I’ve been sitting on this for the last two weeks, reading all of the other posts, hearing a lot of good input and opinions and of course, some far out crazy ideas. I’m trying to put together an outline that will make some sense for our beloved Chief’s.

It seems like football teams are always either “rebuilding” or “ready to challenge” for a Super Bowl run. Our Chief’s have shown tremendous improvement over the last three years and I give a lot of credit to Pioli and Haley for filling in the holes and developing the players that we already had. Sure, there were probably a few mistakes along the way but now (except for QB, the biggest piece of the puzzle), we have a solid team that should be competitive for the near future. However, there is still a lot to do.

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I just want to address one thing that I believe is important in this OC and assistant coaches discussion. The NFL has a lot of similarities I’m sure to the general business community but probably still has a lot more fraternization. I worked in the financial industry and it’s common for a lot of business owners to bring in sons and daughters and other family members. However, the NFL seems to have an unusually high number percentage-wise of fathers-and-sons, brothers-to-brother and even more so, close friends that have in many cases worked for several different teams together-to other close friends. We’re always talking about the Patriot way, the Steelers way, etc. But, how does this work when coaches change teams in the NFL?

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With all of the QB talk I find it interesting that we as Chief’s fans vary all the way from “mortgage the whole draft” to get RGIII to “let’s just stick with Cassel.” In most of the polls taken, those that want to stick with Cassel, depending on how the question is asked, seems to range from the high teens to the low thirty’s per cent-wise.

Obviously, it is very difficult to find an elite QB and rating the existing QB’s would probably vary all over the place. There seem to be four that most agree, are elite: Manning (if healthy), Brees, Brady and Rogers. IMO, I also list four that are on the next level, they are Roethlisberger, Rivers, Eli Manning and Stafford. And my third level, this part is much more difficult, I list: Smith, Newton, Schaub, Cutler, Flacco, Ryan, Romo, Hasselbeck, Palmer, Fitzpatrick, Vick and Bradford.

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At this point, I don’t think it helps much to discuss Haley. I’m one that really liked him but at the same time I was having some problems with some of his decisions. The positives that I really liked were his affect on Bowe, Charles, Johnson and some of the other players and the fact that he brought in Breaston and was liked by Fitz. But this is all in the past now.

I do believe that it will be very important to bring in a top level coach either with NFL Head coaching experience or a Top Notch College Coach. Bill Cowher has the best credentials and has a background with the Chief’s and even though his record doesn’t necessarily show it, I always liked Jeff Fischer. A good college coach would be a little riskier but one name that I really would like is Bill Snyder but age may be the problem here.

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Long time Chief’s fan dating back to when they came to KC and I’m very pleased with what Clark Hunt has done, Pioli and Coach Haley.

I believe that this team “now” has the foundation for a championship team with one major exception. Matt Cassel

I like Matt a lot as a person and I do recognize his dedication and leadership qualities as they relate to this team. However, he just does not possess the overall physical and mental capacities to further lead this team and I really feel that some of the harsh criticism needs to be tempered down.

I feel sorry for Matt but he’s been able to play the game, he’s done well for himself financially and hopefully he could find a good back up (maybe even starting) position where he will be valued. He just is not the QB that will take this team to a Super Bowl.

He is who he is and I respect Haley for supporting his QB and not throwing him under the bus but at some point Coach, you must do what is best for the team, it’s future and your future. Matt needs to go and hopefully, a good trade can be worked out. KC ought to be able to get good value for Matt right now with all of the injuries and other needs for QB’s.

I believe that the Chief’s should start playing Stanzi right now to find out just what he’s got and to see if he is possibly the long term answer. With a defense that is starting to come around, hopefully a running game can develop and this team can still have a beneficial, building season. If we loose most or all of our games under Stanzi, then the obvious situation will present itself and we will have a very good, drafting position and the strong possibility of taking Andrew Luck. This would turn a negative into a huge positive.

Then for next year, this team would have hopefully, a very strong, maturing defense; a potential franchise QB and an experienced, young backup QB. It would then be my suggestion that the Chief’s find an old veteran as number three to help develop potentially both Luck and Stanzi.

Under the above scenario the Chief’s would gain value for Cassel, possibly have extra picks to go along with maybe the 33rd, 65th and other draft positions. I would suggest these picks be used to bolster the offensive line and possibly a strong, run-stopping middle linebacker.

Under this approach, and with our injured players coming back, we would be building for next year but still using this year to see just exactly where we are. It is my opinion that between Clark, Pioli and Haley; the Chief’s still have one of the best young group of leaders in the NFL, but a crisis is happening and a few major changes need to be made. I think the time is now.

