Kansas City, Mo. ? The unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs fanned out across the country during their weeklong vacation, with Dante Hall probably making the biggest splash by appearing on ‘The Late Show With David Letterman.”

Linebacker Mike Maslowski and a few others took a private jet to Las Vegas. Quarterback Trent Green was on the CBS pregame show. Wide receiver Johnnie Morton had a much-publicized blind date arranged by a national sports show.

But everybody felt envious when word got around of what Tony Gonzalez had done. The Pro Bowl tight end long known as the Chiefs’ most eligible bachelor went to a Halloween party thrown by Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner.

“Wow!” said Hall.

“I’d say the guy who had the most fun of all was the guy who went to the party with Hugh.”

Gonzalez was offering no argument.

“It was fun,” he said with a grin. “It was really fun.”

As a reward for the hard work that has made them unbeaten, Vermeil had, for the first time in his coaching career, given a team an entire week to itself. While some players flocked to television studios and others partied in Vegas, quite a few simply spent quiet time with their families.

But they came back to work Monday and showed Vermeil that entrusting them with an entire week to themselves smack in the middle of the season had been the right thing to do.

“It exceeded my expectations,” Vermeil said. “I thought they might come back and be a little bit sluggish today and sort of ease their way into it. But they worked very, very good. I was very impressed and very pleased.”

The players themselves seemed surprised at their sharpness.

“The people who weren’t right on time today were actually early,” guard Brian Waters said. “It’s a clear sign the focus is there.”

“I was surprised the way a lot of guys were really moving around,” said cornerback Eric Warfield, who spent most of the week in Miami. “Guys looked quicker than before. Everybody came back refreshed.”

The mood was definitely upbeat as the league’s only unbeaten team returned to work.

“We were talking about how sharp everybody was,” Hall said. “But it’s easy to go back to work when you’re 8-0.”

After the Letterman show Thursday night, Hall flew to Toronto, figuring he would be just another face in the crowd.

“But there were people everywhere I went who recognized who I was,” said Hall, who has set an NFL record by returning kicks for touchdowns in four straight games this year.

After meeting several celebrities, Hall was surprised to learn how much they had followed his exploits.

“It’s amazing to know that people watch us like we watch them,” he said.

The Chiefs get back in action this week with a home game against Cleveland (3-5). Having a full week off seemed to do wonders for their attitude.

“It gives you a chance to get out of your realm answering the same football questions week after week,” Morton said.

“Guys got a chance to get away from football. Physically, it’s a great opportunity to get refreshed. But mentally, when you get to do a lot of other things and be around your family and friends, it puts you in a great state of mind so when you get back you can focus on football again.

“We had a great practice.”

Hall said everyone understood why they were in such demand.

“It’s the byproduct of the hard work you’ve put in on the field,” he said. “So in turn it makes you want to come back and go to work. If it wasn’t for football and us being 8-0, no one, not me or Tony or anybody, would get the opportunities we have.”

In one unexpected development Monday, Vermeil elevated rookie Larry Johnson to No. 2 running back behind Priest Holmes. Johnson has been nearly invisible since being drafted in the first round last April out of Penn State.