As the final seconds of the Chiefs 38-3 stomping at the hands of the Denver Broncos came to a close, it brought with it the merciful end to what was the worst season in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs. It was horrible from start to finish. There weren’t enough highlights to even fill a paragraph, let alone a post. The only real solace that fans of this team can take is that change is coming. That change should start today. The question of the day is, will the general manager be part of that change?

By the time the Chiefs and Broncos kicked off Sunday it had already been reported by Jason Cole, Jason LaCanfora, and Jay Glazer that Romeo Crennel would be fired after the season was over. I consider Glazer a safe source to trust, and when you add the others to it I feel confident that Romeo is gone.

Scott Pioli is another story. There were conflicting reports all day Sunday about wether or not Pioli will be retained. Hopefully, by the time some of you are reading this it will have been announced that he is being fired, but one way or another we should know sometime today. Even if we hear nothing, I would take that as a bad sign that Pioli may be staying.

If Pioli is fired then KC fans can enjoy the only upside to being the worst team in the NFL: hope for a new start. A new GM, a new coaching staff, the first overall pick in the NFL draft, and a new franchise QB to lead the team.

If Pioli is retained then all that hope is tainted. The new coach, draft picks, and franchise QB will all be selected by a man that we have no faith in. If Clark Hunt thinks that fans will flock to buy tickets to see a new coach and new QB and forget about all the “Fire Pioli” uproar from this season, I think he is sorely mistaken.

If you are among the few that think retaining Pioli is a good idea, then I encourage you to check out this document of Scott Pioli Facts put together by SaveOurChiefs. Here are a few highlights:

The Chiefs’ record under Scott Pioli (23-42) is the worst of any GM in Chiefs history.

The Chiefs’ record against winning teams under Pioli is just 3-18.

The Chiefs are 0-27 when their opponent scores more than 24 points under Pioli.

There are plenty more, but you get the idea. The Chiefs are not headed in the right direction under Scott Pioli, and keeping him would be a huge mistake. I hope that this post is soon followed by reports that Clark Hunt is cleaning house. Firing Romeo Crennel is a start, but Scott Pioli needs to follow him out the door.

Fingers crossed, at least we’ll know soon!

Thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN Insider Adam Schefter said today on Mike and Mike in the Morning that he believes Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel will be fired today.

There have been multiple reports that the Chiefs would part with Crennel. I have yet to see a single report that KC is considering retaining Crennel.

As for GM Scott Pioli, the situation appears to be undecided. We’ve seen a few reports that Pioli will be retained. Yesterday Schefter reported that Pioli’s fate was “leaning out.”

I would imagine that if Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt is going to part with Pioli, he will do it at the same time as Crennel. If Crennel is indeed being let go today, we should hear about Pioli’s fate as well.

One interesting thing to consider is whether or not Crennel might stay on the coaching staff as the defensive coordinator. If Pioli is kept, he may want Romeo to stay on board in some capacity. Then again, if a new head coach is being brought in, he will likely want to hire his own staff. It’s a very slim chance that Crennel sticks around as DC but if Pioli is still in charge I don’t think we can rule it out.

Stay tuned. Answers could be coming this morning.

Nov 18, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans brought a sign to show their disappointment with general manager Scott Pioli (not shown) during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium. Cincinnati won the game 28-6. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

There are reports surfacing this morning that GM Scott Pioli will not be fired after the season comes to a close following today’s game against the Denver Broncos. Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole tweeted out that he had heard this from “a league source” that Pioli would stay but with “significant changes” (meaning Crennel would be gone, and they’ll be getting a new QB) and Pro Football Talk has a piece up this morning saying that Pioli staying and Romeo leaving is “the prevailing rumor in league circles.” I don’t know how much credit to give a “league source” and “league circles,” but if they are correct it sounds like many KC fans won’t be getting what they really wanted for Christmas (a complete turnover in the organization).

Also making the morning rumor rounds is speculation that if Pioli stays he will hire Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz as Romeo’s replacement.

So what do you think, Addicts? Do you place any weight in these reports? Has anyone’s head exploded yet? Would you be able to get behind Pioli staying if there was a new coach and a new QB? Regardless of what happens we’ll keep you posted here at AA during what should be an interesting offseason that is only hours away.

Coming back from my home abroad in the Republic of Georgia for the holidays, the only thing I really wanted for Christmas was to be able to witness a competitive Chiefs game in person.

Statistically, the team’s past performances and the overall matchup with the Colts made it pretty unlikely I was going to get my wish. But, despite Brady Quinn’s and Brian Daboll’s best efforts I was able to stand a few dozen rows back and watch my beloved team play a dignified game against a better opponent.

I even got to see the team make history. The 2012 Chiefs are the only NFL team to rush for more than 350 yards and still lose the game. Let that soak in a little.

I’m preaching to the choir here on Arrowhead Addict, but if there are any readers who have not been watching the Chiefs all season, this game is your indisputable proof that the Chiefs have been sunk singlehandedly by horrendous quarterback play and worst offensive coaching and play-calling in the league. It is very difficult to have 507 total yards and score only 13 points without doing it on purpose. If that was Daboll’s intent, well done, sir.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

If not, well …

Matt Cassel would have won this game.

Mark Sanchez would have won this game.

Heck, Chad Henne would have won this game by two touchdowns.

Andy Reid, who is about to be fired, would have never called for a draw play on 3^rd and 8 with the game tied in the last three minutes against a team that already had six wins in which they came back in the fourth quarter. Norv Turner, who is also about to be fired, wouldn’t even have this dumb play in his binder.

In fact, any offensive coordinator who decides to hand off to his power back in a clutch situation from the shotgun formation (!) on 3^rd and 8 in what is likely your last possession of a tied game needs to be taken in for a round of electroshock treatment. I’m not trying to be crass, it’s for their health.

The fact that Jamaal’s historic performance was wasted because his quarterback not only couldn’t score at the end of drives, but actually killed one drive and gave up an easy pick six, is criminal.

Quinn needs to find himself a nice spot in the UFL or CFL and I don’t say that out of spite or malice. I believe him when he said he’s not interested in the glory, but rather an opportunity to play the game he loves. Through five seasons in the NFL, he has shown that he is a low-end backup quarterback at this level, and even at that, I’m not sure I’d want him to try and carry my team if my starter gets hurt. He’s made his money; if he really wants to play this game I think he’ll find it’s a lot more fun in the minor leagues. There it won’t matter that he can’t hit a single deep throw – the Colts’ coverage was nothing special on Sunday; he wouldn’t have completed those throws even if the receivers were wide open.

It also struck me at this game how much we have lowered our expectations as Chiefs fans. A lot of the post-game talk was about the fact that Jon Baldwin had one of his best games with two (!) catches for 64 yards on six targets. The fact that this is considered to be a noteworthy performance is among the best evidence I can summon for just how much this team has played like garbage this year. In fact, it feels like we have undergone a slow slide in our expectations over the last few years towards saying, “Well, we didn’t get totally embarrassed. Good day.”

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

That bears out in the stats dug up by the Star’s Sam Mellinger: the Chiefs current point differential is a league-worst  -179 and is also the worst in team history. For our sanity’s sake, our brains have prepared us for such an outcome as the four worst seasons in terms of point differential in the 52-year history of team were 2011, 2009, 2008, and 2012.

We have grown accustomed to being blown out or barely scraping by for a win. The only reason Sunday’s game was even watchable was due to Charles’ herculean efforts along with Peyton Hillis, who decided he was in the mood to run, apparently.

Before the game, I was at the Chiefs VIP tailgate, which was near empty like Arrowhead’s stands. On the plus side, it meant no line for food, beer and autographs from Chiefs Hall-of-Fame safety Deron Cherry. Cherry, who racked up six Pro-Bowl seasons from 1981-1991 with 15 recovered fumbles and 50 interceptions, was a quarterback hunter for a decade. So, I took the time to ask him what he thought about the incoming QB class.

As everyone else has said, he agreed that this year’s crop is less than awe-inspiring, but he was more interested in what the Chiefs would do in the front office. I found it very interesting that he brought that up unsolicited because he was presumably brought in by Chiefs PR for the event. The fact that he said he thinks Crennel should go and it doesn’t make sense to trust Pioli to pick his third head coach in five years  speaks volumes because it was Pioli’s office that hired him for the appearance.

For his part, he said he thinks the Chiefs should bring in Bruce Arians, who has ties to the team as a running backs coach in the late 80’s when Cherry was playing. We’ll be pouring over head coaching options over the next few weeks, but I respectfully disagree with the choice of Arians.

Although he has been an accomplished coordinator for several teams, Arians has never distinguished himself as anything more than that and had a disastrous tenure coaching Temple in the 70’s. He should be highly commended for how he has steered the Colts from afterthought to playoffs in one season, but it’s difficult to tell how much of that was his own efforts and how much came from the team’s wunderkind quarterback and emotional drive to win for their official head coach who has been battling leukemia.

It’s a great story, but so was Romeo Crennel last year, and there are too many parallels there for me to get excited about him.

I’m open to other possibilities, but for now, the rest of my Christmas list reads: Bill Polian, Geno Smith and the ability to hold lofty expectations for this team without subjecting myself to inevitable psychological trauma when they take the field.

And, yes, I am willing to share these presents with others.

This is the first time since joining the AA staff that I am writing a piece that I hope is completely irrelevant by the time most of you read it. I hope more than anything that shortly after this post hits the sight that news breaks that Scott Pioli has been fired and you can just stop reading this post right now. I hope that by mid-afternoon this post is pushed down the sight into obscurity.

Sadly, I don’t think that will be the case.

Most of Chiefs Nation seems confident that owner Clark Hunt will fire Scott Pioli. This season has been such a complete and total disaster that it almost seems impossible for there not to be wide spread changes in the organization. You add to that the fan unrest and protests by the SaveOurChiefs group and it would seem that Hunt will be forced to make a move, right? Maybe, I guess we’ll all find out in the coming hours, days, or weeks. The common thought seems to be that Pioli will be fired once this dumpster fire of a season is over.

Well here’s the problem. The time for making that move, at least effectively, is running out. If today comes and goes with no news of Scott Pioli’s firing it most likely means that he will keep his job for another week. If that is the case, then one of two things will happen. Either Scott Pioli will keep his job for another season or the Chiefs will be so behind schedule in getting their new regime in place that they will be playing catch up with the rest of the NFL and setting themselves up for failure.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the timeline of how things went down the last time Clark Hunt replaced his general manager.

Carl Peterson resigned (not that he had much choice) on Monday, December 15th. That was the Monday after the Chiefs week 15 game. In other words, today is the equivalent of that day. So if Scott Pioli isn’t fired today, the Chiefs will be operating behind the timeline that happened four years ago.

Clark Hunt hired Scott Pioli on Tuesday, January 13th. So it took Hunt just over four weeks to get his new GM hired. Perhaps he would move faster this time around, but I don’t think we should assume that. Some may suggest that he is possibly already talking to candidates behind the scenes, but in today’s age of news breaking tweets that seems awfully risky. I think that a four week turnaround from firing Pioli to hiring a new GM is probably a fair estimate. Putting that off another week would be very costly, in my opinion.

