MY ALL-TIME CHIEFS TEAM - THE SECOND TEAMERS
This is the second team version of my all-time Chiefs' team & just because these players finished second best only means they were edged out by a number of Hall of Fame performers. The players on this team would certainly make up a squad capable of contending for a Super Bowl.
Offense
QB - Trent Green - Frankly, this is not a position of strength in Chiefs history once you get past Len Dawson. Yes, Joe Montana had 2 very good seasons for the Chiefs, but it was only 2 seasons. Grbac, Fuller, Bono, Kreig, Kenney, Blackledge & the rest didn't create a rich history of quarterback performance in Kansas City. So I think Trent is the winner almost by default, he had 4 very good seasons from 2002 - 2005. In those years he threw 92 touchdown passes against 52 interceptions & the team record was 38-26. The record could have been much better if Dick Vermeil's troops played any defense. He started 81 straight games, at the time only Brett Favre had a longer streak. He was extremely accurate, a true pocket passer & an unquestioned team leader, everything you want in a franchise quarterback. He received a Super Bowl ring sitting on the Rams' sideline after losing his starting job due to a preseason knee injury, opening the door for Kurt Warner.
RB - Larry Johnson - I know this will bring some reaction but the stats are so slanted toward L.J. it's really not much of a race. His 6,015 yards bested Christian Okoye by 1,200+ yards & Marcus Allen by 2,300+. His 61 touchdowns topped Okoye(40) & Allen(47) during their Kansas City careers. Johnson had a 4.4 average per carry vs. Allen's 4.0 & Okoye's 3.9. Okoye did lead the entire league in rushing one season with 1,480 yards, but Johnson ran for 1,750 & 1,789 in back to back years along with 40 touchdowns. L.J. also caught more passes then the other two, 151 to Allen's 141 & Okoye's 40. Johnson was never really accepted by Kansas City fans because of all his off-field problems, all of his own doing. No one was sad to see him go unlike Okoye, Allen & Priest Holmes. Still, in his prime, he was one of the top-3 backs in the entire league.
FB - Kimble Anders - Excellent lead blocker & Kansas City's career leading pass receiver out of the backfield with 369 receptions. Even tho he only ran for 2,261 yards, he had a 4.6 yards per carry average. I remember traveling to K.C. to see the Denver game in 1999. Gunther Cunningham had installed Anders as the tailback, attempting to replace the retired Marcus Allen. Anders shredded the 2-time defending Super Bowl champs for 142 yards going into the 4th quarter. He tore his Achilles tendon that day & his season was over. Three time Pro Bowl player.
WR - Henry Marshall - The second leading receiver in franchise history with 416 receptions. His 6,545 yards is third behind Tony G. & Otis Taylor. Marshall was a very good possession receiver, excellent route runner with superior hands. The former Mizzou Tiger played on some really bad teams playing with Bill Kenney, Todd Blacklidge, Mike Livingston & Steve Fuller as his quarterback. But Henry moved the chains, the mark of the true possession receiver.
WR - Eddie Kennison - Came to the Chiefs after Dick Vermeil arrived & he revived his career. He caught 321 passes for 5,230 yards & 25 touchdowns in his 6-year stint in Kansas City. He won the NFL's "Fastest man" competition & was always a deep threat thruout his career.
TE - Fred Arbanas - Six-time AFL all-star, member of the all-time AFL team. Played 9 seasons for Hank Stram catching 198 passes & 34 touchdowns. He lost an eye after a bar fight in 1964 yet continued to be a dependable receiver for 6 more seasons. Excellent blocker thruout his career, Arbanas went onto become a Jackson County legislator.
OT - Jim Tyrer - Eight-time AFL & NFL Pro Bowl performer. At a time when most offensive tackles were in the 6' 5" 260- pound mold, Tyrer towered over most defensive linemen at 6' 7" & 277 pounds. He was also faster than most of the tackles of that era. never missed a game in his 12-year pro career. Played in the shadow of Ron Mix & Art Shell, both AFL left tackles & Hall of Famers. That & the murder-suicide of he & his wife have kept him out any Hall of Fame consideration.
OT - Matt Herkenhoff - Started 117 games at left tackle for Kansas City. Excellent pass blocker playing with some bad teams of the 70's & 80's.
