Post by MizzouTiger on Feb 3, 2008 12:07:07 GMT -5
sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=sportsxchange-teamreports-2008-nfl-kan&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report
Chiefs Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Inside Slant
Can Chan Gailey bring coach Herm Edwards the kind of tough, physical offense he's dreamed of in two years in Kansas City?
That's what Edwards is hoping for in hiring Gailey as his offensive coordinator. The former Dallas Cowboys and most recently Georgia Tech coach, a man renowned for helping establish hard-nosed running games at Pittsburgh and Dallas, replaced vanquished coordinator Mike Solari, a leftover from the thingy Vermeil go-go offense.
"Toughness" is a theme Edwards is emphasizing as he attempts to rebuild a once-potential offense that through age and attrition melted down to dead last in rushing and next-to-worst in scoring and total yards during last year's 4-12 meltdown that saw the Chiefs lose their final nine games after a 4-3 start.
"The best compliment I can pay Chan Gailey is that he is tough," Edwards said. "He's been through the battles as both a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. He's called the plays and he has performed under pressure.
"Wherever he's coached, he has designed dynamic offenses to take full advantage of his players' skills," Edwards added. "He understands how to orchestrate a balanced offensive plan. He's going to be a good fit for our philosophy and our football team.
"The Chiefs will be better because of Chan Gailey."
To be better, Gailey will need far better players than those who finished a miserable season. And while system-wide changes are planned, the scope of the rebuilding project is likely too large to get things turned around in a year.
The Chiefs likely will have to replace the entire right side of their offensive line. There is no proven fullback to help in the running game. The team's best wide receiver is still Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, and there's no effective complement yet for rookie sensation Dwayne Bowe. Quarterback Brodie Croyle still is looking for his first NFL win, and running back Larry Johnson will be coming back from a broken foot that cost him a half season.
Even with all the gaps, Gailey brings a reputation for having been there, done that.
He's called plays in a Super Bowl (as Denver's offensive coordinator in 1989), and has been an assistant in three others. As Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator in 1996 and '97, he helped develop a Steelers running attack that ranked second and first, respectively, in NFL rushing.
Edwards now will have two coordinators with head-coaching experience. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham went .500 in two seasons as KC's head man, and Gailey went 10-6 and 8-8 in two years with Dallas.
The 56-year-old Gailey, who helped coach a pair of 11-5 teams in back-to-back seasons at Miami, was 44-32 with six straight bowl appearances as Georgia Tech's head coach. He was fired last November after a sixth season in which he could not beat rival Georgia.
Notes, Quotes
• The Chiefs remain hopeful of getting two former players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during this year's balloting.
The late Derrick Thomas has been named one of 17 finalists for the third year in which he's been eligible. Also up for consideration is former Chiefs corner and interim Atlanta Falcons coach Emmitt Thomas, a nominee of the Hall of Fame's Seniors Committee.
The Class of 2008 will be announced after the final balloting on Saturday, Feb. 2 before the Super Bowl.
• Retired Chiefs coach thingy Vermeil has returned to coaching briefly as the coach of the East team in Saturday's East-West Shrine game in Houston. Vermeil's opposite on the West team will be Mike White, the former Raiders coach and long-time Vermeil assistant at St. Louis and Kansas City.
Vermeil solicited several of his former players and coaches to help in the college all-star game. Will Shields volunteered to help coach the offensive line, while Martin Bayless and Eric Warfield will help with the secondary.
Quote To Note: "At the age of 71, all this is going to induce is a nap." -- thingy Vermeil, asked if a brief return to coaching in the East-West Shrine Game might induce a more permanent return to coaching.
Strategy And Personnel
In selecting Chan Gailey as his offensive coordinator, Herm Edwards picked the former Dallas head coach over three other interviewed candidates.
The Chiefs also talked to Mike Shula, former Alabama head coach now with the Jacksonville Jaguars; Eric Price, offensive coordinator at UTEP; and Jim Fassel, former Giants head coach who recently was deposed at Baltimore.
• The Chiefs thought they were close to landing noted offensive line coach Alex Gibbs as an assistant coach, but Gibbs reportedly accepted a better offer at Houston. His son, David Gibbs, is Kansas City's secondary coach.
• The Chiefs have signed a pair of kickers after going through three in 2007. Billy Cundiff, who once kicked for Dallas, and Nick Novak (Arizona, Washington) will be given offseason looks that likely will result in a training-camp invite for at least one, if not both.
