The Chiefs clearly have a plan, attempting to replicate the success of the dynasty years of the Patriots franchise in the Midwest.  If the new direction of the Chiefs yields even one-third of that success, as in at least one Super Bowl victory, the pain will all be worth it in the end.  That of course remains to be seen.

The plan is eerily similar to the Chiefs transformation from Marty-ball to Air-Vermeil following the Rams Superbowl runs, as Dick Vermeil brought several Rams cast-offs with him to Kansas City.  The team did enjoy considerable success under Vermeil, but never could quite get over the hump.

While I am nearly giggly like a school-girl with excitement in our new coordinators, I wish I felt as warm and fuzzy about our head coach.  If you’ve followed my writings during the season, you’ll be certain to pick up on my undertones of dis-satisfaction with Todd Haley.  I find the man to be arrogant, repulsive, and disrespectful, but I’m hoping the surroundings of quality coordinators might cool his temperament a shade or two.  Again, only time will tell.

However, such a promising start for a team in dire need of an identity…it can only get better.

1.  Jimmy Clausen – St. Louis Rams:  Is he the best player of the draft, no.  Is he the best quarterback of the draft, it’s debatable, but I think so.  While this pick is likely to come down to three men, Ndamukong Suh, Russell Okung, or Clausen, I have to take the logical approach and side with Clausen.  The Rams have spent their last two #1 picks on defensive lineman, neither of which are game changers thus far in their careers.  Suh looks tremendous on tape, but so did Steve Emtman.  As a fan of the Chiefs, obviously names such as Ryan Simms, Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson emerge as proof, but defensive lineman can be an incredibly tricky position to grade.  Okung also makes good sense – I pray someone in this organization finally understands Alex Barron is not a starting tackle in this league.  With 2009 draft pick Jason Smith already in the fold, the Rams could land their other bookend tackle with Okung and begin a resurgence in 2010.  But, this team needs an identity it hasn’t had since Kurt Warner left town.  Clausen is intelligent, can make all the throws, and can fill the dome with jerseys of blue and gold instead of the opposing team.  On a rebuilding team, the obvious place to start is with a franchise QB.

2.  Russell Okung - Detroit Lions:  The Lions scramble to the phone, trying desperately to trade down – hey maybe Al Davis can arise from his coma and trade up to draft whomever ran the fastest 40 at the combine?  But no luck.  The Lions grapple with the idea of Suh, but settle on Okung to protect their 2009 investment in Matt Stafford.  This team’s history of missing franchise players will continue as the Lions reach for Okung at #2.

3.  Ndamukong Suh – Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  There you see, this job isn’t so tough.  You get the best player out of college in the last 10 years at #3.  Let the chips fall where they may. 

4.  Gerald McCoy – Cleveland Browns:  New sheriff in town Mike Holmgren may influence the draft strategy in Cleveland, as his offensive mindset may win over and reach for WR Dez Bryant or QB Sam Bradford.  However, the Browns have started something good, and it’s on the other side of the ball.  They won their final four games of the year with a staunch defense which could only be made better with McCoy.  With Quinn, the Browns do have questions at QB, however, one more chance with the golden domer is likely.  They definitely need to address their WR corps, but #4 is too early for Bryant.  Ideally, the Browns could trade down and land Bryant around pick 9 or 10.

5.  Eric Berry – Kansas City Chiefs:  On a team with so many needs, the Chiefs can hardly go wrong with Berry, Rolando McClain, or an offensive Tackle in Bruce Campbell, Trent Williams or Anthony Davis.  Berry can cover, tackle, and run.  He has the potential to change a defense, much the way Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Bob Sanders have for years.  The Chiefs were victimized by poor tackling in the secondary, as well as big plays in the passing game.  Berry can change that…quickly.  I’m torn between McClain and Berry and honestly, I won’t be disappointed with either.  The Chiefs can address their offensive line later in the draft and through free agency.

6.  Bruce Campbell – Washington Redskins:   Enter Mike Shanahan.  The logical pick is a QB or WR here, as Shanahan obviously likes offense.  The real secret to his success in Denver lied with the offensive line and their zone blocking scheme.  Enter Bruce Campbell, who can move well for his size.  Jason Campbell gets one year to prove he can thrive in Shanny’s scheme.  Look for Washington to make a move for Brandon Marshall to finally address a terrible receiving corps in D.C. and reunite the troubled star with Shanahan.

