Under control

Chiefs hope to improve on last season's sloppy play

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Posted: Wednesday August 25, 1999 01:10 PM

Chief concern: With a history of injury and drug problems, Bam Morris will look to get Kansas City's running game on track. Stephen Dunn/Allsport

The Kansas City Chiefs opened their 1999 training camp on July 27 in River Falls, Wis. After missing the playoffs last season, the Chiefs are hoping that new head coach Gunther Cunningham can put them back into playoff contention. Here are a few questions from Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z, followed by CNNSI.com's perspective on some of the issues facing the Chiefs this season. SI's season preview will be posted August 24.

Dr. Z wants to know:

1) Who's the next defensive stalwart who'll wind up in Denver, following defections of Keith Traylor, Neil Smith and now Dale Carter?

2) A quick capsule, please, on what brought the Chiefs to 7-9 last year: O.K., the offense was nowhere, but it's never been a thing of beauty anyway, and K.C. always slopped its way into the playoffs thanks to a sturdy defense. Last year people ran against the Chiefs. Among AFC teams, only the poor, hopeless Bengals had more running plays called against them, and gave up more rushing touchdowns (23 to KC's 22).

3) How has this been addressed? Defensive end Dan Williams is back. He had a fine season in '97 but held out all of last year. Marvcus Patton, the new middle linebacker, is a run-stopper, freeing up the speedy Donnie Edwards to go to the outside, where he rightfully belongs. Now all they have to do is get Chester McGlockton out of there.

4) How about the quarterback situation? Warren Moon vs. Elvis Grbac? You know something? Questions like this depress me. I'm sick of quarterback controversies. Who cares, really?

The Chiefs might make the playoffs if: Elvis Grbac keeps the ball out of the opponents hands. Grbac was interception-prone in the West Coast offense, and a switch to a greater emphasis on controlling the football with the running game will help open up the deep ball for Grbac and his receivers. The Chiefs also must play smarter football this season, and cut down significantly on the number of penalties they committed last year. The '98 Chiefs were the most penalized team in NFL history, allowing 1,304 yards on 158 penalties. New coach Gunther Cunningham will preach discipline and efficiency to his players to cut down on the silly mental errors.

Pivotal games: Sept. 19 vs. Denver; Dec. 26 at Seattle. The Chiefs host the rival Broncos in Week 2, and have a great chance to prove themselves to the rest of the division early in the season. A win against the rival Broncos could give the Chiefs momentum through the middle portion of their schedule to make a run at a wild card spot. In Week 16 the Chiefs travel to Seattle to play what could turn out to be a battle for a wild card spot. The Chiefs will be coming off a stretch that includes games at Denver, vs. Minnesota, and vs. Pittsburgh.

On the hot seat: Controversy seems to follow Bam Morris around wherever he goes, doesn't it? Morris will be asked to be the feature back from the first snap, but with his history of injury and drug problems he could slip up at any time. The Chiefs invested a second-round pick in running back Mike Cloud from Boston College, and they feel that Cloud can contribute as a third-down back, and possibly step in for Morris if needed. Defensive tackle Dan Williams will return from a year-long contract holdout, and he needs to replicate his 10.5 sack year of 1997 to bolster the Chiefs defensive unit that looked old and slow last season.

Up-and-comers: Cloud will give the Chiefs an explosive presence that they have lacked in recent years in the backfield. Tony Gonzalez continues to emerge as a pass-catching tight end, and with Cunningham scrapping the West Coast offense in favor of a more ball-control style, Gonzalez is poised to emerge into a premier tight end. The Chiefs first-round pick this season, John Tait of BYU, could win the starting nod at left tackle in training camp, and not give it up for years to come.

 

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