NFL team previews — AFC West
By Rick Dean
As published in print Aug. 21, 2000
|
 |
Chiefs TE
Tony Gonzalez
|
Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez spent much of the winter, spring and early summer with
a taste in his mouth that not even industrial-strength Scope could clear.
"It was the way we lost that last game," the Chiefs’ Pro Bowl tight end
explained. "That left a bad taste all offseason. I can’t wait for the (2000)
season to begin to get rid of it."
"It" refers to the way the Chiefs choked away the AFC West title in the
season finale in their first year under head coach Gunther Cunningham.
Leading Oakland — a team they owned in the 1990s — 17-0 in the first quarter,
the Chiefs blew the lead, then later missed a field goal and a chance to win in
regulation. They kicked off out of bounds to open the overtime period and booted away
their shot at the playoffs with a 41-38 loss that left them with a barely mediocre 9-7
record and out of the postseason for the third time in four years.
And then things really started going downhill. LB Derrick Thomas, the team’s
emotional cornerstone for a decade, died from complications of the paralysis he incurred
in an automoblile accident on an icy Kansas City highway. Rock-steady OG Dave Szott
survived the same kind of blood clot that killed Thomas. Tamarick Vanover and Bam Morris
were both caught in legal trouble for their alleged involvement in a
marijuana-distribution operation. WR Andre Rison was charged with theft for failing to
return rented music equipment, was later accused by police of giving them false
information after a bar fight and was released after training camp.
That’s why the 2000 season can’t come soon enough for a team anxious to atone
for the season that got away.
"It was right in our hands," lamented QB Elvis Grbac. "We’ve got to
learn from those mistakes. The things that happened last year cannot happen this coming
year."
The Chiefs have done the typical offseason retooling. They added two quality veterans
— LB Lew Bush and DE Duane Clemons — to take on the responsibilities Thomas once
had. They drafted big, rangy WR Sylvester Morris to bolster a WR corps in desperate need
of a playmaker to complement Gonzalez, maybe the best tight end in the business.
They’ll also be counting heavily on two second-year players, SS Larry Atkins and RB
Mike Cloud, to play major roles this year.
But most of all, they’ll need to demonstrate that they’ve truly reacquired
the mental and physical toughness Cunningham worked so hard to instill last year. He
thought he had accomplished that job. The season finale, however, suggested it’s
still a work in progress.
Top of page
| Quarterbacks |
Grade C+ |
| Grbac proved a lot of things to himself, and more important,
to his teammates, by staying healthy for all but three snaps in ’99. In his only full
season as a starter, he amassed an 81.7 passer ranking (fifth in the AFC) after throwing
for 3,389 yards and 22 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. Now 30, Grbac believes his best
years are ahead of him. Todd Collins, a one-time starter in Buffalo, has moved ahead of
veteran Warren Moon as the No. 2 QB. Heading into the first cuts, the Chiefs were trying
to decide whether to retain Moon or stick with shaky youngster Ted White. Top of page |
| Running backs |
Grade C+ |
| Expect to again see the relay-team approach that produced the
league’s fourth-rated rushing attack last year. Cloud will get the first shot in
two-RB sets and has a chance to have a breakout year. He was modestly impressive in
training camp. But the Chiefs also like the idea of using FB Tony Richardson — their
leading rusher in the season’s final five games when finally given the chance to
carry the ball — in one-RB sets. In short-yardage situations, look for FB Donnell
Bennett or Richardson to get the ball. Kimble Anders has battled back from the torn
Achilles tendon that ended his promising ’99 season. Anders will be 34 in September,
but he provides insurance should something happen to Cloud. Top of page |
| Receivers |
Grade B- |
| Gonzalez remains the go-to guy after catching a career-high
76 passes for 849 yards and 11 TDs. His Pro Bowl berth should be the first of many for
this former college-basketball player who can outrun most linebackers and outmuscle most
defensive backs. With the release of Rison, the Chiefs have only two wide receivers
who’ve caught a pass in an NFL game. Derrick Alexander is a hot-and-cold playmaker
who turned cold last year when Gonzalez heated up. Kevin Lockett is a possession guy who
will get the chance to step up in Rison’s absence. The Chiefs are quietly hoping for
a big initial season from Morris, their No. 1 draft pick out of Jackson State. In minicamp
and offseason workouts, Morris showed a penchant for catching badly thrown balls, an
ability Grbac will test occasionally. If Morris can make an impact quickly, the Chiefs
will be OK with a WR corps rounded out by second-year man Larry Parker, primarily a return
guy. Top of page |
| Offensive linemen |
Grade A- |
