The 1-3 Chiefs: Something’s Gotta Give
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
Sunday’s loss to the San Diego Chargers marked the end to a miserable first quarter of the 2012 season. At 1-3, Kansas City joins the Oakland Raiders in the cellar of the AFC West. The Chiefs have lost three games by 51 points. That’s an average of 17 points per game if you’re scoring at home. This football team could be out of the divisional race before Halloween candy goes bad. The Baltimore Ravens are coming to town on Sunday, it might be a good time for someone to find some answers. Your dissenting voices are becoming the “irresistible force.”
Who’s responsible for this mess?
Clark Hunt:
Clark Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, lives in Dallas. I’m in no place to say where the man ought to live. Out-of-state ownership can be problematic, though (see: David Glass). Hunt doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of the city and is cushioned by the 500 miles that separates Kansas City and Dallas. He isn’t exposed to the everyday discourse between members of the local fan base. He’s not hearing his organization maligned everyday on sports radio. He’s isolated from the dissatisfaction and a growing sense of hostility toward the franchise. Hunt is culpable, but he’s also the “immovable object” here. On the chance that you weren’t already aware, he can’t be fired. I suppose he could be cajoled into moving the team to Los Angeles, but no one wants that to happen (contrary to what some Chiefs fans are saying). Ultimately, he’s the toughest part of the problem to deal with. Fans can certainly abstain from going out to the stadium, but that’s something the Kansas City community isn’t likely to commit to. At least not for any extended period of time. We may see an increasing number of empty seats as the season wears on, but the likelihood that any of their remaining games will be blacked out is slim.
Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give.
That said, we’re stuck with “The Clarks.”
Scott Pioli:
If there’s little that can be done about Clark Hunt, perhaps there are options for his top gun, Scott Pioli. You know, the Former NFL Executive of the Decade and the NFL’s highest paid general manager? He’s the guy with the “irrepressible smile” that wooed us with promises of championship-caliber football and the “Patriot Way.” More than three years into his administration, we’ve seen very little that suggests he’ll actually make good on those promises. Of the 31 Chiefs losses since he took over for Carl Peterson (the 2010 post-season appearance included), 17 of them have been by two or more touchdowns. That’s an embarrassing statistic. Perhaps the most damning of all. If an average of more than nine losses per season weren’t enough (coming into the year), the Chiefs are being blown out in 1 of every 2 games they drop? That has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the man with “total control” of this football team. He brought you Todd Haley, Romeo Crennel, Tyson Jackson, and Matt Cassel—his $63,000,000 quarterback being the most glaring mistake of this regime, one that he seems to be unwilling to cop to (Crennel said Cassel was his Week 5 starter). Pioli is also on the verge of his third losing season in four. Somewhere, somehow, someone has to hold this man’s feet to the fire. Might be time for Clark Hunt to inventory his supply of pink slips.
Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give.
Romeo Crennel:
The 65-year old veteran of the NFL has more than 30 years of coaching experience. He was originally hired as defensive coordinator of this football team. He took over, as interim coach of the team, after Todd Haley’s 2011 in-season firing. Crennel, affectionately known as “RAC” to his players, galvanized his squad and won two of his final three games. One of those victories came against the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers. That game may have earned him the right to be named the Chiefs’ next head coach. Crennel failed to build on the momentum of last season though and now few people believe he’s the right man for the job. The Chiefs have stumbled out of the starting blocks and the first chapter of his head coaching tenure in Kansas City has been marred by game management gaffes and a lethargic, slow-starting football team. It was Crennel who decided that he would act as head coach and defensive coordinator of this team. Thus far, that’s been a horrible decision. Crennel has had a hell of a time with making effective in-game adjustments. There is time still to defer defensive play-calling responsibilities to someone like linebackers coach Gary Gibbs. Having an “old implacable heart” about that decision may soon cost him his job.
Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give.
The 3-1 Ravens are headed for Kansas City this weekend for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Chiefs. They’re bringing the league’s 5th-ranked scoring offense with them. If we see another rout (God forbid), will we see any immediate changes made by the organization? Will Clark Hunt make a definitive move to signify his displeasure with the current state of his franchise? Or will there simply be more of the same and only the promise of an unbearingly long season to look forward to?
Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight it with all of our might
Chances are some heavenly star spangled night
We’ll find out as sure as we live
Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give
Until next week, Addicts!