There it is! It's right there! Can't you see it? It's that big pink elephant sitting on top of the season. Everybody knows it's there, but what to do about it? Maybe if we step back and get away from the situation for a while. Maybe then we'll be able to see the problem for what it is.

Aahhh, I see it now. It's that giant swirling black hole at right corner. For a while there, it was like looking at one of those optical illusion -- hidden image pictures. You know, the one with the boat in the middle? I stared at that thing for hours. Relaxed my eyes. Still couldn't see that stupid boat. But this I see. Loud and clear.

I think I was blinded by that sinkhole at the right outside linebacker spot. One thing's for sure, what the Chiefs do about that elephant will go a long ways in telling us how the 2005 season will go.

There are three ways for a team to upgrade a roster from year to year: draft, free agency, and improvement from the current roster. Regardless of what the Chiefs do in the rest of the offseason, if they don't have continued improvement from within, they won't even sniff that coveted Vince Lombardi trophy, which I hear is really quite nice.

We've already covered what the Chiefs have done so far in free agency, so let's turn to the current roster. Some of these guys will surprise in 2005. Some won't surprise, and will continue to stink up the joint. With a solid defensive line, the biggest questions will be at linebacker and defensive back. Just for a lark, let's start in the backfield.

Wait... scratch that. I was going to run through the current roster at cornerback here, but frankly, it got too depressing. So let's just move on to the linebackers.

Outside of a decent corner, the linebacker position is the one in most need of a serious upgrade. Even with the recent acquisition of middle linebacker Kendrell Bell from Pittsburgh, there are too many questions. From starters to backups, we need a major infusion of talent here.

As of right now, Bell is slated to start in the middle. On the left side, barring any further setbacks to his injured ankle, Scott Fujita looks to be the starter.

After that, it's anybody's guess.

Shawn Barber, last season's starter on the right side, went down midway through the season with a nasty knee injury. The Chiefs expect him to start the season on the PUP list, meaning he likely won't be available till mid-season in 2005.

In the middle, after Bell, is the guy that many were counting on last year to be a force in the middle, Kawika Mitchell. While Mitchell showed some improvement in the last four games of the 2004 season, he will have to show he can build on that in 2005.

But I'm not counting on that.

And that leads me to one of my favorite Chiefs, Mike Maslowski. There's something about hard working, high motor guys who don't necessarily have all the talent in the world, but make up for it with football intelligence, instinct, and passion. Maz has got to be the poster child for this type of player. Maz is now attempting to become the first NFL player to make a recovery from experimental knee surgery. The only other pro athlete to make this recovery was a hockey player. The Chiefs seem to think he might make it back on the field. I doubt it, but if anyone can do it, Maz can.

But I'm not counting on that either.

On the left side, behind Fujita on the depth chart, you'll find last years third round pick, Keyaron Fox. I'd love to tell you that I thought Fox was ready to break out, but frankly, we've seen very little of the guy. Even with a spate of injuries last year, Fox was unable to find the field. It would certainly be a welcome surprise if he could make a significant contribution this year.

Also on the roster are Quinton Caver (marginal backup), Fred Jones (currently unsigned, but who really cares), and Rich Scanlon (currently in NFL Europe). Scanlon probably has the most upside of this trio, but I wouldn't expect much help here.

Gunther Cunningham's scheme puts a lot of emphasis on linebacker and safety play, two areas that were horrible last year. We've seen the Chiefs address problems at the safety position with the acquisition of SS Sammy Knight. But where will the improvement at linebacker come from? Bell will definitely help, but we need more.

It looks like at least 1 first day pick in the upcoming draft will be a linebacker. While you'll find excellent cornerback depth in this draft even into the fifth round, this years linebacker class looks a little weaker. Most NFL draft boards are going to have these guys ranked entirely different from each other, and in many cases, there's not much difference between the number one guy, and the number six guy.