The Chiefs haven't written veteran John Carney out of their plans just yet after he successfully converted all his short kicks with the team late in the season.
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
Quarterback: Starter -- Brodie Croyle. Backups -- Damon Huard, David Greene, Tyler Thigpen (injured reserve).
Veteran Huard started the season when second-year man Croyle didn't play well enough in preseason to win a job that could have been his from the start. Despite being battered by an offensive line that couldn't protect him, Huard led KC to a surprising 4-3 start before getting so beat up he couldn't answer the bell in Week 10. Croyle started six of the final seven games, none of them wins. He made some plays and missed a lot of others. His 69.9 passer rating is reflective of his six TDs against six picks. Whether he deserves the job or not, he'll be the incumbent starter and the team's resident hope for the future. Huard (76.8 with 11 TDs and 13 picks) will be there again if Croyle can't cut it.
Running Backs: Starter -- Larry Johnson (injured). Backups -- RB Kolby Smith, FB Kris Wilson, FB Boomer Grigsby, RB Jackie Battle, RB Gilbert Harris.
Once one of the league's most respected running games, offensive line problems and injuries set the Chiefs spinning to a dead-last rating with only 78 rushing yards a game -- the worst production in years. The Chiefs were 4-3 when Johnson, a 1,700-yard rusher in the previous two seasons, went down against Green Bay with what he later confirmed was a broken bone in his foot. The Chiefs kept him on the active roster in hopes that he would return, but he couldn't. Not that LJ was running especially well at the time of his injury. With his offensive line suddenly showing its age, Johnson was averaging only 3.5 yards on 158 carries when he was pulled down from behind and injured. Priest Holmes attempted a brief comeback before retiring with a recurrence of the neck problems that forced him out of action in 2005. Rookie Smith stepped up nicely in six starts. He showed some nice flashes, including some elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability, but still averaged only 3.6 a carry. Neither converted TE Wilson nor converted LB Grigsby showed signs of being a reliable fullback.
Tight Ends: Starter -- Tony Gonzalez. Backups -- Jason Dunn, Michael Allen.
Gonzalez again emerged as the team's most consistent receiving threat at age 31. With 99 catches, he just missed his second career 100-catch season, but he didn't miss many balls thrown his way, double coverages notwithstanding. He passed Shannon Sharpe as the No. 1 career reception leader among NFL tight ends with 820. He also took the career lead in TD receptions (66). Gonzalez truly shows no signs of wearing down, though the frustrations of a 4-12 season clearly are weighing on him. Dunn's famed blocking ability wasn't what it used to be, and he likely won't return as the offensive line's sixth member. Allen has a solid shot at a roster spot here next year after spending the entire season on the practice squad.
Wide Receivers: Starters -- Dwayne Bowe, Jeff Webb. Backups -- Eddie Kennison (injured reserve), Samie Parker, Bobby Sippio.
Bowe was everything the Chiefs hoped to get from their first-round pick of 2007. He was a starter by the second game after vet Eddie Kennison pulled a hamstring on the first offensive play of the season and was never a factor the rest of the way. He caught 70 passes for 995 yards, best in both categories among all rookie receivers. He was especially good in jump-ball situations in which he produced several of his five TDs. But there was little behind him and Gonzalez. Webb is a third-receiver type who will be an incumbent starter now that Kennison no longer figures in the picture at age 34. Parker may not be asked back. Sippio was a training-camp standout who rarely saw game-day activation.
Offensive Line: Starters -- LT Damion McIntosh, LG Brian Waters, C Casey Wiegmann, RG John Welbourn, RT Will Svitek. Backups -- Herb Taylor, Tre Stallings, Kyle Turley (injured reserve), Rudy Niswanger (injured reserve), Chris Bober (injured reserve).
The offseason retirement of Pro Bowl RG Will Shields set into motion a landslide that adversely affected the entire Chiefs offense, the league's worst in rushing and next-to-worst in scoring. Welbourn was supposed to be an acceptable replacement in moving from RT back to a position he played in Philadelphia, but age and injuries kept him from doing so. LT McIntosh, KC's biggest free-agent acquisition, sprained a knee in camp and played hurt all year. Wiegmann was never as effective in Edwards' power game as he was as a pulling player in the Vermeil approach to the same offense. Chris Terry and Turley split time at RT, and neither was effective. Terry was cut after missing a team practice late in the year, and the oft-injured Turley has since announced his intention to retire. Svitek had to play both left and right tackle as a replacement. He fought gamely enough to merit a starting shot next year, but right now he looks like an acceptable backup at best. The team has high hopes for the injured Niswanger at either center or guard.