Scott Pioli then took 10 days to fire Herm Edwards on Friday, January 23rd. Hopefully a new GM would be sensible enough to fire Romeo Crennel immediately upon taking the job, but even then, if the new GM wasn’t hired until the second week of January, many of the top coaching candidates would already be off the market.

It then took Pioli two weeks to hire his new coach Todd Haley on February 6th. By that point, all the top assistants were off the market and Haley ended up with Clancy Pendergast as his defensive coordinator and holdover Chan Gailey staying on (although just temporarily) as his offensive coordinator because there simply wasn’t anyone else available.

UPDATE: Here is a list of recent coaching hires in the NFL by the date they were hired.

Mike Shanahan – January 6th
Jim Harbaugh – January 7th
Mike Mularky – January 10th
Ron Rivera – January 11th
Jeff Fisher – January 13th
John Fox – January 13th
Pat Shurmur – January 13th
Chan Gailey – January 19th
Joe Philbin – January 20th
Chuck Pagano – January 25th
Dennis Allen – January 25th
Greg Schiano – January 26th
Mike Munchak – February 7th

If you asked me to pick the five coaches on that list that I would most want to coach the Chiefs I would pick (in no particular order) Shanahan, Harbaugh, Fisher, Fox, and Pagano. Of those five, four of them were hired on January 13th (the date Hunt hired Pioli) or earlier. If you divide that list into two and look at the coaches hired after January 13th compared to the coaches hired before that date, I like the early list a lot better. That is why Clark Hunt can’t afford to wait any longer to start this process.

Now perhaps things will be different this time around. Perhaps Hunt will fire Pioli the day after the season ends and hire his new GM the very next day. Perhaps that GM will make firing Crennel his first act upon taking the job and will then be in on any and every good coaching candidate available. Perhaps, but I don’t know that we should be holding our breath on that one. I think if we want to have realistic hope of the kind of changes that most of us want to see that the ball needs to get rolling, and fast.

Hopefully that ball is already rolling. Hopefully you stopped reading this post after the first paragraph because Pioli’s firing has already been announced. Hopefully this post has already been pushed down the sight by rumors of Pioli’s firing, news of his official firing, a statement from Clark Hunt, and a post on the rumored replacements for Pioli. I’ve never hoped for my weekly post to be irrelevant before today, but boy I hope it is. Because if the game on Sunday taught me one thing, it’s that this team as it is currently constructed is an embarrassment. It’s a bad group of players that are poorly coached and give their fans very little to get excited about.

The thought of watching another two weeks of this without any hope of real change on the horizon is painful.

Hopefully those fears will be made irrelevant when Pioli is fired. If that’s the case, then most of you already stopped reading. If it’s not the case and Scott Pioli still has his job, then I’ve never been so bummed so say this…….

Thanks for reading (sigh) and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Oh, Romeo, Romeo, whyfore* art thou so confused, Romeo?

*Note to our copy editors Natasha and Franklin: I am aware that whyfore probably isn’t a word,** even in Shakespearean English, but just go with me here.

**Paddy, I’ll allow creative license here. –NS

So yesterday, Chiefs head coach* Romeo Crennel was asked why WR Steve Breaston hasn’t been active on game day recently. As you know, Breaston was the Chiefs’ #2 receiver last season after Dwayne Bowe. He played a little bit early this season but has since dropped off the radar. Pretty simple question from the media. They asked what Breaston needed to do to get back on to the field. Crennel, to his credit, gave a pretty simple response.

Or so we thought!

*For about three more weeks.

He needs to show that he has a great understanding of the game plan and he can execute the game plan. If he can do that, then he can be in uniform.

Now I don’t know about you, but it sure sounded to me like Crennel was saying that Breaston needes to show that he has a great understanding of the game plan. You know, cause he said “He needs to show he has a great understanding of the game plan.”

So that is what Breaston needs to do to get on the field, right? That must mean that the last couple of weeks, in which Breaston hasn’t been active, that he must be having issues understanding the offense. I mean, you know, ’cause that is what we’re all talking about, right?

Well, the statement from Crennel led to a little bit of confusion on the part of Steve Breaston, who clearly didn’t enjoy the fact that his head coach threw him under the bus in front of the media.

Here is how he responded yesterday:

I don’t think it’s been expressed to me. I understand the offense. They may feel a different way then so be it. You can’t fight city hall. I go out there and work. Maybe better understand the offense is not going out there and being a decoy and things like that. Maybe me wanting the ball and things like that, I get upset about that, but I understand this offense. Maybe I’ll find out in the meetings what that really means.

So today, Crennel took the podium once again to clear up the matter.

And what he wanted to clear up, was that his words don’t mean what they mean and that the media is at fault for believing that his words mean what they mean.

‘Cause apparently they mean something else.

“See, I’m going to tell you guys right now, because I’m a little irked about that,” Crennel said today, “that statement I made yesterday was a generic statement. A generic statement. It could be applied to any position on the team, any player on the team. And you guys took it to mean that he didn’t know the game plan. I never said he didn’t know the game plan, never said that. So, Steve Breaston knows the game plan. That’s what I’m clarifying.”

So…err..wait.

Let me try to simplify this like it is a question on the SAT for morons.

Stevie needs to know the game plan to get onto the football field. The last two weeks, Stevie hasn’t been allowed on the football field.

The reason Stevie hasn’t been on the field is because:

A. Stevie didn’t know the game plans.
B. Stevie slept in and forgot to drive to the stadium.
C. Stevie’s head coach forgot he was on the team.

Jiminy Christmas! Is there really any more doubt, other than the atrocious QB play, why the Kansas City Chiefs stink so bad?

Crennel didn’t even stop there.

“Because I say that,” Crennel continued, “you think that he doesn’t know the game plan? If I said that about the quarterback, would you assume that the quarterback didn’t know the game plan? [Reporter says yes.] You know what, that’s something about assume, you shouldn’t assume. Because you know what happens when you assume.

“Yeah, Steve Breaston knows the game plan. You know what, these guys have been together and hanging together all year and I know that, hey, there’s nothing good to write about, but don’t assume that a guy doesn’t know the game plan, that a guy’s not smart or anything like that. I make the decision about who’s active and who’s not active and he has not been active because it’s my decision and that’s what I go with. Not on the player. So don’t do that to the player.”

Let that be a lesson to you media-types and fans alike. Don’t you dare go assuming that Romeo Crennel means what he says or even that his words mean what the dictionary tells you they mean.

‘Cause they might mean something else.

Especially if his words are “generic” even if he was asked a direct question about a specific player.

Remember kids, 2 + 2 = 4, unless Romeo Crennel is doing the math, in which case it might add up to 6 or even -3.

(h/t Arrowhead Pride for the Crennel quotes)

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

More details have come out about what Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, GM Scott Pioli and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs witnessed on Saturday morning when Jovan Belcher drove into the parking lot at the team’s practice facility.

Peter King of SI.com spoke last evening on Sunday Night Football Night In America, revealing some details of a conversation he had with Crennel following the Chiefs’ emotional 27-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday.

According to King, Pioli and Belcher arrived at the facility at the same time, around 8 a.m. Central time. Pioli noticed that Belcher was upset and after a brief conversation, Belcher requested that Crennel and Gibbs be summoned. The two coaches obliged and came out to the parking lot. Meanwhile, a Chiefs security officer noticed that Belcher had a gun and phoned the police.

Belcher proceeded to thank all three men for all they had done for him. The men tried to reason with Belcher but he just kept thanking them, not really engaging. Then, as police were arriving, Belcher turned and took a few steps away before shooting himself in the head.

“I wasn’t able able to reach the young man,” Crennel told King.

Chilling.

I wasn’t sure what to write about today. It’s hard to celebrate a win when such a dark cloud still hangs over the Kansas City Chiefs. I don’t know if more needs to be said about the tragedy itself. Like countless other Chiefs fans, my heart breaks for the families and loved ones of this tragedy. None more so than the innocent 3 month old whose life will be forever shaped by this senseless act of violence.

I also can’t imagine how difficult it will be for Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel, and Gary Gibbs to continue to go to work day after day at the same place where they watched this horrific story come to its grisly conclusion. I have screamed from the rooftops that Pioli and Crennel should be fired for weeks, but now all I can do is pray that they are able to close their eyes at night without reliving the tragic events that they witnessed Saturday morning.

I’ve heard a lot of angry fans scolding Chiefs fans and players for mourning the loss of Jovan Belcher. The reasoning being that they should only mourn the innocent victims, not the man that caused this pain. To those people, all I can say is that the Chiefs coaches and players didn’t know a killer. By all accounts Belcher was a great teammate and friend. They are mourning the loss of that teammate and friend, not condoning the unforeseen violence that will now forever define him. It is possible to love a man and hate his actions. It is possible to be sickened by what he did and miss his companionship.

My advice to all at this time is to try to be understanding that people deal with tragedy and grieve loss in different ways. There is little to be gained by attacking one another for how we attempt to transcend this horrible situation. Sports websites, networks, and blogs are going to focus on Belcher, not because his life is the one that is most important, but because his involvement in this story is what makes it a sports story. Of course Kasandra Perkins is the true victim. Of course Belcher’s 3-month-old daughter Zoey is the one most in need of our prayers as she must now go forward in life without both of her parents. That doesn’t mean that Derrick Johnson can’t miss his teammate that he lined up beside for years. It also doesn’t mean that a person that was a big fan of Belcher can’t be sad that he is now gone.

It seems that the PC stance is that only Belcher’s actual family can mourn his loss and everyone else must hate him. I hate the fact that he murdered someone and took his own life. I hate the fact that his little girl must grow up without her parents because he chose violence instead of any other possible solution. I’m just not willing to judge others who are sad about the hole that Belcher’s loss has created in their life.

So is there anything positive that we can all come together over and focus on as we move forward?

Well, yesterday’s game was a start. Not that football is really important compared to these life altering events, but since this is a football blog and we are all fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team it makes the most sense that we focus on that.

Let me start by saying that for the first time this season Romeo Crennel’s “grandpa-esque” demeanor and relationship with his players was an essential element of the team’s success. All season we’ve screamed at him to be more intense, get after players, etc. This time, that loving and calm demeanor allowed him to care for and lead his players through their darkest hour. I didn’t ever doubt that Crennel would emotionally be there for his team, that’s one of his strengths. What I didn’t see coming was that by caring for, loving on, and being the “emotional rock” at the center of the Chiefs family he would finally bring out something in this team that they had been lacking all season long.

True Mental Toughness.

All season long the Chiefs have been an absolute joke when it came to focus and execution. They hadn’t scored an opening drive TD since 1982 (or at least that’s what it felt like). So when faced with the most emotional, most distracting start to a game any of those players have ever played, what did they do? They drove right down the field and punched it in.

All season long the Chiefs have destroyed their chances at being competitive by carelessly turning the ball over again and again. So surely on a day when their hearts might not fully be in the game and that their minds might be distracted by what has transpired this trend would continue, right? Wrong, they didn’t turn the ball over once.

All season long the Chiefs have shot themselves in the foot by negating big plays with penalties. Often their focus was so poor that they would be penalized multiple times in the same game for the same stupid mistake. Sunday the Chiefs only committed one penalty all game long and that was at the very end as they were trying to run out the clock.

If I had been asked to give the Chiefs a grade for mental toughness through their first 11 games this season it would have been a big, fat, “F”.

