Niswanger started at center for the Chiefs during the disastrous 2009 season. His play left much to be desired. He was often driven off the ball and had a habit of snapping the ball over QB Matt Cassel’s head.

The arrival of Rodney Hudson in the 2011 draft, along with the re-signing of veteran Casey Wiegmann made Niswanger expendable.

Niswanger will join former Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham who now holds the same position in the Motor City.

If Arrowhead is “Patriots West,” then it looks like Detroit is quickly becoming “Arrowhead East.” Though I am not sure that is a compliment.

For most Chiefs fans, the 90s are the halcyon days.  The salad days.  The Age of Heroes, for you Game of Thrones fans (you know your boy Big Matt is all up in that).  Universally remembered fondly.  The bards will sing of the 90s Chiefs for years to come.

The Vermeil era was fun, and will always remain notable for its incredible offense and abysmal defense.  The Herm years will live in infamy for at least as long as I’m alive.  Pioli is forging this team’s new destiny, and if nothing else I would imagine he’ll be around and in charge for quite some time.  His teams will be remembered.

The Gunther Cunningham years, for whatever reason, have been forgotten.  Or rather, are being forgotten.  I rarely see anyone reference the ’99 or ’00 seasons.  They reside in the same no-man’s land as most of the ’80s seasons.  Insignificant, seldom discussed.

I will never forget those seasons.  They remain among my favorites in Chiefs history.  I’m pretty sure they changed me as a fan.  I won’t venture to say whether the change was positive or negative, but my eyes were definitely opened to some things.   There really was some pretty crazy stuff going on.  The coach was a lunatic, the team was a bunch of clowns, bad decisions were being made all over the place, and in Gunther’s worst season he still had more wins than Herm’s last two years combined (couldn’t resist that).  Seriously though, the team went 16-16 under him.  Thats pretty unbelievable, knowing what we know now.

Let’s review some highlights from the Gunther era after the jump:

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Any Chiefs press conference used to be must-see TV for me.  This all started after Marty left in ’99.  At the time I thought it would just be business as usual.  Great defense, bunch of wins, solid team.  Then Gunther revealed his insanity.  It was funny at first, but after a while it became easy to see the direct correlation between the team and the men in charge of it.  For the first time in my fandom, this aspect of the game began to intrigue me.

Carl Peterson was looking to prove the 90s success was all about his roster-building and not Marty’s coaching.  So he went cheap and promoted a coach from within he thought he could control.  Said coach ended up being crazy and incompetent.  Before long we had a team full of punchlines clowning their way through two seasons.

Bam Morris at running back.  Elvis Grbac at QB wingin’ 37 passes per game* and throwing hissy-fits whenever someone dropped one of them.  Chester McGlockton tossing the ball behind his head as he slowly waddled out of bounds (essentially fumbling on purpose). Marcus Spears bludgeoning an opponent with his helmet during a scrimmage.  Cris Dishman scooping up random fumbles and being referred to as a playmaker.  Carlton Gray‘s multi-million dollar contract.  Gunther saying the quantity of runs was more important than the quality.  The insanity was never-ending. We had the fat Tamarick Vanover, Rashaan Shehee, Frank “the Island of Dr.” Moreau, Lew Bush, Lonnie Johnson, Danny Pope (brother of Lenny?), Glenn Cadrez, Patrick “Denny” Dennis, Derrick Ransom (who me and my friends called “Stephen Thompson”).  If you liked laughing at the Chiefs, these were the golden years.

*This was during the 2000 season, when Gunther abruptly decided we were now a pass-all-the-time team instead of a run-all-the-time team.  The wheels were really coming off the bus at that point.

Quite the butterfly effect.  And all because of a general manager’s insecurity.   It first occurred to me then what seems obvious now: who these men are, on a personal level, determines how they do these jobs.  And who they are is on display for all to see.  It’s fascinating.

I think thats part of the reason Pioli’s media policy bothers me so much.  He’s taken all the fun out of the press conferences.  Most of the time nowadays there is simply very little to learn.  That is by design.  The entire staff is now adept at answering questions without saying anything.  Nobody has a very good read yet on Pioli in particular.  He’s been a tough nut to crack, as I’ve said many times.  I may not like the way he operates or see the need for it, but I will admit, he’s quite good at it.  This team has very nearly rendered the press conference obsolete.  Another few years and they won’t even have to do them.  No one will care.

Still, for a Pioli presser, I tune in.  Got to.  I will learn what I can about this man.

My reactions to Scott Pioli’s pre-draft presser after the jump:

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It is not clear exactly what the charge entailed, however it likely stems from some comments made by former KC defensive coordinator and head coach Gunther Cunningham.

As the Chiefs continued to cut many dead weight players picked up during the Herm Edwards/Gunther Cunningham era, Gun, who had landed in Detroit mentioned that he wouldn’t mind picking up some of his former players if the Chiefs should continue to cut them.

