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Winds of change Kansas City will have a new offensive look in 2001
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Do not adjust your set if you don't recognize the Kansas City Chiefs' offense this fall. The distortion in regards to the vertical hold is purely intentional. Through most of the 12-year span that encompassed the Marty Schottenheimer and Gunther Cunningham coaching eras, the Chiefs offensive philosophy consisted of three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-red-dust. Most of the franchise's victories during that span were secured with a combination of stout defense and a conservative offense built around a power running game. But that was Christian Okoye, and this is now. While there's no truth to the rumor that the Chiefs will petition the league to install a CFL-sized playing surface at Arrowhead this fall, Kansas City's offense does plan on stretching the field in a most untraditional way. An attacking offense with a spread-the-field mentality? Plenty of three- and four-receiver sets? In Kansas City? What has Dick Vermeil wrought?
"Obviously, hiring Dick, then hiring [offensive coordinator] Al Saunders began this process," Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson said of his team’s offensive make-over. "The key now is that we've been able to acquire some other talented offensive people. I think we're going to be excited about going out and playing. I think our fans are going to be excited about the type of offense they're going to see at Arrowhead Stadium." In a three-day span this weekend, the Chiefs believe they have put into place the pieces that will allow them to diversify their offense to the degree that Kansas City fans have not seen in many years. The centerpiece of that movement was the acquisition of St. Louis backup quarterback Trent Green, who had a first-hand view of the Rams' offensive explosion of 1999-2000, even if he was the second hand on the QB depth chart. Former Baltimore running back Priest Holmes and kick return specialist/receiver Tony Horne were added Friday along with Green. And Saturday and Sunday brought draft picks Marvin Minnis, a Florida State wide receiver who came in the third round, and a speedster in Stephen F. Austin running back Derrick Blaylock (fifth round). "This could be a good football team if I don't screw it up," said Vermeil of the Chiefs, who haven't made the playoffs since 1997. "We had to have the guy who drives the car, and we have that in Trent. ... We will not be limited to what we can do offensively from a talent standpoint. "We may not do it as well today as we will two years from now, from a talent standpoint. But I feel very good about it." While no one is bracing for Rams-like point totals in Kansas City, the Chiefs are optimistic that their fresh faces will supplement on offense the skill-player talent that begins with the NFL’s best tight end, Tony Gonzalez, and includes wide receivers Derrick Alexander and second-year man Sylvester Morris. "Oh, man, it's almost like night and day," said holdover Chiefs running back Tony Richardson this weekend, of the team's influx of offense. "I laughed when people questioned whether we should trade the first-round pick. Now we know what we're getting. "You know Trent Green is coming in here ready to play. You're not wondering if you're getting some head case who might crack up on you in the middle of the season or something. Obviously, you need rookies on your team, but in light of what we got [Friday], I'd say this trade is incredible." Under Schottenheimer and Cunningham, two defensive-minded coaches, the Chiefs rarely pressed the issue on offense or tried to dictate the tempo of the game from that side of the ball. But under Vermeil and Saunders, staying in the attack mode will be their first priority on offense. "The nature of this offense is much more aggressive than conservative," said Saunders, who was Schottenheimer's receivers coach in Kansas City for 10 years, a post some likened to semi-retirement. "I think it'll be fun to watch. I think there will be more versatility and diversification in what we do. We feel very good about having an opportunity to be a little more creative and hopefully more productive in scoring points than we've been here before." Believe it or not, Vermeil and Co. say Holmes, who was a 1,000-yard rusher with Baltimore as recently as 1998, will be pivotal to the offensive success. Holmes is no Marshall Faulk, but the Chiefs propose that he'll be much more multi-dimensional than past Kansas City runners, and is capable of both running wide and posing a downfield receiving threat. Sounds like a lofty role for a player who sat virtually uncourted through seven weeks of free agency. "He fits our profile," Vermeil said. "He can do all the obvious things with a football. He can be more than a lay-off back in terms of the passing game. He can attack down the field as a receiving back. He can pick up the linebackers coming in. He can make them miss in the open field, and he can run over somebody." Holmes entered Arrowhead talking a good game Saturday, even before he had actually signed a five-year, $8 million contract with Kansas City. "When you have a quarterback, some receivers and a running back, you can kill them slow or kill them fast," said Holmes, who lost his lead running back job last year to Ravens rookie Jamal Lewis. "With the receivers and quarterback we have here, we can definitely kill them fast and at the same time we are going to kill them slow with Tony Richardson and myself." The Chiefs talking loud on offense. Almost loud enough for it to be heard in St. Louis. We have left the realm of the familiar. Something tells us we're not in Kansas any more. Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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