2009 Record: 4-12, Fourth in Division
2009 Playoff Record: Did Not Qualify
Key Losses: Mike Brown, Sean Ryan, Bobby Wade
Key Additions: Eric Berry, Casey Weigmann, Thomas Jones
Perhaps that is a fairly rough treatment out of the gate, but the Chiefs have consistently been in the bottom four of the league since they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Colts four years ago. Since then they have compiled a 10-38 record and been among the most consistently losing teams along with the Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Rams, and Bills. In fact, if not for the 1-15 seasons posted by some of these teams and the dubiously historic win-less season by the Lions, the Chiefs might be considered the worst team in the NFL over the past few years. Their stock is going up, however, and they are making improvements in key areas with good, high draft picks, which have historically been the start to many teams' rebuilding. They don't have an easy road back to the playoffs, though, and with the improvement of the Broncos and Raiders they could be looking at yet another disappointing season.
Make no mistake, some of the moves they have made are big. Their free agent pickups, particularly, have been quietly phenomenal. I mentioned center Casey Wiegmann as being a key loss for the Denver Broncos, and conversely he is a big pickup for a Chiefs team with a line that gave up 45 sacks and almost 90 hits last season. Stability at center should greatly improve that, and the Chiefs line is no slouch when it comes to rushing yards, almost breaking 2,000 last season. They were able to pick up wideout Chris Chambers from the Chargers near the midpoint of last season, and he was able to put up a couple of 100 yard plus games against the Browns and Steelers. He should be a major focal of this offense in the 2010 season, under what the Chiefs hope will be a much improved passing attack. Their biggest offseason acquisition, though, is perennial 1,000 yard rusher Thomas Jones, who should be a good leader for the pair of young backs the Chiefs have in 2009 rookie standout Jamaal Charles and 2010 second round pick Dexter McCluster. Jones has been one of the more underrated backs in the league in recent seasons; while Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, and Adrian Peterson have been getting attention for having good seasons early in their career, Thomas has been posting 1,000 yard seasons consistently for the past five seasons with the Jets and Bears. He's a major boost to any backfield, and his presence should take a good deal of pressure off of Matt Cassel.
Their draft was also quietly impressive. Eric Berry was a major pickup, but also key to improving a secondary that ranked 22 in the league in yards allowed will be second rounder Javier Arenas. The rest of their picks were dedicated to improving key positions, though they still haven't paid much attention to the position of tight end, which figures to be more of a focal point under new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. The secondary will be greatly improved, adding the two rookies to standout third year corner Brandon Flowers, but problems still exist in the run defense. The Chiefs didn't address the linebacker position until the fifth round, and questions exist as to how well aging veteran Mike Vrabel can lead this linebacking corps that gave up over 2,500 rushing yards last season and had just 22 sacks. It's surprising that they spent so little attention on a position that is so key in the second year 3-4 defense. Perhaps they believe new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel can coax better production out of them, but the lack of talent seems to be too great to ignore.
Their schedule isn't very favorable to their strengths, either. Aside from the Rams the NFC West doesn't slouch against the run, with the Cards and Hawks near the upper half of the league and the Niners being absolutely dominant. Fortunately for the Chiefs their defense matches up well against what could turn out to be lethargic passing attacks from all four clubs. The South is a different story, with two pretty powerful passing teams and two very powerful rushing teams. If their pass defense can live up to expectations, though, it should at least keep them in most of those games. Their division seems predicated on passing as well, and after taking two games from the Broncos and Raiders last season they should be poised to eclipse their division record, though perhaps not by much. Their swing games are also question marks, though if I had to guess at this point I'd say they beat the Bills and fall to the Browns.
Todd Haley seems to be implementing a system mimicking that of Bill Belichick, bringing in players and coaches that have served under him at one point or another. The question is, can he implement the system as well as the mad genius? Is just hiring Crennel and Weis enough, or was Belichick really key to the success of the two coordinators who have failed to achieve success in their own coaching positions? Furthermore, does he have the right personnel to make his schemes work? Key additions will certainly make this team more fearsome, but enough to be contenders? And will Matt Cassel rise to the challenge of running an offense, or was his success in New England simply because of the pieces that were around him? Tough questions, and they will be answered this season. It's hard not to be excited if you're a Chiefs fan given all the big moves, but I'd advise against clearing your January schedule just yet. Teams like the Lions and Rams have proven that it's no easy feat to come back from low records, even with consistently high draft picks. I wouldn't expect any Carolina-esque, or even any Miami-esque comebacks this year from the Chiefs, especially with the level of competition there's bound to be within their division. I would expect a good deal of improvement though, including possibly a .500 season.
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