“[Kansas City] keeps wanting to dump their players,” Cunningham said in February 2010. “I would like to be there to catch a lot of them, because I know a couple of those guys.”

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On cue, Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has dipped a toe into the tampering pool.

As Rosenthal pointed out, the former Chiefs defensive coordinator recently said, “[Kansas City] keeps wanting to dump their players. I would like to be there to catch a lot of them, because I know a couple of those guys.”

Though Cunningham mentioned no specific players, we believe that he has committed a textbook violation of the tampering rules by expressing general interest in multiple players under contract with another team.

Florio goes on to say that agents of Chiefs players who are going to become free agents will be able to use Gun’s comments as leverage to get their players bigger contracts.

“We’ll just go to Detroit,” an agent might say. “Cunningham has said he wants some of his old guys.”

What do you think, Addicts? Is “Don Pioli” going to have to have Gunther whacked?

“They keep wanting to dump players,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said late last season. “I would like to be there to catch a lot of them, because I know a couple of those guys.”

Cunningham was the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 2004-08. Toward the end of his tenure, he bemoaned coaching so many young players as the Chiefs struggled.

But now some of those young players are older, and they might be available because they don’t fit the new defensive system the Chiefs introduced.

“Some of those young kids I coached, I really believed they were going to be good players, and I know I’m right about that,” Cunningham said. “Now what’s happened there is the same thing in any organization. A new guy comes in, and they decide to go to the 3-4 defense when the structure of the personnel was built for the 4-3.”

Freep.com

The Chiefs Front 7 could look like this...only, you know, fatter and without the hats.

The Chiefs Defense is terrible. It has been terrible for so long that the Chiefs Offense has gone from terrible to great and back to terrible again in the same span. They were bad when Jarred Allen was here. They were bad for Greg Robinson. Bad for Gunther Cunningham.

This year was no different, right? The Chiefs gave up big days on the ground some weeks and other weeks, big games through the air. Sometimes, they combined them for a truly horrific day.  It seemed there was no end in site to the defensive ineptness.

I’m here today to say that I think, as long as a couple calculated moves are made this offseason, that the Chiefs defensive troubles may soon be over.

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If you previously believed Gunther Cunningham hadn’t yet lost his marbles, then this piece of news might make change your mind. The Detroit Lions have signed defensive end Eric Hicks. Yeah, that Eric Hicks. You know, the one who’s been out of football since 2007 when he played sparingly for the Jets. You know, the guy who stunk it up in the Vermeil era. Yeah, that Eric Hicks is going to the worst defense in the NFL.

From Detroit Free Press:

The Lions also released two wide receivers: Travis Taylor and Steve Sanders. They signed defensive end Eric Hicks, who played under Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham in Kansas City.

Hicks made the Chiefs’ roster as an undrafted rookie out of Maryland in 1998, when Cunningham was the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. He spent nine years in Kansas City. Cunningham was the Chiefs’ head coach in 1999-2000 and their defensive coordinator from 2004-07. Hicks spent 2007 with the New York Jets and didn’t play in the NFL last year.

What else can we really say about this one? It’s not often that an over-the-hill defensive coordinator goes to the league’s worst defense and imports one of his old hasbeen defenders who’s been out of the game for a year. Anyone doubt the decision to let ol’ Gun walk now?

Fraud: “Good morning, Gunther. How have you been? I have not seen you since the debacle in the Queen City!”

Gunther: “Its been tough. Real damn tough. The players. The f***ing players. They just quit on our trip to Cincy. Then they fired the King. Then Herm. I knew my ass was the next to go.”

Fraud: “I see. Please, please continue”

Gunther: “You see, dammit, I thought I had lost my touch.  Like I said during our last session, I just didn’t know what to do to motivate these players. After all our draft picks on defense and we finished 29th in f***ing defense. Sh**, I was depressed.”

Fraud: “Tell me more.”

Gunther: “Well, one night I had this dream. I was coaching a team of silver and blue and, believe it or not, we were in the Super Bowl. I had gotten the old gang together for one last run. Donnie on the outside and Marvcus Patton in the middle. Dale Carter and James Hasty at the corners. Neil Smith even slimmed his fat f***ing ass down to play end for me. All we were missing was D.T. We were awesome. I woke up from that dream and got a call from the Lions owner, Mr. Ford. He asked me to move to Detroit and become their defensive coordinator.”

Fraud: “I see. And how did that make you feel?”

Gunther:”Hell, speechless at first. I accepted knowing I couldn’t do any worse of a job in Detroit than Matt Millen’s crew and the Big 3 had done during the last several years. Later, I came to my senses and realized that DETROIT WAS DEAD F***ING LAST IN THE F***ING LEAGUE IN F***ING DEFENSE! Behind even the Chiefs. I went to Mr. Ford’s office ready to turn in my resignation papers. His response: ‘Gunther, don’t worry so much. You can only go one way — up. Besides, there is talk of a bailout with additional draft picks being allocated to Detroit.’ I was pretty upset when I went in there, but that meeting calmed me down. I mean, those dumb bastards went 0-16 last year. I had to coach with Herm f***ing Edwards and still managed to get two wins.”

