Offensive Juggernaut. Unstoppable. Pre-season Superbowl Champions? Certainly the Kansas City Chiefs have not had the start to the 2004 season that they expected. Anyone who knows anything about football knew that the Chiefs defense would be suspect this season, with or without Guenther Cunningham. No matter who the coach is, if you do not have the talent, you will not perform well. Don’t believe me? How well did Dave McGinnis’s defense do in Arizona? How great has Brian Billick’s offense been in Baltimore? And how explosive was the Washington Redskins offense under Steve Spurrier? All questions that I think, pretty much answer themselves.

But lets not place all the blame on the defense. Kansas City’s offense has looked more anemic than an Eastern Conference NBA game. So far in 3 games, The Chiefs have moved the ball well, gaining just over 5 yards per play. However they are only converting on 38% of their 3rd down plays and have only scored 7 offensive touchdowns. They are also averaging about 11 points less per game than they did last season. While Priest Holmes is still the rock that holds that team together, the Chiefs are not getting production from their receivers this season, partly because they have been injured.

I really can’t blame the Chiefs for playing so bad; it’s not their fault that they don’t have the best talent out there. I place the blame on Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson for not making any significant moves in the off-season. The Chiefs desperately needed a starting cornerback, another linebacker as well as a top-flight receiver. But Peterson, for whatever reason, did not want to open up the checkbook. When you think about it, who was the last big acquisition that Peterson made? That’s right, signing Priest Holmes as a free agent before the 2001 season. Dick Vermeil clearly does not have much longer to get himself another ring, and as long as Peterson handcuffs him with a low impact defense and an underachieving offense, the Kansas City Chiefs will remain, "In the Dawg Pound."