OG - Brian Waters - Former tight end in college & an undrafted free agent, Waters became a 4-time Pro Bowl guard. Currently the offensive line's leader, he was elected as the Walter Payton Man of the year Award winner in 2009, the 4th Chief to win this prestigious award. An 11-year veteran, Waters continues to play at a very high level.
OG - Dave Szott - Started 136 games for the Chiefs at left guard. For eight years he teamed with Will Shields to give Kansas City the best guard tandem in the league. A former heavyweight wrestler, he used leverage & superior hand fighting techniques to handle his man. He consistently played at a Pro Bowl level but was never voted to play in the game. Szott left Kansas City while still in his prime wanting to play closer to his new Jersey home, his son had cerebral palsy. Like Shields & Waters, a tireless fund raiser for various charitable organizations.
C - Jack Rudnay - A Chiefs Hall of Fame player & 4-time Pro Bowler. Rudnay was undersized but had a superior football IQ plus he was tough as hell. Started 144-consecutive games for the Chiefs.
DE - Jerry Mays - Member of the All-Time AFL Team, a 6-time Pro Bowl performer, Mays was a superior run defender & was a decent pass rusher as well. Tough & durable, played in 126 straight games & 140 total.
DE - Jared Allen - Played only 4 seasons for the Chiefs & he was traded in the worst deal Carl Peterson ever completed. Allen won the Buck Buchanan Award at Idaho State as the best small college defensive lineman. In 55 starts for Kansas City, Allen recorded 43 sacks, 199 tackles, forced 14 fumbles & knocked down 28 passes. In his 2 seasons with Minnesota, he has 29 sacks, like I said a horrible trade.
DT - Dan Saleaumua - Only made the Pro Bowl once, but he was a tremendous disruption on the Kansas City defensive line. He had 28 sacks, 531 tackles & 3 interceptions. He scored 2 TD's, 2 safeties & blocked a field goal. His penetrating style blew up many plays before they got started, the Samoan-American was low to the ground & almost impossible to knock off his feet. One of my favorite Chiefs' players of all-time.
DT - Bill Maas - NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1984 & a 2-time Pro Bowl performer. Maas played nose tackle & right defensive end in his 9-year Chiefs' career. Scored a couple of touchdowns, 2 safeties, 396 tackles & recorded 40 sacks. He was an outstanding run defender & had a real mean streak. Unfortunately that attitude carried over to his personal life with drug & gun charges.
OLB - Donnie Edwards - This undersized linebacker made his mark with speed & a high IQ. Another one of Carl Peterson's big mistakes, letting Edwards go west to play for division rival San Diego after just 6 seasons with the Chiefs. Edwards had 590 tackles for the Chiefs, 16.5 sacks, 11 interceptions & scored 2 touchdowns.
OLB - Jim Lynch - Came out of Notre Dame as the best middle linebacker in college football. Because he went to play in the College All-Star game, he missed the first two weeks of summer camp with the Chiefs & by the time he arrived, fellow rookie Willie Lanier was entrenched as the starter in the middle. No problem, Lynch moved outside & played the next 11 seasons there. He intercepted 17 passes & recovered 14 fumbles. This linebacking trio of Bobby Bell, Lanier & Lynch is ranked as the 2nd best of all-time by NFL Films & in the special I saw on The NFL Network, they speculated Lynch wasn't in the Hall of Fame because he played with Bell & Lanier, taking away much of the attention he richly deserved.
MLB - Gary Spani - An extreme tackling machine, Spani came out of Kansas State & made an immediate impact. He recorded 999 tackles in just 9 seasons, 1 lost almost completely to injury. That injury was to his back & it ended his career. Spani was undersized but had superior instincts & when he wrapped up a ball carrier, they stayed wrapped that way.
CB - James Hasty - Paired with Dale Carter to form the best corner tandem in the league for about 5 years. Hasty came over from the New York Jets in free agency in 1995. He recorded 21 interceptions, 6 sacks & 355 tackles in just 6 seasons for the Chiefs. He was ultra-tough against the run & a very physical pass defender.
CB - Kevin Ross - A 2-time Pro Bowler, Ross was small but really tough, recording 827 tackles for Kansas City. He also had 30 interceptions & scored 3 touchdowns in 144 games. Ross started as a rookie after being a 7th round draft pick from Temple. I know there will be a lot of sentiment for Dale Carter or Gary Green, but Carter missed so many games because of drug problems. Green made 3 pro bowls, but I liked Ross for his toughness.