Defensive Line: Starters -- LDE Tamba Hali, LT Ron Edwards, RT Alfonso Boone, RDE Jared Allen. Backups -- DE/DT Jimmy Wilkerson, DT Tank Tyler, DE/DT Turk McBride, DT James Reed, DE Khreem Smith.
Allen had the kind of year players dream of prior to their first shot at unrestricted free agency. Despite being suspended for the first two games (following a DUI conviction), the clean-and-sober Allen recorded a league-high 15.5 sacks and won his first Pro Bowl designation, a starting one at that. He was a constant presence in opposing backfields, but sometimes could be overpowered at the point of attack. Hali had a bit of a sophomore slump, but injuries had a lot to do with that. He still looks like the Chiefs LDE for years to come. Free-agent acquisition Boone was a nice addition inside. His 31 tackles were tops among interior defenders. Edwards chipped in three sacks, but his future here is uncertain. Rookies McBride and Tyler didn't play at the first-year level the team hoped to see from their second- and third-round draft picks, but they were showing enough late that coaches still believe in both.
Linebackers: Starters -- LOB Derrick Johnson, MLB Napoleon Harris, ROB Donnie Edwards. Backups -- OLB Keyaron Fox, MLB Nate Harris, OLB Kendrell Bell, OLB Johnny Baldwin (injured reserve), OLB Pat Thomas (injured reserve).
Johnson remains something of a mystery. He'll make plays, especially early in a game, that make you think he can put a team on his back. Then he'll almost disappear. He led the team with 16 tackles for loss, and had his first career picks (two). If he establishes some consistency, he can be a great one. Harris was supposed to be the classic Cover 2 middle linebacker, especially in his ability to drop into coverage. He wasn't a huge difference-maker, but he did lead the team with 123 tackles. Edwards' return to Kansas City after five seasons in his native San Diego was a mixed bag. At age 34, he could still make big plays on occasion, but age and a late-season hamstring injury kept him from being the turnover machine he was earlier in his career. There's not much quality among the backups, though Fox shows flashes. Bell's time with KC likely is over after having been a big-name free-agent acquisition.
Defensive Backs: Starters -- LCB Ty Law, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Jarrad Page, RCB Patrick Surtain. Backups -- S Greg Wesley, CB Benny Sapp, CB Tyrone Brackenridge (injured reserve), CB Dimitri Patterson, S Jon McGraw, CB Rashad Barksdale.
Law (33) and Surtain (31) were showing their age in 2007. Once one of the league's most respected press-coverage players, Law started giving up ground before the snap in an attempt to keep receivers in front of him. The prospective Hall of Famer likely doesn't figure in the team's 2008 plans. Surtain might have a spot here, but his play also deteriorated with time. Sapp is the closest thing to a ready replacement -- probably the only thing close to a replacement. Safeties Page and Pollard are poster boys for the team's rebuilding movement, and that's a concern. Draftees in 2006 and starters in 2007, they're as inclined to miss plays as make them, and they do both. Neither are proven open-field tacklers. Pollard will clobber a runner in tight quarters, then miss him completely in the open field. He remains susceptible to the double move. Page is a decent cover guy, but not accomplished enough as a tackler to be the last line of defense. Wesley may be the best pure safety, but the one-time starter likely no longer figures in the team's plans because of the youth movement.
Special Teams: K John Carney, P Dustin Colquitt, LS John Philippe Darche, KR Eddie Drummond.
The 44-year-old Carney finished the season hitting all three middle-range field goals (38, 36, 40) after KC cut draftee Justin Medlock and Dave Rayner, but he doesn't have the leg he once did and likely doesn't figure in the team's plans. Colquitt was, on occasion, the team's best defensive weapon. He averaged 45.5 gross yards with a 39.1 net on 95 punts -- one of the league's highest counts. Drummond was added to the roster coming out of training camp when the Chiefs didn't like what they had in the return game. They still don't. Drummond provided nothing with a kickoff return average of 21.2 and a mere 6.9 on punt returns. He clearly doesn't figure in the team's future.
