Chiefs rookies face baptism by fire at New England

The Chiefs ended last year on a nine-game losing streak and purged many veterans. Edwards has been insisting all week that he's not worried about his fuzzy-cheeked youngsters.

"Most of these kids played as (college) freshmen," he said. "They didn't redshirt, so they played. A lot of these kids, the high-round picks, played at big-time programs. They went in there right out of high school and played."

Edwards said the Chiefs have actually been planning for this weekend for years.

"You look at the last two (Chiefs) drafts previous to this one, it was basically the same scenario. That was intended. It wasn't by accident," Edwards said.

"When they were 17 and 18 years old, they walked on a college campus at a big university and they handled that pressure. So when they get to this level, it's really no different. First time playing? Guess what? You should be able to handle it."

Flowers admits to a few butterflies when he watched film of the high-powered wide receivers who'll baptize him into the NFL.

"It's a challenge I'm willing to take on," Flowers said. "Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Tom Brady. Top of the game right now. What a better way to start a season, see where I'm at. I think I'll be ready. I like to take on challenges."