Kansas City Chiefs Are Ready To Surprise

For the previous four seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the worst teams in the NFL. Thanks to the proud (sic) franchises in St. Louis, Oakland, Detroit, and Cleveland, the KC Chiefs aren't the absolute worst—but they're in the conversation.

However, this season will mark the end of the misery for the Chiefs. They are going to surprise a lot of people this season. I'm not saying that they are going to be a playoff team. The San Diego Chargers own that division right now, and the Chiefs aren't going to be good enough to grab a wild card spot. But they will be a good team  that will have a winning record (I predict 10 wins) and will carry this momentum into the future seasons.

Kansas City's 2010 winning season will happen because of

1. Their young talent.
2. Their terrible, soul-crushingly bad division.

The Talent

Although the Matt Cassel trade (and big-money contract extension) were strange moves considering that Cassel is an average player, the Chiefs have made outstanding moves all across the board. Jamaal Charles is a very good, young running back, and adding New York Jets castoff Thomas Jones was a terrific move.

Having a two-headed running system with Jones and Charles gives them the best running attack in the division. Look at what a good running game can do to a team like the Jets, and Charles is a better player then Shonn Greene is. With Jones and Charles, KC is going to be able to hide the shaky play of Cassel.

When the Chiefs decide to throw the ball, they have a couple of good options. Veteran Chris Chambers won't get the touches that he is used to, but he can still be a decent target.

Dwayne Bowe has had a troubled career in the pros. He burst onto the scene in his rookie year, but hasn't really improved since that first season. He drops the ball a lot, but is an athletic guy that can get open and move the ball. He reminds me of Santana Moss; both guys who have yet to take advantage of their talent.

The receiver I'm most looking forward to is rookie Dexter McCluster. McCluster was drafted in the third round out of Ole Miss. McCluster was a running back in college, but in the NFL the Chiefs decided to move him to wideout. If he gets to the open field, he can be a dangerous weapon. I expect KC to use him in the way that Minnesota used Percy Harvin last year. McCluster will touch the ball around 10-12 times a game and will provide speed and athleticism to that offense.

On defense, the Chiefs welcome in rookie safety Eric Berry. Berry was believed by most scouts to be the best pro prospect in college last season. He is a smart and athletic player that has the ability to both intercept a lazy pass and take it back for six points on one play, and then turn a receiver to jelly with a violent, bone-crushing hit on the next series. He is often compared to Baltimore Ravens defensive legend Ed Reed. If d-lineman Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson put pressure on the QB, it will be a field day for Berry.

The coaching staff for KC looks like a bunch of New England knockoffs. People enjoy making fun of O-coordinator Charlie Weis and D-coordinator Romeo Crennel because of their failures as head coaches.

Although both men had problems with their teams (Notre Dame and the Cleveland Browns, respectively) that doesn't mean that they don't possess outstanding coaching minds.

And for all of Weis' mis-direction plays at Notre Dame, the offense that he ran there with Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate was talented and could put up points quickly and efficiently.

Crennel's stint with Cleveland was a disaster, although every coach has had trouble with the Browns, even Bill Belichick. Crennel is going to have a great time with this young, talented D.

The Division

San Diego is without a doubt the most talented team in the AFC West. Even with a rookie running back in Ryan Mathews, they are still going to be able to win 12 games and grab a high seed in the playoffs.

Oakland is slowly getting better. Jason Campbell gives them their best QB since Rich Gannon led them to a Super Bowl appearance, Michael Bush is a talented RB, and they have an underrated defense.The games between the Chiefs and Raiders will be strangely compelling.

The Denver Broncos seem to be in a state of apathy. MCD's poor decision's continue. In only about a year and a half, the man has traded away Jay Cutler, alienated and traded away Brandon Marshall, drafted the oft-injured bust Knowshon Moreno (14th overall? He wasn't even in a top five back coming out of college), drafted Tim Tebow, traded for Cleveland bust Brady Quinn, and provided zero depth at any position on the defensive side of the ball. The recent injury to Elvis Dumerveil was significant not only because Elvis is a great player but also because they have no one important to replace him with.

It's been a very hard couple of years for Chiefs' fans. They had to struggle through the Herm Edwards years, they had to watch Larry Johnson hold out on the team and then basically quit playing so he could get traded. Neither their offense nor defense has been very effective. 

This year finally gives them something to hope for. A winning season is on the way.