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"They had all good things to say," recalls Grbac. "They told me the organization was similar to the 49ers. They said the guys there want to win."

By the end of the round, Grbac was high on Kansas City, and within a month he had signed a five-year contract with the team. "The opportunity to be a starter was the driving factor," Grbac says.

At 27, he'll be the youngest regular Chiefs quarterback since Marty Schottenheimer took over as coach in 1989; no quarterback younger than 32 has started more than three games for K.C. since Todd Blackledge and Bill Kenney in 1986. Age isn't the issue with Grbac, though—it's experience. He has started just nine games since the 49ers drafted him in the eighth round out of Michigan in 1993. "The only thing that separates Elvis from being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL is playing time," says Kansas City offensive coordinator Paul Hackett. "He has the tools, both mentally and physically. He's got the emotional makeup of a leader. He just needs to play."

The Chiefs need him to do exactly that. Kansas City's current run of eight consecutive winning seasons is second only to San Francisco's 14, but the Chiefs haven't reached the Super Bowl since the days of Hank Stram and Len Dawson. Last season K.C. finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. The offense absorbed most of the blame: Four times the Chiefs failed to crack double digits in a game, and in their seven losses the offense scored just six touchdowns.

The Chiefs used all six of their draft picks on offense. They expect immediate help from 6'4" tight end Tony Gonzalez of California, the 13th pick overall. Three Chiefs tight ends caught a total of 41 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns last year; Gonzalez should better those numbers on his own.

The receiving corps got a big boost with the signing of free agents Brett Perriman, who caught 202 passes over the past two seasons with the Lions, and Andre Rison, who is looking to return to Pro Bowl form with his fifth team in the past four years. Injuries plagued wideouts Lake Dawson (knee) and Tamarick Vanover (shoulder and rib) last year, but both are expected to be at full strength.

The new featured back will be Greg Hill. The Chiefs' No. 1 draft pick in 1994 has been told he'll get 90% of the running plays this season, and he's ready. "They say I'm going to be the guy," the 25-year-old Hill says. "That's what I've been waiting to hear for the last four years." Marcus Allen will serve as the backup Kansas City intended him to be when he signed in 1993. (Instead, he has led the team in rushing each of the past four seasons.)

The changes on offense, though, pale in comparison with the transformation on the other side of the ball: The defense will have six new starters. The Chiefs chose not to re-sign several key veterans—most notably defensive end Neil Smith. "I am as frustrated as I've ever been in my career because of what happened to us on defense last year," Schottenheimer says. "We grossly underachieved."

Sounds like a job for the Falcon, which is what Derrick Thomas's new linebacker-lineman position has been dubbed. "It's a verbiage thing for us, just to let Derrick know he's different," defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham says. Thomas, a veteran of eight straight Pro Bowls, will generally set up in a linebacker spot but rush the passer most of the time. He thinks another 20-sack season, like the one he had in 1990, is within his reach. "That will justify the leeway I was given with the position," says Thomas, 30. And, perhaps, justify the seven-year, $27 million contract he signed in March. Thomas isn't wild about having to take the field without his friend Smith, though. "It's like being Linus and having to go out there without my blanket," he says.

Grbac is upbeat. "This team can be as good as it wants to be," he says. "We've got the talent to do the job." Perhaps football in late January will prove to be a benefit of Kansas City living.

— by Dana Gelin