Kansas City Chiefs 2005 season preview

Updated: September 2, 2005, 11:26 AM ET

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THE BOTTOM LINE

By John Clayton, ESPN.com

The Chiefs are clearly better on defense. Linebacker Derrick Johnson should be the defensive rookie of the year. The first-round choice has incredible speed and playmaking ability. He's the best pure linebacker this team has drafted since Derrick Thomas. Patrick Surtain has already made an impression with his ability to cover. Sammy Knight is a playmaker and a settling influence at the safety position. If all works out well, the Chiefs should jump from 31st on defense into the teens, and if that happens, the Chiefs should win nine or 10 games and be a playoff contender.

The concern is along the defensive line. Ryan Sims still is up and down at defensive tackle. Jared Allen, last year's surprise star at end, hit a sophomore slump and is currently running second team. Defensive tackle Junior Siavii can't stay out of the training room because of injuries.

Last year, the Chiefs found out it wasn't the schemes causing the problems on defense. It was the players. So they got better players. The Chiefs are old, but good on offense and should finish in the top three. They are getting old along the offensive line and have some question marks at wide receiver. In what should be Dick Vermeil's last season, the Chiefs are ready to compete for a playoff spot and maybe more.

ESPN's TAKE

By Merril Hoge, ESPN.com

The Big Question?
The defense has to step up after years of tinkering and changing coordinators. They were ranked 31st overall on defense last season and gave up 27.2 points per game. They have to get the opposing team off the field and stop wasting the great plays the offense makes. With Trent Green, Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez and more, the Chiefs have the offense, but can all the players they added make the defense better?

The clock is ticking in Kansas City for this group and they have to make a stand now or this whole thing could get blown up next season in terms of trades and coaching movement.

FANTASY TAKE

By Scott Engel, ESPN.com

Sleeper: WR Samie Parker: Trent Green does a fine job of getting the ball downfield to speedy receivers, and Parker fits the mold of the wideout who fits in well with the aggressive Kansas City offense. Parker could replace the disappointing Johnnie Morton in a quite effective manner.

Bust: RB Priest Holmes: If you are spending a top-three pick on Holmes, you are taking a risk. You simply won't get durability or reliability, and then you'll immediately be faced with the question of when to handcuff Larry Johnson to Holmes. And handcuffing isn't always the ideal answer, because if Holmes is listed as questionable, you won't know which guy to start.

From ESPN the MAGAZINE

The Big Number

8 New DBs Surtain and Knight combined for eight picks last season. That's the same as KC's 2004 leaders, Eric Warfield and Greg Wesley, who didn't get the $61 million Surtain and Knight got.

STRENGTH --> O-LINE

Name KC's first ballot Hall of Famer. Holmes (left)? Gonzalez? Try Will Shields. It's because of him -- along with linemates Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann and Jordan Black -- that Green has passed for more than 4,000 yards the past two years and Holmes has 62 rushing TDs since 2002. All five O-linemen are gifted pass- and run-blockers, and there's not a unit in the NFL -- any unit -- whose movements look as synchronized.

WEAKNESS --> PASS D

The Chiefs finished last in the NFL in pass defense last season. But of their five high-profile additions -- Carlos Hall, Kendrell Bell, Johnson, Surtain and Knight -- Surtain (left) might be the only significant upgrade when it comes to defending the pass. Hall is a stop-the-run-first DE, Bell is oft-injured, Johnson is a rookie and Knight doesn't run or cover well. But, remember this …

PROSPECTS

... They didn't import Surtain, Johnson, Knight, Hall and Bell to become a great defense. They did it hoping to become a better one. KC's O has averaged more points (27) and more yards (379) than any other team's the past four years, but the Chiefs have only one playoff appearance to show for it. That's because the D gives back every lead it gets.

Last season, it allowed 27 points per game, 29th in the league. Now, with Green, Holmes, Shields and Roaf in their 30s -- and Dick Vermeil threatening to retire after this season -- time is not on this franchise's side. So while other D's hope for shutouts, the Chiefs are aiming much lower. With that offense, just barely mediocre might mean a return to the playoffs.

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