You add an experienced Stanzi to this team, a decent trade for Cassel, Luck and a couple of other high draft choices, our returning injured players, some key free agents and the experience that this team will gain throughout this year and I believe we will have a group that can legitimately challenge for the Super Bowl.

Predictions: Recently, I had to look back and see what I thought about our team last year. In all humility, I was right on.

My FanPost was entitled: “AS THE SEASON STARTS, "WHY" THE CHIEFS WILL BE "CONSIDERABLY" BETTER.” And it was dated July 14, 2010.

Here are my last two sentences:

“I predict at least a 500 record but I can realistically see our Chief’s winning 10 games, winning the West and of course, being in the play-offs.

………………………………........... and it will all start on Monday night, September 13th with an upset of the Chargers.”

Now it’s time to be positive again and hope that we have a full 2011 season and start working on our newest predictions.

….the other night about our 2011 Kansas City Chiefs. I was in a large room, just me and Coach Haley (actually I was quite invisible, just a prop).

I was sitting next to this large box full of maybe 80-100 pairs of shoes, I was pairing them up one pair at a time and handing them to the coach. Believe me, this dream really happened.

He took each pair and very thoughtfully placed them on one of either three shelves and after a while it became apparent to me what he was doing. Obviously, one shelf was for the guys that will without much doubt make this team, the second shelf was for the borderline players and the third was for those that probably will not make it.

Here’s where it all became very surreal and emotional.

Coach never looked directly at me in my dream, he just kept reaching down for the next pair but from what I could see of his face, he was as emotional and serious as I’ve ever seen him. In my mind, this was all happening after the story about Pope saving that boy in the swimming pool and then the article on Gretz entitled “Watching A Lockout Practice” about the team practices that Cassel had organized, especially that picture where the offense was lined up against the D and we saw Pope as the right offensive end, then O’Callaghan at RT, ? at RG, Casey at center and so on.

I guess what struck me was that here are these guys that on their own time are there in KC, bonding, most are good friends, hoping, wanting to make this team and we all know that several will not. I know that money is such a huge part of this game but in those pictures, those eyes, are guys that would probably still play this game……. For a lot less, or “just for the love of it.”

And yet, someone (Coach Haley) was going to have to make the tough decision and cut them.

Now back to the dream………… Every once in a while Coach would stop and look at a certain pair of those shoes and toss them into another pile on the floor. Then I’d see him move his head from side to side, just a little, and then again reach into that third shelf and get another pair, just stand there holding those shoes in his hands, staring at them. He had his back to me but it was very obvious that he was in very deep thought, and then he’d also toss that other pair to the floor too. Then it just kind of happened, this tough, loud, sometimes obnoxious but very caring, emotional man, inadvertently reached up and wiped at his eye, he turned just a little and I’d swear, I saw moisture in those eyes. He was having trouble deciding who to cut. Those shoes on the floor represented players that he was close to, players that have contributed but also players that probably just would not make it.

I guess this is how I see our Coach, this team, most of our players, our Owner and our General Manager. This entire organization has been building like a family and we all are getting the chance to see it come together as the “right 53.”

Several times, Coach Haley has been quoted regarding Leonard Pope, something to the effect that “No one cares more about this team, than Leonard” Well, I think that is what is becoming so very true throughout this entire organization and that is what they mean by the “right 53.” And, I have no doubt that no one cares more about this team, about each and every player, than Coach Haley.

It’s interesting, when I look back for some of the turning points of our New Chiefs, two games stand out, and they were both against the Broncos and they were both at Mile High.

The first was the last game of the 2009 season, Sunday, January 3rd, 2010: Chiefs win 44 - 24. The Chiefs really took it to them and knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs. Derrick Johnson had two (2) interceptions for touchdowns and Jamaal Charles rushed for 259 yards, a Chief’s record. Signs of things to come.

The biggest thing though, I believe that it gave the team/organization a real spring board for the 2010 season that carried over to the draft, the entire off season, the hiring of Crennel and Weis and the positive attitude that "Chiefs Will."

Then, Week 10, Sunday, November 14th, 2010: Unfortunately, the Chiefs loss to the Broncos 49 - 29. And, the Broncos actually led 35 - 0 in the second quarter.

However, this game is what I believe brought the Chiefs to where they are today. It allowed KC to open up its passing game with Cassel eventually throwing and completing 33 of 53 passes for 469 yards and four (4) touchdowns. It also opened up Bowe’s game as he had 13 receptions for 186 yards and two (2) touchdowns. If I remember correctly, both Cassel and Bowe were Players of the Week in their categories.

