The Morning Fix

And his thoughts on what he’s seen from Weis and the offense so far? “He’s good,” said Waters. “You can tell why he’s been one of the best coordinators in the league in his time. He knows exactly what he wants to do and knows what he is talking about on every level.” Being around the team this spring has also shown Waters an increased confidence level from QB Matt Cassel. “He’s definitely more comfortable; you can tell,” he said. “He has more confidence in what he’s doing and more confident in the scheme. This is his team and he doesn’t have any outside concerns. The pressure of the first year, when he was really the only one who knew the whole offense, now there are more people involved who understand what the offensive coordinator is after.” And what about some of those new faces he was hearing about? What about say, WR/RB Dexter McCluster? “He’s fast; you can see why he’s been such an explosive football players,” said Waters. “He’s really explosive to go along with his quickness in space. Dante Hall was able to do some things in a small space that other people weren’t able to do. I’ve seen Jamaal (Charles) break away from people and make some cuts. “But (McCluster) is right up there among the fastest guys that I’ve ever seen on the football field.”

Waters Still Runs Deep … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs-BobGretz.com

“He weathered the storm, so to speak,” Haley says. “If there’d been cracking, or I’d seen weakness or a guy going down, I’d be worried. But I think he’s mentally tough and physically tough. He handled a pretty adverse situation with all the responses you’re looking for. … He passed all the tests.”

Approaching their second season in Kansas City, Haley and general manager Scott Pioli can tend to more categorical concerns for an organization that’s 40 years removed from its last Super Bowl.

“It’s a proud franchise that’s gone downhill, and you hate to see those kinds of things,” says Gil Brandt, a personnel wizard for the Dallas Cowboys when the Hank Stram-coached, Len Dawson-quarterbacked Chiefs were playing in two of the first four Super Bowls.

But since reaching the playoffs in 2006, the Chiefs quickly got old and paid for poor drafts. They have 10 wins over the past three seasons.

“When you’re not used to losing, it’s hard on you. It’s hard on your psyche,” says Cassel, a backup for perennial powers at Southern California and New England before his trade to the Chiefs a year ago.

Matt Cassel and what else? Chiefs seeking winning recipe-USA Today

“Charlie pushes you each and every day and he is a guy who doesn’t let anything slip by. He is very meticulous in how he coaches. Yesterday, like we were talking about earlier, he was very tough on us because we can’t let that happen. We can’t have any lulls and that is important for us as we move forward. As a quarterback, that is what you need. You constantly need someone to push you and strive to get better even when you have a good day.”

Not every young player can work with Weis — in New England, he was known to rip off an R-rated diatribe at the drop of a hat, and it doesn’t sound like much has changed.

“You just have to take it in stride,” Cassel said. “What point is he trying to get across? What message is he trying to get to you as a player? From there, you have to take that as positive coaching and the negative part you kind of have to let go by and move forward.”

What’s easier — working with Weis or changing diapers?

“Changing diapers is difficult, but I’d have to say it’s working with Charlie,” Cassel said with a smile. “He’s a competitive son of a gun. If we come out and something doesn’t go right, he wants to win every single period and he’ll let you know that. That is something that has stuck out to me since we been work together.”

Weis brings more Patriots’ flavor to Kansas City offense-WEEI.com