Fraud: “Yes, Yes Tell me more.”

Gunther:”I got excited. Burned those damn Cover 2 playbooks of Herm’s — that sh** isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on…I told him…you gotta f***ing blitz — then I began calling all the old gang. First, I asked Donnie to play for me for a fourth time. He’s about as damn old as me, but I truly do love that son of a bitch. He said yes. Then Marvcus, Dale, James and Neil. They were all in. Hell, I even got Andre Rison to play for me again. I figured even he could afford a house in Detroit. If it gets burned down that’s his own damn — ”

Fraud: “But, Gunther, wait…what are you going to do if you run in to trouble in Detroit? After all, their winningest coach was WAYNE FONTES!!”

Gunther: “I thought about that, too. But then I remembered something that brought me piece of mind. I can always get a job replacing GREG ROBINSON somewhere.”

Fraud: “Ah-ha! An old patient of mine. Funny. I could never quite fix that one.”

Gunther was great during his first run as D.C., but never quite recaptured the magic during his second stint. In fact, we might as well have kept Greg Robinson on board. Old Gun’s defense became a National punchline this year after losing star defensive end Jared Allen, registering an all-time NFL low 10 sacks. Thanks for all the good times, Gunther, but like Herman Edwards you’ve more than worn out your welcome.

Speaking of Harm, when your D.C. jumps ship without getting fired that is never a good sign.

From The Kansas City Star:

Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham took the same job today with the Detroit Lions.

He is the third Chiefs assistant coach to flee since the end of the season, joining secondary coach David Gibbs and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. Gibbs went to Houston, Priefer to Denver.

Detroit’s new head coach, Jim Schwartz, and Cunningham worked together with the Tennessee Titans during the three seasons between the time Cunningham was fired as Chiefs head coach and rehired as their defensive coordinator.

Addicts, sound of on Gunther Cunningham’s departure…

Why would we not want Gunther to move onto greener pastures, like Detroit. The best thing about him taking another job is that we wouldn’t have to fire him. I thought the Lions would be doing us a favor to steal the “Gun” Show away from us.  I know Scott Pioli is evaluating his entire staff and taking his time, but I think he needs to revaluate this decision.

I had a dream last night about Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham having a therapy session with noted Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Fraud…

Sigmund (in Austrian accent): Good morning, Gunther, but you are early. Your scheduled appointment is usually after the 10th game of the season.

Gunther: I know, I know, but this season has already been very difficult for me. I just can’t get over this ****.

Sigmund: Over what?

Gunther: The defense. The ****ing defense. For ****’s sake, we have given up over almost 500 rushing yards the last two weeks. To the Raiders and the Falcons. I just don’t know what that old mountain fox Shanahan’s gonna do to me this week. ****.

Sigmund: First, we must analyze how you arrived at this point.

Gunther: OK, OK.

Sigmund: I recall that many years ago you were in denial about your defense when you worked for the crying coach from California.

Gunther: Yes, you’re right.

Sigmund: Next, you became extremely angry about how you and the defense were the blame for the team’s troubles.

Gunther: ****, yes. I wasn’t just angry about blame game, I was pissed-off.

Sigmund: Then you went to the crying coach and bargained for help. And help he did, giving you two number draft picks, I believe a Mr. Sims and Johnson. Is that correct?

Gunther: Yes, that’s right.

Sigmund: In fact, you continued to bargain for more help, getting a Tamba, a Turk, a Tank, a Donnie and even a Napoleon!

Gunther: Yes, that’s right, but then this summer. This summer, I got severely depressed. Damn, Doc, was I depressed.

Sigmund: Tell me more.

Gunther: The King got rid of my best player. He traded him for ****ing draft choices.

Sigmund: But didn’t he get you a Glenn?

Gunther: Yes, yes…but he’s no Jared.

Sigmund: I got it. You have gone through the five stages of loss: DENIAL, ANGER, BARGAINING, DEPRESSION and now ACCEPTANCE!

Gunther: Acceptance?

Sigmund: Yes, acceptance. I have seen the last two games and have already accepted that it will be an 0-16 season for you and your Chiefs. I suggest you accept this fate and enjoy your remaining time in Kansas City. See the fountains or something, eat some ribs, spend time with that obnoxious fat man who writes for the local newspaper.

Gunther: That’s it; work smarter not harder. I’m already liking this acceptance thing. Sorry for being such a pain in the ass, Doc.

Sigmund: These sessions are the easy part. Watching your games, that is what causes me excruciating pain. Even on my new HDTV. What a wonderful contraption!