If I had to give the Chiefs a grade for mental toughness for their game against the Panthers it would unquestionably be an “A+”.

That is simply shocking. The fact that a team that had been so unfocused, so unorganized, so “checked out” all season long, was able to fix every last one of those issues in the one game that they had a very legitimate reason to fall apart mentally is a statement to the character of those men. I just wish I knew why they couldn’t have done it sooner, but that is a discussion to be had after the wounds caused by this tragedy have had more time to heal.

For now we as Chiefs fans should simply give our support and deserved praise to the players and the coaches of the team we love. Especially to Romeo Crennel and Gary Gibbs who witnessed such horror, but then were able to lead their emotionally wounded team into a game and not just survive it but thrive in it.

I also think Brady Quinn deserves a special kudos above all the other individual players. He seemed to be a mirrored image of Coach Crennel out there on the field. Calmly leading his team, not ignoring the pain they were all feeling, but helping them stay on track and overcome it. If he hadn’t handled himself so well and hadn’t played his best game of the year (possibly his career) the Chiefs wouldn’t have had a chance.

Brady Quinn, simply put, was perfect on Sunday and he deserves a lot of credit for that. That doesn’t mean you have to change your feelings about his long-term future with the Chiefs — same with Crennel — but these men have earned every bit of praise and credit they are receiving today. Their futures in KC are a topic for another day.

Today I would just like to tell them and the entire Chiefs organization “thank you.” Their efforts yesterday made me proud to be a Chiefs fan. I pray that each and every person touched by this tragedy finds a way to grieve and come to grips with this ordeal in a way that is best for them. Yesterday was a first step, but the closer a person was to this tragedy the longer the road ahead of them is. May God bless their lives as they heal, especially the families of Kasandra Perkins and Jovan Belcher, and most of all little Zoey, who won’t even realize the impact Saturday had on her life until most of us have long forgotten the name Jovan Belcher.

Thanks for reading … now go hug someone you love.

I was never on the bandwagon for firing Todd Haley last year.

Of course, this all sounds like “I told ya so” talk now, but I enjoyed going back and reading my articles defending Haley and expressing skepticism about Crennel for an entirely different reason: It was a simpler time.

Looking at the old AA pieces I wrote, I realized it was like re-reading diary entries from childhood in the days of innocence before some traumatic event. Back then, we had excuses for our poor play and it seemed like good football was on the horizon. Our coach and quarterback had been disappointing but were still winning some games. The team had an architect that we could still give the benefit of the doubt.

Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Now that innocence is gone and we recognize our parents are not paragons of virtue and strength but flawed mortals. The world is full of people who lie and mean people don’t always get punished. This team is off the rails. The last four years have been basically wasted. We have no coach, no QB, no GM and an owner who seems to be conducting a social experiment to determine how long before fans burn Arrowhead to the ground in rage at his inaction.

Back then, we could still say that we had a QB on the roster good enough to get us through games, that we were full of young talent and we were growing a dynasty. Just add water. Today, nothing looks good and people in Chiefs country are dying of anguish and frustration.

It really cannot be overstated. At 1-9, the Chiefs have matched their worst opening to a season in the history of the franchise. I will be honestly stunned if we win another game this year. By every major metric other than rushing production the Chiefs are a disgrace. At this point, both Haley and even Herm Edwards look attractive.

But, it’s really not just because of how bad we are right now. I’ve always thought Haley got a raw deal.

In 2009, Haley was one of 11 head coaches hired. Like Todd, most were successful coordinators somewhere else. Of those 11, only two still have their jobs — Jim Schwartz in Detroit and Rex Ryan in New York, and they’re both 4-6 right now, by the way. By the time Haley was fired only four of those other coaches from the class of 2009 had a better win-loss record – Ryan, Jim Caldwell, Mike Singletary and Jim Mora Jr..

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

So, while that was an admittedly uninspiring crop, Haley was among the most successful coaches hired that year. Also, statistically speaking, it was nearly certain that the Chiefs would have a bad season.

Thirty NFL teams between 2002 and 2009 increased their season-to-season records by five or more games like the Chiefs did between 2009 and 2010. Of them, 24 (80 percent) had worse seasons following their surge – with 13 (43 percent) of them losing at least four more games after their surprising season. There are lots of reasons for this of course, the main one: changes in the strength of schedule. Also, the NFL is just a hard place to maintain success. Let down years are inevitable.

But even Haley somehow won five of 13 games without the ACL crew. He even got a win with Tyler Palko at quarterback while the team this year has only even had a lead in two games so far.

It’s also not as if Haley had a whole lot to work with. In addition to the fact that Pioli was diametrically opposed to putting a quarterback on the field not named Matt Cassel, KC’s defenses were nearly always inconsistent, showing up big in some games and melting away in others. He also had to deal with a sociopathic boss who collects candy wrappers, wiretaps his employees and in the end essentially fired him because he didn’t shave or wear a new hat. (Seriously, I’m quite certain that when Pioli gets off work he goes to sit and stare quizzically at an array of severed heads in jars).

But mostly, I just realized that I honestly liked our team that year. I’m finding it very hard to say the same in 2012. In 2011, we were a team ravaged by injuries playing above our level of talent and clawing for every win. Now, we’re just a bundle of undisciplined players making dumb mistakes and barely giving opponents any resistance as they march up and down the field.

Haley was known for being overly brash on the sidelines, which is something I would love to see these days. Someone needs to yell at these guys. When I heard the criticism about him being verbally aggressive, I always thought it was way overblown. These players are grown men and this is an emotional game – or at least it is unless your name is Romeo. If so, then game day is a time when the bad people make you stand outside for three hours and all you have to read is a laminated sheet of paper while you stare blankly at the field while repeating soup recipes in your head. Or at least that’s what I think he’s doing. Your guess is as good as mine. All I can tell you is that it is not inspiring.

So here we are. Refreshing football news websites over and over hoping to see that someone has been fired. This is what it has come to. We have come of age and discovered that the adults running things are even more screwed up than us little people down below and there’s nothing to do about it.

But, family is family. So, next Sunday and the Sunday after that, I will tune in to watch the Chiefs play. I will cringe and guffaw, and write another piece, although I’m running out of things to say.

Maybe next week this column will be about soup.

Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Matt Cassel has been named the starter by Romeo Crennel for this weeks game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brady Quinn told reporters he was cleared to play on Monday night after the game against the Steelers.

Romeo Crennel said today that Quinn was not cleared to play. Very bizarre with two contradicting stories.

What do you think? Who would you like the Chiefs to start this week?

First off, welcome to “Armchair Week” here at Arrowhead Addict. Our beloved head man Patrick Allen is taking some time off this week after getting hitched this last weekend and although he has some pre-written posts scheduled and our regular writers will be putting up their regular excellent content, the bottom line is that you’re going to be getting a whole lot of yours truly this week. (And you thought this season couldn’t get any worse, didn’t you?) Anyway, I’ll try my best to hold down the fort in Paddy’s absence. Also, a preemptive thanks to Chris Nance who will be helping out with breaking Chiefs news since during the day I have this thing called work that tends to get in the way of my Chiefs blogging (I know, priorities right?).

Enough about that though. Now back to your regularly scheduled Chiefs coverage…

When the Kansas City Chiefs got their hats handed to them by a bad Oakland Raiders team coming off their bye week I lost what little faith I had left in head coach Romeo Crennel. My thinking was that if you couldn’t get a team ready to play (both emotionally and schematically) against a division rival, at home, with an extra week to prepare, you have no chance to get them ready for any team, ever. I knew Romeo wouldn’t get fired after that game though since they had to turn around and play San Diego on a short week. However, I truly believed that after the SD loss (in prime time no less) that the Chiefs would put Romeo out of his misery.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Romeo fired himself, just not as head coach. He removed himself as the team’s defensive coordinator and promoted LB coach Gary Gibbs to DC. That wasn’t the only move that was made to shake things up. As most of you already know, starting CB Stanford Routt was released and DL Shaun Smith was added to the roster. My initial thought was that the Chiefs were insane. They no longer had any clue what they were doing. The only positive that I could come up with was that the Chiefs had been SO bad that any change was worth a shot. Maybe the Chiefs will win the lottery and one of these moves will actually spark something. Probably not, but hey, we’re desperate here!

Then I heard an interesting theory from 610 Sports’ Danny Parkins. His thought was that these moves were a sign that Clark Hunt had essentially taken away Scott Pioli’s control and was allowing Crennel a chance to make some moves as he saw fit. The idea being that Pioli is for sure gone but Hunt is waiting to make it official until he has a replacement ready to take over (enter rumors that Marty Schottenheimer met with Clark last week?). With the decision on Pioli made, Clark decided to give Romeo one last chance to prove to whomever the new GM is going to be that he should be allowed to keep his job. So Romeo brings in Smith who he has wanted all along but Pioli didn’t think fit the “Right 53.” He also cuts the Pioli-signed Routt that many are now reporting didn’t buy into Romeo’s system and was taking a lot of Crennel’s time in practice. Think about it: has Pioli ever shown himself to be quick to admit a mistake? Of course not, and cutting Routt after 8 games of a 3 year contract when he was suppose to be the reason it was okay that he let Brandon Carr walk doesn’t seem like a Pioli move at all. This theory feels right to me, but maybe I’m just so desperate to see Pioli gone that I’m willing to buy into any logical theory that comes to that end.

Regardless, the Chiefs now enter tonight’s nationally televised game with both Romeo and Pioli still in place (for now). If Romeo’s latest changes have no effect on this game and the Chiefs get dominated once again, then I see no hope that Romeo can get this team to play good football, EVER. He had all offseason and they started the year flat. He had the bye week and they looked terrible and unmotivated. He changed silly locker room signs from “Eliminate Bad Football” to “Play Good Football” and the team still stinks. If this latest round of changes is equally ineffective then it’s officially over. They can leave him in place for the rest of the season, but it will just be as a placeholder. These latest moves already scream of desperation and if they don’t work then the team has 100% lost all faith in him. I don’t see how any other changes could be made as the season continues that the players could take as serious improvements and not just the desperate acts of a clueless coach that is throwing 30+ years of NFL experience out the window and just throwing “stuff” against the wall to see if anything sticks.

The good news for those of you that are hoping the Chiefs land the first overall draft pick is that I think you may very well get your way. If I had to bet money on it, I’d say that we see the same pathetic Chiefs tonight as former head coach Todd Haley gets his revenge on Pioli and the Chiefs. However, there is still a very, very, VERY small part of me that remembers how this team played for Crennel at the end of last season. I wouldn’t fall out of my armchair tonight if the Chiefs come out and show some fight for their coach. That probably still won’t be enough to beat Big Ben on his home field, but maybe, just MAYBE, it will be enough for us KC fans to not be completely embarrassed by the product we see from our team on the field.

Let’s just say that I won’t be holding my breath though.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

According to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel has stepped down as defensive coordinator and has promoted linebackers coach Gary Gibbs to the position.

This news is coming out of Arrowhead right now and we don’t have a lot of details yet. Some crazy (desperate) changes are going on right now. We’ve also heard that the Chiefs have waived Stanford Routt.

There have been calls for Crennel to step away from coordinating the defense since the Chiefs started sucking really hard earlier this season.

Crennel appears to be making one last effort to shake things up. Unfortunately, it appears as though he is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is doubtful that anything can save the Chiefs now.