| The foundation of the Chiefs’ running attack, which is
the foundation of the offense, returns intact, though perhaps for the final year. Pro Bowl
ORG Will Shields, the team’s designated franchise player, signed only a one-year
contract. C Tim Grunhard is in the last year of his contract. OLG Dave Szott, the best
guard to never make the Pro Bowl, is in the last year of his deal and wants to play in the
New York area, where he has moved his family. One of the best interior threesomes in the
league may be breaking up. Thinking of the future and the near term, the Chiefs acquired
veteran OG Jeff Blackshear from Baltimore and C-OG Aaron Graham from Arizona. John Tait,
in his first full year as a starting left tackle, looks like a player with a bright
future. ORT Victor Riley is reasonably effective when he keeps his weight in check. Marcus
Spears is the only backup tackle with any experience. Top of page |
| Defensive linemen |
Grade C+ |
| DT Chester McGlockton, despite his tendency to jump offside,
should have been in the Pro Bowl last year. His play wasn’t reflected in numbers
— he had only 1½ sacks and 81 total tackles — but he consistently occupied two
blockers and created opportunities for teammates. Clemons is coming off a nine-sack season
with the Vikings. He’s just OK against the run, but the Chiefs think he has
double-digit sack ability. DE Eric Hicks is physically bigger (291) and mentally stronger
now that his infant daughter is healthy after fighting for her life with heart problems
last year. DT Dan Williams will again try to justify the big contract he got in ’99
after holding out for all of ’98. New DT acquisition Steve Martin (Philadelphia)
provides decent depth in the interior, while former starting DE John Browning appears to
have recovered well from a torn Achilles. Top of page |
| Linebackers |
Grade B |
| How Donnie Edwards got bypassed by Pro Bowl voters after
picking off five passes — most among NFL linebackers — and being in on 143
tackles remains a mystery. With Thomas’ death, Edwards becomes the guy Kansas City
will turn to as its defensive playmaker. He’ll line up in a variety of places, making
defenses guess where the attack will come from. Bush inherits Thomas’ spot in the
regular defense, playing over the tight end. Bush should be better vs. the tight end than
Thomas was. MLB Marvcus Patton was the team’s MVP last year after taking every
defensive snap. Patton is not a huge playmaker at 33, but he gets the job done with few
mistakes. Ron George is a solid backup and special-teams player. Top of page |
| Defensive backs |
Grade B |
| Starting two 35-year-old cornerbacks in James Hasty and Cris
Dishman is a concern, though Hasty played as if he were 28 in tying for the league lead
with seven interceptions last year. Third-year CB Eric Warfield ultimately will replace
Dishman, who struggles to keep up with younger, faster receivers. The Chiefs opted to
retain FS Jerome Woods while letting SS Reggie Tongue depart via free agency. Woods must
now prove they made the right choice. SS replacement Atkins is a 230-pound run stopper
whose cover skills will be tested in his first year as a starter. Rookie Greg Wesley may
get time in nickel situations. Top of page |
| Special teams |
Grade C |
| PK Pete Stoyanovich no longer has the leg he once had. He hit
8-of-14 FG tries from 40-plus yards last year after nailing 14-of-15 such tries as
recently as ’97. Todd Sauerbrun was acquired from Chicago to handle kickoffs (which
have been consistently deep) and punts. Parker will get first crack at punt-return duties,
with rookie speedster Dante Hall handling kickoff returns. Both returners are unproven in
NFL action. Top of page |
Back to 2000 predictions chart
Back to team previews main page |
|
 |
The Archives
2000 - 2001 Season |
| Online writers — features and
columns by our PFW staff, columnists, AFC reporters, NFC reporters and contributing
writers |
| College football — articles,
college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10 |
| Fantasy football — articles,
injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor, mock drafts,
draft boards, "In our opinion" daily fantasy columns |
| Free-agency |
| General features — Internet
features, features from our print edition, Hall of Fame features, team reports, training
camp reports |
| Handicapper's Corner —
staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL standings, weekly
handicapping columns, predictions |
| "A closer look" —
in-depth analysis of general football topics |
| "In our opinion" daily columns
— opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins" —
short-takes on current events |
| Joel Buchsbaum
— college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage, NFL notepad,
NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing editor |
| NFL Draft — player evaluations,
printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron Pollack —
articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in review —
the 2000-2001 NFL season |
| XFL — the inaugural year |
|
