On the first 2010 day that teams could release players, the Chiefs took advantage by trimming linebackers Justin Rogers and Weston Dacus from the roster.

Dacus played in eight games in 2008 but spent all of last season on injured reserve. Rogers joined the Chiefs during the 2009 season but played in only one game.

Guard Brian Waters is the fifth member of the Chiefs to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, more than any other team.

Waters follows in the footsteps of linebacker Willie Lanier (1972), Len quarterback Len Dawson (1973), linebacker Derrick Thomas (1993) and guard Will Shields (2003), who have won the award that is based on excellence both on the field and in the community.

The staff at Chiefs headquarters is well aware of how much help the team needs entering the 2010 season. It needs players at many positions, and there weren't many groups in 2009 that appeared set.

As much help as the team needs, general manager Scott Pioli told me today that the Chiefs won't pursue big-money free agents just for the sake of bringing in superstars. He said that they'll have to fit with Kansas City's system and philosophy. That approach is smart, but it also could cost the Chiefs a superstar free agent or two. It just depends on how you look at it.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Chiefs guard Brian Waters, who had some conflicts with the club’s new management when it took over before the 2009 season and suffered in silence during the 4-12 season.

So being a finalist for the NFL’s most prestigious award, The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which recognizes players for playing excellence and work in the community, couldn’t be more meaningful for Waters.

Kansas City added a Chiefs legend to the coaching staff Monday, naming Emmitt Thomas as the team's defensive backs coach. Thomas, as Randy Covitz previously pointed out, is a veteran coach with a fantastic pedigree. He was most recently with Atlanta before being let go after the 2009 season.

Thomas was a five-time Pro Bowler and played 13 seasons with the Chiefs before beginning his coaching career at Central Missouri State. He's 66 years old and will replace Clancy Pendergast as the defensive backs coach under coordinator Romeo Crennel.

I'm not saying the Chiefs took my advice, but it was a few weeks ago when I suggested they hire Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas as their new secondary coach.

And darned if they didn't do just that.

Thomas, a standout on the Chiefs' two Super Bowl teams and longtime defensive coordinator, interim head coach and defensive backs coach in the NFL, will join Todd Haley's staff as defensive backs coach, replacing Clancy Pendergast.

Former Chiefs guard Will Shields, tight end Tony Gonzalez and offensive tackle Willie Roaf's paths to the Pro Football Hall of Fame received boosts when they were selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

Shields, an 12-time Pro Bowler with the Chiefs during his career from 1993-2006, was one of four guards chosen for the team.

Gonzalez, the NFL's all-time leading receiver for tight ends now with Atlanta, was one of two tight ends, along with Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers. Gonzalez was a 10-time Pro Bowler with the Chiefs during 1999-2008.

The Chiefs will announce shortly that Clancy Pendergast will not be returning to the coaching staff next season.

Pendergast served as defensive coordinator last season but his situation was left in limbo earlier this month when the Chiefs hired Romeo Crennel as the replacement. A Chiefs source said the decision to part ways was mutual between Pendergast and head coach Todd Haley.

Dedric Ward, who started last season as the receivers coach before being demoted, has been fired. Richie Anderson, who replaced Ward last year, will continue as the receivers coach.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said ticket prices on the upper and lower levels at Arrowhead Stadium would remain the same in 2010 as they were in 2009.

''The club level, where we have long-term contracts, is the only place where prices will go up,'' Hunt said. "The rest of the building will remain flat.''

Here they are:

AFC offensive player of the year: Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis.

AFC defensive player of the year: Darrell Revis, cornerback, New York.

AFC coach of the year: Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati.

NFC offensive player of the year: Drew Brees, quarterback, New Orleans.

NFC defensive player of the year: Charles Woodson, cornerback, Green Bay.

NFC coach of the year: Sean Payton, New Orleans.