And if promoting Gibbs does help, it just makes Crennel look even worse for stubbornly not making the move when it could have made a difference.

Hello, Addicts, I have to say that a Sunday with no depressing Chiefs loss was pretty nice. With the embarrassment of the San Diego loss in the rearview mirror and the ensuing loss to the Steelers still a week away, I have a chance to vent some general Chiefs-related thoughts at you. I’ve once again decided to “borrow” my format from Sports Illustrated’s Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback (which is a must-read) and present you with a variety of topics.

Here we go……

* I now believe that Clark Hunt will wait to fire anyone until the end of the season. Friday or Saturday was the perfect time to make a move since it would have given the Chiefs extra time to get their new coach/GM up and running with almost a week and a half between games. If Clark wouldn’t make a move after a nationally televised embarrassment like we saw on Thursday night, I don’t think it will happen any time soon. I just hope that he doesn’t wait too long on the new GM. Clark needs to fire Pioli before the season is over so that the new GM can hire his coach before all the best candidates are scooped up. That’s what happened when Pioli was hired.

* I think Scott Pioli is a coward for not firing Romeo Crennel after the Chargers game. It’s clear that Romeo doesn’t have the Chiefs ready to play from an emotional or strategic standpoint. With Pioli’s job on the line he doesn’t want to have to admit that he screwed up again with his coaching hire only eight games into Romeo’s official tenure. Much like his insistence on sticking with Cassel, his decision to keep Romeo has more to do with him not wanting to admit he made a mistake than it does with doing what is best for the Chiefs. This is absolutely a fireable offense.

* If I was ranking the Chiefs head coaches since Marty left, I think I would go Vermeil, Haley, Edwards, Cunningham, and then Romeo. It’s a pretty pathetic group overall, but here’s my thinking. Vermeil had the best overall record and the Chiefs had a 13-3 season under him. His offense was amazing. Haley was absolutely crazy, his preseason plan last year was a disaster, and his offensive coordinator situation was even worse. That having been said, it’s clear that his ability to push players and hold them accountable is sorely missed this season. If he’s learned his lesson on not going “off his rocker” quite so much I think he could still be a good NFL head coach if given another chance. Edwards was a mess but I respect his ability to spot talent. At least he left the roster with a lot of future Pro Bowlers. Cunningham was just as crazy as Haley, but without the results. Then we have Romeo, who has shown no ability to motivate, lead, or devise a winning game plan whatsoever. At this point I can’t think of one positive quality that he brings to the Chiefs as a head coach.

* Question: If Clark Hunt had backed Todd Haley in the Haley/Pioli feud and fired Pioli last season instead, would the Chiefs be better off right now?

* I’m not a diehard K-State fan, but I have watched a few of their games this year and I’ve come away very jealous of how well coached they are. That team never comes out not ready to play. Even more impressive is how the coaching staff makes adjustments as the game goes on. K-State rarely blows a team out early on, instead they feel the other team out. They see what they are doing well and what they are struggling with and then the coaching staff adjusts what they are doing to stop them and take advantage of their holes. The result is a team that usually dominates in the second half. The KC coaches haven’t figured out how to do this. I REALLY hope that the staff next year can motivate, game plan, and make adjustments in-game. This year’s staff is 0 for 3 in those departments.

* I’ve begun turning my attention to the first round QB prospects for next year’s NFL draft as a way to get my mind off this year’s team. As excited about Geno Smith as I was a month ago, I am equally concerned now. I’ve mentioned before that I felt like he just accepted defeat in the K-State game and sulked around on the sideline. What really worries me though is his numbers the last three games. He started the year against a Division II school and four Division I teams that had an average defensive ranking of 82.5. In those games he averaged 399 yards, 81.4 percent completion percentage, 9.8 YPA, with 24 TDs and zero INTs. However, since then he’s played three teams that have an average defensive ranking of 25.3 and has averaged 227 yards, 58.5 percent completion percentage, 4.8 YPA, with five TDs and three INTs. 227 yards/game, 58.5 percent, and 4.8 YPA in a pass-heavy college spread offense with two NFL caliber WRs is REALLY bad. If he can’t put up better numbers than that against good college defenses, then what is he going to do against NFL caliber ones?

* Finally, after spending some time on YouTube looking at the college QBs, I stumbled across some post game interviews that got me thinking. The Chiefs are a HORRIBLE football team. Assuming the Chiefs do draft a first-round QB, they are probably going to go through some struggles as this team tries to break free of its losing ways. So KC is going to need a QB that can handle losing, handle adversity, and really lead this team. So I’ll leave you with a video I put together showing all three first-round QB prospects after key losses this season. You can judge for yourself who you would like leading your favorite team.

Dear Clark Hunt,

As I hope you know by now, fans of your team are fed up. Many believe that you don’t care as long as you are making a profit. That may or may not be true. Time will tell and your actions (or lack there of) over the coming weeks will speak volumes to those of us that live and die by this team.

If you do truly care about the product you are putting out and the feelings of the fans that support your team with their time, money, and passion you won’t need any more motivation to make some changes. However, if you are only driven by the almighty dollar, as your detractors say, here is a little added incentive for you.

While you may always have the big fat check from the NFL TV contracts, my guess is that a successful business man like yourself understands that in order to make as much money as possible on a product, that product must have a positive public perception. Otherwise, not only will local ticket sales tail off, but the money that comes in via merchandising, advertising, sponsorships, etc. will also suffer.

With that in mind I’d like to draw your attention to what the national perception of your team is. Here is a collection of comments, rankings, and observations from various national media members that have all come out in the past few days. This is what the country now thinks of your multi-million dollar company.

Gregg Rosenthal – NFL.com
“Seventy-nine teams have started 1-5 since the NFL’s new playoff format began in 1990. None of them have made the playoffs. The 2012 Kansas City Chiefs are not the team that is going to break this streak………..It’s not just about the 1-5 record. It’s how the Chiefs have lost, by 28 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 18 points to the Buffalo Bills and 17 points to the San Diego Chargers. They aren’t competitive against mediocre teams…………Pioli is highly unlikely to change head coaches again if he sticks around. So this is more about chairman Clark Hunt. The Chiefs want to be a stable franchise. We sense Hunt would like to show patience with Pioli. The rest of this season is about Pioli’s future. If the Chiefs remain a dumpster fire and finish with just a few wins, it will be hard to keep Pioli around.”

NFL.com Power Rankings:
Ranked #32
“This is getting ugly very, very fast. Brady Quinn continued the underwhelming quarterback play, which isn’t surprising. What is surprising is how the defense has been getting torched this season. Tampa Bay produced 463 yards of offense despite only having the ball for 26 minutes. That speaks to lots of big plays or “chunk” yardage, like Mike Williams’ 62-yard touchdown catch. Or another 62-yard grab by Tiquan Underwood (Tiquan Underwood?!). Or Doug Martin’s 42-yard catch-and-run. Take your pick. Oh, and on the subject of picks, the Chiefs aren’t getting enough of those, either — at least not enough to make up for all the yards allowed.”

ESPN Power Rankings:
Ranked #32
“The wheels have come off, and it doesn’t matter who the starting quarterback is.”

ESPN’s Bill Williamson (AFC West Blogger) reacting to Power Rankings:
His range for KC (31-32)
“The film doesn’t lie. The Chiefs are awful right now. This ranking won’t make the team’s beleaguered fans any happier.”

Yahoo! Sports Power Rankings:
Ranked #31
“The banner people got their wish, and you’re not going to believe this, but Brady Quinn playing in place of Matt Cassel did not magically solve all the Chiefs problems. I know, I was surprised, too. The Chiefs are off this coming week, and then come back to the face the Raiders, renewing a rivalry every bit as exciting as the one between Jacksonville and Tennessee.”

Yahoo’s Michael Silver:
“While Pioli has failed at building a strong organization, he has succeeded in helping Hunt save tens of millions of dollars over the past few seasons by taking advantage of the uncapped year (and other CBA-related nuances) to penny-pinch on payroll. If and when Pioli does sign an extension, that will be the real reason why.”

Pro Football Talk Power Rankings (done by alleged Pioli buddy Mike Florio)
Ranked #32
“With the first pick in the 2013 draft . . . .”

Doug Tucker, AP and Yahoo! Sports:
“Six weeks after launching the season with quiet hopes of winning the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs have staggered into their bye week 1-5. It’s not just any old 1-5. It’s an ugly 1-5. Every loss but one has been a blowout. The offense has not scored a touchdown in the last eight quarters. Their lone victory came on an overtime field goal in New Orleans. Not once has Kansas City been ahead on the scoreboard when the ball was snapped.”

Clark Judge, CBSSports.com:
“Romeo, Romeo, where aren’t thou? At the bottom of the heap, that’s where.”

Jen Floyd Engel, Fox Sports:
“As it turns out, Brady is that good. He and coach Bill Belichick are why the Patriots have been so good for so long. This does not qualify as earth-shattering or soul-crushing news unless, of course, you are the Kansas City Chiefs (or more succinctly, their fans) and you bought into this idea that Scott Pioli was really why New England won, was the genius behind the genius and was going to bring “The Patriot Way” to KC once he was hired as general manager………This is how Pioli ended up in KC, where he has proven himself not to be a genius or really even very good at his job. This is his fault, kind of, insomuch as he has been unable to land himself another Brady. Nothing can take away from Pioli’s obvious role in all of those Super Bowl rings and years of success in New England. He played a part for sure. As we watch this ugly train wreck go down in Kansas City, let us also remember the absurd amount of luck that came in finding Brady.”

Are you getting the picture, Clark? These aren’t just comments about a team losing, many of them are actually mocking your team for how bad they are.

Do you see what has happened to the national perception of your business? You have a bigger problem than just some fans cheering your injured QB or griping about the team on a blog. The value of your franchise is starting to decline because EVERYONE now sees that the quality of this organization is suffering. Not just a little, but so much that the Kansas City Chiefs are becoming a national punch line.

Sadly, the bad perception of your organization may run even deeper than the fans and the national media. Ask yourself this, Clark, why wouldn’t Peyton Manning even consider talking to your team about coming to KC? Why wouldn’t Jeff Fisher even interview for a coaching position with the Chiefs? It seems that the NFL’s best and brightest don’t think much of this business that you are running either.

It’s time to step up, Clark. I don’t care if you do it for fans like me who live and die with every win and loss, for your own bottom line, or just because you have a big ego and don’t want to be associated with losing and made fun of. The point is that there is NO sensible reason to just stay the course right now. This course is one that is running your biggest money maker into the ground.

It’s time to fire Scott Pioli and get this team headed in a new direction.

That’s not just fan rhetoric, Clark, it’s also good business.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

As the Kansas City Chiefs head into the Bye Week at 1-5, head coach Romeo Crennel refuses to comment on the team’s starting QB situation.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Crennel was asked if Matt Cassel would regain his starting role once he was cleared to play. The Chiefs started backup Brady Quinn last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because Cassel was out with a concussion. Quinn arguably played as bad, if not worse, than Cassel has this season.

For his part, Crennel wouldn’t commit.

“That’s a hypothetical and Matt has not been cleared to practice yet,” said Crennel. “When Matt is cleared to practice football, then we’ll evaluate it and then we’ll make the decision at that time.”