S - Lloyd Burruss - Played with the best secondary in Chiefs history, Deron Cherry, Albert Lewis & Kevin Ross. Burruss was as good a strong safety as there was in the NFL at that time. In his 11-year Kansas City career, he snagged 22 interceptions, returning 4 of them for scores & made 628 tackles in 145 games. Only made one Pro Bowl, partly because his mates in the secondary hogged a lot of the limelight.
S - Gary Barbaro - Really big for a safety at 6' 4", Barbaro blasted ball carriers & receivers alike. Snagged 39 interceptions in just over 6 seasons. Barbaro was a feared opponent, especially over the middle where he routinely separated receivers from the football. Made three Pro Bowls & his career was peaking when he signed with the USFL after the 1982 season. That departure enabled Deron Cherry to move into the starting lineup.
PK - Nick Lowery - The Chiefs all-time leading scorer with 1,466 points. he kicked 329 field goals while a Chief. He was probably a better kicker than Jan Stenerud, but he was a locker room cancer at times & led a coup to unseat head coach John Mackovic right after he had led the Chiefs into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. He went right to Lamar Hunt undermining Mackovic. He wasn't a great people person & many on the team didn't like him.
P - Dustin Colquitt - The Chiefs current punter comes from a family of punters & before his career ends, he will be the best in family history. A 44.1 yard average for his 5-year Chiefs' career on 397 punts. He is consistently among the league leaders in punts inside the 20-yard line & hang time.
RS - Tamarick Vanover - A huge talent who couldn't escape a troubled youth. Vanover returned 4 punts & 4 kickoffs for touchdowns in his 5 year stint with the Chiefs. He still is the only player to ever end an overtime game with a punt return for a touchdown, doing so on an 86-yarder against San Diego on Monday Night Football. He also caught 3 touchdown passes but his past caught up with him after the 1999 season when he plead guilty to trafficking in stolen vehicles & conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
LS - Kendall Gammon - Played 7 seasons for the Chiefs & 16 overall, making the Pro Bowl once with K.C. Super accurate, he just never made a bad snap.
Offense
QB - Trent Green - Frankly, this is not a position of strength in Chiefs history once you get past Len Dawson. Yes, Joe Montana had 2 very good seasons for the Chiefs, but it was only 2 seasons. Grbac, Fuller, Bono, Kreig, Kenney, Blackledge & the rest didn't create a rich history of quarterback performance in Kansas City. So I think Trent is the winner almost by default, he had 4 very good seasons from 2002 - 2005. In those years he threw 92 touchdown passes against 52 interceptions & the team record was 38-26. The record could have been much better if Dick Vermeil's troops played any defense. He started 81 straight games, at the time only Brett Favre had a longer streak. He was extremely accurate, a true pocket passer & an unquestioned team leader, everything you want in a franchise quarterback. He received a Super Bowl ring sitting on the Rams' sideline after losing his starting job due to a preseason knee injury, opening the door for Kurt Warner.
RB - Larry Johnson - I know this will bring some reaction but the stats are so slanted toward L.J. it's really not much of a race. His 6,015 yards bested Christian Okoye by 1,200+ yards & Marcus Allen by 2,300+. His 61 touchdowns topped Okoye(40) & Allen(47) during their Kansas City careers. Johnson had a 4.4 average per carry vs. Allen's 4.0 & Okoye's 3.9. Okoye did lead the entire league in rushing one season with 1,480 yards, but Johnson ran for 1,750 & 1,789 in back to back years along with 40 touchdowns. L.J. also caught more passes then the other two, 151 to Allen's 141 & Okoye's 40. Johnson was never really accepted by Kansas City fans because of all his off-field problems, all of his own doing. No one was sad to see him go unlike Okoye, Allen & Priest Holmes. Still, in his prime, he was one of the top-3 backs in the entire league.
