Ever watch some young boy play Pop Warner football?  If so, then you probably remember a couple of long runs by the local speedster.

Photo via www.aykew.com

Ever watched a high school football game on Friday night and witness an offensive lineman getting wind-burned by a blitzing linebacker?  Sat in front of the TV to watch a college game and viewed a corner getting toasted by a receiver?

If you have ever participated in football, watched football, coached football, played football in the back yard with a Nerf or in your basement on the XBox.

If you have done any of these then you might already know what every coach knows, what every player fears his opponent possesses, and what every team needs to win. 

You should already know:  speed kills.

The value of speed should be no revelation.  Teams try to get defensive speed, deceptive speed, team speed, football speed, any and all kinds of speed.  They marvel at jaw dropping speed and frown upon players who show a lack of speed.

Teams need speed if they want to win. 

The Chiefs have lacked many of the ingredients that make up a playoff contending team the last three years.  One of those ingredients is speed.   Kansas City receivers didn't have enough of it, the running backs didn't show it frequent enough, the corners often fell short, and the safeties trailed behind.  It seemed like every week was a highlight real of some opponent breaking a run or completing a long pass as Chiefs defenders chased from behind.

But no more.

The day that Scott Pioli sat down with Clark Hunt is the day that a vision must have unfolded.  Mr. Pioli must have known the moment he evaluated the roster, the moment he watched the game tape...Kansas City did not have enough speed.

It seems so obvious now that the fans can look at what Todd Haley has requested for the 2010 roster.  The components that the Chiefs have been missing these last few years:  The team player, the talent, the game changers, the speed.                      Pic Source

2010 NFL Draft

• Eric Berry - speed kills
• Dexter McCluster - speed kills
• Javier Arenas - speed kills

You can expect the Kansas City Chiefs to be more exiting this year.  You can expect to see our defenders running down the opponents more, our corners in more man coverage, and our offense should be able to break more long plays.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense will be interesting to watch in 2010.  The Chiefs now have more speed at running back, speed at wide receiver, and speed at tight end.  It might take time for all the players to find how they fit in this new KC offense...but the fans can expect a fun ride.

Winning Formula

1. Improve the play in the offensive trenches - Check.
   
2. Get good citizens to lead this franchise out of the abyss - Check.
   
3. Pick up game changers with speed - Check.
4. Construct a great defense - To be continued.