RIVER FALLS, WIS. ? Coming off a 6-10 season in this era of free agency, the 2002 Kansas City Chiefs seem remarkably similar to last year.

In fact, Dick Vermeil opened his second training camp as Chiefs head coach Friday with only a handful of key newcomers left tackle Willie Roaf, kicker Morten Andersen, wide receiver Johnnie Morton and, if he ever does arrive, rookie defensive tackle Ryan Sims.

Kansas City quarterback Trent Green speaks to the media following the team's morning workout. The Chiefs' first day of training camp was Friday in River Falls, Wis.

Sims, their first-round draft pick out of North Carolina, is locked in a contract dispute. Also missing from Friday’s opening workout, as everyone knew he would be, was Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, who continues to hold out for more money.

Clearly, the Chiefs figured they needed only to tweak and tinker and not make wholesale changes in their quest to end a four-year postseason drought.

Having so many of the same people, Vermeil said, is an advantage.

“You’re not teaching, you’re repeating,” Vermeil said. “You’re working on skills, not so much on assignment. But we have more changes than people think. We’ve got a new starting split end, a new starting left tackle, a new starting left guard, a new starting right tackle, a new starting flanker back on offense alone.”

Something else that’s new are different practice times and a big air conditioned tent on the edge of the practice field. Hoping to escape some of the midday heat, the Chiefs are starting their morning practices about 8 a.m. this year and not beginning their afternoon workout until about 4 p.m. an hour earlier in the morning and an hour later in the afternoon.

Still fresh in everyone’s mind is the heat-related death last summer of Minnesota tackle Korey Stringer.

“We all have to be alert and be intelligent and if there’s something we think we can do better and more efficiently, then we try to do it,” Vermeil said. “The No. 1 reason we’re doing it is to give them more rest in between so they can be more efficient in the second practice. And No. 2, to get out of some of the heat.”

The tent, which has benches with big fans trained on them, is something every NFL team is doing now.

Kansas City cornerback Ahmad Hawkins can't make a catch during a passing exercise. Hawkins practiced Friday afternoon in River Falls, Wis.

“We can take a player or a group of players who need it and put them underneath there, turn on the fans and cool them off a little bit,” Vermeil said.

Neither Sims nor Gonzalez is expected any time soon, which could be most detrimental to the rookie Sims, who’s being counted on to provide immediate improvement to a defense that was lacking in heft.

“He’s missed a lot of snaps already,” Vermeil said. “It will take him awhile to catch up once he gets here. I’d like to see him here this afternoon. I won’t. But I’d like to.”

Gonzalez may not make it to River Falls at all this year as his agent does battle with Chiefs president Carl Peterson.

“I didn’t think about it once on the field this morning,” Vermeil said. “I really didn’t. I didn’t think about Sims not being here and I didn’t think about Tony not being here. It’s not about them, it’s about us.

“I’d like them here. They make us a better football team. Eventually, they’re going to show up.”

Roaf, a former All-Pro left tackle with the New Orleans Saints, is being held to just one practice a day while trainers keep an eye on his surgically repaired knee.

“In a while, he’ll go two-a-days,” Vermeil said. “I thought he was impressive. He felt good. It’s amazing and it’s his first practice back from major knee surgery. The doctors did a good job.”

Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil yells words of encouragement. The Chiefs opened camp Friday in River Falls, Wis.