FB - Kimble Anders - Excellent lead blocker & Kansas City's career leading pass receiver out of the backfield with 369 receptions. Even tho he only ran for 2,261 yards, he had a 4.6 yards per carry average. I remember traveling to K.C. to see the Denver game in 1999. Gunther Cunningham had installed Anders as the tailback, attempting to replace the retired Marcus Allen. Anders shredded the 2-time defending Super Bowl champs for 142 yards going into the 4th quarter. He tore his Achilles tendon that day & his season was over. Three time Pro Bowl player.
WR - Henry Marshall - The second leading receiver in franchise history with 416 receptions. His 6,545 yards is third behind Tony G. & Otis Taylor. Marshall was a very good possession receiver, excellent route runner with superior hands. The former Mizzou Tiger played on some really bad teams playing with Bill Kenney, Todd Blacklidge, Mike Livingston & Steve Fuller as his quarterback. But Henry moved the chains, the mark of the true possession receiver.
WR - Eddie Kennison - Came to the Chiefs after Dick Vermeil arrived & he revived his career. He caught 321 passes for 5,230 yards & 25 touchdowns in his 6-year stint in Kansas City. He won the NFL's "Fastest man" competition & was always a deep threat thruout his career.
TE - Fred Arbanas - Six-time AFL all-star, member of the all-time AFL team. Played 9 seasons for Hank Stram catching 198 passes & 34 touchdowns. He lost an eye after a bar fight in 1964 yet continued to be a dependable receiver for 6 more seasons. Excellent blocker thruout his career, Arbanas went onto become a Jackson County legislator.
OT - Jim Tyrer - Eight-time AFL & NFL Pro Bowl performer. At a time when most offensive tackles were in the 6' 5" 260- pound mold, Tyrer towered over most defensive linemen at 6' 7" & 277 pounds. He was also faster than most of the tackles of that era. never missed a game in his 12-year pro career. Played in the shadow of Ron Mix & Art Shell, both AFL left tackles & Hall of Famers. That & the murder-suicide of he & his wife have kept him out any Hall of Fame consideration.
OT - Matt Herkenhoff - Started 117 games at left tackle for Kansas City. Excellent pass blocker playing with some bad teams of the 70's & 80's.
OG - Brian Waters - Former tight end in college & an undrafted free agent, Waters became a 4-time Pro Bowl guard. Currently the offensive line's leader, he was elected as the Walter Payton Man of the year Award winner in 2009, the 4th Chief to win this prestigious award. An 11-year veteran, Waters continues to play at a very high level.
OG - Dave Szott - Started 136 games for the Chiefs at left guard. For eight years he teamed with Will Shields to give Kansas City the best guard tandem in the league. A former heavyweight wrestler, he used leverage & superior hand fighting techniques to handle his man. He consistently played at a Pro Bowl level but was never voted to play in the game. Szott left Kansas City while still in his prime wanting to play closer to his new Jersey home, his son had cerebral palsy. Like Shields & Waters, a tireless fund raiser for various charitable organizations.
C - Jack Rudnay - A Chiefs Hall of Fame player & 4-time Pro Bowler. Rudnay was undersized but had a superior football IQ plus he was tough as hell. Started 144-consecutive games for the Chiefs.
DE - Jerry Mays - Member of the All-Time AFL Team, a 6-time Pro Bowl performer, Mays was a superior run defender & was a decent pass rusher as well. Tough & durable, played in 126 straight games & 140 total.
DE - Jared Allen - Played only 4 seasons for the Chiefs & he was traded in the worst deal Carl Peterson ever completed. Allen won the Buck Buchanan Award at Idaho State as the best small college defensive lineman. In 55 starts for Kansas City, Allen recorded 43 sacks, 199 tackles, forced 14 fumbles & knocked down 28 passes. In his 2 seasons with Minnesota, he has 29 sacks, like I said a horrible trade.
DT - Dan Saleaumua - Only made the Pro Bowl once, but he was a tremendous disruption on the Kansas City defensive line. He had 28 sacks, 531 tackles & 3 interceptions. He scored 2 TD's, 2 safeties & blocked a field goal. His penetrating style blew up many plays before they got started, the Samoan-American was low to the ground & almost impossible to knock off his feet. One of my favorite Chiefs' players of all-time.
DT - Bill Maas - NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1984 & a 2-time Pro Bowl performer. Maas played nose tackle & right defensive end in his 9-year Chiefs' career. Scored a couple of touchdowns, 2 safeties, 396 tackles & recorded 40 sacks. He was an outstanding run defender & had a real mean streak. Unfortunately that attitude carried over to his personal life with drug & gun charges.
