[AirForceChief]

...and now for the DV portion of the show:

Q&A with DICK VERMEIL: THE DRAFT & THE OFF-SEASON
Apr 19, 2005, 6:01:22 AM

KCMO-AM

Q: Is solving the personnel puzzle an enjoyable time for you?



DICK VERMEIL: “I think our entire organization enjoys that. They’ve worked really hard together to come up with a collective agreement on a direction to go and the persons to go with. I’m optimistic. I think we’ll do a very good job.”

Q: How is the process gone this year in your view?

VERMEIL: “Smoother than it’s ever been since I’ve been here. I think Carl (Peterson) has been very active in it and has had the time to invest more time than just specifically the draft. No one is any better than Carl is at it. I think now in the span of a week’s it’s just collectively putting it together and making unselfish decisions.”

Q: This week always leads to rumor and innuendo and various scenarios about each team is going to approach the draft.

VERMEIL: “The stuff you read in the newspapers in regard to the draft is just amusing. You wonder where they get their information.”

Q: Is it safe to say that defense would be the rule this draft rather than the exception for the Chiefs?

VERMEIL: “Obviously, when you’re ranked where we are defensively and struggling like we are we have to keep improving in personnel as well as our coaching. I would say that the high percentage of those choices will go defensively.”

Q: That first round pick at number 15. Do you plan and prepare him to make a big contribution this year or do you still have to go through the off-season and training camp and see how he shows up?

VERMEIL: “There’s no guarantee the first round pick is going to start. About half of them each year do and I’m not 100% on the percentage. But sometimes you don’t even get them until training camp. There’s always that problem to consider. Kids always tell you they will be there on time but as you know there’s always a number that don’t show up on time.

“I think your first thought is your draft choices are initially going to be backup players and gradually work their way into starting positions and, if they’re outstanding here and at training camp on time and at mini-camp, then their chances of making an immediate contribution for that league opener against the Jets is much greater.”

Q: Your additions defensively so far in Kendrell Bell, Sammy Knight, and Carlos Hall: have you upgraded the areas you needed?

VERMEIL: “I think we really have but we’d still like to get a corner because it just adds depth. I don’t mean just a corner but a corner with starting ability prior to the draft. If it happens, great, if not then we’ll have to do it in the draft.”

Q: Obviously, Patrick Surtain is the guy in play this week. We know talks continue but are you optimistic at all that something can get done?

VERMEIL: “I don’t want to ever get to the point where I count on something like that because it distracts your thinking. Right now, we’re planning on coaching the people that we have even prior to the draft and then after the draft you plan on coaching the people you have and inserting the new people as they mature and get ready.

“Last year it was Jared Allen who became the first player who was really ready to play and then later in the year it was Samie Parker. A lot of times coaches are blamed for not getting young kids in and pressure is put on them. Well, they have to fight their way into the lineup, understand the schemes, understand the pressure that is on them to do things right. It isn’t as easy as a lot of people like to believe.”

Q: When all is said and done this coming Sunday what would you like to see the Chiefs walk out of the two days with?

VERMEIL: “It would be great if we could come out with a blue-chip potential corner, maybe another safety, another linebacker, a big tight end, another running back, a couple of wide receivers, an offensive lineman. I think something like that will happen but you don’t know after that second day which guy is going to jump up and surprise you or which guy may jump up and disappoint you.”

Q: Off-season all the attention from the fans and the media always go to the guys coming to the team and the draft, but certainly improvement from the team comes from within and your off-season program began a couple of weeks ago. How’s attendance and how do you feel about it so far?

VERMEIL: “It’s good. As a head coach you’re not totally satisfied because we can not make it mandatory. It’s against the union rules and the league rules. All we can do is request that they be here. We have over 43 guys off our roster from a year ago working four days a week. We had 10 of our starting 11 defensive players working through those first three weeks and only five of our starting 11 offensive players. Johnnie Morton has never been here in the off-season, Tony Gonzalez has not been here in the off-season. Guys like that. Priest Holmes is living at home with his three boys, but he was here the other day and in great shape. So, you’d like to believe that they’re professional enough that they’re doing the right things to get ready to play. I would prefer to have them here but this is the best we can do.”

Q: You mentioned Priest Holmes. He appears to be moving well, but in your conversation with him what did he have to say?

VERMEIL: “He had a big smile on his face. I think weight training-wise he’s in outstanding condition. He’s 220 pounds, about eight pounds over what you’d really want him. It’s all bulk muscle.

“Running-wise and 100% confidence in the knee, I don’t think it’s quite there yet. But he’s working towards that.”

Q: Talking about a couple of other guys injury-wise: Tony Gonzalez who has been bothered with that foot. What’s the status?

VERMEIL: “We’ve heard that he feels fine. He’s really optimistic and really feels that the problem is behind him.”

Q: John Welbourn who missed the last part of the season with a knee problem.

VERMEIL: “John’s doing fine. He assures us he’ll be here for the OTA (on the field activities) and mini-camp. He feels better than he’s felt in a long time.”

Q: Marc Boerigter and his knee injury?

VERMEIL: “Making very good progress. I don’t know if they’ll turn him loose 10% for training camp but maybe a couple of weeks into training camp. But he might even be able to go before training camp.”

Q: Shawn Barber coming off the knee injury?

VERMEIL: “He’s behind Marc Boerigter because everything was done later. He’s ahead of schedule and doing well and very optimistic.”

Q: The question that most fans ask about: what about Mike Maslowski?

VERMEIL: “He says he’s doing well. I think it’s a real challenge for him, but I’m looking forward to evaluating him in training camp and even in the mini-camps to see what he can do. Through the off-season program and rehab program it’s going well and he’s very optimistic.”

Q: As far as you know today, the status of Will Shields? Are you pretty confident he’s going to return?

VERMEIL: “Yes, I am. I think he’s planning to play but only time will tell.”

Q: Do you have a defined comment from Willie Roaf? Do you expect him to play?

VERMEIL: “Oh yeah. Willie Roaf told me he’s going to play three more years.”

Q: What’s your overall view of your football team as you look at it today?

VERMEIL: “Last year I was so optimistic that it was going to be an outstanding football team and it ended up we only won seven games. So, this year I’m going to be very cautious. I’d like to believe we’re on track to being a good football team but how many other good football teams we can beat I don’t know. The first four weeks of our schedule is a b - - - -.

“If we can get through the first four weeks and hold our own in playing the Jets in the opener – a playoff team – and then two road games at night including going to Denver on Monday night and the Raiders on a Sunday night and then come back here and play the NFC champion and compete evenly and beat a couple of them, then I’ll be able to tell you where we are.

“But if we don’t do that, then it may be another season like this last year.”

Q: You came out of training camp very uneasy last year and you made that very plain. Some of that was out of your hands because of weather and so forth, but part of the head coach’s job this off-season is planning training camps and so on. What are you going to do to make sure you don’t walk out with that same feeling?

VERMEIL: “There aren’t any guarantees. Right now as we go to training camp as planned we have four weeks with a very even routine and one that is not interrupted by different kinds of travel and Monday night games. We’ll be able – barring bad weather – to have a very consistent routine that allows you to program and organize your schemes and teach them in a way you’re not interrupted. We had a training camp like that the year before when we won 13 games and came out and started the season with nine straight wins. If we can come out like that then our chances of starting strong are better. But our final training camp plans are not finalized yet.”