Arrowhead stadium is known through the NFL as one of the loudest stadiums in the league because of the die hard fans, over 130 consecutive sellouts proves that point. During the 1990′s the Kansas City Chiefs depended on the team’s defense to get the crowd into the game by making big play after big play, led by super stars such as Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, and Dale Carter. Marty Schottenheimer was the head coach during this era of Chiefs football, he was the reason that the Kansas City Chiefs fans grew into the noise making machine that they are known as today. Despite the success that Marty had in Kansas City, he was like every other coach in the NFL, time passes, and he needed to eventually move on. Some people will tell you that when Marty left, he took the spirit of the Kansas City Chiefs great defensive teams with him.
Two average seasons followed after coach Schottenheimer left, those seasons were led by Gunther Cunningham, the current defensive coordinator. Then, the Chiefs’ President and General Manager, Carl Peterson felt a much needed lift was needed to get a new “great” spirit back into the soul of the Kansas City Chiefs fans, enter Coach Dick Vermeil.
Coach Vermeil arrived in Kansas City with a reputation of a Super Bowl winning head coach and an offensive genius. By the time coach Vermeil was done, the Kansas City Chiefs would have had the greatest run of offensive numbers in the history of the Chiefs. Players coach Vermeil brought to Kansas City were the soul reason that the Chiefs became an offensive machine. Players such as quarterback Trent Green who provided the best quarterback play the Chiefs had seen since the days of Hall Of Fame QB Len Dawson. Running back Priest Holmes was a forgotten man on the bench in Baltimore, until coach Vermeil brought him to Kansas City, Priest then proceeded to become the best running back in the NFL and re-write the Chiefs’ record book for running backs. Despite great additions such as Trent Green and Priest Holmes, the heart and soul of the Chiefs outstanding offense were a set of men that defined what a “great” offense should be, they were the men who formed the Chiefs offensive line. Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Casey Weigman, Brian Waters, and John Welbourn were the men that produced the best offensive line in the NFL. Having what seemed to some opposing teams as a brick wall protecting him, quarterback Trent Green was able to dissect defenses and rack up video game type numbers year after year. Running back Priest Holmes was able to pick and choose any of the many holes that the line produced for him, on his way to his usual pro-bowl statistics. The offense was scary, and was the reason for any success that the Chiefs had during the coach Vermeil era.
This brings us to 2007, a time of limbo for Kansas City Chiefs fans. Several years have passed since the Chiefs were known as a defensive power, but it seems that those days are returning because of current head coach Herman Edwards and the defense that he created with the help of Gunther Cunningham. Derrick Johnson, Donnie Edwards, Jared Allen and Tamba Hali lead a defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL, and who now represent the soul of the Chiefs. Now as much as Chiefs fans love their defense, and feed off the energy produced when Jared Allen and Tamba Hali meet at the opposing quarterback to produce yet another fumble, there still is a void at every game, just a feeling of something missing, OFFENSE! The Chiefs “O” needs to go!
The offense has to get it going, and there is no time better than this coming weekend when one of the worst defenses in the NFL arrives in Kansas City, the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs have lost the fire on offense and you would have to have blinders on to not be able to see that. Pro-Bowl running back Larry Johnson is not running with the same energy or “chip on his shoulder” attitude that he brought to the field the past two seasons, a great deal of that probably has to do with the lack of holes produced by this seasons version of the offensive line. Willie Roaf and Will Shields have both walked off into the retirement sunset, and the Chiefs have struggled ever since. Quarterback Damon Huard has been picking himself up off the ground to often after plays, and the flow that an offense needs to have just has not been there this season.
The Chiefs offense does have a nice amount of solid weapons to use, it’s just a matter of finding that attitude needed to get it going. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez is off to yet another pro-bowl level type season, and big play making rookie wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has shown that he has what it takes to become a go to guy. Other players like Samie Parker, Kris Wilson, Michael Bennett, and the entire offensive line need to step up and play like someone who enjoys their jobs. Give the crowd at Arrowhead something to do after one of their drives other than boo! We want to break into the touchdown celebration early and often this week, and we need to see Larry Johnson being hoisted up by Jason Dunn two or three times during the game, and perhaps even Tony Gonzalez doing another finger roll with the ball over the crossbar of the goal post. Show the NFL that this team does have heart, and show the Bengals that this is not the declining team that so many people say it is. Sack up Offense, it is time to wake up and go to work for real this week. The Chief fans have already produced yet another sellout this week.. When are you going to produce some offense?
GO CHIEFS!