And, Cassel built his confidence and then established his total leadership abilities, especially following his surgery and then coming back in just eleven (11) days. This game brought balance to the Chief’s offense. No longer could teams concentrate only on the Chief’s number #1 rushing attack. Now they had to respect the total offense and this has brought us to where we are now. This team has character and leadership on both sides of the ball and are playing with fantastic confidence.

Go Chiefs. The Will to win. And Broncos, now we don't need any more favors. Thanks anyway.

We’re all pretty happy and excited about our 2010 Chiefs and rightfully so but how has this all happened so fast? There are many factors…………….

I believe that we have one of the best possible, quality owners in the NFL and he has committed the organization to being one of the best. He went out and hired the best GM he could possible find and from everything that we know, he supports the organization in every way possible. He’s involved, congratulates the team after games but doesn’t try to run things. He’s hired the right guys and lets them do their jobs. I believe one of the most meaningful pictures that we all saw last Spring was during the draft and you had Haley, Pioli and Hunt all working together in the draft room. Seems like a fantastic brain trust to me.

Then we having Pioli who just seems to be the perfect GM, organizing the team at all levels football, and taking a huge part in the scouting and acquisition of players and coaches. He also doesn’t seem to interfere with the coaches but he’s frequently on the field and keeping close tabs on what’s going on. He’s obviously tremendous support for Haley and the other coaches.

Then we have Haley. He’s dedicated, fiery, intense, knowledgeable and still learning but he seems close to the players and they definitely seem to respect him and have bought into what he is wanting them to do. His early frustrations have shown in many ways but now we see him being able to coach, communicate and keep totally involved with the actual practices and games because he now has a coaching staff around him that he is obviously very comfortable with. I just hope that he’s able to continue to grow into this job and continue to do the fantastic job that he is doing. I would imagine that it gets harder. As he finds, and they are able to obtain, better and better personal, then he will be getting into that position where he has to let go of people that he knows have worked hard and have been a big factor in building this team. This seems to me to be bigger than we can even imagine in our daily lives because he and these people have bled and sweated together and at some point there are going to be players and coaches that he will have to let go.

It does appear that the Chiefs now have one of the best staffs in the NFL. I find it amazing that they’ve been able to put it together so fast. And then, the more success this team has, some of these coaches will be hired away by other teams. It’s just part of the NFL and it appears that the management will handle this well just based on the success that they have already shown. How important are all of the assistants or does it mostly depend on how they are led from the top and do we have other assistant coaches being trained to step in. I believe that we do.

So many factors but I would just find it interesting to see what or who the fans believe is the number one key factor. So let’s take a poll.

Or, why we can...................

The San Diego loss!

Look at it this way. Let’s say for an example that on a scale of 1-10, San Diego is a 8.5. For reference (JMO), let’s say NE is a 10, Atlanta another 8.5, Kansas City a 6.5, the Rams a 5.5, the Jets a 7, etc. etc .etc.

Now we all know, just because KC is a 6.5 and the Rams are a 5.5, that does not mean that in a 1-1 game, that KC is automatically going to win. You still have to play the games. If the Rams play above their potential, and the Chief’s play below their potential, the Chiefs will very likely lose.

During much of this season, the Chargers are an excellent example, along with injuries, of s team that has not played up to their potential. For the most part, I believe that the Chief’s have. Even in the game with the Texans, I believe that the Chief’s played, for the most part, up to their potential but at that time the Texans were maybe just a little bit better team and they won. The Texans, for example, can be a very good team at times but just have not played consistently. They have had a very disappointing season.

In the NFL, they call this parity. Nearly any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday. The key is nearly. Some teams are still so much better, that if they would play another team10 times, the superior team would probably still win all 10. Say NE vs. Carolina.

Now, take KC vs. SD. From the coach to most of the players and to most of the fans, we pretty much know that SD is probably the superior team. However, on any given Sunday (like the home opener), if KC plays at a maximum level, and if San Diego plays way below their potential, KC would have a good chance to win. However, this last Sunday, was a different situation. The Chiefs came out flat and probably lacking in confidence because of their QB situation. We all hoped that the team would have risen to the occasion and that SD might have taken us lightly but that was not the case. As soon as Croyle threw a few bad passes, then SD got the ball and drove right down for a TD, the game was for all practical purposes, over. Or, as Bajah07 said “Everyone’s got a plan ‘til they get punched in the mouth.” SD came out playing at the top of their potential, punched KC in the mouth, and from that point forward the Chief’s barely had a chance.

