It’s not as if the Kansas City Chiefs are newcomers to the idea of explosive offense. Before Randy Moss dreamed of donning the Silver and Black, before Antonio Gates considered hanging up his basketball shoes for football cleats, the Chiefs were lighting up scoreboards.
In the past three seasons, Kansas City hasn’t finished lower than fourth in total offense. Last year they ranked first, at more than 418 yards a game. For the second consecutive season, they averaged more than 30 points a game and ranked second in the NFL.
The problem, of course, has been the equally rampant inflation on the other side of the football.
In that same three-year time frame, the Chiefs have been 32nd, 29th and 31st in total defense, in their best season allowing more than 356 yards a game.
So while the Raiders boast of adding Moss and the Chargers salivate at the thought of another season with Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson, Kansas City is understandably, finally, looking in a different direction.
“It’s been a three-year sojourn to sew up the defense,” team president Carl Peterson admitted. “Whether it was (former coordinator) Greg Robinson or (present leader) Gunther Cunningham, we just weren’t playing good enough defense, so our emphasis in the offseason was acquiring playmaking defensive players.
“You’ve got to counter those offenses; at some point, it’s hard to win the shootouts consistently.”
The Chiefs’ most noteworthy offensive addition was a dubious one – former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell. The focal point for the New England Patriots in their victory in Super Bowl XXXIX, the loquacious Mitchell might indeed be an upgrade over what was present last season in K.C. – if he plays. The former first-round draft choice suffered a broken leg and team officials wonder how much he’ll be able to contribute this season.
The doubts are lessening on defense, where the Chiefs expect big things after upgrading and bolstering a number of positions. They spent their first- round draft pick, the 15th overall, on former Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson. In the secondary, cornerback Patrick Surtain and safety Sammy Knight came from Miami.
After starting in the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003, Surtain arguably had an even better all- around year in 2004, with 71 tackles, a sack, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Last year, Knight and Surtain combined for eight interceptions; the Chiefs’ entire team had 13.
While coach Dick Vermeil typically has been generous in his praise of all his newcomers, he also admits he won’t know until the regular season begins whether the unit has truly turned the corner.
“We all think we’re better in training camp. I know just watching us against our offense that we appear to be better,” Vermeil said. “We make fewer mistakes and give up fewer big plays. Will it pay off on Sunday, September 11? I don’t know. There aren’t any guarantees. We’ll have to earn it.”
The Chiefs’ offensive players would take even the tiniest measure of improvement from the other side of the ball.
“My expectations are the same as they’ve been the last five or six years – to go to the Super Bowl. (Hopefully) we’ve got the team to do it now,” all-pro tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “Individual goals and all that stuff doesn’t interest me anymore; what’s more important to me is winning a championship. I’ve been to two playoff games going into my ninth year in the NFL and I’ve yet to win one.
“It doesn’t matter if we have a great offense, the defense has to go out there and play better. And vice versa, and add the special teams too. Hopefully, we can figure that out this year.”
