ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Eric Berry didn’t even allow a question about last season to be asked before cutting off the inquiring mind. There was no way he was going to relive that nightmare.
The Kansas City Chiefs scuffled along to a 2-14 finish, matching the worst record in the franchise’s history. Along the way, they endured a nasty fan revolt that included plenty of folks wearing paper bags to Arrowhead Stadium, and a grisly murder-suicide involving a teammate.
So, naturally, Berry would rather speak about a fresh start.
“We’ve got standards for ourselves, so we have a lot of stuff to prove,” the Pro Bowl safety said Thursday. “We’re not worried about outside opinions or factors or anything like that. We are just focused on coming in, jelling as a unit and just taking it from there.”
That all starts with the first full-squad workout of training camp today.
Berry was among the veteran players who were trickling into training camp on the campus of Missouri Western State University. They joined rookies, quarterbacks and a few selected veterans who were able to get a head start over the past few days.
“We’re excited about this year, as far as where we’re going and the direction we’re headed,” Berry said.
In truth, the Chiefs had similarly high expectations last year after a strong finish to a tumultuous 2011 season. But they were blown out in their opener, struggled to score points behind a revolving door at quarterback, and then watched as the seasonspiraled out of control.
At one point, departed offensive lineman Eric Winston ripped into a few supporters for cheering when former quarterback Matt Cassel was injured, and that only inflamed a simmering fan discontent. A grass-roots group started ponying up money to pay for a banner to be towed behind an airplane prior to several home games asking Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt to fire General Manager Scott Pioli.
The fans ultimately got their wish with an emphatic January housecleaning.
Romeo Crennel was out as head coach, Pioli was sent packing soon after, and Hunt announced he’d be taking a more hands-on approach to running the team.
It was Hunt who moved swiftly to hire Coach Andy Reid just days after he was let go following 14 seasons with Philadelphia. Then, Hunt managed to secure the hottest front office candidate in the NFL in longtime Packers personnel man John Dorsey as his general manager.
Reid and Dorsey quickly set about overhauling a roster that had six Pro Bowl players but massive holes at just about every other position, and a perilous lack of depth across the board.
“We’re approaching this year with a fresh start,” wide receiver Dexter McCluster said. “New coach, new players, new team, new year.”
The new player under the harshest spotlight is undoubtedly Alex Smith, whowas starting to flourish as the quarterback in San Francisco before getting hurt last season. He ultimately lost his job to Colin Kaepernick during the 49ers’ Super Bowl run and then became trade bait.
Sports, Pages 17 on 07/26/2013