The 2009 Patriots look nothing like the Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli creations that dominated the league for most of this decade. Tom Brady's reconstructed knee has something to do with that, but the complete lack of a defense hasn't helped much, either. Especially in the second half.
"This was a problem against the Bills and an insurmountable one against the Jets, who rang up 197 yards and 13 points in the second half to 57 yards and a field goal in the first. Worse, the first two quarterbacks they've faced, Trent Edwards and rookie Mark Sanchez, finished with passer ratings of 114.1 and 101.1. It is unlikely the last game either plays this season will be the Pro Bowl."
That was Ron Borges, who has made a living panning Belichick and the organization, even as they reeled off three Super Bowls in four years. But he actually makes a good point here (hey, it happens). Of course, no Borges column would be complete without getting in a few shots, and this time he targets Randy Moss.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
In 2006, the Kansas City Chiefs finished with a 9-7 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Indianapolis. Since then, the Chiefs have won just six games -- four in 2007 and two last season -- causing a major overhaul of the front office and coaching staff prior to the 2009 season.
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have tumbled off the NFL's map and out of your consciousness. They no longer are an elite franchise, or even a competitive one. Six victories in two seasons will do that. Three playoff wins since 1969 tell you this isn't an organization that finishes well.
"It's broken,'' says new general manager Scott Pioli (pictured right, black shirt, with coach Todd Haley), the former Patriots personnel whiz who took over this reclamation project on Jan. 13. "We have a lot of work to do here. I'm exhausted at the end of the day, but energized when I wake up. I love what we're doing, what we're trying to build."
What he's undertaken is a demolition, from top to bottom.
Summer is heating up and so is NFL football, so FanHouse is at Chiefs training camp to get you the rundown on the new-look squad as they get ready for the '09 season.
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- In a Chiefs training camp awash in urgency and big changes, none is more glaring than the absence of tight end Tony Gonzalez, the do-everything signature star who no longer will dominate what's been a sputtering Kansas City offense.
Gonzalez, a 10-time Pro Bowler, took his prolific pass catching skills to the Atlanta Falcons after 12 seasons in K.C. But there is another veteran receiver in Kansas City who's eager to take up where Gonzalez left off.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days.
FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it Summer Scramble. This morning we look at some Burning Questions in the AFC West and offer a ridiculously early prediction of how the division will finish.
Matt Cassel was already a very rich man when he signed a one-year franchise tender with the Kansas City Chiefs that paid him nearly $15 million for the upcoming season. And now, it appears as if he will be really, really rich as word on the street is that he's signed a multi-year deal with the Chiefs.
This shouldn't be that surprising -- in all likelihood, Scott Pioli read my article this morning proclaiming Cassel an "underrated quarterback." Or, alternately, Pioli has followed Cassel's entire career and recognizes his Tom Brady-esque "benchwarmer turned franchise quarterback" potential. Hard to tell really. (Update after the jump.)
I can understand why a room full of grown men might not respond well to daily dressing downs, particularly from a new head coach not much older than than they are. But that's the situation in Kansas City.
Herm Edwards got his walking papers after a 2-14 effort last season, which, inexplicably, was only half as many games as he won the year before. Scott Pioli, who replaced Carl Peterson as the team president and general manager, hired former Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley to help turn things around.
The Chiefs got right to work on the rebuilding: they sent a second-round pick to the Patriots for Matt Cassel, giving them a franchise quarterback and somebody for Haley, whose success in Arizona landed him this gig, to build the team around.
In the three drafts prior to Scott Pioli's arrival in Kansas City a few months ago, the Chiefs selected in the first round defensive end Tamba Hali, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
For varying reasons, all three players could be elsewhere a year from now. Pioli, who came to Kansas City from New England, hired Todd Haley to replace Herm Edwards, and Clancy Pendergast to rebuild a defense that lost its way in recent seasons under Gunther Cunningham. This includes a switch to the 3-4 defense, a scheme Pendergast had some success with during the Cardinals' 2008 late-season surge.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
Compared to last April, the 2009 Chiefs draft was unremarkable. A year ago, the team landed five players who contributed immediately, and a handful of others will get opportunities this season.
But unlike 2008, Kansas City finally has a franchise quarterback. New general manager Scott Pioli sent a second-round pick to New England for Matt Cassel (and linebacker Mike Vrabel). Cassel, who went nine years between starts, led the Patriots to an 11-5 record last season and parlayed that into a handsome payday (eventually) and a starting gig.
Larry Johnson has (officially) been suspended, according to a press release from the Kansas City Chiefs. The team's front office and the NFL had previously been investigating whether or not Johnson's behavior (which included antagonizing tweets and rumored inappropriate statements to reporters) was worthy of a suspension.
The 2009 Patriots look nothing like the Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli creations that dominated the league for most of this decade. Tom Brady's reconstructed knee has something to do with that, but the complete lack of a defense hasn't helped much, either. Especially in the second half. 
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have tumbled off the NFL's map and out of your consciousness. They no longer are an elite franchise, or even a competitive one. Six victories in two seasons will do that. Three playoff wins since 1969 tell you this isn't an organization that finishes well.
Summer is heating up and so is NFL football, so FanHouse is at Chiefs training camp to get you the rundown on the new-look squad as they get ready for the '09 season.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. 
Matt Cassel was already a very rich man when he signed a one-year franchise tender with the Kansas City Chiefs that paid him nearly $15 million for the upcoming season. And now, it appears as if he will be really, really rich as word on the street is that he's signed a multi-year deal with the Chiefs.
I can understand why a room full of grown men might not respond well to daily dressing downs, particularly from a new head coach not much older than than they are. But that's the situation in Kansas City. 
In the three drafts prior to Scott Pioli's arrival in Kansas City a few months ago, the Chiefs selected in the first round defensive end Tamba Hali, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. 
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