7.  Sam Bradford – Seattle Seahawks:  Matt Hasselbeck has gone from star QB to tutor.  With offensive minded Pete Carrol coming to town, the Seahawks are likely to turn the page on the veteran in hopes for a new start with Bradford.  I’m not in love with this guy, as Oklahoma QB’s have flopped at the next level.  However, Bradford is intelligent and can manage a game.  Personally, I would go with Trent Williams here to address the gaping hole at LT, but Carrol knows his legacy in Seattle will be tied to this pick.  He can’t miss.  Bradford has the potential to be special, that is, with a decent offensive line.

8.  Dez Bryant – Denver Broncos:  I think Brandon Marshall will be elsewhere in 2010, leaving the Broncos with a huge hole at WR.  Bryant has not played in a full year, but has the size, body control and hands to help Kyle Orton forget about #15. 

9.  Anthony Davis – Buffalo Bills:  The Bills were salivating over Bryant, hoping to land an additional weapon on offense.  However, they fill another need on the OL with Davis.  With the T.O. experiment likely over in Buffalo, the Bills will find life without him better – just less talented at WR.

10.  Rolando McClain – Oakland Raiders:  While Al Davis is nearly certain to screw this pick up with a flyer on some unknown draft day hero, if McClain is still there, the Raiders have to pounce on him.  In my opinion, McClain is the 3rd best talent on the board.  It’s hard to invest a top 10 pick on an inside backer, but McClain could immediately bolster the Raiders horrendous run defense.

Haley has already let go of two Chiefs’ assistants in defensive line coach Tim Krumrie and offensive line coach Joe D’Allessandris.  Many fans and media have speculated that former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel may also be reunited with Pioli, as Crennel served as the defensive coordinator for the Patriots prior to taking the Browns post.  As of Wednesday January 6th however, Clancy Pendergrast remains the D.C. and no mention of Crennel to the Chiefs has been made public.

It is clear the Chiefs have taken an aggressive approach to re-building their staff after a tough 2009 season, the first for Pioli and Haley with the squad.  Quite possibly, a larger challenge will be finding upgrades in talent across the board for a team consistently under-manned throughout the season.  Let’s hope they are just as aggressive personnel wise.

The process begins with a huge question mark upon entering the 2010 NFL draft.  The Chiefs currently hold the #5 selection, but after selections near the top of the draft the last two seasons, it would obviously be enticing for the Chiefs to move down the board and acquire a larger number of less expensive choices.  However, as the Chiefs found out on draft day 2009, the trading partners could be be limited.  But hey, it’s the off-season and time to be optimistic.  There are some first round QB prospects the Chiefs obviously don’t need and possibly, we’ll find a dance partner to move down.  Ahhh…the beauty of wishing for the moon in the off-season.  Go CHIEFS!

The Chiefs 2009 schedule was murderous, with out of division games against the NFC East and AFC North.  The Chiefs went 1-3 against the NFC East, beating Washington for their first win of the season in week 6.  They also finished 1-3 against the AFC North, upsetting the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in week 11.  Their additional game based upon records was against the AFC South Jacksonville Jaguars who defeated the Chiefs 24-21.

Personally, I’ll take the NFC West and AFC South any day vs. the NFC East and AFC North.  Of course, turnover and parody rule the NFL, and I’m certain teams will take different shapes in the off-season.  However, two days after the end of the 2009-10 season for the Chiefs, and I’m already optimistic for next season.  Go CHIEFS!

The Chiefs finished their dismal 4-12 season on a high note, with renewed hope for a successful 2010 obviously centered around their sudden superstar in the backfield, Jamaal Charles.  The 2nd year Texas Longhorn product set a Chiefs single game franchise record by rushing for 259 yards on only 25 carries, with 2 rushing TD’s to boot.  His standout day also allowed him to top the 1,000 yard mark for the season despite playing second fiddle to Larry Johnson for the first seven games of the season.  Charles finished the season strong, rushing for more than 100 yards in his final four contests, ending questions regarding his slight build and the ability to shoulder the workload as an every down back in the NFL.

The Chiefs also received a standout performance from Derrick Johnson who has spent the majority of the 2009 season buried on the depth chart and squarely in the doghouse of head coach Todd Haley.  Today, Johnson stepped up his game intercepting two Kyle Orton passes and returning both for touchdowns.  Johnson also contributed with six tackles on the afternoon.  The Chiefs defense did surrender more than 500 yards of total offense, 428 through the air and 84 on the ground, however, they picked off the usually secure Orton three times on the afternoon.

The win was an important one for the Chiefs, renewing optimism that progress has been made over this frustrating and tumultuous season.  There is a tremendous amount of work to be done, with talent upgrades at numerous positions obviously needed.  However, for awhile, the Chiefs can enjoy the taste of victory and look forward to bigger and better things in 2010.