While not prototypical size for the position at 302 pounds, Ratliff relies more on speed, quickness and leverage to beat bigger offensive linemen. He was so good in 2008 – credited with 83 tackles and 7.5 sacks by the coaches – that he was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Ratliff's value to the Cowboys is even higher because of who is behind him on the depth chart.

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When longtime president/general manager Carl Peterson was dismissed late last year, it was evident the Chiefs were in for a busy offseason. As things turned out, the turnover was more dramatic than anyone expected.

Coach Herm Edwards quickly followed Peterson, and the Chiefs eventually traded tight end Tony Gonzalez, a franchise icon and last remaining link to the glory days of Marty Schottenheimer.

In are general manager Scott Pioli, coach Todd Haley and quarterback Matt Cassel (left), but that’s not all. At least 36 of the 80 players they will bring to the start of training camp next week at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls are new to the Chiefs.

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Here’s a list of the Chiefs head coaches:

Hank Stram: (1960-1974)
124-76-10 regular season record
5-3 playoff record, 3 AFL championships (1962, 1966, 1969); 2 Super Bowl appearances, Won Super Bowl IV

The gold standard by which Chiefs coaches will always be measured, Stram was the perfect pick for a fledgling AFL team trying to gain an identity. Offensively innovative, Stram was the only man to coach three AFL championship teams and was named AFL Coach of the Year in 1968. He secretly agreed to wear a microphone on the sidelines during Super Bowl IV and his running commentary during the game is the stuff of legend. “65 Toss Power Trap” and ”Keep on matriculating the ball down the field, boys!” are now part of most fan’s sub-conscious because of him.

Stram was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Paul Wiggin: (1975-1977)
11-24 regular season record, no playoff record

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The last true franchise quarterback to wear a Kansas City Chiefs jersey is already here, sitting where important men sit: in a nearly enclosed, oversized booth, watching waitresses with pleasant smiles hum by and men in business suits strain to catch his words.

“They’ve been unable to draft or develop a quarterback,” Len Dawson says. “They’ve tried. They’ve just been unable.”

This is how far back you have to look to catch a glimpse of what Matt Cassel might become: All the way to the 1960s and Lenny The Cool, he of the Super Bowl ring, the bronzed-tan glow of the good life, the loving looks of folks who remember winning ways and the special place you get to inhabit if you earn the mantle of franchise quarterback.

A franchise quarterback also happens to be the one ingredient any general manager hoping to play alchemist needs if he’s to turn a 2-14 embarrassment into a winning organization.

“How important are franchise quarterbacks? You aren’t successful without one!” Dick Vermeil says. “You get by, but you don’t get better. You don’t win big.”

Former Chiefs center Tim Grunhard agrees: “That’s what young people are looking for. They want a hero, a hero they can believe in, a guy they can go in the backyard and when they play football say, ‘I’m Matt Cassel.’ We’ve been told time and time again that these guys were going to come in, be the guy, be the face, be the resurrection of the Kansas City Chiefs. And it’s never worked. Never.”

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It is almost time for some real football. You know, pad poppin', sweat drippin', arm tinglin' football. But for now, there is still some business being taken care of across the NFL. That business includes teams like the Ravens and Chiefs signing their franchise tendered players to long-term extensions. After careful consideration I fully support the Ravens' decision but question the Chiefs' actions. Here's why:

• Kansas City should have made Matt Cassel prove he could do it again. The Chiefs made a large financial commitment to Cassel even though the potential exists that he was only a one-year wonder who profited from being in the right place at the right time in New England. It makes you wonder what the hurry was for the Chiefs, who already had an emerging young signal caller in place in Tyler Thigpen. Why not wait until the end of the season before giving Cassel a long-term deal? Yes, the contract numbers might have increased if Cassel proved his worth but how much more would they have had to pay than the $63 million over six years ($28M guaranteed) they are already doling out? And wouldn't that extra money be worth it if it meant having the peace of mind that Cassel could get the job done with your franchise?

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It didn't take long for former Chiefs quarterback Trent Green to find some work in broadcasting.

Green has been hired to serve as analyst for two of the St. Louis Rams' four preseason games this summer.

Interestingly, neither will be the game against the Chiefs.

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