How the Chiefs Lose Even During the Bye Week

Nov 21, 2011; Foxboro, MA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli on the field prior to a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Let there be no mistake, there is soon to be a reckoning at One Arrowhead Drive. And although I would have seen it begin during the bye week, it will just make the end of the season that much more explosive.

The Eagles are 3-3 and fired their defensive coordinator. With Andy Reid on the hot seat in Philadelphia, he fired Juan Castillo because he believed it was best for his football team. Although no moves have been made in San Diego, general manager A.J. Smith of the 3-3 Chargers stated “ In the next 10 games we will either rally and see a slow, steady rise from the ashes to a division championship — or the beginning of a new era in Chargers’ football.”

But with everyone seemingly on the hot seat in Kansas City, and a bye week on hand, no such changes are being made, and Scott Pioli is making no such comments on his annual bye week pressapalooza. Sure, he’s saying he’s disappointed with how the team has performed, but for a fanbase that smells blood in the water, words will never speak as loud as action.

This lack of any tangible change is a HUGE mistake. The Chiefs are nearly halfway through the season and are arguably the worst team in the NFL. The bye week is the perfect opportunity to make a move that could help out the team for the rest of the season, and it’s a pretty simple solution compared to what, I believe, probably should be done.

Romeo Crennel needs to be relieved of his defensive coordinator duties immediately, and during the bye week is the time to do it.

One could say that Reid is overreacting by firing his DC after only six games, especially with a 3-3 record. But would the Chiefs be overreacting by making a move after six games with a 1-5 record? No. If this team is serious about contending – and to be fair, the AFC West is weak enough where such a hope isn’t completely farfetched – this is the kind of move that should be made. A not-so-subtle wakeup call this franchise dearly needs.

The reason I make this request is not only because of the numerous blowouts suffered by the team so far this season (sure those are disappointing). The reason I say he needs to be relieved of his DC duties is because I think he needs to have some quality time becoming acquainted with how to become a good head coach. And right now, Romeo Crennel is not a good head coach. In fact, he’s looking like the worst head coach in the whole league right now.

The more time Crennel can spend figuring out the whole head coaching thing – when to kick field goals, what “two-possession-ball-game” means, etc. – the better. I mean, head coaches that continuously make Bill Barnwell’s ‘Thank You For Not Coaching’ articles on Grantland (here’s one from last year, and here’s one from this season) usually don’t stick around long.

I’ll be honest, reducing Crennel to only head coaching duties is about the Diet Coke version of what I’d prefer. Scratch that, the Coke Zero version. Right now, I am a disgruntled fan that would like nothing better than Bane to come to Kansas City as the reckoning I spoke about earlier (“Once the Chiefs have secured a top-two pick, you have my permission to resign”). I’m talking about Crennel gone, Pioli gone, Daboll gone, Cassel gone, KC Wolf gone (now you can see how upset I am).  I’m talking about cleaning house; I’m talking about starting over.

Now, let me clarify. Cleaning house is NOT the same as rebuilding. The talent can stay in place, but a new front office and head coaching staff NEEDS to be brought in. I know this team has talent, but it’s clear that talent isn’t being taken advantage of by this coaching staff. Crennel is so bad at being a head coach that none of the defensive success he had with the team in the past should save his job in my opinion. Pioli’s failed implementation of his ideas has left me with no more faith in the tank. And if Pioli gets that extension that was rumored earlier in the week, I am concerned that Arrowhead will be burned to the ground.

But for a 1-5 team at the bye, I would have taken a reduction in Crennel’s role with the Chiefs. Unfortunately, I won’t even get that. And thus, this is how the Chiefs lose even when they don’t play.