Kansas City king

Vermeil still cries 96 times a week, his tears triggered by just about anything ranging from a sudden memory of an old friend to a particularly touching Tom and Jerry episode.

But, yes, there is something different about the man.

"He listens to other people," Peterson says. "It's a rare thing. Here's a man who has done it all. Won it all. And yet, he will say, `What do you think?' And he really listens, whether it's the offensive line coach or the general manager or the team trainer. He listens. That's one of the big secrets to his success."

Peterson was an assistant coach for Vermeil at UCLA some 25 years ago. They went to Philadelphia together. They both know this is their last hurrah--like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the Grumpy Old Men years--and they both want to go out with a Super Bowl victory.

Kansas City expects nothing less.

"I'm a positive guy," Vermeil says. "But when someone asks me something, I try to tell them the truth. So when people ask me, `Are you going to the Super Bowl?' I tell them, `How should I know?' I'm no soothsayer. I'm a football coach."

Joe Posnanski is a sports columnist for the Kansas City Star.

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