Every time the Kansas City Chiefs announce that they're retiring a jersey number -- as they did recently with former cornerback Emmitt Thomas -- it raises the same question: Why haven't they retired the number of Joe Delaney?

Twenty-five years ago, Delaney was a 24-year-old running back who had led the team in rushing in both of his pro seasons. But on June 29, 1983, he drowned while trying to rescue three boys who were stuck in a pond. His No. 37 jersey has not been worn since, but it also hasn't been retired.

Why not? The Kansas City Star explains:

"The criteria for retiring jerseys was established by Lamar Hunt," said Chiefs associate director of media relations Pete Moris. "And that's the criteria we use.

"Basically, if a Chiefs player gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the basis of that election was based on his career with the Chiefs, his number will be retired."

OK, but why not make an exception to Lamar Hunt's rule, just this once? The Chiefs have already taken No. 37 out of circulation. Why not make it official, and create a lasting tribute to Delaney's greatness, on and off the field?

Recently, a number of websites criticized a newly written Kansas Chief policy that would make "standing" a form of prohibited conduct at a football game. The Chiefs have amended their policy by changing it three times since more fans learned of the policy on the internet.

On Tuesday as illustrated in the NFL Experts Blog, the policy prohibited:

"Standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans."

Yesterday, the Chiefs clarified the rule stating that the policy prevented:

"Excessive standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans"

Today, as I prepared to write this story, I noticed that the Chiefs policy now prevents:

"Continuous standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans."

Congratulations fans and interwebs for making your voices heard. This morning, I spoke with someone from the Chiefs to ask about the clarification of their policy.

This is wonderful news for, well, Koren Robinson. According to the NFL Network (via Kansas City Star's Jeffrey Flanagan), the Chiefs have shown interest in the former Seahawks and Packers wide receiver/return dude.

"Oakland and Kansas City expressed some interest in Robinson ... there isn't exactly a clamoring for his services. Still, a receiver such as Robinson is too talented to overlook. Any team that needs some depth at the position -– Dallas, Cleveland, -- would consider Robinson."

This news certainly can't make Al Davis happy given his recent epiphany. For the Chiefs, Flanagan points out that they've made it clear that players with the dreaded "character concerns" disorder are a no-go; Robinson certainly qualifies for the former which makes the latter seem unlikely, even though there is a gaping need for an experienced pass catcher on the roster after Dwayne Bowe.

MVN.com's Chiefs blogger Ryan Brown offers some perspective:

Rarely does someone seem to overcome their issues and their off-the-field problems entirely. ... That's one of the main reasons that the Chiefs got rid of fan favorite Jared Allen - he of the two-time DUI conviction. Allen appeared to have rid himself of his demons...and then promptly opened up a bar in Kansas City.

And I'd say Allen's troubles don't even approach what Robinson has been through.

As far as rehabilitation goes, the Cowboys have become the Betty Ford of NFL franchises. Maybe they can help Robinson straighten out his life. Added bonus: they're in the market for a No. 2 wide receiver. Two-for-one.

It's sorta surprising that three of the top four picks from April's NFL Draft are all under contract. More surprising: the Raiders' No. 4 pick, Darren McFadden, is included in this group, which means their won't be a holdout. That's different.

In addition to McFadden, the Falcons have signed Matt Ryan, the third-overall selection, and the Dolphins had Jake Long under contract days before the draft. Despite all the happy negotiating going on, the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher writes that it doesn't necessarily suggest the Chiefs and their first first-rounder, Glenn Dorsey (taken fifth overall), are close to working out a deal.

President/general manager Carl Peterson said the Chiefs have been in contact with Dorsey's agent, Joel Segal. "We've had conversations, and that's all I can say," Peterson said. ...

Segal declined comment. But given the particulars of McFadden's contract, Segal might not be content with a marginal raise over the fifth pick of last year's draft, offensive tackle Levi Brown.

Teicher points out that the Chiefs have a spotty record when it comes to signing their first-round picks -- 11 of their 16 selections under Peterson have been late to camp, including 2007's Dwayne Bowe. Compounding matters: Kansas City had two first-rounders this April; in addition to Dorsey, they team also drafted offensive lineman Branden Albert.

So according to the laws of probability, based on Peterson's track record, there's roughly a nine percent chance both players are signed before training camp. Hey, it could happen.

One of the biggest transitions from the college game to the NFL is the complex offensive and defensive schemes. Assimilating enough information to fill a phone book and then being able to recall it the split-second before taking a sack is one of the things that separates young quarterbacks from veterans.

In an effort to accelerate Brodie Croyle's development, new Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has simplified the offense, which, theoretically, should allow Croyle to worry less about formations and pass protections, and more about what happens after the snap.

"I really like the offense," Croyle said Thursday after the Chiefs completed their second week of the on-field portion of their offseason program. "I'm very comfortable, surprisingly. The reads are pretty clear right now for us.

"It's a pretty simple offense. It's giving guys the chance to go out and play, not a whole lot of thinking about it, just go out and line up and go."

Midway through Eli Manning's rocky rookie year, the Giants pared down the game plan to a handful of plays and the first-overall pick responded with more consistent, confident performances.

Croyle's entering his third season, but this will be the first time he enters training camp as the starter. He had a chance to win the job last summer, but floundered during training camp. Hopefully, the new streamlined offense will makes things easier. That Gailey plans on emphasizing the run should only help.

Chiefs linebacker Napoleon Harris reads the papers, and he's not crazy about the articles that suggest he could lose his job to offseason acquisition Demorrio Williams.

