Up To Speed- KC Chiefs

LAST SEASON
When Trent Green went down with a gruesome concussion early last season, it looked like the Chiefs may as well give 2006 back to the Indians. With Green out, they were forced to rely on NFL vagabond Damon Huard to step in and play quarterback, and Huard hadn't played in so long, the last snap he took in a game situation was out of the single wing formation. However, in a development absolutely no one predicted, Huard stepped in and posted a higher QB rating than anyone in the league outside of Peyton Manning.

Huard's reward for this was to go back to the bench once Green got clearance to play again, and the Chiefs immediately went into the toilet, dropping 3 in a row before recovering to win their last 2, reaching the playoffs before bowing out in a snoozer of a wild card game to the Colts.

While Huard was a nice surprise, the Chiefs offense was in reality more of a one man show than any other team in the league. Larry Johnson carried an inhumane 416 times last year, which was 68 times more than the next closest back, LaDanian Tomlinson. Herm Edwards has been known to lean on a running back until the only decent thing left to do is put a bullet between their eyes (Curtis Martin). Whether last year's consistent 150 pitch outings by LJ will adversely affect him this year will determine whether the Chiefs are competitive in 07.

OFFSEASON
This offseason saw the beginning of the Chiefs' transition from being Dick Vermiel's team to being Herm Edwards team. Most indicative of that sea change was the unceremonious dumping of Trent "Scramby Eggs' Green. While Green was definitely Vermiel's guy, he's not Herm's guy, so the Chiefs are going to enter the year with the two headed monster of Huard and Brodie Croyle duking it out for the quarterback job. Whomever comes out on top will be expected with making an NFL stud out of first round WR Dwayne Bowe, who wags are saying may be the Chiefs' #1 wideout headed into camp.

KC will also have some upheaval on their O-line. Former Dolphin Damion McIntosh will replace the departed Jordan Black at left tackle, and KC all-time great Will Shields has retired, vacating a guard position.

On the defensive side of the ball, Edwards continues to build a group with his stamp on it. The Chiefs were right in the middle of the pack of NFL defenses in 06, mediocre against both the run and the pass despite a very good rookie season out of first round DE Tamba Hali, who had 8 sacks. This year, the Chiefs have added a pair of new linebackers. Former Charger standout Donnie Edwards will start on the outside, and former Raider and Viking Napoleon Harris steps into the middle. Harris was a first round pick of the Raiders in 02, and the fact that this is his 3rd NFL team in 5 years doesn't indicate he's lived up to expectations.

The secondary loses safety Sammy Knight, who was strong against the run but didn't make a whole lot of good things happen against the pass. He'll be replaced by Greg Wesley, who the hope will make a few more plays than Knight did. The Chiefs also signed former Bear backup Alfonso Boone to be a starting defensive tackle until 2nd round pick Turk McBride or 3rd round pick Tank Tyler can step in.

This is definitely a team in the midst of transition. It's also a team whose one superstar, Larry Johnson, is very, very unhappy. LJ wants LT money, and unless he gets it he's going to be giving Herm one hell of a frowning all season. This team is under construction, and like most construction sites, won't be pretty to look at until the construction is finished. Now you're up to speed on the Chiefs.