While he isn’t endorsing either QB, it is clear that Crennel isn’t sold on putting Cassel back under center. If that was the case he could have easily said that Matt Cassel is the team’s starting QB and that when he is ready to play, he will be the guy.

Despite his poor performance, the Chiefs may want to see more of Brady Quinn. Cassel has had plenty of snaps and the evaluation on him should be complete. Quinn, on the other hand, despite being a veteran, has limited NFL experience.

The unfortunate thing for Chiefs fans as that it doesn’t appear to matter which QB is under center.

The Chiefs stink either way.

September 30, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) is hit by San Diego Chargers strong safety Atari Bigby (26) while throwing in the first quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Matt Cassel is not the only Kansas City Chiefs player not performing well this season.

But he’s the most important.

After another poor performance and another blowout loss, Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel took the podium and before the reporters even got to ask him any questions, threw his support behind QB Matt Cassel.

I know there’s going to be some questions about the QB. I’m staying with the QB, and I stayed with him during the course of the game. And we’re going to stay with him going forward. For the moment. So that’s what we’re going to do.

This isn’t likely to be a decision that will sit well with Chiefs fans. Cassel finished the game 24 of 42 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. His QB rating was 60.7.

Cassel now has five TDs and seven interceptions on the season.

Look, nobody expected Crennel to go out before the media and throw his QB under the bus. Crennel is way too smart to do something like that. Still, Crennel didn’t need to say anything at all. He could have easily said that all the players would be evaluated and if the coaching staff thought they needed to make a change, they’d do so.

The reason he didn’t say that, however, is likely because the team will indeed stick with Cassel. Unfortunately for Chiefs fans, there just aren’t any other legit options on the roster. Ricky Stanzi is clearly not ready to play in the NFL and when given the opportunity, Quinn has played just as bad if not worse than Matt Cassel.

Sticking with Cassel might be the best move right now but if he continues his poor play, Crennel has to put Quinn in if not for any other reason than trying to prove he is trying to spark the team.

The Chiefs are now 1-3 and are one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL. With the Baltimore Ravens coming to town next week, things are likely to get worse for the Chiefs before they get better.

As for Cassel, it is pretty clear that 2012 will be his last as a starting QB in Kansas City, whether Crennel wants to admit it or not.

Going into yesterday’s game, I thought it was entirely possible the Chiefs would lose. In fact, the Bills were viewed as more or less equal to the Chiefs in terms of talent, so the safe pick in this game was probably Buffalo, given that it was their home opener and they also wanted to make a statement after a blowout loss.

Still, although a loss is just a loss whether you lose by a point or a million, it does matter how you lose, and that’s what stood out most in this game.

Once again, a defense that was supposed to be in the top 10 in the league got carved to pieces. Coverages were routinely blown. Tackling was poor. We had no pressure on the quarterback, and made no plays in the secondary.

After Week 1, I suspected that ILB Derrick Johnson might not yet be fully recovered from his ankle injury. This game pretty much confirms that. He definitely did not show the speed and athleticism that makes him a dynamic player in the middle of his defense. He could not keep up with Buffalo’s running backs and he was horrendous in coverage. Belcher continued to be a huge liability when defending the pass and Flowers looked far from 100 percent.

Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

No one in the ACL crew looked like they had their 2010 spark back. TE Tony Moeaki was never getting separation and only caught one pass on four targets. Jamaal Charles was totally ineffective in the run game and was put on ice, possibly due to a yet undisclosed injury. S Eric Berry was virtually invisible out there. We now have to consider the possibility that some or all three of those players may never fully recover from their bad knees.

Who would have guessed that S Kendrick Lewis would be so missed?

I presume everyone will now pile on Matt Cassel for this loss, but as with last game, I don’t see it. His stat line was 23/42 for 301 yards, 2 TD 1 INT. In a win, this would be considered a pretty good performance. No one on either side of the ball stepped up when called upon.

I’m just going to say it right now, Jon Baldwin may be a bust. We had high expectations for him given that he was lighting it up in camp, but after seeing how the Chiefs D-backs have been playing, anyone on the AA staff could have come out of St. Joe as a training camp sensation. He wasn’t even targeted against the Falcons and did not look good against the Bills.

Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

Baldwin never seems to run his routes with confidence and always expects to be able to outmuscle defenders in jump ball situations with his body skills — except that he doesn’t, and one way or the other, we need him to catch and run, not loiter around on the sideline as if he’s playing some elaborate form of Keep Away. In the second half, it was clear that Cassel was forcing the ball to him in the hopes of making something happen deep downfield. Baldwin was never open, never ready and only reeled in half of the balls thrown his way. He got us 62 yards, but in the worst way. I hope I’m wrong about him.

Dexter McCluster, again, was KC’s only reliable receiver, consistently getting open and catching four passes on five targets. TE Kevin Boss again caught a pretty pass, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t miss time after getting knocked out cold after a nasty blow to the head (which wasn’t really a penalty, but the refs gave us that one). As has long been the case, WR Dwayne Bowe emerged in the second half as the Chiefs’ only big-play threat, catching eight passes for 102 yards and 2 TDs.

Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

This too, however, has a dark undercurrent to it though, as BJ Kissel pointed out on the Chop Talk postgame podcast. It is currently looking like the Chiefs will have to franchise Bowe again this year, to which he will likely respond by holding out again. The alternative is to pay him big bucks that Pioli doesn’t want to shell out and honestly may be more than he is worth. Still, as Kissel said, “This offense is scary to think about without Dwayne Bowe on this team.”

The offensive line, which was also supposed to be a great strength of this team in 2012, floundered. Cassel was under near-constant pressure and took five sacks. In his short, but illustrious career, this is the first time that Bills DT Kyle Williams has gotten two sacks in one game, and he also drove G Jon Asamoah into Charles for a 5-yard loss. Congratulations, Kyle.

RB Peyton Hillis, who was supposed to be the safe, pounding runner, gave up a critical fumble on the 1-yard line.

But, what killed the Chiefs most in this game was not the poor play of individual players or units, it was the shell-shocked reaction of the entire team to the Bills’ initial success. Early in the second quarter you could see the team as a whole shaking their heads and looking at the scoreboard as if to say, “Well, I guess this just isn’t our game.”

This is unacceptable, and it was by far the most infuriating part of this game. This team seemed to be totally unprepared and they gave up early. That’ll happen in high school. It’ll happen in college. This is unacceptable in the pros.

Special teams gave up another long kickoff return for a touchdown at the worst possible time allowing the Bills to seal the victory in the third quarter. Even my wife, who is still learning the game, correctly pointed out that no one looked focused.

Cassel, the usual scapegoat, was also strip-sacked and was never even close to saving us in the game, but he also scrambled well and showed toughness while getting what little was there. In the end, Cassel, McCluster and Bowe seemed like the only players still interested in playing the game by halftime.

Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

This is where the coach is supposed to come in. Not only did the Chiefs seem unprepared, they looked utterly outcoached on defense. With as bad as DJ has looked against the pass, how could Crennel put him in coverage on TE Scott Chandler – one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s favorite weapons – in the red zone, allowing him to give up an easy touchdown on virtually the exact same play that Tony G scored with last week?

Comparatively, Brian Daboll’s scheme overall looks like it will get us places this year. I liked some of the matchups he exploited, but I can’t honestly say anything positive about the defense.

After halftime, I was expecting the Chiefs to come back fired up, and, while I knew likely wouldn’t be able to catch up to the Bills, I expected them to at least play like professionals. Instead they came out flatter than before. Crennel, who is known for his friendly, soft-spoken demeanor, was unable to get rally the troops. In that situation, the players didn’t need a friend; they needed leader that would kick them in the ass and tell them to go out and play with pride.

Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

When it was time for the Chiefs to pick a new head coach after the 2011 season, I was one of the few who went against the grain in suggesting that Crennel was not the best choice. In addition to the fact that he had been unsuccessful in the top job before, many of the things that doomed Todd Haley’s tenure in KC – namely blowout losses – were failures on Crennel’s part as well. Getting torched for lopsided losses is as much the defensive coordinator’s fault as it is the head coach’s. Crennel has now presided as DC over two seasons of disgustingly poor defensive play in the opening games.

Although he engineered big wins in the last three games of the season, not much else stands out in his resume other than the fact that he is from the New England system and the players seem to like him.

After the game, Crennel said he didn’t really know how or why the Chiefs got so thoroughly demolished in the game. Paddy quoted him as saying, “I’m gonna say that I thought we would be better. I really thought that we would be better but we’re not so we’ve got to figure out why that is.”

This is very distressing.

Now, because I have just spewed 1,300+ words of negativity, here’s some happy thoughts for anyone still reading:

1.) The Chiefs came back from blowout losses and crucial injuries in the first two weeks of the season last year, and stayed in division contention to the end. So, if you haven’t blacked it out of your memory, you will recall that you felt this bad after Week 2 last year and it got better.

2.) The Chiefs aren’t the only team that has allowed a league-high 75 points so far in the 2012 season. We are tied with the New Orleans Saints and we play them next week.

3.) Kansas City is currently fifth in the league in total offense, fifth in rushing and 11^th in passing. So, hey, at least that’s not our biggest problem anymore!

4.) As bad as the Chiefs’ loss today was, the Raiders’ beatdown was worse. They got crushed 13-35 against the Miami Dolphins, considered by many to be the worst team in the league.

5.) Speaking of the ‘Phins, it took the team half of the season to learn Daboll’s complicated offense, but after playing awful in their first seven games, Miami went 6-3 starting in Week 9 (against the Chiefs) with a combined score of 222-131. In other words, don’t worry. The Chiefs are just going to be late bloomers.

6.) Remember that Arizona team that we mowed over in the preseason? Well, they just beat the New England Patriots in Foxborough. If they’re good enough to do that, then we must have something.

Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel took the podium following the team’s second embarrassing loss in a row, this time to the Buffalo Bills.

The Chiefs don’t allow Crennel to talk very long. Basically after about four questions or so the PR guy calls out “couple more, guys” so the media never really gets to ask many questions.

I jotted down a few quotes from Crennel. Don’t expect anything earth-shattering here.

“Another disappointing loss today. We didn’t play well enough in any phase of the game. Didn’t coach well enough.”

I think we can all agree with Crennel here.

“We have to try to figure out, this team, what this team is about.”

You think?

“I’m gonna say that I thought we would be better. I really thought that we would be better but we’re not so we’ve got to figure out why that is.”

We thought you’d be better too, Coach.

“If we do what we’re supposed to do then we would be better.”

Sigh.

I’m not sure what we expect Crennel to say. His team got their butts whipped for the second straight week. It’d be nice to hear Crennel talk about how unacceptable these kinds of performances are but those are just words and words don’t win football games.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel find themselves in an uncommon predicament in Kansas City. The Chiefs have more depth than they’ve had in years, and it’s time to start pruning back the roster. While Pioli has more notable experience at this task due to his time in New England, RAC’s experience as HC in Cleveland was probably less “which player is better” and more “which player sucks less”.

Further, the CBA explicitly leaves it to each team to determine its own cutdown schedule, which for Pioli, at least, tasks him with determining what moves are best for the team that’ll play the regular season and what moves are best for the ledger. You see, while the Chiefs could hold, in theory, hold all players until the end of the preseason, making all cuts and practice squad assignments in one fell swoop, they also have to pay each player each week they remain on roster (plus housing, meals and other costs). For players that have not yet accrued one NFL season the rate is $850 per week. For the remaining players, who are considered veterans with at least one season under belt, the sum is $1,600 per week.

