When you think about which players are absolutely indispensable to the Chiefs' continued success, whose names come to mind?

Indulge me to list a few: Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr (here's to hoping we hold on to him), Glenn Dorsey, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Branden Albert.

And a few more: Dustin Colquitt, Ryan Succop, Eric Berry, Tony Moeaki, Justin Houston, Dexter McCluster, Jon Baldwin, Steve Breaston. ("Indispensable" may be stretching it for a couple of those guys)

Do you see what I'm getting at? Look at the names in the first group. All were drafted under the reign of King Carl Peterson and Uncle Herm Edwards. And while its true that because these players were drafted years earlier and so have had time to develop, the Haley/Pioli prospects pale in comparison. So far. That will change, hopefully.

Remember the rebuilding project? Dick Vermeil retired and left Herm Edwards an aging roster. So it was gutted with the idea that the Chiefs would rebuild, primarily through the draft. Man did I hate to hear about the rebuilding project. So did Tony Gonzalez, as I recall. But today I realized the great extent to which our beloved franchise is reaping the benefits of the begrudged rebuilding project.