Chiefs Coordinator Candidates Starting To Emerge
The Kansas City Chiefs will likely be replacing offensive coordinator Bill Muir this offseason and, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, head coach Romeo Crennel is not going to rush the decision.The report says that Crennel needs to get permission to speak with some candidates and that he plans to interview folks next week and at the Senior Bowl.
Williamson also included a list of potential candidates for the Chiefs:*
"He did not discuss specific candidates. Among the potential candidates for the offensive coordinator job could include Kansas City quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn, former Jacksonville offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and perhaps even former Oakland coach Hue Jackson. Possible defensive candidates could include Kansas City assistant Gary Gibbs, former Jacksonville defensive coordinator and interim coach Mel Tucker, and San Francisco assistant Jim Tomsula."
There are some very interesting names on this list. Let’s start with defensive coordinator.
Crennel is going to be calling the plays but that doesn’t mean this hire is not important. I would say Gibbs is probably the favorite based on his familiarity with KC’s personnel and his relationship with Crennel. Still, Romeo might want to inject some new blood into the staff so that the defense doesn’t get stale. I like continuity with players but I think sometimes bringing in outside coaches can help shake a staff up and keep them unpredictable.
Tomsula is the name that interests me the most. He is the defensive line coach for the 49ers and was their interim coach last season after the team fired Mike Singletary. New coach Jim Harbaugh retained him when he took over.
What is especially intriguing about Tomsula is that San Fransisco’s defensive line is one of the best in the NFL. In fact, their defensive ends Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are ranked #1 and #3 respectively among all 3-4 defensive ends according to Pro Football Focus. Between them, McDonald and Smith have 13 sacks, 19 QB hits, four batted passes, 67 tackles, and 97 stops! They also have 80 QB pressures.
Dorsey and Jackson have six.
Smith has been awesome for years, but McDonald has really come a long way under Tomsula.
Tomsula is only 43 and becoming KC’s defensive coordinator, even if he isn’t calling plays, would be a good move forward for him. The other obvious benefit would be getting him to work with Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey. Both Jackson and Dorsey have great tools and if Tomsula can help them improve their pass rushing skills the Chiefs defense could be downright terrifying.
I think this would be a smart, gutsy hire by Crennel. I hope he goes for it.
On the offensive side of the ball, the name that jumps out at you is recently fired Raiders head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson is a good coordinator and he knows the AFC West personnel well, which enable him to hit the ground running.
The other aspect of Jackson that I like is his attitude. I think he could inject an identity to the KC offense that it hasn’t really had since the Dick Vermeil era.
It looks like Crennel is going to take his time with these moves and that is fine, especially if he is waiting to interview candidates currently coaching in the playoffs, like Tomsula.
What do you think Addicts? Do any other names jump out at you? Who would you like to land in KC?
*I originally misread Williamson’s thinking that Crennel gave him the names he suggested and put that in the first version of this post. It has since been edited. I apologize for any confusion. Still, my guess is that Williamson’s list is pretty accurate.