--Chiefs fans and team officials alike celebrated the Jan. 31 announcement that the late Derrick Thomas had been selected to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Thomas, selected in his fifth year of eligibility after his death in 2000 following complications from an auto accident, was called "a cornerstone of the modern era of the Chiefs," by club chairman Clark Hunt.
The first player drafted (fourth overall) in 1989 by the new Carl Peterson-Marty Schottenheimer team, the Alabama linebacker became a game-changing defensive force with his ability to sack and force turnovers. His sack-and-strip techniques led to 45 forced fumbles and a club-record 126.5 sacks in his 11 seasons, nine of which produced Pro Bowl appearances.
He set an NFL record with seven sacks in one 1990 game against Seattle.
"He revolutionized his position," former teammate Tim Grunhard said of Thomas's play as a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end. "He was a defensive playmaker, which was unusual.
"It would have meant a lot to him. He loved the game, and he loved the tradition. He would be overjoyed by this.
"It doesn't matter how many years it takes," Grunhard added. "Once you get in there, that's all that matters."
--In his introductory press conference on Jan. 14, new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli displayed the kind of quiet determination and resolve that became a trademark of the Bill Belichick teams that won three Super Bowls in four trips to the ultimate game in the nine seasons Belichick and Pioli spent together.
"What we will do is build a big, strong, smart, fast, tough and disciplined team," Pioli vowed.
"Those are not just words. You will see over time that we will have smart players, because they do smart things. We will have tough players, mentally and physically. We will have disciplined players who are on time, paying attention and working hard. That's the kind of staff we'll have, the kind of personnel department we'll have. That's how our entire football operation is going to be. And those players will reflect those values."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "My job is not to collect talent, but to build a team. Individuals make the Pro Bowl. Teams win championships. That is our goal." -- New Chiefs GM Scott Pioli.
