The Packer Way? Chiefs have a ways to go until then

If you are like me, you aren't going to believe what you're getting ready to read. In fact, I had to go and research it for myself and even then I still had a hard time with it. When reading a quick story at Pro Football Talk about the quiet offseason of the Green Bay Packers, I came across this gem (via @PackerUpdate):

"Julius Peppers is the only player on the roster who has ever played a game for another team."

Now it's no secret that the Packers love to build through the draft. They've been that way for a very long time, usually attributed as far back as when Ron Wolf took over as general manager in 1991. They're also never known to make major free agent splashes. They take care of their own. They rely on their coaching staff to prepare younger players to step up. And then, on the very rare occasion, they step into free agency to bring in a targeted player. But who knew it was at this level?

Maybe I've been the proverbial ostrich with my head in the sand, but I had no idea the Packers were that stubborn in their offseason approach. Smith is right. Peppers is indeed the only player who has ever played in a game other than the Packers on the Green Bay roster.

When the Chiefs hired general manager John Dorsey, it was assumed that Kansas City would follow suit in their philosophy. Be proactive. Build through the draft. Rely on their coaches. It might take some time, but the hope was that the team would develop into a stable winner who made calculated decisions when it came to player acquisition. That is, after the Packers way.

An early move for a quarterback wasn't surprising when the Chiefs traded for Alex Smith. And even in the first year or two, a team has to fill holes to remain competitive and adjust to a new head coach's schemes and preferences. But in Dorsey's third year, the Chiefs are certainly much more active than what we might expect a Packers' disciple to be.

Even if they never end up in such an extreme example as the current Packers roster, the Chiefs will undoubtedly continue to move toward a Packers-like model. This will be the first year that Dorsey has a full arsenal of draft choices as well as compensation picks a year after he allowed several key players to walk. Who knows, maybe in a few years, a player like Jeremy Maclin could be the only player who's ever suited up for another team outside of Kansas City.