OLB - Donnie Edwards - This undersized linebacker made his mark with speed & a high IQ. Another one of Carl Peterson's big mistakes, letting Edwards go west to play for division rival San Diego after just 6 seasons with the Chiefs. Edwards had 590 tackles for the Chiefs, 16.5 sacks, 11 interceptions & scored 2 touchdowns.
OLB - Jim Lynch - Came out of Notre Dame as the best middle linebacker in college football. Because he went to play in the College All-Star game, he missed the first two weeks of summer camp with the Chiefs & by the time he arrived, fellow rookie Willie Lanier was entrenched as the starter in the middle. No problem, Lynch moved outside & played the next 11 seasons there. He intercepted 17 passes & recovered 14 fumbles. This linebacking trio of Bobby Bell, Lanier & Lynch is ranked as the 2nd best of all-time by NFL Films & in the special I saw on The NFL Network, they speculated Lynch wasn't in the Hall of Fame because he played with Bell & Lanier, taking away much of the attention he richly deserved.
MLB - Gary Spani - An extreme tackling machine, Spani came out of Kansas State & made an immediate impact. He recorded 999 tackles in just 9 seasons, 1 lost almost completely to injury. That injury was to his back & it ended his career. Spani was undersized but had superior instincts & when he wrapped up a ball carrier, they stayed wrapped that way.
CB - James Hasty - Paired with Dale Carter to form the best corner tandem in the league for about 5 years. Hasty came over from the New York Jets in free agency in 1995. He recorded 21 interceptions, 6 sacks & 355 tackles in just 6 seasons for the Chiefs. He was ultra-tough against the run & a very physical pass defender.
CB - Kevin Ross - A 2-time Pro Bowler, Ross was small but really tough, recording 827 tackles for Kansas City. He also had 30 interceptions & scored 3 touchdowns in 144 games. Ross started as a rookie after being a 7th round draft pick from Temple. I know there will be a lot of sentiment for Dale Carter or Gary Green, but Carter missed so many games because of drug problems. Green made 3 pro bowls, but I liked Ross for his toughness.
S - Lloyd Burruss - Played with the best secondary in Chiefs history, Deron Cherry, Albert Lewis & Kevin Ross. Burruss was as good a strong safety as there was in the NFL at that time. In his 11-year Kansas City career, he snagged 22 interceptions, returning 4 of them for scores & made 628 tackles in 145 games. Only made one Pro Bowl, partly because his mates in the secondary hogged a lot of the limelight.
S - Gary Barbaro - Really big for a safety at 6' 4", Barbaro blasted ball carriers & receivers alike. Snagged 39 interceptions in just over 6 seasons. Barbaro was a feared opponent, especially over the middle where he routinely separated receivers from the football. Made three Pro Bowls & his career was peaking when he signed with the USFL after the 1982 season. That departure enabled Deron Cherry to move into the starting lineup.
PK - Nick Lowery - The Chiefs all-time leading scorer with 1,466 points. he kicked 329 field goals while a Chief. He was probably a better kicker than Jan Stenerud, but he was a locker room cancer at times & led a coup to unseat head coach John Mackovic right after he had led the Chiefs into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. He went right to Lamar Hunt undermining Mackovic. He wasn't a great people person & many on the team didn't like him.
P - Dustin Colquitt - The Chiefs current punter comes from a family of punters & before his career ends, he will be the best in family history. A 44.1 yard average for his 5-year Chiefs' career on 397 punts. He is consistently among the league leaders in punts inside the 20-yard line & hang time.
RS - Tamarick Vanover - A huge talent who couldn't escape a troubled youth. Vanover returned 4 punts & 4 kickoffs for touchdowns in his 5 year stint with the Chiefs. He still is the only player to ever end an overtime game with a punt return for a touchdown, doing so on an 86-yarder against San Diego on Monday Night Football. He also caught 3 touchdown passes but his past caught up with him after the 1999 season when he plead guilty to trafficking in stolen vehicles & conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
LS - Kendall Gammon - Played 7 seasons for the Chiefs & 16 overall, making the Pro Bowl once with K.C. Super accurate, he just never made a bad snap.
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