Todd Haley isn’t kidding when he says he wants the Kansas City Chiefs to start this year from scratch.

The new head coach had the players go through their first on-field workouts without names on the back of jerseys or even decals or team logos on their helmets.

“Everything I’m doing I’m trying to do with a purpose,” he said Sunday at the conclusion of a voluntary three-day minicamp. “The thought process there is we’re starting at ground zero. We’re looking for guys who want to be Chiefs.”

The three-day affair began with a lot of “chaos,” Haley said, since neither the players nor the new coaching staff had ever been on the field together at the same time. But each day got progressively better, even though rain forced sessions on Saturday and Sunday indoors.

“It was good to just get back on the field. We’d been out here working hard and lifting and conditioning,” he said. “We’ve been doing what we can. But it’s nothing like being out there in the real situation and going fast.”

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He's also making his teammates see how badly he wants to earn their respect and trust. What Cassel is proving is that he clearly understands how to operate as a young starting quarterback.

"You need to show [your leadership] by example instead of by what you say," Cassel said during a break in the Chiefs' voluntary minicamp on Saturday. "Once you do that, then you can open your mouth a little more."

It's nice to see that Cassel gets it. That attitude will serve him well as the Chiefs try to change the culture of a team that has won just six of its past 32 games.

When the Chiefs acquired Cassel in a trade from New England in February, he was the best solution to their obvious questions at quarterback. And so far he's shown his understanding that off-field behavior at this time of year is just as critical as what happens in practice.

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The new head coach had the players go through their first minicamp without names on the back of jerseys or even decals on their helmets.

Haley said it's all part of his plan. It's a brand new era in Kansas City. The new head coach also said Sunday he was pleased with the 3-day get-together that had players and coaches on the field at the same time for the first time. He said there were no disappointments and no big surprises and everyone seemed willing to listen and work.

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Earlier today, we passed on the information that tight end Tony Gonzalez and offensive guard Brian Waters are skipping the Kansas Chiefs’ voluntary minicamp.

Both of those veteran players have been widely labeled as disgruntled after making trade demands earlier this offseason.

One other notable player that’s also not attending the minicamp is newly-acquired outside linebacker Mike Vrabel for unspecified reasons, according to Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star.

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Chiefs guard Brian Waters and Tony Gonzalez, the team's only Pro Bowlers last season, did not attend the team's first minicamp session Saturday morning at Chiefs headquarters.

Running back Larry Johnson, who has often expressed his unhappiness in Kansas City, attended and worked with the first-team offense.

Waters reportedly asked to be traded and released earlier in the offseason after a sour first impression with the new staff. Gonzalez hasn't said definitively that he wants to stay or go, has occasionally skipped minicamps in the past. 

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He'll probably sleep at the Residence Inn for a few more nights, just until he and his wife can find a place to rent. They're hoping to get something furnished. That'll make the move easier, says newly signed Kansas City linebacker Zach Thomas.

''I hear the Plaza [district] is about 15 minutes from the team's facility,'' said Thomas, reached on his cellphone for his first interview since joining the Chiefs. ``There's supposed to be lots of shops and places to eat, so we'll definitely look there.''

It still sounds so temporary, doesn't it? The one-year contract with the Chiefs. The new city with no ties to his past. The search for a furnished condo. For Thomas, who spent 12 years as a fixture and a Miami Dolphins icon, this can't feel normal.

''Oh, when I'm done, I'm back in Miami,'' he laughs.

For now, Thomas will sport another new uniform, switching from Dallas blue to Kansas City red after deciding earlier this week to sign a one-year, $2 million deal with the Chiefs. He knows what you're thinking, too: Why keep going?

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