Chiefs Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Inside Slant
Can Chan Gailey bring coach Herm Edwards the kind of tough, physical offense he's dreamed of in two years in Kansas City?
That's what Edwards is hoping for in hiring Gailey as his offensive coordinator. The former Dallas Cowboys and most recently Georgia Tech coach, a man renowned for helping establish hard-nosed running games at Pittsburgh and Dallas, replaced vanquished coordinator Mike Solari, a leftover from the thingy Vermeil go-go offense.
"Toughness" is a theme Edwards is emphasizing as he attempts to rebuild a once-potential offense that through age and attrition melted down to dead last in rushing and next-to-worst in scoring and total yards during last year's 4-12 meltdown that saw the Chiefs lose their final nine games after a 4-3 start.
"The best compliment I can pay Chan Gailey is that he is tough," Edwards said. "He's been through the battles as both a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. He's called the plays and he has performed under pressure.
"Wherever he's coached, he has designed dynamic offenses to take full advantage of his players' skills," Edwards added. "He understands how to orchestrate a balanced offensive plan. He's going to be a good fit for our philosophy and our football team.
"The Chiefs will be better because of Chan Gailey."
To be better, Gailey will need far better players than those who finished a miserable season. And while system-wide changes are planned, the scope of the rebuilding project is likely too large to get things turned around in a year.
The Chiefs likely will have to replace the entire right side of their offensive line. There is no proven fullback to help in the running game. The team's best wide receiver is still Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, and there's no effective complement yet for rookie sensation Dwayne Bowe. Quarterback Brodie Croyle still is looking for his first NFL win, and running back Larry Johnson will be coming back from a broken foot that cost him a half season.
Even with all the gaps, Gailey brings a reputation for having been there, done that.
He's called plays in a Super Bowl (as Denver's offensive coordinator in 1989), and has been an assistant in three others. As Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator in 1996 and '97, he helped develop a Steelers running attack that ranked second and first, respectively, in NFL rushing.
Edwards now will have two coordinators with head-coaching experience. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham went .500 in two seasons as KC's head man, and Gailey went 10-6 and 8-8 in two years with Dallas.
The 56-year-old Gailey, who helped coach a pair of 11-5 teams in back-to-back seasons at Miami, was 44-32 with six straight bowl appearances as Georgia Tech's head coach. He was fired last November after a sixth season in which he could not beat rival Georgia.
Notes, Quotes
• The Chiefs remain hopeful of getting two former players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during this year's balloting.
The late Derrick Thomas has been named one of 17 finalists for the third year in which he's been eligible. Also up for consideration is former Chiefs corner and interim Atlanta Falcons coach Emmitt Thomas, a nominee of the Hall of Fame's Seniors Committee.
The Class of 2008 will be announced after the final balloting on Saturday, Feb. 2 before the Super Bowl.
• Retired Chiefs coach thingy Vermeil has returned to coaching briefly as the coach of the East team in Saturday's East-West Shrine game in Houston. Vermeil's opposite on the West team will be Mike White, the former Raiders coach and long-time Vermeil assistant at St. Louis and Kansas City.
Vermeil solicited several of his former players and coaches to help in the college all-star game. Will Shields volunteered to help coach the offensive line, while Martin Bayless and Eric Warfield will help with the secondary.
Quote To Note: "At the age of 71, all this is going to induce is a nap." -- thingy Vermeil, asked if a brief return to coaching in the East-West Shrine Game might induce a more permanent return to coaching.
Strategy And Personnel
In selecting Chan Gailey as his offensive coordinator, Herm Edwards picked the former Dallas head coach over three other interviewed candidates.
The Chiefs also talked to Mike Shula, former Alabama head coach now with the Jacksonville Jaguars; Eric Price, offensive coordinator at UTEP; and Jim Fassel, former Giants head coach who recently was deposed at Baltimore.
• The Chiefs thought they were close to landing noted offensive line coach Alex Gibbs as an assistant coach, but Gibbs reportedly accepted a better offer at Houston. His son, David Gibbs, is Kansas City's secondary coach.
• The Chiefs have signed a pair of kickers after going through three in 2007. Billy Cundiff, who once kicked for Dallas, and Nick Novak (Arizona, Washington) will be given offseason looks that likely will result in a training-camp invite for at least one, if not both.