I’ll give you one more analogy that most of us can relate to. Years ago (I’m as old as dirt, 65), in my 30’s, on Wednesday evenings, a few friends and I would get together at a gym to play 3 on 3, or 4 on 4 basketball. We’d pick teams, usually play for an hour and a half or so, play half court games to 20 counting by ones. Usually we played three games, were pretty evenly matched but sometimes one side or the other would really blow the other out like 20-8, 20-12, etc. But then, frequently if one side was getting beat really bad,

they’d get together and say, “let’s go again and we’d get really serious, intent and win by a good margin.” You see this in sports all the time which just goes to show that so much of winning is attitude and motivation. I don’t think good “attitude” is going to make the worst teams dominate the best teams but it does allow for the weak teams to put in a good showing.

So much of team sports involve intensity, hard work, motivation, teamwork, attitude and so forth. We’ve all heard that sometimes these games are as much mental as physical. Bowe is another good example here. He is obviously a very, very talented person but unfortunately, there are times when his head is just not in the game and we’ve all seen it and it’s very frustrating, and when one person quits so to speak, it becomes contagious. We all saw this last Sunday, even including the coaching staff to some degree.

The Chiefs are building a fantastic team and organization. Just what we’ve all been hoping for. Pioli, Haley, with the support and approval of Mr. Hunt, and all involved know what they have and where they are going. Compared to last year, we have already been very successful, have won 8 games and hopefully will win a few more. We seem to win the games that we should but we have trouble with the top tiered teams such as Indy, SD and the like. Luckily, we haven’t played too many of these.

I have no doubt that KC can win the last three. St. Louis is building like we are and we should match up pretty well with them. In KC, the home field advantage will help with Tennessee and the Raiders. It’s just a matter of want, attitude, concentration and intensity. This team has shown that it can bounce back. I sure hope so but as a fan, I appreciate the accomplishments already and believe that we will continue to improve and get better.

Believe me, I like Cassel. I think he’s a class guy and I believe that he’s trying to do exactly as he’s being told. Also, I believe that Haley is trying to bring him along slowly and also not asking him to do any more that what he can handle. That is where our discussion should be.

I often hear it said that we should not be comparing him to Manning or the other great QB’s but I think that’s exactly wrong. A Manning like QB is the ultimate goal. We don’t expect it but what should a good team settle for. What must a QB be able to do?

How about reading defenses? Should Cassel be changing plays at the line of scrimmage? We’ve seen Cassel throw some beautiful slants, especially near the goal line. When he sees Moeaki or Bowe with single coverage and open for a slant, should he be calling that? Does he have that freedom? How about fly patterns? Does he ever audible?

Does he watch just one receiver? Or does he check down and look for the open one? If he sees a LB move into the hole or a safety move up, does he change the play? I’m just wondering what an average NFL QB should be able to do and if Cassel does it? Fake pumps, rolling out from pressure, pocket awareness, where does Cassel fit in these abilities and in the areas where he’s weak, are those things that can be taught, learned or do they pretty much have to be natural…..especially at the pro level?

I really do not know these answers but I really like Cassel and I do think he’s a class act. He’s tough, atheletic, has pretty good speed when he scrambles, he’s a hard worker and a great team player. I’d really enjoy a constructive discussion and hear more about what you other guys think?

I’ve been a Chief’s fan since they moved to KC. I’m 65 years old so my viewpoint may be a little different from all you young ‘ens. The way I see it, the Chief’s have lost two games that they really should have won, Houston and the Raiders. On the other hand, they have won two games that they could have easily lost, Buffalo and Cleveland. The result is that we have three losses by a total of only 17 points.

On the other hand, I (and many of you) could have easily seen us at 3-5 or 4-4 by now and probably would still be pretty happy. This team has been a pleasant surprise and even though there was a lot of speculation that Oakland was going to be a much better team this year……very few of us wanted to believe that.

I thought of making some comments last week that I could actually see us losing this game and still winning the division by enough games that the final game with the Raiders would be immaterial as far as the Western Division is concerned. However, I did not like the sounds of that negativity and down deep, my gut still told me that we could win this game……and we should have.

Here’s my points. The schedule is in our favor. Realistically, the only games that we should lose for the rest of the year are at SD and maybe home against Tennessee and maybe throw in one other just for good measure. But Oakland, could very easily lose in two weeks at Pittsburg, at home against Miami and Indy, and then on the road at SD and even Jacksonville. Then the Raiders, if they are even still in contention for the conference race, will have to end their year and win at KC.

My view is, if Oakland comes in to KC on January 2, 2011 and if they are in a position to win the division by winning that game, then they almost deserve it. That would mean that our Chief’s would have had to somewhat fall apart through the next 7 games and that Oakland would have to win almost all of theirs. And, I just don’t see a Haley team, with the character and coaching that we have, doing that. I really believe that we will have the division sealed up before January 2nd. However, I don’t want to be overly confident, I just want our team to play to their ability and potential, and “kick butt.” Go CHIEFS.