"We were 4-12, so somebody's going to get blamed I guess," Harris said. "But what did I do? I led the team in tackles. "You know, I just try to do my job."

Harris said he's still under the impression he's the middle linebacker. But then again... "Coaches tell me one thing, I read another," he said.

My advice: quit reading the papers; seldom do teams announce personnel news through the local beat reporter. The Kansas City Star's Jeffrey Flanagan writes that "Someone claiming to be Harris even sent an e-mail to me shortly after the Williams' signing, expressing those concerns."

Harris' response: "That wasn't me ... It might have been my brother - he does that stuff. I don't know." Um, I think I would've just said, "yeah, that was me, I was drunk." It sounds less weird.

Whatever, Harris wasn't the reason the Chiefs won four games last year. Not unless he had something to do with the offensive line not blocking, Brodie Croyle struggling, and Larry Johnson getting injured. And in 2008, Kansas City's first first-rounder, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, should make the middle linebacker's job even easier, whoever it ends up being.

When the Chiefs used their second first-round pick on Branden Albert, it was with the understanding that the Virginia guard would eventually make his way to tackle. The only question was how long would it take for him transition one position to his left.

Well, according to new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, the answer is simple: the minute Kansas City drafted Albert he became an NFL left tackle. Last month, Gailey explained how things were going to be.

"He sat me down and told me, 'You're going to play left tackle for us,' " Albert said Wednesday. "He was real stern about it. He said, 'You're going to play. You're going to get it.' "You've got to trust him. You've got to go with it."

Gailey's offense features a power running game and play-action passes; last year, the Chiefs ranked 11th in the NFL in passes attempted, something Gailey would like to get away from. (It's probably worth mentioning that Kansas City didn't set out to wing the ball all over the field, but when you routinely find yourself down early in a game, the offense becomes one-dimensional.)

A power running game is contingent on a cohesive offensive line and a capable running back. With Larry Johnson returning to form and the addition of Jamaal Charles, the running game looks set; the offensive line is currently another matter.

But Gailey aims to remedy that in training camp. Whether it actually happens is another issue, but if nothing else, Gailey has a solid track record as an offensive coordinator, which is something Mike Solari couldn't say. It's not a lot, but after a four-win 2007 season, it'll have to do.

I applaud Herm Edwards for his willingness to make adjustments, a quality Scott McClellan's previous boss apparently didn't possess (according to Scott McClellan).

After Edwards ran Larry Johnson into the ground in 2006 -- 416 carries (FOUR-HUNDRED SIXTEEN!) followed by the predictable injury in 2007 -- the Chiefs' head coach plans on lightening Johnson's load this season.

Edwards is sold on the protection order, regardless of the fact that dominant veteran players typically want to forcefully reassert themselves when returning from an injury. It's worth noting that Johnson didn't always share the backfield with Priest Holmes with absolute aplomb. And now he's got a situation where the team has drafted a player in Charles who could be his eventual successor.

As it stands, the two are on great terms, with Johnson urging the team to put Charles' locker next to his. But when the real games start, and Johnson is looking to lay claim to himself being the same player he was in 2005 and 2006, what happens if Johnson blanches at the thought of surrendering the "10-12 carries" Edwards has planned for Charles?

I think we can all agree that the Chiefs had the best draft in the history of the world last month. After having close to 50 picks, Kansas City landed a starting lineman (Branden Albert), a potential Pro Bowl defensive tackle (Glenn Dorsey), a nickel back (Brandon Flowers), and a change-of-pace back to compliment Larry Johnson (Jamaal Charles).

Kansas City also added a humongous tight end (6-8 Brad Cottam) and a heady safety (DaJuan Morgan), and every one of these selections were made in the first three rounds.

But maybe the most important pick (or one of the most important -- it's hard to think anybody will overshadow the impact Dorsey should have) is Missouri's Will Franklin, drafted 105th overall.

Coming off a four-win season usually means a team has any number of needs. The Chiefs did a swell job of addressing most of them, but depth at wide receiver remained a huge question, even after Kansas City added 12 guys to the roster via the draft.

Last year's first-rounder, Dwayne Bowe, emerged as the team's only legit downfield threat a year ago, but the Chiefs may have found another young starter on the outside in Franklin:

After a four-win season largely due to the inadequacies on offense, any news is good news at this point. The Chiefs had 47 picks in the April draft, and although they fell short of Herm Edwards' goal of landing starters with 75 percent of the selections, the team had one of the best drafts in recent memory (as much as a draft can be deemed good hours after Mr. Irrelevant wraps up the proceedings).

In addition to adding a dominant defensive tackle (Glenn Dorsey) and a potential Pro Bowl offensive lineman (Branden Albert), Kansas City shored up the secondary (Brandon Flowers) and the backfield (Jamaal Charles). All should contribute a lot in '08, the Chiefs' success will largely be contingent on quarterback Brodie Croyle.

Croyle struggled through his first two NFL seasons, but much of that had to do with his (lack of) supporting cast. Year 3 is off to a more promising start -- at least according to the team's only legit wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe:

"Brodie's looking good, man," wide receiver Dwayne Bowe said. "He threw a go route, back shoulder, against the wind. It was on the money. I was like, 'Dude, you're ready. It's on.' "

Bowe then added, "I don't hear you unless you knock, Curtis." Anyway, it's early, but progress, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is a big deal; after all, the Chiefs passed on drafting a quarterback, instead putting their eggs in Croyle's basket and focusing on other team needs.