Huddle Up! Chiefs' 2006 Season in a Nutshell

With the Super Bowl over, and another AFC Champion, the Chiefs look back on another season of "what could have been." There were certainly plenty of lows: the offense went down several notches, perhaps in large part due to Willie Roaf's sudden retirement; Trent Green went down in the first game of the season and never looked the same again; they lost heartbreakers in Cleveland and Miami, ruining their chances for a high seed in the playoffs; once in the playoffs, the Chiefs embarrass themselves with a forgettable offensive performance; and Lamar Hunt, their beloved owner, passes away without seeing his Chiefs raise the trophy that bears his name.

But a playoff team cannot have a season full of lows, and indeed there were many highs for the Chiefs. After barely missing the playoffs last year with a 10-6 record, they get a lot of luck this time and make the playoffs in Herm Edwards' first year; they have their most productive draft in years, with rookies Tamba Hali, Jarrad Page, and Bernard Pollard playing major roles, and Jeff Webb and Brodie Croyle looking like solid projects for the future; Larry Johnson proved to be a workhorse, seemingly carrying the ball 50 times a game without tiring; Dustin Colquitt proves that punters can be drafted in the high rounds, becoming a new weapon for the Chiefs; the defense becomes no longer a laughingstock, showing a toughness and attitude Chiefs' fans haven't seen for years; and Tony Gonzalez re-signs, guaranteeing that he will be a Chief for the foreseeable future.

Sure, the Chiefs have a lot of question marks going into next season, and the QB situation looms large, but the improving defense means that the Chiefs should at least be playoff contenders next year. The Chiefs finally had some breaks go their way this year; with a few more breaks next year, perhaps the Chiefs can actually win a playoff game for the first time in 13 years.

And with that, Jon and I bid farewell to the Fanhouse gang. We will be moving back to our original home, MVN.com. It has been an honor serving as the original Fanhouse bloggers for the Kansas City Chiefs, and we wish the revamped Fanhouse much success. We hope you have enjoyed reading our material as much as we enjoyed writing it.