Being in a position not so concerned about the business aspect of the NFL, Crennel will obviously be interested in getting the best players for his team on the 53-man roster.

A few position groups look a little tighter than others and will warrant longer looks. The Chiefs’ RB/FB group, DL & OL look particularly tight. Their LB corps also looks tight outside of DJ, Hali, Houston & Belcher/Siler, but the talent dropoff is a little bit more noticeable for the remainders (which is bound to happen when compared to DJ, Hali and the emerging Houston). The WRs and DBs are overcrowded, but a few names are clearly improving and impressing over others so it might not be as tight as it looks on paper. QBs look pretty straightforward (Cassel, Quinn & Stanzi on roster and Tanney on the practice squad), as does TE (Boss, Moeaki & Maneri on roster for sure; maybe Biere or O’Connell if they decide to keep a fourth).

A couple important things to note is that, while it is a 53-man roster, the practice squad is allowed up to 8 players (9 if the team puts an international player on the squad as the 9th person, which doesn’t look to be pertinent to the Chiefs this year). So realistically, of the 90 men on roster, only 29 must be cut from the team completely. Also an interesting point to note is that, while any team can sign a player from another team’s practice squad, they may only do so in the interest of adding the player to the second team’s own 53-man roster; the CBA prohibits teams from taking a player off another team’s practice squad just to turn around and put the player on their own practice squad.

Following Preseason Week 1, here are a few observations and predictions concerning how Pioli & Co. may handle the cuts this season:

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

1. Shaun Draughn and Cyrus Gray both look like they could be solid contributors in the regular season. Putting one of these players on the practice squad could be synonymous with cutting them, as I think another team would be likely to clear a spot on their 53-man roster to take a chance on them. Inversely, I don’t see the Chiefs carrying more than 4 players in the backfield, which means they might have to do without a fulltime FB. Hillis can provide these services, if needed, and the team’s decision to crosstrain a few TEs in the role may make Shane Bannon expendable. Notice I said “expendable” rather than “relegated to the practice squad for another year”. The Steelers starting FB went down to an ACL tear during the Steelers preseason opener against the Eagles, and is likely to be out for the entire season.* The Steelers have a way of making good use of their FB on roster and may be looking to replace him for the season. Todd Haley might look no further than KC in recommending a replacement to HC Mike Tomlin, and Haley’s eyes may be on the waiver wire or KC’s practice squad (as the case may be). Now the Steelers have shown a tendency to prefer FBs that are more in the FB/TE hybrid vein, so maybe this circumstance won’t arise, but it bears keeping an eye on.

* Been there, right? Hey, maybe the injury bug followed Haley to Pittsburgh. Wouldn’t that be nice?

2. In limited punting opportunities, K/P Matt Szymanski put up numbers comparable to Colquitt’s. Additionally, Szymanski did consistently great during his opportunities on placekicking duties. While it’s likely that Colquitt will remain the Chiefs’ punter this season, and that the Chiefs won’t carry more than one kicker and one punter on the 53-man roster (other position groups are too crowded and the additional spot could be better used elsewhere), more importance has been placed on STs this year, and the future prospect of only needing to use one roster slot for a K and P is enticing (and we all know Pioli loves versatility). I expect Szymanski to get a practice squad slot and to receive a lot of focus on punting this season. If it looks like he could suitably replace Colquitt, Pioli may just let Dustin’s contract expire at the end of the season and move forward with the player that may potentially develop into a suitable K as well a few years down the line.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

3. The DL looks thicker. Just a few months ago a lot of fans were taking it for granted that players like Powe and Amon Gordon would make the roster, myself included; now, I’m not too sure. Toribio has progressed more than any of us probably anticipated and will likely remain in the Top 2 in the depth chart at NT. Gordon does have an edge on Powe, as he can handle either DE or NT duties, but even there depth at DE looks just as thick and may not accommodate Gordon. Besides Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey, the Chiefs have Allen Bailey who looks to provide the team with a better pass rush from the DL, the solidly built veteran Ropati Pitoitua, and Brandon Bair has started to make a little bit of noise on the field. Eight players for the DL seems like a little much, especially if Poe can prove his stamina before the preseason is over and be a three-down player. Powe may have a shot of making the roster, if RAC determines that Dontari can provide DE services consistently enough to go with the anticipated NT services (thereby rendering Gordon as aged and obsolete a’la Kelly Gregg). But as of right now, I expect 7 men to carry over to the 53-man roster with the last spot going to either Bair or Gordon.

4. My fourth and final prediction following Week 1 concerns the WR situation. I can reasonably see 7 WRs making it to the 53-man roster. Bowe, Baldwin, Breaston, McCluster & Wylie are almost sure to be locks with the remaining WRs duking it out for the last two slots. I think Terrence Copper’s proven effectiveness on special teams and his veteran presence might give him an edge for the sixth slot. The real battle will be over the final slot, and I think the top contenders will be Josh Bellamy, Zeke Markhausen and Junior Hemingway. Markhausen has more experience (though ever so slightly) over the other two, Bellamy has been turning heads in practice (though his play was a little lackluster against the Cards), and Pioli and the KC scouts obviously saw something they liked in Hemingway (though injuries have plagued his training thus far). Hemingway’s injuries haven’t just deterred the Chiefs from getting a good read on him, but the other NFL teams likely won’t risk a roster slot on him, plus his upside looks better than Markhausen, so Junior might be a prime candidate for the practice squad. This leaves Bellamy and Markhausen vying for the last slot. Zeke having enough experience to be a little more used to the speed of the game at the NFL level is reassuring; however, Bellamy has created buzz and may not stay around long if relegated to the practice squad. Additionally, Bellamy has a certain kind of experience that no other KC WR has: Bellamy played double duty, as needed, in college as both a WR and a CB. While ultimately going undrafted and getting signed by the Chiefs as a WR, Bellamy may have future stock in being crosstrained for defense. But for the here and now, Bellamy could earn a roster spot for his ST ability as his time playing D in college likely means that his tackling technique is noticeably more refined than his competitions’ at WR in KC. I expect Bellamy to continue to work hard in practice and to earn a spot on this year’s roster.

So there’s my take following Preseason Week 1. What’s your take, Addicts? Sound off…

In 2011 the Kansas City Chiefs were coming off a 10-6 season and a division title. The NFL was coming off a lock out that wiped out the entire offseason program. Every team in the NFL was scrambling to get ready for the coming season. Then head coach Todd Haley decided that these special circumstances warranted a new approach to training camp and the preseason. Haley decided that instead of jumping right in and hitting, he would put an emphasis on conditioning. He wanted to get his team in shape and try to protect them from injuries that might occur if they rushed into things before the players were ready.

Let’s just say that thing didn’t go quite as he had planned. The Chiefs looked horrible in the preseason, going 0-4 and getting outscored by a margin of 90-42. Unfortunately, the hangover from the preseason lasted into the regular season where KC would be outscored by a whopping margin of 89-10 in the first two weeks. To make matters worse, not only was the team not ready to play, but also his plan to protect his players from injury was equally unsuccessful. By the time the curtain closed on week two of the regular season the Chiefs had lost three vital players in Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Tony Moeaki. The early season blows proved too much for both KC and Todd Haley to take. The Chiefs finished 7-9 and in last place in the AFC West and Haley was fired with three weeks left to go in the season.

Fast forward to 2012 and it doesn’t take an expert to see that the Chiefs have a different approach this season. In fact, it literally appears that KC is dead set on making sure that no trace of the “Haley Way” of doing things can be found. The Chiefs started having physical practices right out of the gate in training camp. The Chiefs came into the first preseason game and looked ready to play football. The first team players got extended looks and even seemed to run plays that might be used in the regular season instead of the “vanilla” play calling of the Haley era.

What really caught my attention during the game were the quotes from both Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli as they sat in the announcers’ booth at different points in the game. I’m paraphrasing here, but Clark Hunt pointed out that the Chiefs underachieved last year and Pioli commented on how much more prepared the team was this year and specifically pointed out how much more effective the staff was at getting the plays in to Cassel (a clear shot at Haley’s OC by committee disaster last season that often led to Cassel barely having time to get the play off). Hunt and Pioli did everything but say, “Todd Haley really messed things up last season and now that he’s gone we think we’ll be a lot better.”

Does the blame for last season lay solely at the feet of Todd Haley? I don’t know. He certainly deserves a lot of the fault, but was it his idea to keep Barry Richardson at RT, Thomas Jones at RB, Tyler Palko as the primary backup QB, and Sabby Piscatelli as an NFL player? We’ll never know how much of that was on Haley and how much was on Pioli. What we do know now is that the anti-Haley approach to training camp and the first preseason game this year produced un-Haley like results.

In other words, the Chiefs won.

In Haley’s three seasons as the Chiefs head coach the Chiefs went 0-3 in preseason openers and 1-11 overall in the preseason. Not only did the Chiefs go 0-3 in preseason openers, but they scored only 6.7 PPG in those games and didn’t score a single first quarter point as they were outscored in that quarter a combined 20-0. That’s a far cry from Friday night when they scored 27 points and led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Does this mean that KC will play better when the games count? I don’t know. I do know that last season’s preseason opener against Tampa Bay was one of the worst preseason games I’ve ever seen and the Chiefs followed that up with one of the worst regular season openers I’ve ever seen (a 41-7 home loss to the Bills). The sad part is that Tampa Bay went on to finish 4-12 and Buffalo only 6-10. So even if Arizona isn’t very good this season, the Chiefs are still clearly off to a better start after one preseason game.

How much better? Take a look for yourself.

Basically, everything was heads and tails better this year. The one area that looks worse is rushing yards allowed and that’s only because the backups allowed one 67-yard long run by William Powell. The interesting (or sad) thing is that TB was actually the worst team Haley faced in the preseason opener in terms of their end of the year record that season (4-12). KC also lost 20-10 at Atlanta (13-3) in 2010 and 16-10 to Houston (9-7) in 2009. If you average out the numbers from those 3 games and compare them to Friday night it is still equally favorable.

Finally, Matt Cassel’s play was by far the best we’ve seen in a preseason opener. In the other three preseason openers combined Cassel has gone 8-13 for 40 yards and no TDs or INTs. So on Friday night when Cassel went 5 of 6 for 67 yards and a TD he threw for more yards and TDs than he had in his other three preseason openers combined. He also led his only two first quarter TD drives in a preseason opener.

All in all, Friday really couldn’t have gone much better than it did. Again, we don’t know if that will lead to more regular season wins. After all, Tampa Bay had a FANTASTIC preseason opener last season and ended up going 4-12. The only thing we really know is that the “Todd Haley Way” is no longer the Kansas City Way. Based on the early results, it looks like that might be a very good thing.

Other random observations from Friday:

I REALLY like Brian Daboll. Based on what I saw at training camp and how he called the game and had the offense ready on Friday I think there is every reason to be excited about KC’s new offensive coordinator.

I stand by my prediction that Peyton Hillis will end 2012 with more touches than Jamaal Charles. Not because Charles won’t be healthy or effective, but because Hillis will be productive and KC will try to keep Jamaal fresh and explosive.