The Chiefs haven't written veteran John Carney out of their plans just yet after he successfully converted all his short kicks with the team late in the season.
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
Quarterback: Starter -- Brodie Croyle. Backups -- Damon Huard, David Greene, Tyler Thigpen (injured reserve).
Veteran Huard started the season when second-year man Croyle didn't play well enough in preseason to win a job that could have been his from the start. Despite being battered by an offensive line that couldn't protect him, Huard led KC to a surprising 4-3 start before getting so beat up he couldn't answer the bell in Week 10. Croyle started six of the final seven games, none of them wins. He made some plays and missed a lot of others. His 69.9 passer rating is reflective of his six TDs against six picks. Whether he deserves the job or not, he'll be the incumbent starter and the team's resident hope for the future. Huard (76.8 with 11 TDs and 13 picks) will be there again if Croyle can't cut it.
Running Backs: Starter -- Larry Johnson (injured). Backups -- RB Kolby Smith, FB Kris Wilson, FB Boomer Grigsby, RB Jackie Battle, RB Gilbert Harris.
Once one of the league's most respected running games, offensive line problems and injuries set the Chiefs spinning to a dead-last rating with only 78 rushing yards a game -- the worst production in years. The Chiefs were 4-3 when Johnson, a 1,700-yard rusher in the previous two seasons, went down against Green Bay with what he later confirmed was a broken bone in his foot. The Chiefs kept him on the active roster in hopes that he would return, but he couldn't. Not that LJ was running especially well at the time of his injury. With his offensive line suddenly showing its age, Johnson was averaging only 3.5 yards on 158 carries when he was pulled down from behind and injured. Priest Holmes attempted a brief comeback before retiring with a recurrence of the neck problems that forced him out of action in 2005. Rookie Smith stepped up nicely in six starts. He showed some nice flashes, including some elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability, but still averaged only 3.6 a carry. Neither converted TE Wilson nor converted LB Grigsby showed signs of being a reliable fullback.
Tight Ends: Starter -- Tony Gonzalez. Backups -- Jason Dunn, Michael Allen.
Gonzalez again emerged as the team's most consistent receiving threat at age 31. With 99 catches, he just missed his second career 100-catch season, but he didn't miss many balls thrown his way, double coverages notwithstanding. He passed Shannon Sharpe as the No. 1 career reception leader among NFL tight ends with 820. He also took the career lead in TD receptions (66). Gonzalez truly shows no signs of wearing down, though the frustrations of a 4-12 season clearly are weighing on him. Dunn's famed blocking ability wasn't what it used to be, and he likely won't return as the offensive line's sixth member. Allen has a solid shot at a roster spot here next year after spending the entire season on the practice squad.
Wide Receivers: Starters -- Dwayne Bowe, Jeff Webb. Backups -- Eddie Kennison (injured reserve), Samie Parker, Bobby Sippio.
Bowe was everything the Chiefs hoped to get from their first-round pick of 2007. He was a starter by the second game after vet Eddie Kennison pulled a hamstring on the first offensive play of the season and was never a factor the rest of the way. He caught 70 passes for 995 yards, best in both categories among all rookie receivers. He was especially good in jump-ball situations in which he produced several of his five TDs. But there was little behind him and Gonzalez. Webb is a third-receiver type who will be an incumbent starter now that Kennison no longer figures in the picture at age 34. Parker may not be asked back. Sippio was a training-camp standout who rarely saw game-day activation.
Offensive Line: Starters -- LT Damion McIntosh, LG Brian Waters, C Casey Wiegmann, RG John Welbourn, RT Will Svitek. Backups -- Herb Taylor, Tre Stallings, Kyle Turley (injured reserve), Rudy Niswanger (injured reserve), Chris Bober (injured reserve).
The offseason retirement of Pro Bowl RG Will Shields set into motion a landslide that adversely affected the entire Chiefs offense, the league's worst in rushing and next-to-worst in scoring. Welbourn was supposed to be an acceptable replacement in moving from RT back to a position he played in Philadelphia, but age and injuries kept him from doing so. LT McIntosh, KC's biggest free-agent acquisition, sprained a knee in camp and played hurt all year. Wiegmann was never as effective in Edwards' power game as he was as a pulling player in the Vermeil approach to the same offense. Chris Terry and Turley split time at RT, and neither was effective. Terry was cut after missing a team practice late in the year, and the oft-injured Turley has since announced his intention to retire. Svitek had to play both left and right tackle as a replacement. He fought gamely enough to merit a starting shot next year, but right now he looks like an acceptable backup at best. The team has high hopes for the injured Niswanger at either center or guard.