The Chief’s offensive line and QB, at this point , are pretty mediocre. Our line is not going to overpower anyone and Cassel is not going to be able to carry the team by himself in any way. I believe that our hopes lie in our ability to be a good finesse team. We have talented running backs and potentially, talented receivers.

What I would like to believe, based on the so so showing at Atlanta, is that Haley and Weiss are already “game planning” as such for San Diego, holding back and not wanting to show too much. If KC can pull off the big win on Monday evening, September 13th, it will go a long way to building their confidence and defining our season.

In the big picture, if KC can open up and demonstrate a strong “wide” running game (Charles and McCluster), with sweeps, reverses, screens, pitches and so forth, it will cause defenses to spread out. And this is what will open the in line plays for Jones and Charles to some degree and then, the passing game. If KC develops a smart, zone blocking line and if defenses can not “load the box” and “tee off” in their rushes, that will allow our pass blocking to be more effective, give Cassel more time and open up the middle for Jones.

On the other hand, if, like at Atlanta, we start off with two runs by Jones up the middle (for little or no gain) against SD, I will be one very disappointed fan. I will be hoping and looking for quick opening plays to Charles and/or McCluster like we saw later on in Atlanta. We must have a wide open offense that will put defenses back on their heels and completely open up the entire offense.

A lot of "if's", but I have great confidence in Haley and Weiss, I actually believe that this is what is being done and what we’ll see it on September 13th and probably very little before then. We just can not afford to show our hands too much right now. Preseason is for experimenting (per Haley) and KC's strength's and potential successes will come from surprise and finesse. I hope I’m right.

There have been many great articles on why the Chief’s will be better (or not as good) in 2010. I’m just wanting to expand on that and try to be a little more specific. We, as very enthusiastic fans, know almost every move….much more so than some of the national sites.

Coaching: As the pattern here will reflect, the Chief’s, I believe and will explain, will show improvement in nearly all areas. I believe that few teams will be able to say this to the same degree. Teams make gains in several areas but at the same time, they decline in others. I don’t think that this is happening in hardly any areas with the Chief’s. They are improving or at lest staying the same in almost all areas.

Let me explain: I love the intensity that Coach Haley brings to every aspect of the game. He is still learning as a head coach and the difference between this year and last year, less we have forgotten, are dramatic. Last year he was a “new” head coach, he got started late, was constantly learning and shuffling personal and then dropped Chan Gailey just before the season actually started. This had to be a major, major disruption. Coach has obviously gotten much more comfortable with the position and how he wants to run things. So, he’s had a full season of evaluating, coaching, planning, drafting and putting this organization together as compared to last year where he was just plugging holes and putting out fires. From the head coaching position I believe we will see a huge improvement, especially with all the new help and time to put everything together.

Coaching (more): Again, we all know about our new coaching staff including Weis, Crennel, Emmitt Thomas and others. Last year was a “thrown” together staff. In no way did Coach Haley have the time to get the staff he wanted. He just had to do the best he could with what he had, just to get by. Under the circumstances, he did the best he could and it should be obvious that this years coaching staff is the difference of “night and day.” How can this even be measured? In looking back, last years coaching staff, through no fault of their own, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give a 1 or 2. It is amazing that this team won 4 games under the total, over all situation. Now, wouldn’t most of us rate our present staff a 9 or 10. It has to be one of the biggest changes, best staffs in the NFL, just needing to have some time to work together. And now they have had the entire pre-season to put in their scripts, evaluate their players and to plan for the new season. To me, these comments regarding the Chief’s coaching staff, by themselves, could easily account for 2-4 more wins. Just think about it. I don’t believe that this team is going to lose games due to lack of preparedness or bad coaching. In fact, they will beat some teams due simply to “out-smarting” them and being better prepared. JMO, do you agree?

Special Teams: This is one of my favorite areas, an area that is not talked about too often, even overlooked, and an area where I believe the Chief’s have the potential to be one of the NFL’s very best. Look at the new players that will be factors like Berry, Arenas and McCluster. Add in Charles and tell me one team in the NFL that has the potential to have better returners. The coaching in Steve Hoffman is great, the Chief’s have always tried to get top level special team players, they were pretty good last year and is there a much better pair of young kickers than Colquitt and Succop? Again, this is an areas that the Chief’s were pretty darn good but all appearances are that they are going to be even better, and maybe “much better.” Maybe another game or two here?

Hey, so far we could already be up to 8-10 games. Let’s be positive. I’m not even drinking any Kool-Aid.

Offense: Our offensive line is always criticized. My thought here is that they were pieced together all of last season and just towards the end, they actually started to get a little rhythm. Add two veterans, a full off season and pre-season, a more organized and consistent offensive game plan, better running backs, better coaching, more experience…..how can they not be much, much better. Plus, how about that better field position that our Special Teams will be giving the offense. I definitely believe that we will see improvement here and most importantly….consistency.