Steve Maneri could just be a starter in the making. I expected him to win the third TE job because of his blocking ability (and Jake O’Connell stinks), but if Maneri can catch (and run) like he did Friday he could become more than just a third TE. Imagine if KC lines up in a three TE power/short yardage set and then goes play action, who is going to get the least attention from the defense in coverage? Maneri, of course, and if he can consistently catch the ball like he did Friday it gives Daboll one more toy to play with.

The offensive line gets a great big thumbs up from me. They made me eat my words. I reported that pass protection looked bad the day I was at training camp, but they didn’t allow a single sack. Not only did the first string look good, but the backups held their own as well. That’s a HUGE improvement over last preseason when poor Ricky Stanzi ran for his life on every single snap.

Justin Houston beat Tamba Hali to the QB for a sack. Just take a moment and think about how scary that is for the teams KC will face this year.

Abram Elam, welcome to KC. Donald Washington, say hello to Sabby Piscatelli for me.

Did anybody else notice that Matt Szymanski booted every kickoff he did for a clear touchback and then did a pretty good job punting as well. There’s no place for him on the roster, but keep that guy’s number on speed dial in case something should happen to one of our kickers.

I think that’s it for this week. Let’s hope the good times keep rolling against the Rams this weekend.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs returned to the field today for their first official practice of their 2012 training camp.

Head coach Romeo Crennel took the podium and addressed a couple of topics. The big question on everyone’s mind was about the whereabouts of WR Dwayne Bowe. Unfortunately, Crennel didn’t have an answer.

“He is not here, and the only thing that I can tell you is that he is not here,” said Crennel. “I’m only working with the guys who are here, so I know nothing about the situation. I have not spoken with him or anything like that, so we’re going to try to get the guys better who are here and try to make those guys better and go forward from that aspect.”

This is pretty much what we would have expected Crennel to say. the head coach has nothing to do with negotiations so there isn’t much he can do other than work with the guys he has.

While Bowe was absent, three players that were missing for most of last season returned to action at long last. Eric Berry, Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki.

“They all passed the physical and we will be working with all of them in practice, Tony, Eric and Jamaal,” said Crennel. “We might have to manage them a little bit if they get a little irritated in their joint that they had their surgery on, but they should be good to go … They look pretty good. They’re running around and they’ve got some bounce in their step, so I feel pretty good about them.”

The Chiefs are sure to take things slow with these three payers. The worst thing they could do is rush them back too early and cause them to miss more time.

Lastly, Crennel was asked about the incident during the MLB ALl-Star game festivities in wich Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was lightly booed at a charity softball game.

“I was not in town and it was after the fact that I heard that, but what I think it will do, will be motivation for Matt to come out and prove that he is the guy that can get it done and lead this team to the playoffs like he’s done before, said Crennel.”I think that that’s what will happen.”

Terrific answer from Crennel. He showed confidence in his QB and answered a negative question with a positive response. It is nice to hear Crennel talking about going to the playoffs.

It sure beats listening to Todd Haley talking about how the Chiefs “aren’t a good team yet.”

Dec 24, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel on the sidelines against the Oakland Raiders in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Between reports of the Three MuscleTears (a nickname I just came up with for the collective bodies of Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Tony Moeaki) coming back healthy after last-season ACL injuries, Dontari Poe still not coming to terms with the team, the deadline for Bowe’s franchise tag tender fast approaching, and Matt Cassel getting booed at the Celebrity Softball Game in Kansas City (how can you boo a face like this), I don’t think enough time has been spent discussing the importance and the obstacles facing Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel in 2012.

One of those obstacles is history.

Within Chiefs Nation, and in some circles of NFL talk, there is a certain amount of “hoopla” surrounding the upcoming season. The year 2010 keeps getting thrown around; whether it be Crennel talking about how Cassel has won before (2010) so it makes sense that he can win again, or how the team is wanting to get back a running game like they used to have in 2010, it seems to be a popular year for a topic of conversation.

By focusing on 2010 and acknowledging the precedent the team set that season, we as fans are assuming that 2011 was more of an outlier of expected Chiefs success than 2010 was. And let me remind you that up until the point we clinched the AFC West in week 16 of that year, we were still a rebuilding franchise coming off a four win season.

While I would like to believe that the Chiefs are clear division favorites and a lock for at least 10 wins on the season, I have to bring to your attention an article Bill Williamson, AFC West blogger for ESPN, wrote a couple of weeks back.

Titled Crennel looks for permanent success in K.C., Williamson writes: “If recent history is any indication, Crennel’s task is not an easy one. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last coach to lead his team to a winning record in his first year as the permanent coach after being the interim coach was Art Shell in 1990. He led the Raiders to a 12-4 record.”

As Williamson subsequently points out, that was 22 years ago.

So how concerned should Chiefs fans be? I guess it depends. Since 2000, seven coaches have been in the same position as Crennel. Only Mike Singletary in 2008 (49ers) and Jason Garrett in 2010 (Cowboys) didn’t finish with losing records – both posted 8-8 seasons.

Now we reach Crennel. Replacing Todd Haley after a late season loss to the Jets in 2011 following a 10-6 2010 season, Crennel went 2-1 the rest of the way and bought himself another head coaching gig. With all the injuries the team suffered last season, and with those same players expected to be back, you might be thinking that Crennel has to buck the above trend because the team he has inherited to start 2012 is so good. After all, they are just one year removed from a division title!

Not so fast.

The common denominator of interim coaches is that they replace a head coach that doesn’t meet expectations. The expectations, however, can be the fault of the previous head coach’s success. In 2000, the Vikings went 11-5; the next season after a 5-10 record, head coach Dennis Green was fired. In 2009, the Vikings went 12-4 under Brad Childress and the Cowboys went 11-5 under Wade Phillips. Both were fired during the season in 2010 because of failed expectations of repeat success. Both their replacements inherited playoff caliber teams and both coaches couldn’t get above .500.

When I said it just depends on whether Chiefs fans should be concerned, what I was meaning is how much confidence do you have in Romeo Crennel as the head coach? Crennel has gotten nothing but praise from the Chiefs front office, the players, and even other coaches and personnel around the league. But there were signs in those last three games of the season that Crennel either had his plate too full or he was knocking off the rust of not having been a head coach in a few years. Even in the victory over the Packers, Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders and Grantland, questioned some of Crennel’s in-game decision making (scroll on down this linked article to the “Thank you for not coaching” section). What he points out shouldn’t be ignored by fans.

I am, however, willing to give Crennel the benefit of the doubt, and I suggest all other Chiefs fans do the same. What other choice do we have? If Crennel breaks the trend and the Chiefs go on to win nine games (not one, not two … not six, not seven … oh sorry, I was in LeBron mode) or more, and has the team in contention for a playoff spot, then we are all winners. If not, and the team doesn’t progress and maybe even takes a step back, then Crennel is just another statistic in the struggles-of-hired-interim-head-coaches column and the fans will, once again, have to wait till next year.

Scott Pioli is all in on Romeo Crennel. Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

How long will the Romeo Crennel era last in Kansas City?

It may seem like an unfair question for a man who hasn’t even gone through his first training camp as the team’s head coach but given Crennel’s age, it is a question we should consider.

Romeo turned 65 on Monday, and while he may have reached retirement age, Crennel clearly has no intentions of hanging them up any time soon. Still, Romeo is the second oldest head coach in the NFL, only trailing Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants. Coughlin will be 66 in August and he recently signed a new contract with the Giants so that he can pursue his third Super Bowl title.

With people now living well into their 80′s, reaching your 60′s is no longer an ironclad time to ride off into the sunset. In the NFL, however, the high-pressure environment is such that you wonder how long men of an advanced age would want to endure it.

The best thing for the Chiefs is stability. All the best franchises in the NFL have stability. Just look at the Steelers, Patriots and, until recently, the Colts.

Scott Pioli has been in Kansas City for three full seasons and he is already on his second head coach. Given Crennel’s age, it is fair to say that Chiefs fans aren’t in for ten years of the “Romeo Era.” That means there is likely more turnover coming, probably sometime in the next three to five years.

What kind of impact might that have on the consistent organization that Pioli is trying to build?

The key may be Pioli himself. The GM has stated that he wants the Chiefs way of doing things to be the same from top to bottom. He seeks an organizational structure that can change out personnel seamlessly without missing a beat. His thinking seems to be that if he remains and place and continues to set the standard that the rest of the organization will follow suit.

But how do you build that consistency in the locker room when your most important field generals keep changing? Along with the head coaching changes, the Chiefs have also had two different defensive coordinators and five different offensive coordinators. Crennel will be entering his third year as the team’s defensive coordinator this season, but the offense is starting over again. How long will it take them to catch up?

Scott Pioli has done excellent work building KC’s roster. He has a young team with loads of talent and he’s managed to keep nearly all of his star players while also finding a few budding stars along the way. His choice of Romeo Crennel as his team’s new head coach and hiring of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, might be the final pieces of the puzzle.

Pioli has been trying to build KC’s version of the Patriots since he arrived in the Midwest. Had Denver not snatched up Josh McDaniels first, Pioli probably would have made him the team’s head coach instead of Todd Haley. Crennel, who was dealing with some health issues at the time, probably would have been Pioli’s second choice. Instead, circumstances were such that Pioi explored the Parcells coaching-tree and took a chance on Todd Haley.

But this time, Pioli has all the pieces in place. If Crennel’s run as head coach ends in a Super Bowl or even a couple of AFC West Championships and some playoff wins, Pioli has a potential replacement already on staff in Daboll, who spent years as an assistant with the Patriots. There is also the possibility that Josh McDaniels, who is reviving his career in New England, once again their offensive coordinator, will finally join Pioli in Kansas City. The Chiefs would then finally have their young coach of the future who could come in and steer the Patriot-way machine that Pioli began assembling upon his arrival.

But the scenario only works if the Crennel era, however long it lasts, ends relatively successfully. If it doesn’t, there is a chance Clark Hunt won’t allow Pioli a third shot at hiring a head coach. If that happens, consistency in Kansas City could still be a long, long way off.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Last week the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the teams to workout former high school standout football player Brian Banks who was recently exonerated of a rape conviction that squashed his NFL dreams before they ever began.

Banks is 26 and despite being locked up for years for a crime he never committed (his accuser recently came clean and admitted she lied) Banks is still an impressive athletic specimen. He would have had a full scholarship to USC had his life not taken such a horrible turn.

To their credit, a number of NFL teams are doing the right thing and giving Banks a shot. He has been training since May when he was finally cleared of wrong-doing and the 26-year old hasn’t played football since he was 18.

Still, he managed to run a 4.77 forty when he worked out for the Chiefs, according to SI.com’s Peter King.

According to Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, Banks had a “decent” workout.

“It went well considering he hasn’t been playing football, but you can tell he has been working out,” Crennel said. “The football drills, he still remembers those things. I think the more workouts that he can have with different teams, the more it will come back to him. It was a decent workout.”

While it is going to be very hard for Banks to make an NFL roster this season, he may be able to snag an invitation to some team’s training camp. If he can continue to show progress, he could be lucky enough to land on the practice squad.

NFL team’s should be applauded for what they are doing for Banks. Even if he never makes an NFL squad, he will likely never forget his tour of NFL cities working out for the pros.

