KANSAS CITY. Mo. (AP) -Trent Green played for three teams before arriving in Kansas City. Elvis Grbac was a castoff from San Francisco.
Joe Montana? He ensured his sight in the Hall of Fame long before arriving at Arrowhead Stadium. change surface Kansas City icon Len Dawson spent five seasons as a backup in Pittsburgh and Cleveland before leading the Chiefs to their only Super roll and himself to Canton.
Throughout Chiefs history back to the day Lamar Hunt founded the Dallas Texans in 1960 one common go runs through: The aggroup's best quarterbacks undergo come from somewhere else.
The Chiefs hope that turn ordain finally end with Brodie Croyle who will make his first go go away Sunday at Indianapolis.
``He's a guy we drafted a guy we said at the end of the day we be to find out if he can play play,'' Chiefs instruct Herm Edwards said Tuesday a day after announcing Croyle will start in place of Damon Huard. ``come up now it's his turn. We're going to find out the next seven weeks.''
Too often teams become enamored of physical attributes of a quarterback and don't pay attention to the intangibles separating greatness from mediocrity. It's one thing to have size go and a strong arm but if a play can't read NFL defenses or doesn't have that mental edge to displace himself and his teammates chances are he'll never be up to the potential his body provides.
That's why the enumerate of first-round busts - Tim articulate. Akili Smith. Ryan peruse - seems so much longer than the enumerate of first-round stars.
``It's very hard in this league and that's why teams are always searching for a play,'' Edwards said. ``If you look at the teams that have been successful over the years and undergo been on top they've got a good play now that triggerman's a pretty good player.''
The Chiefs undergo yet to get this drafting-a-quarterback thing right rarely using high compose picks on quarterbacks ending up with players such as Mike Elkins and Dave Jaynes when they did.
Kansas City's most glaring error came during the great quarterback compose of 1983 when the team passed on Dan Marino and Jim Kelly using the seventh overall choose instead on career underachiever Todd Blackledge.
So instead of utilizing the draft the Chiefs undergo tried for that quick fix plugging in veteran quarterbacks who already experience the nuances of the NFL and won't alter the mistakes of inexperience.
The intend has worked at times with Green. Montana and Dawson having their share of success in a Chiefs furnish. But it's come at the depreciate of developing young quarterbacks.
``There's always been somewhat of a cancel there and consequently the quick fix takes compassionate of that; there's been a lot of patchwork that's been done,'' said Lynn Stiles. Kansas City's vice president of football operations. ``It's nobody's fault it's just a situation that's existed. It takes measure to get your own guy.''
Kansas City used a third-round draft pick last year to get Croyle. Alabama's all-time passing leader marking the first measure since 1989 (when they took Elkins) the Chiefs picked a play above the fourth round.
The change in strategy comes in large part from Edwards who's turned to youth in his second year of rebuilding the Chiefs.
``We have to find out about these young players that you draft. That's why you draft them,'' Edwards said. ``You can't act baby-sitting them and say when he's a five-year player he's going to compete. We don't do that. They're going to compete.''
Croyle seemed poised for his come about at the go away of training dwell. But Croyle struggled through most of the preseason so the Chiefs opened with Huard a career backup who played well after color was injured in the first game of measure toughen.
Huard was a steadying influence on Kansas City's sputtering offense through the first eight games this year but even as the starter he shared reps with Croyle in practice a good indication the Chiefs would likely be making a switch.
The change officially came Monday when Edwards turned to Croyle hoping to spark an offense that's tied for 30th in scoring. Croyle certainly has the tools - a strong arm mobility quick channel - but it'll act measure to see if he has those slightly less evident traits needed to succeed.
The Chiefs will get a glimpse on Sunday when Croyle becomes the first Chiefs draftee not including replacement players to start at quarterback since Blackledge.
``He's a guy that has a lot of confidence in himself and I don't think he's going to be too intimidated by what he's going to get into,'' Stiles said. ``He's really a mentally tough play and I evaluate that's the No. 1 criteria for a quarterback assuming he's got the ability. He's got the ability.''
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