P-Rez25

Gunther Cunningham, the Chiefs' fiery defensive coordinator, isn't about to get involved in the contract discussions due to take place between the club and prospective free agent Jared Allen, one of Kansas City's two Pro Bowl players from the 2007 season.


But Cunningham isn't adverse to some indirect lobbying.


In a nearly two-hour offseason bull session with reporters, Cunningham revealed both the contentious and caring nature of his four-year relationship with Allen, a defensive end Cunningham now compares favorably with his all-time favorite Chief.


"One day I told him, 'You know, you're on the verge of doing something really great,'" Cunningham said of a conversation with Allen. "He knew right away I was talking about Derrick Thomas."


After averaging just under 11 sacks in his four seasons, Allen has given the Chiefs the best outside pass rush they've seen since the glory days of the late Thomas, a Hall of Fame candidate.


The trick now, however, involves keeping Allen in Kansas City.


Allen wants a long-term contract approaching what Dwight Freeney received from Indianapolis. But the Chiefs aren't thinking -- much less talking -- in those terms yet. Right now it appears most likely they'll put the franchise player protection on Allen. That will pay him a projected $8.8 million next season, but it won't make him happy.


Cunningham, perhaps idealistically, wants Allen to consider more than money and make a long-term commitment to Kansas City -- provided, of course, the Chiefs are ready to make a realistic long-term commitment to him.


"I don't think Jared Allen is all about the money," Cunningham said. "I think he's about this game and the way he plays.


"All the other things are out of my hands, which they have to be as a coach. He has to deal with that, but I think Jared has to look to see what he wants to do in this game. He does it very well here, and he and I know each other very well. We've gone through a lot."


Notes, Quotes
• The Chiefs went 1-for-2 in getting the Hall of Fame selection process announced before the Super Bowl.


Former Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas, a member of the Chiefs' Super Bowl IV champion, was a Senior's Committee nominee selected for inclusion in the Class of 2008.


The late Derrick Thomas was a finalist not selected.


Emmitt Thomas, who finished the 2007 season as interim head coach at Atlanta, recorded 58 interceptions in 13 seasons in Kansas City. That total is ninth on the NFL career charts and is fourth among pure cornerbacks. He led the NFL in interception with a Chiefs record 12 in 1974, and led the old AFL in picks with nine in 1969, Kansas City's Super Bowl season. He returned pick interceptions for touchdowns and had another five picks in postseason play, including one in Super Bowl win over Minnesota.


"My first question is why did it take so long for Emmitt Thomas to even be considered for the Hall of Fame?" asked Hall of Fame member Len Dawson, Thomas' teammate. "The guy had a tremendous record, 58 interceptions. That's a tone for a cornerback. Safeties, sometimes yes, because they're playing centerfield. But Emmitt was a corner his entire career."


A participant in four Pro Bowls and one AFL All-Star game, Thomas spent 27 years after his playing days coaching for six different NFL teams. He also was a member of the Chiefs Super Bowl I team.


Quote To Note: "Thank God for the middle linebacker (Kawika Mitchell; he might have saved my life. It got pretty heated." -- Gunther Cunningham, on one of his blowups with DE Jared Allen during a Pittsburgh 45-7 rout of Kansas City in 2006.


Strategy And Personnel
The Chiefs have claimed Miami offensive lineman Anthony Alabi off waivers from Miami, where he played in 15 games as either a guard or tackle during three seasons.


Alabi was a fifth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2005. The pick, ironically, was obtained by Miami from Kansas City in the deal that sent cornerback Patrick Surtain to the Chiefs.


TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY


With the Chiefs all but assured of using the franchise tag protection on Jared Allen, giving them time to negotiate the long-term contract Allen wants, Kansas City's offseason priority is identifying draft prospects and a select number of free agents to fill several needs on both sides of the ball.


The Chiefs have decent cap room, GM Carl Peterson insists, but once again they don't look to be big players on the free agent market. Their priority is building through the draft, and with 10 picks this year and one in the top five (possibly No. 4, depending on a coin flip with Oakland and Atlanta), this will be one of Peterson's most important drafts since he took control of the team before the 1989 season, when he drafted Derrick Thomas.


1. Offensive line: Kansas City likely will have to replace the entire right side from center through tackle. There is the prospect of two-time Pro Bowl right guard Brian Waters moving to center, but that would only solve one problem by creating another. Young guard/center prospect Rudy Niswanger and tackle candidate Will Svitek are possible replacements, but neither is a proven entity.


2. Cornerback: Ty Law, who just turned 34, isn't the cover man he was when he arrived in Kansas City two years ago, and Patrick Surtain (32 this season) isn't very far ahead of him. Kansas City needs both immediate and long-term help here. Undersized nickel back Benny Sapp is the best replacement candidate, though Cunningham professes to have faith in Tyrone Brackenridge.


3. Wide receiver: TE Tony Gonzalez remains KC's top receiver. The Chiefs picked a long-term player in Dwayne Bowe last year, but they're still looking for players on the other side.


Medical Watch: Among the Chiefs scheduled for offseason "cleanup surgeries" are S Jarrad Page (shoulder), CB Tyron Brackenridge (knee) and tackle Will Svitek (shoulder).


FRANCHISE PLAYER: None, but the Chiefs, not believed to be even in the preliminary stages of contract talks with prospective UFA Jared Allen, are expected to use the franchise protection on their Pro Bowl defensive end.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• DE Jared Allen remains the team's defensive star of the present and the future. He's upset that the club has not made a long-term offer yet and has threatened to leave Kansas City if the franchise tag is applied, which it probably will be.


• K John Carney hit the short-range kicks the Chiefs asked him to try in the final three games, but no longer has the leg needed for placements or kickoffs.


• WR/KR Eddie Drummond was a huge disappointment as a returner and has no place here.


• LB Keyaron Fox has yet to turn potential into production. He's just OK as a backup but failed to step up when given chance as a starter and doesn't figure big in the team's long-term plans.


• WR Samie Parker doesn't have the size or the toughness the Edwards staff demands and will be looking for a landing spot elsewhere.


• CB Benny Sapp could be elevated to a starting spot should Law not return to the team. Probably not much of a market for him elsewhere.


• DE Jimmy Wilkerson might have more value here at the right price than elsewhere in the league.


• C Casey Wiegmann has indicated he would like to play another year, but it won't be in KC where his pulling abilities have diminished and are no longer conducive to the new blocking scheme.


• FB/TE Kris Wilson didn't excel as either a blocking fullback or a pass catching H-back and likely doesn't figure in the picture here.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• P Dustin Colquitt has easily justified his third-round selection in 2005, but will KC offer a long-term deal now or wait until he plays out RFA year at a high tender.


• T Will Svitek fought through injuries to play as replacement starter at both left and right tackle. Will be tendered as the team believes he should get at least one full season as a starter to prove whether he deserves more.


• FB Boomer Grigsby did not shine after making the transition from linebacker to fullback. The Chiefs will likely give him one more camp, but they're looking for an upgrade in the backfield.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED


• OT Anthony Alabi (Waivers Dolphins).

PLAYERS LOST


• OG John Welbourn (released).


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