“I wouldn’t be surprised at some point if you see Jamaal, Thomas and Dexter on the field at the same time,” Waters said.  “As a defense, what do you decide to do?  Do you decide this is a regular set and you’re going to have your regular defense out there, or do you decide that this is a passing set and you’re going to have more (defensive backs) out there?

“You just put the defenses in some bad situations, and you’re able to take advantage of those things.  If you can throw all these different things from week to week at a defense, there’s no way they can be prepared for everything.

“You want to have as many options as you can.”

We talked a bit yesterday about needing to see McCluster in pads taking a beating every day before anointing him as an immediate offensive weapon, but he does bring a ton of potential to the table.

Can you imagine Jones alone in the backfield with Charles and McCluster both split wide with Dwayne Bowe?  Even the anti-Wildcat folks would get excited about seeing McCluster taking the snap as he’s flanked by Jones and Charles.

Even though he will be focusing his time on defense and special teams, don’t count out Javier Arenas finding his way into some offensive sets during training camp.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sean Morey, Kansas City offensive guard Brian Waters, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, New York Jets fullback Tony Richardson, Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Mike Vrabel and Indianapolis Colts Jeff Saturday make up the rest of the group.

Saturday, the Colts player representative, doesn’t think a deal will get done until after the new year.

“I feel like everybody’s just like, “Why are we negotiating now?  What’s the hurry?  We have until next March.  Let’s just go play this [2010] season and see who balks first.  Who gets scared first.’  I think all of us are going to wait until the end and then we’ll have to get it done in a short amount of time.  I think the best work gets done then.”

It does seem appropriate the franchise that was founded by Lamar Hunt would be the only team with two players on the executive committee.  Hopefully when negotiations heat up both Waters and Vrabel play an integral part.

With that being said, for the sake of having their heads in the game all season long it would be better for the players if they put their role in negotiations on hold until after the season.  That’s not to say that veterans like Vrabel and Waters can’t handle more than one thing at once, but I (and presumably Todd Haley) would rather every Chiefs player had a limited number of distractions.

“That’s something we got used to,” left guard Brian Waters said.  “As a blocker, you have to move a little bit quicker, get to the edge a little bit faster.

“That was our learning curve.”

Waters said he suspected the Chiefs’ offseason signings of free-agent linemen Ryan Lilja and Casey Wiegmann were for the players’ quickness out of their stances.

“We’ve definitely got the guys that can adjust to it,” Waters said.

Berry said it was easy to become dazzled by fast players, but he was more proud of his football intellect than his physical gifts.  That’s because he thinks that his mind and approach can improve the output of his body — and not the other way around.

At age 12 Berry began studying his own game film and looking for ways to improve.  In his freshman season at Creekside High in Georgia, after being caught from behind and tackled on the 1-yard line at the end of an interception return, he joined his school’s track team and learned what makes a player not only fast, but also quick.

“That’s never going to happen again,” Berry said.

If letdowns drive Berry, he experienced another one in that offseason practice when McCluster broke his shoe.  It was Berry and another rookie safety, Kendrick Lewis, who were closest to McCluster but couldn’t catch him as he ran toward the end zone.

“Eric Berry came and joked to me, ‘Hey, you heard that dog behind you, right?’” McCluster said afterward.   “I had to kick into extra gear.”

Which was precisely what the Chiefs had in mind when they brought in those players.  One can be the fastest — “On the field,” McCluster said, “I’m as fast as the fastest man out there” — but the rest will push themselves to close the gap.  That’s the idea, anyway.

That’s the idea, and one that I have yet to have a Chiefs fan disagree with.

It’s unfair to say that adding Berry, McCluster and Arenas cures Kansas City of their speed issues and puts them into the playoffs, but it’s a fantastic first step.

How many times over the past couple of seasons as a Chiefs fan did you know long before kickoff that a team would dominate on one side of the ball or the other just because they were quicker than Kansas City.  Hopefully in 2010 the team speed has been upgraded enough that the rest of the league can’t just walk into Arrowhead and run wild on the Chiefs.

8. Branden Albert, Kansas City, T: Albert is a work in progress. But he is a talented player.  The Chiefs clearly think he can be the answer at left tackle or they would have taken Russell Okung instead of safety Eric Berry at No. 5 last month.