A step further with the offense: I do believe that Cassel will be more comfortable and much better in the Weis system. Chambers was added mid-season and has now has had a full year to blend in, hopefully Bowe is ready to be the player we all expect him to be and we’ve added McCluster and Urban. With the better coaching and offensive scheme, our offense is another area where we should be much better.

Defense: Again, nationally, this is an area where the Chief’s are criticized, mostly because of their front seven and now it will be to the inexperience of their secondary. We’ll see. However, what is Coach Crennel worth? Coach Thomas? A full year together? A more consistent system? A better, faster secondary? Better field position? Less time on the field (due to a better offense)? Playing with a lead instead of from behind? Really, these are pretty big factors. I believe that the defense will also be much improved. Whether it will translate to an extra win or two, I don’t know but I’m a believer and I believe that the Chief’s are going to surprise us all. I actually like keeping the expectations within reason, maybe even a little low, but this will be a surprise team. In Haley and Pioli I trust. Conditioning and intensity make a difference. Last year they kept finding other talent that did contribute to this team (Chambers, Pope, O’Callaghan) and they will continue to do so. The biggest shortcoming to me is probably “depth.” On the other hand, when we study who the “right 53” might be, we don’t have all that many holes any more like we did last year…..and it’s going to get better and better. I predict at least a 500 record but I can realistically see our Chief’s winning 10 games, winning the West and of course, being in the play-offs.

Let’s see, let’s be positive and it will all start on Monday night, September 13th with an upset of the Chargers.

Just like many Whitlockites, it is easy to pick out negatives about the Chief’s or to lesser degrees, most NFL teams. (He’d probably be calling for Belichick’s job after last night and I’d strongly bet that Belichick wouldn’t pay any attention to him) Just keep in mind that someone like Whitlock could find fault with anyone that didn’t cater to him and his stupid questions and comments.

I’m reviewing in my mind some of our discussions dating back to last Spring and I’m seeing many positives. They are (1) the offensive line is definitely looking better (two sacks vs. Oakland), (2) we are finally over the LJ chapter and based on watching Charles vs. Oakland, the future just could be very bright; (3) the receiving corps is really showing a lot of improvement and (4) in many ways, this team is playing with a much more discipline and intensity as evidenced in the lower number of penalties.

During training camp and Spring training, most opinions had the feeling that the Chief’s receiving corps was terrible and that we would need to spend a first day pick here next year. There’s always room for improvement, but I could see us going into the next season with this same group and feeling very comfortable. Chambers seems to be a great addition along with Long, Bradley and Wade. I’m sure that Pioli and Haley will continue to try to upgrade this area but it’s no longer one of the biggest problems and may even develop into a strength.

We’ve all moaned and groaned about our Offensive line but we are seeing improvement. We just may have found our RT, we’ve developed some depth and there is no doubt that we’ll still be drafting in this area. Depending how much longer Waters plays, I’m sure that Pioli and Haley are making certain plans here that will eventually build us a high level unit. Bring on the draft.

NOTE: I have a new respect for Waters and wonder if others have seen the same things. As we’ve known and as he has done for years, this guy does come to play. I have this awesome image of him being downfield (one of the earlier games) after an interception return and just “launching” his 320 body and helping to knock the player out of bounce. (If anyone has a video of that, I’d love to see it again). Then yesterday, he’s the one that is all the way downfield recovering that fumble that no one else could get their hands on. These are very impressive plays for a guy his size and age and also an indication that he could still play for a couple of years. I don’t watch him much during the games, but he might still be playing at a pro level.

I like our running back situation and do hope that Koby Smith can get back to the player that he was. I’d also enjoy seeing what Javarris Williams can do. RB seems to be an area where teams can always pick up another pick if someone falls to them but the Chief’s seem to be in pretty good shape here.

Like Coach Haley keeps saying, this is a process and I can see where there is progress. Actually, one of my concerns right now is Cassel. I really like him and I do believe that he can become a premier QB. With all the pressure and hits that he has taken, to me he sometimes seems almost “shell shocked.” And, who would blame him. And, he and Haley are in the process of developing a football relationship that will take time. Cassel protects the ball well and has hung in there under very tough conditions but as the big picture comes together, I believe that he will be better for the experience and that the chemistry that is being built between Haley and his players (Cassel, Bowe, Charles, and others) will be a winning combination that we will all appreciate. (Well, except Whitlock)

And, last thoughts: With what I’m seeing above, I’m hoping that the Chief’s will pick up at least 2-3 quality free agents and then, naturally, have a fantastic draft. There are not the holes that were here last Spring, not as many key spots to fill, therefore, with free agency and the draft, the cohesion that is being built and with a chance to bring in some other coaches, this will be a much, much better team in 2010. Remember, everything started late last year….Haley’s hiring, hiring the other coaches, etc. That won’t be the case this time.