Drafting at 15, I would expect that Texas' Derrick Johnson will be long gone. Johnson has the potential to be a Julian Peterson/Derrick Brooks kind of linebacker, plus he has the sweetest chop I've seen since Derrick Thomas. Johnson is a turnover forcing machine, including nine forced fumbles last year.

After Johnson, the only other linebacker worth trading up for is Shawn Merriman, and he likely would play end in a 4-3 system. He's huge. He's fast. He can play up. He can put his hand in the dirt. He can play in space. And he's getting a huge amount of publicity, despite playing at Maryland. What's not to like about this guy. He'd be perfect as an outside linebacker for a 3-4 defensive team, but the guy would excel playing in the 4-3 as well. Hell, you could put him in a 5-2 and he'd dominate (seriously, I saw Tulsa play this defense, and it wasn't pretty). But unless KC trades up, you can forget about Merriman.  He'll never make it past Dallas or San Diego.

So who do we have a shot at? Practically any other linebacker we want. Need a speedy guy on the outside? Trade down and pick up somebody like Tennessee's Kevin Burnett or Georgia's Odell Thurman. Need a sack artist? Try Virginia's Darryl Blackstock. He had 11 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last year alone. Need a big guy in the middle? Florida's Channing Crowder and Nebraska's Barrett Ruud are the leading contenders.

If the Chiefs go linebacker in the first round, we'll see either a trade up or trade down. Trade up for Merriman or Johnson, trade down for practically anybody else. After Merriman and Johnson, it's one hell of a crapshoot.

The Chiefs could also look to add a veteran starter, either before the draft, or after the June 1st cuts are made. All in all they need at least one more starter, and could use a hefty dose of backup talent.

Ahhh, but that elephant still hasn't gone away.

Most Chiefs fans are under the impression that you can get rid of it by trading for Miami CB Patrick Surtain. Easier said than done. Miami wants at least a second round pick, maybe more since they have not publicly stated their asking price. Considering that Houston traded second and third round picks this year for Raiders' starter Phillip Buchanon, who is nowhere near the corner Surtain is, Miami's has little incentive to relent. Plus there's Surtain himself, who will need a new contract to be able to fit into KC's salary cap, and he is sure to command a signing bonus well in excess of $10 million dollars. He is due nearly $6 million in salary alone this year, and counts a hefty $8 million against Miami's salary cap. If the deal isn't done quickly, then it may not happen at all.

One other option could be to revisit the trade after the draft, hoping that Miami needs the cap space they would gain by trading Surtain. However, if another team becomes interested in Surtain, like perhaps the Raiders or even the Broncos (who have a newly acquired bevy of picks next year thanks to a bad trade by Washington), Surtain could be off the market by then.

If Surtain is out, then the options are limited.  There's 31 year old FA corner Ty Law. He's certainly been one of the best corners in the league during his career, but has a bad wheel, coming off Lis Franc surgery.  There's no guarantee as to what level he will be able to play.

After Law, the pickings are slim if you're looking for a great corner. The best hope for a team looking to upgrade may be in the draft, or improvement from within. Since it doesn't seem likely the Chiefs will get much help from guys currently on the roster, the draft may be their best option. There are 3 excellent corners in the 2005 draft, Antrel Rolle (Miami), Adam "Pacman" Jones (W.Virginia) and Carlos Rogers (Auburn).  After that, there is excellent depth at corner, even into the second day.  While rookie corners haven't generally made much of a difference in their first year, even if the Chiefs move Dexter McCleon to the nickel spot, they still need another young corner to play the dime, eventually being groomed for a starting role.

And once again, it all comes down to that damn elephant.

Sign Law or draft a top ranked corner, and you might be able to convince it to leave on it's own. Trade your second round pick for Surtain, and you most likely would scare it away.

Somehow convince Saban to make the trade without including this years second, pick up a defensive playmaker in the first round, AND grab a solid corner somewhere in the draft, and you'll blow that elephant to pieces with a bazooka.

Which would be great... cause I hate that damn pachyderm.

Article courtesy of Chiefs Coalition (www.chiefscoalition.com)