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Kansas City
CHIEFS
2002 Record: 8-8
Head Coach: Dick Vermeil
90-91 overall, 6-4 postseason
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TEAM LEADERS
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Passing
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Trent Green
287-470, 3,690 yards, 26 TDs, 13 INTs
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Rushing
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Priest Holmes
313 carries, 1,615 yards, 21 TDs
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Receiving
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Eddie Kennison
53 catches, 906 yards, 2 TDs
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Kicking
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Morten Andersen
22-26 FGs, 51-51 PATs, 117 points
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Schedule | Roster |
Statistics | Stadium
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By B. Duane Cross, SI.com
How did Kansas City manage to win eight games last season? The Chiefs scored 467 points (29.18 per game), ranked fourth in total offense, third in rushing and 11th in passing.
How did Kansas City manage to lose eight games last season? The Chiefs gave up almost 400 yards per game, ranked 32nd in total defense, 24th against the run and 31st versus the pass.
After a 3-2 start, Kansas City lost four of six before ralling to win three of five to finish at .500. Except for a season-ending 24-0 loss to Oakland, the Chiefs averaged 27 points in their losses -- including defeats in three games in which K.C. put up at least 32 points.
Eternal optimist Dick Vermeil said in mid-June that the Chiefs are solid on both sides of the ball and ready for training camp. "Right now, we don't have a weakness," third-year head coach Vermeil noted. "Now, what does that mean? Is everybody starting good enough to win a world championship? Only time will tell, but it's certainly good enough to be extremely competitive.
"First off, we have our system ingrained. This is going into our third year so it's been introduced, and reintroduced and refined. We could play a game tomorrow; we really could. Our rookies know a lot more now so when they report to training camp they won't be strangers to the scheme anyway. They'll be strangers to the tempo, to the pads, to the heat, the long hours, but they won't be strangers to the system."
LB Shawn Barber -- A play-making LB who comes to the Chiefs from Philadelphia, Barber is looking to make his mark with a LB-needy unit that includes Scott Fujita, Mike Maslowski, Lew Bush and rookie Kawika Mitchell. Barber had 92 total tackles last season, 17th-most among NFC 'backers, and he'll also help fill the void left by Marvcus Patton's retirement.
Are you kidding? DE Duane Clemons won't be missed with the addition of Vonnie Holliday. CB Ray Crockett will be a distant memory, replaced by CB Dexter McCleon. As for P Dan Stryzinski, CB Derek Combs and RB Mike Cloud -- good riddance.
RB Priest Holmes -- When healthy, he is arguably the most valuable player in fantasy football with his big numbers rushing and receiving. He carried many a fantasy team on his own last year by scoring 24 total TDs and 2,178 combined yards despite missing the last two games of the season with a serious hip injury. The team says his hip is fine, and if so, there are more huge numbers on the horizon. However, those same concerns could drop him from the top spot in a fantasy draft.
WR Johnnie Morton -- While Marc Boerigter emerged from obscurity to put up decent numbers, Morton was a bust in his first season with the Chiefs. He never seemed comfortable being the main receiver and finished with just 397 yards and one TD while Kennison passed him as the team's most productive wideout. Morton may not be more than the team's third wideout this season, which puts him way down the totem pole.
WR Marc Boerigter -- The Chiefs top targets last year were a running back (Holmes) and a tight end (the always reliable Tony Gonzalez). Despite this, Trent Green had a huge year, thanks to Eddie Kennison and the unheralded Boerigter, who caught a team-high eight TD passes, including a 99-yarder. Boerigter only had 20 catches last year, but he should become more involved in the offense this season thanks to his nose for the end zone.
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>> Chiefs will make the playoffs because ...
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Kansas City's defense will come together and help the high-octane offense. ... Hey, it can't hurt to dream. If the Chiefs get their defense on the same page, this team will be in the thick of the AFC West race through December.
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>> Chiefs will miss the playoffs because ...
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Defense will continue to plague the offense. That, or the fact opposing defenses will begin to cover WR Marc Boerigter. Raise your hand if you knew Boerigter had a team-high eight TD catches last year.
| 2003 Draft Picks |
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| Rd. |
Pick |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
| 1 |
27 (27) |
Larry Johnson |
RB |
Penn State |
| 2 |
15 (47) |
Kawika Mitchell |
ILB |
South Florida |
| 3 |
28 (92) |
Julian Battle |
S |
Tennessee |
| 4 |
16 (113) |
Brett Williams |
OT |
Florida State |
| 5 |
18 (153) |
Jordan Black |
OT |
Notre Dame |
| 6 |
16 (189) |
Jimmy Wilkerson |
DE |
Oklahoma |
| 7 |
16 (230) |
Montique Sharpe |
DT |
Wake Forest |
| 7 |
38 (252) |
Willie Pile |
S |
Virginia Tech |
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