Look at the Positives

Negative comments will do more to hurt and sink this team than anything else.

1) Cassel is back and looked good except for a few plays. Even the two interceptions were not terrible passes. He was 24 out of 39 for 241 yards with a nice touchdown throw. He rushed for 34 yards and scrambled out of several situations that with a lesser QB would have been sacks for losses. He did all of this after not having played for several weeks, wearing a knee brace and no doubt a little rusty under the circumstances.

2) The play calling, I thought, was very aggressive and excellent. The onside kick almost worked and we all would have been praising it if it had. We out-gained the Raiders through the air 241 to 109 and on the ground 112 to 70 with total yards 409 to 166.

3) Larry Johnson showed up with 119 total yards, 78 on the ground and 41 on passes. I don’t remember him missing any receptions.

4) Though we had 9 penalties against the Raiders 7, some of the calls were very questionable.

5) it appeared that the line held up very well and the defense for most of the game, was awesome. The much talked about great Raider RB's were getting very little yardage.

The loss hurts, and really bothers me, but I definitely saw a lot of positives. Football is a game of inches. If Savage would have gotten out of bounds, if we would have caught a couple of tipped balls, Flowers almost had an interception, and overall, the ball just seemed to bounce in the right direction for the Raiders and not the Chief's. I think that Haley is doing a super job, we just got Wade and he is alreally contributing, the team fought hard and I’m sure that they and the Coach wanted to win this game every bit as bad as we, the fans.

A new team is being built here and I believe that they deserve every bit of support that we, the fans, can give them. Any negative talk like what has shown up on this site is counter-productive and could do nothing but cause discouragement to our Coach and Chief players. Maybe the fans need to change their attitudes a little.

It seems to me, though I'm not familiar with all of the other teams, that the Chief’s have made some of the best moves overall pre-draft. What other teams have helped themselves the most, so far, prior to the draft?

One article that I read, indicated that the Eagles have really improved themselves by getting Peters and Andrews. However, Peters is replacing Tra Thomas and Andrews is replacing Runyan so it seems that these moves are helping to "maintain" rather than substantially improving the team.

On the other hand, since Buffalo has loss Peters, at this point they seem to be in worse shape than they were last year at this point. What other losses and gains have they had?

The Chief’s, so far, haven’t really loss any key players that I can think of, even though there is all of the speculation about Waters, Gonzales and Johnson. On the other hand, we picked up a probable starting QB, two very experienced LB’s, an experienced guard and a good slot receiver in Engram and others. Haven’t we had one of the very best off-seasons so far?

What other teams have greatly improved themselves? Chicago? What teams have lost, been hurt the most?

And what might his stats have possibly been? When I saw that he was only six sacks short of LT, I was a little surprised. Didn't he have a few more good years left? He was 33 when he died. Stats from earlier article:

Historical credentials

• Derrick Thomas (126.5) and Lawrence Taylor (132.5) in the top 11 in all-time career sacks
• Four Hall of Famers (Thomas, Butkus, Taylor and Bednarik)
• Taylor played for 12 years, Thomas 10.

I’ve really been thinking about the draft and the Chief’s #3 pick. Here is what I’d recommend: Based on Detroit taking a QB, probably Stafford, and St. Louis taking a tackle, probably Smith, the Chief’s should definitely take Sanchez.

Naturally, they would have to be prepared for Detroit and/or St. Louis doing something different, but if they do what is most likely, we should definitely take Sanchez. Here’s why:

After their workouts, it appears that both Stafford and Sanchez are potentially franchise QB’s. At least many teams will grade them that way, and, there are at least 10 teams that will probably be interested in them if they are available. Teams with possible immediate needs are, after Detroit; Denver, Jets, Tampa Bay, and Minnesota and others are Seattle, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Washington, and Tennessee. Some of these teams can get by without another QB but they all also know that they need to start developing their franchise QB for the future.

