Column: When Peterson hired Edwards, the high times came to an end

To think, there are still fans out there so warped by the enthusiasm of rabidity, that they didn't see this coming.

When Carl Peterson hired Herm Edwards as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, I realized right away that the days of plenty were behind us. It made little or no sense to hire a defense-minded coach to lead an offense-driven team. It also made little or no sense to hire a man whose recent record had been something less than stellar.

They cleaned out the coaches who had guided Kansas City's offense to amazing heights. In Trent Green, they had picked up a broken down quarterback in 2001 who missed the entire 1999 season with a torn ACL.

Coming off a 7-9 record in 2000, Peterson hired Dick Vermeil as head coach. Their record was not all that spectacular except for 2003 when they finished the regular season at 13-3, despite having no semblance of a defense. It's difficult even today to think about that 38-31 playoff loss to the Colts that year when the Chiefs had absolutely no defense. In two of their three regular season losses they yielded 45 points.

You would think that after Peterson took a look at his team's awful defense, he'd go out and make an attempt to acquire some defensive replacements for these guys who could stop no one. Guess who was gone the next year from the defensive starters. John Browning and Vonnie Holiday. Such inept players as Eric Warfield were kept around for the long haul.

The Chiefs were up and down during the Vermeil years, but were an offensive machine to be reckoned with when they got going. All the while, the defense remained a problem. Vermeil was 44-36 during his tenure. What might he have been had Peterson been willing to do something for the defense that worked.

Peterson longed for the days of Marty Schottenheimer when often dull, low scoring games were the rule rather than the exception. Since Edwards was Peterson's buddy and easily available after a disastrous season with the Jets, he became the man.

In his first year as coach, the Chiefs went from 10-6 to 9-7 and Peterson raised ticket prices because the Chiefs man the playoffs. I'm still trying to figure that one out. You would think a trip to the playoffs would mean more money, not less, in the team's coffers. Besides, the team did nothing outstanding to qualify except lose one more game than the previoys year, when they did not.

The concussion suffered by Green at the beginning of the season didn't help, just as it didn't help to put him back in the lineup when Damon Huard had done so well.

The offense was as stale as any I've seen since I started following the Chiefs when they became the Chiefs in 1963. It was little other than give the ball to Larry Johnson and let him run. The offensive line, which had been the strength of the team for several years, began to disintegrate when Willie Roaf retired. That did nothing but open the floodgate and turn the quarterback, whoever he was, into a moving target.

As I continue watch this season unfold with mounting losses, I see little hope for success in at least, the near future. The way the commercials came on the television screen during the exhibition season, it became apparent that they weren't selling tickets at as brisk a pace as in previous years. It didn't take long for the fans to get tired of seeing goose eggs on the scoreboard and the boos rained down on young Brodie Coyle.

This year, neither Huard nor Coyle have looked worthy of carrying Green's jock when he is on. That was then, though. But the Chiefs did exactly nothing to improve that position this year. You can't win without a decent quarterback. At least, no one has yet.

Peterson could find out just how bad things can get in Kansas City. Like Dec. 18, 1983, when 11,377 fans turned out to watch the Chiefs bury Denver. It could happen again.

The question in my mind is how long will Clark Hunt put up with what his dad endured for the last 36 years of his life -- a Super Bowl drought.

Lawrence Tynes. Remember him? He is the place kicker who missed a chance against Indianapolis last year. And I know I'm not the only one who asked this question, "Why?"

I guess the answer to that is if he was still a Chief, the opportunties for field goals would be few and far between. I'm sure the New York Giants, the team that now has Tynes, thank the Chiefs kindly.

And the season wears on. Ho hum!