it."
The major offseason personnel moves were to draft Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali in the first round and Purdue safety Bernard Pollard in the second. Both should contribute immediately – Hali as part of the line rotation and perhaps as an inside rusher in passing situations, Pollard on special teams if not on defense.
Edwards also will bring a more conservative philosophy that likely will reduce the team's offensive output. He will scale back the aggressiveness and unpredictability that were trademarks of the offense under Vermeil and former coordinator Al Saunders.
The new coordinator, Mike Solari, is a career offensive line coach who will have the Chiefs relying even more on the running game.
There's no way to predict how these philosophical changes will affect the club. The Chiefs, though, are talented enough to at least challenge for a playoff berth.
GAME PLAN
Offense: The changes from Vermeil to Edwards and Saunders to Solari could spell the end of the Chiefs' run as one of the league's top offensive teams. The keys to their success were the willingness to attack and unpredictable play-calling. Neither of those qualities will be a big part of the scheme under Edwards.
Defense: The Chiefs will use more of the Cover 2 schemes favored by Edwards previously with Tampa Bay and the Jets. The Chiefs played some Cover 2 last season, mainly on third downs, but haven't used it as their base system.
They will need to find ways to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. Coordinator Gunther Cunningham was retained, meaning the Chiefs still will frequently blitz.
SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS
QB Trent Green: Green turned 36 in July but shows no signs of decline. He has given the Chiefs everything they want from their quarterback for four seasons, and there's no reason to expect anything different in 2006.
Green is one of the league's most dependable passers. Seldom does his game stray from his standard, for better or for worse. Green is an accurate thrower, usually makes good decisions and seldom forces throws. He also has been remarkably durable. Green hasn't missed a start or been forced from a game since joining the team in 2001.
The Chiefs are more unsettled at backup than at any time since acquiring Green. Longtime reserve Todd Collins departed as a free agent, leaving Damon Huard as the leading candidate to be Green's backup. Huard knows the offense well and is capable of stepping in and helping for a short period, but the team could be in trouble if Green is out for an extended stretch.
RBs Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes: One of Edwards' first moves as coach was to make Johnson his starting running back. Smart move. In a spectacular nine-game run after taking over for injured Holmes, Johnson rushed for more than 1,350 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
Johnson can't be expected to maintain that kind of pace over 16 games, but there's no reason to think he won't again be one of the league's top backs. With his big frame, he is a good inside runner who hits the hole hard and does a solid job of keeping his feet moving after contact. He also has the quickness to turn the corner and make defensive backs miss in the open field.
Quentin Griffin, a free-agent acquisition, is versatile enough to do most of the things the Chiefs ask of their feature back, but because of his diminutive size he probably wouldn't be an adequate long-term replacement if Johnson got hurt. The Chiefs will design some packages for Holmes, whose patience and vision are in marked contrast to Johnson's angry running style. But Holmes' days as the team's primary back are over as long as Johnson remains healthy.
The defensive line: Hali might help, but his presence alone won't significantly improve this group's play. The Chiefs need several other linemen, particularly at tackle, to raise their level of play.
Tackles Ryan Sims and Junior Siavii have been disappointments since the team made them high draft picks. Sims hasn't been a bust, but he disappears at times and has been unable to stay healthy. He will start inside next to Lional Dalton, whose play slipped last season. At his best, Dalton has a quick first step and can be effective against the run.
Siavii, John Browning and free-agent addition Ron Edwards will compete for playing time inside. The Chiefs need at least one from that group to produce a strong season.
At end, Hali will join starters Eric Hicks and Jared Allen and backups Carlos Hall and Jimmy Wilkerson in the rotation. Hicks is a steady player who makes a lot of plays with sheer effort, though he sometimes gets overwhelmed at the point of attack. Allen is a consistently effective pass rusher who improved against the run last year.
Hali could eventually nudge Hicks to a reserve role and give the Chiefs another consistent pass rusher opposite Allen. Hall also figures large in their pass-rushing plans if he stays healthy, which he had trouble doing last season.
FALL FORECAST
The Chiefs have enough talent to win the AFC West or grab a wild-card spot, but a playoff berth is not a given in Edwards' first season. His philosophy – win with a strong defense and an offense that doesn't commit turnovers – doesn't appear to match the team's immediate strengths. Despite their offseason efforts to adjust personnel, the Chiefs still are built to outscore opponents, not win by low-scoring counts.
The team still has some thin position groups, cornerback in particular, that are problem areas. A key injury at wide receiver could bring the whole offense down.
Adam Teicher covers the Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Sporting News.