Kansas City, Mo. ? So what has happened to that fearsome offense of the Kansas City Chiefs?

Good question, say fans who have been waiting for Trent Green, Priest Holmes and Tony Gonzalez to re-emerge as the nearly unstoppable force which characterized the Chiefs the past three years.

In 2004, Kansas City set an NFL record with 398 first downs, and Gonzalez set a tight-end record with 102 receptions. The team topped the league with 418.4 yards per game of total offense and was second in scoring with 30.2 points per game.

From 2002 to 2004, Kansas City scored more points than any other team in the league, and Holmes scored 66 touchdowns, the most by any player in any three-year span.

Offensive coordinator Al Saunders widely was hailed as a creative, innovative genius.

But, so far this year, the Chiefs (3-2) have been a shell of themselves. They scored only one touchdown in the second half in a loss to Philadelphia and managed just 10 points at Denver.

In a statistical oddity of a 28-21 victory last week over Washington, the offense scored only two touchdowns. Plus, the Chiefs were outgained in total offense, 398 yards to 274, passing yards, 297 to 178, and first downs, 26 to 18.

Head coach Dick Vermeil agreed that if not for three turnovers, including one that safety Sammy Knight returned 80 yards for a touchdown, the Redskins probably would have won.

“We as coaches, when things are going real well, we like to assume some of the responsibility for the success. So when it’s not going as well as you’d like, you have to assume some of the responsibility for that process as well,” Vermeil said Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the offense does not seem as energetic as it used to be. Willie Roaf, a 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle, returned against the Redskins after missing almost four games because of a hamstring injury and brought an undeniable presence to the line.

Right guard Will Shields, who has made 10 trips to the Pro Bowl himself, also has not quite reached the level for which he’s known. Injuries to his back and knee had him contemplating retirement until training camp opened in the summer.

Gonzalez, although only 29, also missed much of the offseason workout following surgery on his foot.

Vermeil acknowledges the slippage but insists it can be corrected.

“In this league, you either get better or you get worse,” he said. “It’s hard to remain status quo. And right now, we’re not up to par. I think some of the reasons are obvious. We don’t make any excuses about it. We just keep working.”

The most obvious deficiency has been the offensive line. For years one of the best in the league, it has been weakened by injury, if not age. Roaf seemed his old self in his first appearance since the season opener and made a key block on several successful plays.

But Shields, as does the entire offense, suffers when compared with himself of the past few years.

“Will Shields was the No. 1 guard in football for a long time, one of the top three or four guards in football,” Vermeil said. “He’s working back toward that level. The great thing about Will is, he has great pride. Everything he does is so deliberately pointed in the direction to be at that level. But he does a lot of things just like he always did, and a couple of things he still needs more work on.”

On another topic, Vermeil said the dispute over who caused the fumble that Knight returned for a TD – Carlos Hall or Jared Allen – had been resolved. Many players thought it was Allen, who already had three sacks, two fumbles caused and two fumble recoveries. But, Vermeil said, “It was Carlos Hall.”

Nevertheless, Allen still had one of the best games a Kansas City defensive player has had in years.

“Now, we’ve got to make sure we keep his feet on the ground and head straight and keep him focused on the discipline of the defense,” Vermeil said.