10. Casey Wiegmann, Kansas City, C: Wiegmann may be aging, but expect him to help toughen the Chiefs’ offensive line with his return in 2010.

11. Brian Waters, Kansas City, G: Still, a very formidable player.  Waters is a pro’s pro.  He’s very steady.  He’ll be a big reason why the Chiefs will run the ball well this season.

12. Ryan Lilja, Kansas City, G: He is another reason why Kansas City will be much better on the offensive line.  He’s a rugged player.

Some curious choices here.  Even with the recent struggles of the Chiefs and Raiders, they couldn’t put anyone in the top 7?

I love what Wiegmann brings to the table and if he’s healthy I think he will end up starting for the Chiefs in 2010, but it’s hard having him on this list with Rudy Niswanger currently getting more snaps ahead of him.  At the very least you have to put Waters and Lilja — proven, current starters — before Wiegmann.

“I thought once he left the Chiefs, the next place I’d see him was in the retirement pool like the rest of us,” Shields said.  “But he seems to have the nine-lives thing going.”

The Broncos didn’t want Wiegmann anymore and released him, but the Chiefs believe he can still play.  He will battle Rudy Niswanger to be the starting center.

“When we studied Casey, it appeared he was still playing at a high level,” Haley said.  “He’s done a great job of taking care of his body, a really, really great job, and he’s got the mind-set that he wants to play some more.”

Waters said, “I have a lot of respect for Casey, and I know our offensive line coach (Bill Muir) has a great amount of respect for Casey.  Last year, we talked about the way he’s still playing really good football.  He still has every trick in the game, but he’s still one of the most consistent football players out there at his position.  People feel like he’s overmatched, but he’s still able to get the job done.”

Competition was Todd Haley’s favorite word during training camp last season and the battle at center this year will no doubt be front and center.

Niswanger was tough as nails last season, but I have to imagine Wiegmann will have the upper hand as long as he is healthy throughout camp.  It’s tough to beat the experience that he brings to the table and with youth at both tackle positions it will be important to have as many battle tested guys in the middle as possible.  Waters-Wiegmann-Lilja would provide about as much experience as you are going to find across the league.

“I am excited about the guys that have been here working out,” Haley said.  “I can’t stress that enough, I know I go over the top on this off-season (program), but it is so critical to success and you must be pushing towards the top in that area to have a chance to sustain and be a good team over the long haul.  I am really excited about what these guys are doing here on a daily basis.”

Here’s what is so exciting about the off-season program for Haley: with the exception of veterans Brian Waters and Mike Vrabel, every other player on the roster has been in the program.

“That’s everyone, 100 percent?” Haley was asked.

“Everyone,” he said.

The head coach believes his team will start the OTA period in two weeks far more advanced in the most basic factor in his program – being in the correct physical condition.

“Guys are where they were at the end of last year’s program right now,” Haley said.  “That opens up all sorts of possibilities and avenues for them to get better, stronger, faster, quicker and with more stamina.  That’s going to pay off.

“I think we’re all working, we understand all that has to happen.  There is no misconception there for any of us, and we’re working hard to be better in every area we can be, to do a better job of getting these guys ready to play and win games.”

I’m part of the minority, but it really does bug me that Waters and Vrabel are the lone holdouts from theses offseason workouts.  They both showed last season that they could perform at a high level while only showing up for required activities so it’s hard to argue that being in Kansas City in March and April will help them improve their play and I understand that.  It would just send such a message about this regime and how far they’ve come if every single player were in the facility working towards bringing the Chiefs back to the playoffs.

When the OTA period kicks off in a couple weeks and then training camp after that, it will be a welcome change not to have conditioning be a daily topic of conversation.  Instead of worrying about the players being in shape, we can talk about…  dare I say… football?!

Especially with there being new coordinators on both sides of the ball, it’s even more important for all of the Chiefs to be in shape from day one.

Don’t worry about the Chiefs losing players such as Derrick Johnson and Brian Waters in trade .  The Chiefs can’t get enough value for them in deals, so they will be on the roster.

