After a disappointing 2011 NFL season that left the Kansas City Chiefs out of the playoffs one season after taking the AFC West title, it's not surprising to hear Scott Pioli, the team's general manager, say that staying healthy is the primary goal during training camp this season. That's because last year the team lost a number of impact players before the season could even really get rolling.
Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki were among the players lost for nearly the entire 2011 season. To that end, Pioli said that keeping the guys on the field was a primary concern in a recent interview with Mitch Holthus.
"I want to see us stay healthy, improve as a football team, grow as a football team," said Pioli. "Progress needs to be made in terms of learning the offense, making sure that some of the younger players getting better at knowing and understanding the defense. So just seeing constant improvement in particularly our younger players and staying healthy is a big part of it as well as we found out last year."
As for how he feels about the roster as constructed, it's clear that Pioli likes the way things look on paper. The Chiefs had to play a lot of guys last season who gained invaluable game experience. Now with a full offseason after last year's lockout, it could be a great year for the entire roster.
"We're excited -- cautiously optimistic," said Pioli. "We made a lot of changes this offseason in a lot of areas. We certainly believe we've improved our team through free agency, through the draft. We saw a lot of our young players improve this offseason in terms of developing and growing. We're excited."
For more information on the Chiefs and their training camp schedule, check out the great analysis and discussion over at Arrowhead Pride.