From the FanPosts.  I tweaked the title just a touch.   -Primetime

via static.nfl.com

As the '08 version of the Kansas City Chiefs come limping to the finish line this Sunday in Cincinnati, the most interesting story lines are off the field. Who will be the teams new GM? And will the coaching staff be revamped or will Herm and the usual suspects be allowed to continue on? Lots of good drama to look forward to as we approach free agency and the draft.

But there is no substitute for real live football being played, and this is our last chance to rate, review, dissect, and break down our team. Here are some of the things I am going to be watching for:

• Defensive end play. We are all expecting to upgrade this position either in free agency or the draft, but do we have players worth keeping even for depth? Hali has actually played better the last month of the season. He seems healthier and more comfortable at his left end position. He has also been bringing some pressure as of late. Let's all hope this season was a fluke. Babin has been a welcome surprise and at least brings some experience to a very important position in our defense. He hustles, but seems a step slow for me. I personally think Turk and possible even Johnston have more potential and should get the nod. One more game to prove himself. Gilberry has been a non factor and I still think Boone is a defensive tackle masquerading as an end.
• Derrick Johnson our middle linebacker? I am not sure if Pat Thomas was that bad, or if DJ might actually be the answer? But I thought DJ looked pretty good playing there last week in only his third game since college at the Mike. I know a lot of people would much rather see us take a stab at one of the stellar crop of draftees, but if he can fill the position, that would actually be a good thing. There should be some quality outside linebackers that we can draft in later rounds. I am curious to see how he finishes up the season. As a former 1st round pick, we really need DJ to be a success.
• Can #27 (Vientisiete for you Ochenta y Cincho fans) still pound the rock? I am under the impression that he still has some tread on those tires, and with the rather large salary cap hit we would take to cut or trade him, he may still have a place in KC for one more year. Too bad we are probably looking at another possible suspension if things don't go well in a Kansas City courtroom. This of course is largely dependent on the next thing I am going to be watching.
• Offensive line play. Picking no worse than 3rd, the Chiefs will be staring at a surperb threesome of offensive tackles. Smith, Oher, and Monroe should all be fantastic at the pro level, and though Albert's play has been excellent ( I think he has been our best lineman all year), we still have to consider the quality of player that will be availible picking that high. If nothing else, perhaps another team views one of them as a player that is worth trading up into the top five for? This is also a draft with some top flight centers availible, and if things go well, perhaps Alex Mack will be sitting atop the second round for us. Nothing against Niswanger, but I think he would be a better guard, and that is a position of need for this young team. We have had 2 and 3 guards sitting on the practice squad all season long trying to find depth for our interior blocking. This is a serious postition of need for us. Wade Smith and Herb Taylor are good back-ups, but I still think we need to upgrade the offensive line.
• #4. Tyler Thigpen has been probably the biggest reason that the second half of the season has even been bearable to watch. He has given hope to the hopeless and generated offense out of futility. I am pulling for #4 to have a big finish and give us all something to debate as we go into the draft. Regardless of his finish though, this position needs more depth. Two of the quarterbacks who started the year on the roster are on IR and they are both a crapshoot to make the team next year. Quinn Gray may or may not have potential, but I just don't see him having much of a future in KC. Everyone knows that I am hoping the Lions continue their ridiculous record of bad drafts and pass on Bradford, but in lieu of that, I would like to see us draft Graham Harrel or Mark Sanchez in the 3rd or 4th round. You can never have enough good QBs.
• Special Teams. Yes, special teams. I would like to see Connor Barth get a few chances to kick some field goals Sunday so he can go into the offseason on a high note. Colquitt has really struggled this year to be a consistent punter, and after watching him have a stellar year last year, this has been hard. I know he has been hurt, but I would love to see him boom some high, hard to catch punts this Sunday. We all love D.C. and know he will come back strong next season. Our long snapper Thomas Gafford has done OK, but he has definitely screwed some snaps this season. Darche should be back next season, I hope. There has been so many different names on the backs of jerseys on special teams this year, it is a pretty good bet that none of them will be back next season? But one name that I have noticed show up that I think has potential (at least for special teams) is Curtis Gatewood. Very quick and solid tackler, he seems to be the second half's Eric Walden. As hard as this season has been to field a good special teams unit, a coaching change might have the greatest immediate effect on this unit, as well as a good infusion of talent.
• Could this be the last time we see Tony G in a Chiefs uniform? Maybe not. He seems to like being the #1 target in the emerging Arrowspread offense. But new regime, lack of tradable players, and uncertainity for the immediate future of the Chiefs will make this subplot and interesting one all the way up to the draft. If this is it, we should enjoy it. Besides Derrick Thomas, may he rest in peace, Gonzalez is the best Chiefs player of my lifetime.
• Attitude. We are only playing for pride at this point. A win can prevent the worst record in franchise history, and we need 4 sacks to keep from being the worst ever sack squad. The Bengals have serious offensive line woes so we might be able to avert this dubious distinction. I hope we see a young team that continues to play with good energy and effort, and somehow finds a way to finish a game.

Our Chiefs have a lot of very important decisions coming up that will affect the franchise for a long time to come. Here is to hoping that we make all the right moves and next year we are talking about how good it is to have turned it around! Go Chiefs.