Now, I personally want the Chief’s to get Curry (in fact, I’d hate to lose getting him) but I think that the Chief’s will be getting all sorts of offers to trade down and I can even see the possibilities of the Chief’s getting 3-4 picks or even a player or two, and hopefully, these deals will be negotiated prior to the draft but if not, we have to be prepared to take Sanchez even with the thought of letting him sit and develop. We can do this because we can afford him. That is what makes this work. I really doubt if it would go that far because there will be a lot of demand for him from as many as 10 different teams, but we have to be prepared to follow through. Then, we don’t even have to announce it, but he can be on the market as a trade (on draft day or later). This would put the Chief’s in a position of possibly (very remote) keeping Sanchez or just waiting for the right offer throughout the pre-season (because of injuries, contract problems, whatever). Some teams are going to be weighing all of their possibilities and decide that Sanchez can be their franchise QB of the future and the Chief’s will get tremendous offers. I’m thinking that the Chief’s could even let it out that they are taking Sanchez a head of time so that the deals will most likely be finalized prior to the draft. Also, Cassel and Thigpen should be let in on the plan. Worst case scenario, we keep Cassel, Thigpen and Sanchez and trade for whatever we can get Martin and Croyle.

This also gives us some control as to where Sanchez goes, and that is big.

A question on NFL.com: from Erik

Jay Cutler or Matt Cassel: Who Would You Want to be your QB?

Gil Brandt, NFL.com:

I think I would take Matt Cassel, Erik. I have never been a great believer in Cutler because in his four years at Vanderbilt he never had a winning record. Although his high school won the state championship. But Steve Crosby, now the special teams coach with Chargers, recruited him as a quarterback to Vanderbilt when everybody else was recruiting him as a linebacker. Crosby said that they were not aware of Cutler until he was having lunch with a friend and he told him about Cutler. And Erik, did you know that Cutler lived in Santa Claus, Indiana? But Cassel would be my choice.

And then read Haley's comments:

"Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest Scott Pioli and company traded for Tyler Thigpen. I mean, Matt Cassel. Yeah, Matt Cassel. They had to give up the No. 34 selection to do so, but also got Mike Vrabel in the trade. Now, they have two Thigpens on their team. One is named Matt Cassel, and the other is named Tyler Thigpen. I like Thigpen more than Cassel because Cassel gets too emotional during games. You can see him on the sidelines and he simply does not have much poise or confidence.

Either way, I think this says a lot about what NFL teams thought of Cassel outside of Josh McDaniels. Detroit did not want Cassel. Tampa did not want Cassel. Apparently, Minnesota did not want Cassel either. Hopefully, my statement that Cassel is the most overrated quarterback in the league holds up like it did last year with Derek Anderson."

It's by Matt Mcguire of WalterFootball.com. He picked Curry to go to the Chief's which I and, I think, most agree but I'm amused by his comments on Cassel. I don't agree but even if there is something to it, it still shows how valuable Tyler is and should always be to the Chief's. He handles pressure for the most part and it will always give the Chief's an alternative for Cassel if he has some bad moments or get's his bell rung. Personally, from film I've watched, I really like Cassel's emotions. Emotional quarterbacks (like Warner) are very inspiring to a team and I believe that that can be translated into a few wins every year. He (Cassel) sure didn't show any signs of choking as he drove the Pat's down the field against the Chief's for the win last September. What do other think about the above comments?

The reports all sound good on this guy. I wasn't very impressed at first but maybe there is something here. Also, an interesting thought, if by chance he was still there at #3.......I think the Chief's could take him like SD took Manning, and get tremendous value for him by summer (but in reality, it would be too much of a distraction). If a couple of QB's go down this Spring and/or Summer, Pioli could make a fantastic trade and probably get a couple of good players, even a starter or two. An interesting thought.

Dwayne Bowe, I think that most everyone likes him and sees his potential, Mark Bradley, I don't know much about but most of the comments that I've heard are pretty positive, Devard Darling, don't know, Will Franklin, I thought started out great last year and then got hurt, Kevin Robinson, don't know, and Jeff Webb, it seems that most are ready to see him go. These are our wide receivers and the news is that the Chief's are talking to Bobby Engram. I would appreciate other opinions as to this depth. It has seemed to me that with Bradley, Darling and Franklin, that we really are not hurting in this area and would someone like Engram really be much of an upgrade and do we really need other WR's.

Everyone is talking about the Chief’s going to a 3-4 but from the comments that I’ve read, I believe that it will be gradual. In several articles, it is mentioned how Arizona and even Miami use a system where sometimes they switch back and forth. This makes sense in further confusing the offenses. Thus, I believe that the Chief’s will do the same thing and it will end up, at least for a while, a combination, switching back and forth. For this reason and after reading some articles on him, I believe that the Chief’s should seriously consider Raji, especially if Curry is gone. This could be a really neat situation. In a 3-4, we could see Raji naturally at NT with Dorsey at an end position along with Tank or any of the others that are on the roster. Then in a 4-3, we could see Raji and Dorsey inside together. In either case, this would be one heck of a D-line. Then we work on the linebackers and we’d have many options here included free agency and the draft. Just my thoughts.