Defensive Line: Starters -- LDE Tamba Hali, LT Ron Edwards, RT Alfonso Boone, RDE Jared Allen. Backups -- DE/DT Jimmy Wilkerson, DT Tank Tyler, DE/DT Turk McBride, DT James Reed, DE Khreem Smith.
Allen had the kind of year players dream of prior to their first shot at unrestricted free agency. Despite being suspended for the first two games (following a DUI conviction), the clean-and-sober Allen recorded a league-high 15.5 sacks and won his first Pro Bowl designation, a starting one at that. He was a constant presence in opposing backfields, but sometimes could be overpowered at the point of attack. Hali had a bit of a sophomore slump, but injuries had a lot to do with that. He still looks like the Chiefs LDE for years to come. Free-agent acquisition Boone was a nice addition inside. His 31 tackles were tops among interior defenders. Edwards chipped in three sacks, but his future here is uncertain. Rookies McBride and Tyler didn't play at the first-year level the team hoped to see from their second- and third-round draft picks, but they were showing enough late that coaches still believe in both.
Linebackers: Starters -- LOB Derrick Johnson, MLB Napoleon Harris, ROB Donnie Edwards. Backups -- OLB Keyaron Fox, MLB Nate Harris, OLB Kendrell Bell, OLB Johnny Baldwin (injured reserve), OLB Pat Thomas (injured reserve).
Johnson remains something of a mystery. He'll make plays, especially early in a game, that make you think he can put a team on his back. Then he'll almost disappear. He led the team with 16 tackles for loss, and had his first career picks (two). If he establishes some consistency, he can be a great one. Harris was supposed to be the classic Cover 2 middle linebacker, especially in his ability to drop into coverage. He wasn't a huge difference-maker, but he did lead the team with 123 tackles. Edwards' return to Kansas City after five seasons in his native San Diego was a mixed bag. At age 34, he could still make big plays on occasion, but age and a late-season hamstring injury kept him from being the turnover machine he was earlier in his career. There's not much quality among the backups, though Fox shows flashes. Bell's time with KC likely is over after having been a big-name free-agent acquisition.
Defensive Backs: Starters -- LCB Ty Law, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Jarrad Page, RCB Patrick Surtain. Backups -- S Greg Wesley, CB Benny Sapp, CB Tyrone Brackenridge (injured reserve), CB Dimitri Patterson, S Jon McGraw, CB Rashad Barksdale.
Law (33) and Surtain (31) were showing their age in 2007. Once one of the league's most respected press-coverage players, Law started giving up ground before the snap in an attempt to keep receivers in front of him. The prospective Hall of Famer likely doesn't figure in the team's 2008 plans. Surtain might have a spot here, but his play also deteriorated with time. Sapp is the closest thing to a ready replacement -- probably the only thing close to a replacement. Safeties Page and Pollard are poster boys for the team's rebuilding movement, and that's a concern. Draftees in 2006 and starters in 2007, they're as inclined to miss plays as make them, and they do both. Neither are proven open-field tacklers. Pollard will clobber a runner in tight quarters, then miss him completely in the open field. He remains susceptible to the double move. Page is a decent cover guy, but not accomplished enough as a tackler to be the last line of defense. Wesley may be the best pure safety, but the one-time starter likely no longer figures in the team's plans because of the youth movement.
Special Teams: K John Carney, P Dustin Colquitt, LS John Philippe Darche, KR Eddie Drummond.
The 44-year-old Carney finished the season hitting all three middle-range field goals (38, 36, 40) after KC cut draftee Justin Medlock and Dave Rayner, but he doesn't have the leg he once did and likely doesn't figure in the team's plans. Colquitt was, on occasion, the team's best defensive weapon. He averaged 45.5 gross yards with a 39.1 net on 95 punts -- one of the league's highest counts. Drummond was added to the roster coming out of training camp when the Chiefs didn't like what they had in the return game. They still don't. Drummond provided nothing with a kickoff return average of 21.2 and a mere 6.9 on punt returns. He clearly doesn't figure in the team's future.