Waters was valuable last season and with the additions of Casey Wiegmann and Ryan Lilja, there’s no way that Scott Pioli wants to undo any of the work he’s done to improve the interior line this offseason.  The only chance that would change is if the Chiefs decide they want to move Branden Albert to guard this season and can get a third or fourth round pick for Waters.

When talking about Johnson, I think you need to read “enough value” as “any value”.  DJ, even though he made plenty of big-time plays, is clearly not a part of Haley’s long-term plans.  If the Chiefs could get any selection for Johnson — seriously I think he’d take a late round pick — we would see Pioli jump at the chance.  I’m one of the biggest Derrick Johnson fans you will find, but what’s the point of keeping him on the roster if he is only going to be given the occasional chance as a backup?

The Kansas City Chiefs opened up their offseason workouts without Brian Waters for the second year in a row on Monday and The Star’s Adam Teicher talked to the Chiefs guard about his absence.  They also talked about Branden Albert and the on going debate about moving him to the right side.

”Branden got the worst rap out of anybody on our football team over the last two years.  Without a shadow of a doubt, he’s a left tackle.”

”This negative tone I’ve been hearing about him not being able to play tackle, moving to guard . . . Moving him to guard is totally ridiculous, to be honest with you.  Moving him to right tackle to me would be the worst thing for him as well because if you draft a tackle up high and bring him in and (move Albert to right tackle), then basically you’ve got two new guys.  You’re basically starting him over and then you’ve also got a rookie.  I don’t think that would be in the best interest for him and the team as well.”

Most of Waters’ comments are your run of the mill defending of a teammate.  But that last part is what a lot of people have been trying to stress: switching sides of the line is not like flipping a switch.

If the Chiefs spend next year with Russell Okung at left tackle and Albert at right tackle, Matt Cassel will be playing behind the equivalent of rookie tackles.  Even the most optimistic fan couldn’t feel confident about next season with uncertainty on both sides of the line.

I’m not saying Albert can’t succeed at right tackle or his natural position of guard.  And I’m certainly not saying Scott Pioli should avoid Okung or any other tackle with the fifth pick in the draft.  But it’s important to realize that if he does go in the direction we won’t see the results for a couple of seasons.

“I haven’t participated in the offseason program fully in five or six years,” Waters said.  “That’s nothing new.  I would never miss out on (offseason practice) because of displeasure with the team.  I’ll be participating for sure in everything mandatory.  Everything else will be my prerogative to choose if I’m going to be there.

“Those are not the tactics I would ever use if I had any displeasure with the organization.  I’m the type of (person) that if I have a problem, I’ll go speak to the people I have a problem with.”

Waters was in Kansas City for the ceremonial opening of the Smashburger restaurant in Overland Park.  Smashburger for the next week will donate a portion of its proceeds to Waters’ charitable organization, the 54 Foundation.

Participation in the offseason program is, by NFL rule, voluntary.  The only mandatory offseason obligation required by a player’s contract is a three-day minicamp, which the Chiefs will have later in the spring.

“Right now, my priorities are my family first, which it always is,” Waters said.  “This particular part of the season is also about business and about trying to prepare for things after football.  This is a part of that.  My foundation is going to follow me basically even when my football career is over.  This is a part of getting prepared for that part of my life.

“There are times of the season to handle certain things.  This is the time to handle the business things and some other off-the-field type things.  When football comes around, I’ll be ready to go handle that business as well.”

Asked Wednesday whether he still wanted to play for the Chiefs, Waters said, “Yeah, definitely.  Honestly, the truth is: Whether I want to play for the Chiefs or not, I want to play football and I have a contract with the Chiefs.  So it really doesn’t matter what I want.”

You can’t argue with Waters when he says he’ll be ready to take care of business on the field because after the fiasco that was last offseason, he had a solid season in the middle of a shuffling offensive line.  That doesn’t mean that I think he should be skipping any offseason programs, but at least he did the exact same thing last season and eventually got with the program.  Hopefully he’ll show up for the mandatory mini-camps in shape this year.

Waters staying away from anything that isn’t tagged with the term “mandatory” can’t be a surprise to Todd Haley but it has to stick in his side knowing that his guard is near by but unwilling to work out with his teammates.