But I don’t think Banks is looking at this as a charity tour. Playing in the NFL is his dream and I am willing to bet this young man will do what it takes to make it happen. His character and resolve are coveted traits among league GMs. The fact that we are hearing that his athletic numbers are starting to shape up could mean that some team will take a chance on him.

After all he’s been through, a chance is the least of what Banks deserves.

I should preface this post by saying that I do not reside within the cerebral cortex of Romeo Crennel and Brian Daboll. I do not know that they will do any or all of these things, but I do think that if they don’t at least try some of them, we will have missed some opportunities this coming season.

1.) DeQuan Menzie as MLB.

One of the many sets that Crennel likes to run in pass-defense sub packages is loading up on D-backs and replacing one ILB – Belcher, obviously – with a safety to cover any RBs coming out of the flat or TEs on crossing patterns. Throughout the 2011 season this was almost always McGraw – a veteran with good instincts who is a good tackler and will be read his man well. This is one of the many packages that was great at confusing and disrupting opposing offenses, and led to brilliant defensive victories like the one over the undefeated Packers.

However, it was also exploited at times with teams audibling to a dive play and running a power back straight up at McGraw. While he is normally a good open-field tackler, he got trucked on a couple of those because he just doesn’t have the body mass to make a thud against a big back bursting through the hole. Enter DeQuan Menzie.

John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

Menzie comes from the hard-nosed Alabama defense where he often played close to the line. While he’s not huge, he is on the heavy side for a safety, and showed on tape that he could power through wide receiver blocks and would likely do well as both a mean guy following RBs and TEs in the short passing game, and also standing tall against backs plowing through the hole. The case has been made that Eric Berry would be good in that role, but I think he is greatest as an asset to us on passing downs with his ability to take over center field and play the deep ball.

2.) Three-headed RB Monster: Jamaal Charles-Peyton Hillis-Dexter McCluster

With the Chiefs’ top three RBs, they have three very different and complementary ball-carriers. Charles has the speed and vision to break big ones anytime. Hillis is a pounder who can get away from you if he gets a bit of space, and McCluster has the spark to hit the hole fast and can make things happen in the open field. Having all three of these guys on the field simply presents too many plays to contemplate.

US PRESSWIRE

If Daboll fields Charles, Hillis, McCluster, Moeaki and Boss, what package will the defense put out there? The fact is that there is no right answer because with those guys, you could do some power running with Hillis as a lead blocker for Charles/McCluster or you could do also sorts of sophisticated pitches, reverses and screens. Or, you could motion a TE out wide and throw from it. It’s hard to imagine a better goal-line set; the Chiefs will inevitably find favorable matchups. Daboll has made a name for himself being a mad scientist in drawing up plays. I have a feeling he is going to have fun with these guys.

3.) Splitting Hillis out wide

As I mentioned in my feature on Hillis a few weeks back, I noted he is really much more than the plodding pounder he is reputed to be. In fact, he is a great pass-catcher:

His one drop among 61 catches in 2010 made him the third most consistent receiving RB in the league. Most importantly for QB Matt “Panic Toss” Cassel, Hillis hauled in 90 percent of all passes thrown at him in 2010 – on target or not. Then, he had 453 yards after the catch.

Granted, Daboll was often using Hillis as a wideout primarily because Cleveland had/has quite possibly the worst wide-receiving corps in the league. Still, this guy has hands, great body control, good ups and holds on to the ball. Watch 2:10 of these highlights for this amazing catch from 2010 against the Falcons – it’s reminiscent of Moeaki’s stunning grab against the 49ers that year (he’s got another great one at 2:55). Heck, it might even be interesting to see him lined up at TE, despite the fact we already have two good ends.

4.) Poe at DE, in coverage

While we still don’t totally know what we are going to get out of Poe at this point, we do know that Crennel is going to move him around. Initially billed as a run-stuffer, Crennel has been trying to coach him up as a pass rusher. If he develops as both, I think the Chiefs will want to move him to whatever part of the opposing offensive line is the weakest. If that team has a Barry Richardson on their starting roster, we will find him and put a monster of a man right on top of him. Also, given Poe’s ability to crash down and take out blockers, he could be a great lead-man for an unbalanced blitz. Let him cut down his double team on one of the edges as Houston, Hali and DJ rush through to get at the QB.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Another thing that Crennel was successful with in New England was getting Vince Wilfork to step back in to zone coverage every now and then. It sounds crazy – and it is – but opposing offenses never see it coming. Heck, Wilfork even had two interceptions last year. While I don’t expect Poe to be a ball hawk or to be able to cover Gronkowski man-to-man or any silliness like that, using him this way would still have some major benefits. 1.) Having him step off suddenly puts the opposing offensive line in disarray up the middle in a way that can be exploited as they figure out whom to shift to and block. 2.) If you’re worried about a speedy TE being able to pick up too much speed off the line and want to slow him down has he crosses through the middle, Poe putting his 349-pound shoulder into him will sure accomplish that.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs start their OTA (Organized Team Activities) today and there is no denying the importance of these workouts.

OTAs aren’t technically practices. The players aren’t allowed to have contact but that doesn’t what is happening any less important.

The Chiefs will be looking for stability after a 2011 season filled with uncertainty, turbulence and change. While the team has already had a few games last season to get used to life under head coach Romeo Crennel, there have been some other changes that the team will need to adapt to if they hope to get out of the gate quickly in 2012.

The big focus will be on correcting the problems the Chiefs had on offense in 2011. With injuries to Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Jonathan Baldwin and later QB Matt Cassel, the Chiefs found themselves suddenly devoid of offensive weapons. By the time the season was over, the unit had been led by three different QBs and was struggling to put together a consistent scoring attack.

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has made sure that scenario is unlikely to happen again in 2012. While injuries can never be predicted, Pioli made sure to load up on offensive talent so that should the injury bug bite again, the Chiefs will have a cavalry to call on. By adding  Peyton Hillis, Devon Wylie, Brady Quinn and Junior Hemingway, in addition regaining Charles, Moeaki and Cassel, the Chiefs figure to have the deepest and most dangerous offense they’ve had since the days of Trent Green and Priest Holmes.

On defense, the focus will be on turning an already strong unit into one of the league’s best. Despite losing Eric Berry for the entire season, Crennel’s unit finished 11th in the league a season ago. This unit has the potential to be special and now that Crennel is the head coach, defense figures to be the heart and soul of the Chiefs in 2012.

KC’s OTAs are May 21-22, May 24, May 29, May 31-June 1, June 4-5, June 7-8. On June 12th, the team will begin its mandatory mini-camp. All eyes will be on WR Dwayne Bowe, who is currently not attending the voluntary workouts. Bowe has been offered the franchise tag by the Chiefs, however he has yet to sign the tender. Bowe has said he plans on playing this season and that he will definitely be present when the team opens training camp in July. If Bowe doesn’t show to the mandatory mini-camp, he’ll be fined by the team so look for him to sign his deal and report should the two sides not agree to a long-term deal before then.

For a team looking for a fresh start, every practice is critical. Hopefully the Chiefs will use these sessions to lay the groundwork for a special season.

Tradeoffs (sigh).

I haven’t seen the 2011 charting stat numbers yet, but I can tell you that in 2010, Stanford Routt, when paired up with Nmandi Asomugha, was a top shelf pass defender. Football Outsiders, for example, ranked him with the 3rd highest success rate, with 66% of passes defended. Carr ranked 10th in that department with 61% of passes defended. In fact, both scored better than Brandon Flowers, for what it’s worth. Also worth noting is that Routt only gave up 5.7 yards per pass to Carr’s 7.1 yd/pass. Given all that, I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to expect Routt’s production to parallel his 2010 situation playing alongside Flowers.

There are also rumors circulating in the media that Routt was somebody for whom Romeo Crennel actively lobbied. If true, I think that’s also pretty significant in terms of scheme fit. For a really well-written, compelling look into the player we’re getting in Stanford Routt, I recommend Doug Farrar’s (Yahoo! Sports) recent piece on him. Long story short, I personally feel this is a really good signing no matter how you slice it.

Now that Routt is inked, it seems that the popular assumption, or expectation if you will, is that all this means is that Pioli got himself a guy with skills very comparable to those of Carr for what we think could be 2 or 3 million less per year. Cynically put, Pioli avoided some unnecessary negotation stress by landing a comparable replacement for Carr who, oh by the way, just so happens to be cheaper to pay. Given that, one is then further tempted to think that the safe, conservative move now is to simply franchise Bowe and let Carr walk. CB dilemma solved, franchise tag dilemma solved, all good.

Well guess what? I’m going to go against the grain and offer an even better strategy. Scotty, I hope you’re reading this (I also hope that after reading this, you’ll finally start responding to those thousands of suggestion letters I’ve sent you dammit!).

Bowe, while inconsistent at times, has shown the potential to be a gamechanger. That’s worth something in the NFL. I think he can also be considered a foundational player for the Chiefs. Also worth something. Still, I believe that Bowe, rather than being tagged, ought to be locked up into a long-term deal before free agency hits. Unless you’re planning to shop him– in and of itself a risky strategy on many fronts– I see no reason not to just sign him to a comfortable, reasonable, market value contract.

So why no tag for Bowe you ask? Well, first off because if you really want him, and you’ve come up with a good backup plan for Carr, then there’s really no reason whatsoever for not focusing all of your attention and energy on getting a deal done to make Bowe’s long-term presence as a Chief into reality. Not just that, but doesn’t it also help to further underscore that whole PR pledgy thingy to develop and retain core players?

As promising and exciting and foundational as Bowe might seem, it is also important to recognize that he simply has not proven himself to be among of the 5 best receivers in the league which, in a certain sense, is what the franchise tag kind of suggests. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 12th best WR going into 2012 and 19th best among their Dynasty Rankings. Similarly, Football Outsiders ranked Bowe 51st in DVOA and 31st in DYAR for 2011. Not exactly what you’d call eye-popping production.

We all know that Bowe every once in awhile makes for some fun highlight reel footage, but does he honestly merit franchise tag money? Especially when you’re most likely not going to find many teams willing to exchange a high value pick for him? I think you see my point. Bottom line, paying Bowe like he’s a top 5 WR really doesn’t sound all that Clark-like to me. Lest we forget, Bowe was a 1st round draft pick– just how likely is it that we can get that for him now? ROI people, ROI.

Moving on, if Pioli can sign Bowe to a long-term deal before free agency hits, he’ll still have a franchise tag at his disposal, right? Well, please tell me then what would be the folly in using that tag on Carr? In fact, franchising Carr seems to me like the best of all possible moves at this point and I’m going to offer some reasons as to why that is so.

It’s a proverbial seller’s market for top tier CBs and this year is no different. Justifiable or not, Carr is almost certain to command an elite CB level of monetary respect out on the open market. What’s more, it seems there could be some healthy competition for a CB of Carr’s caliber. I can think of at least a couple of teams out there that are desperately needing major secondary talent who, oh by the way, also happen to have some pretty interesting draft pick horsepower to make a lucrative deal happen for the Chiefs. For example, both the Patriots and the Bengals are in need of quality CB help and both are holding on to spare 1st round picks. Just imagine all of the tantalizing draft possibilities that would suddenly open up for the Chiefs if that were to happen?

Move up and get a franchise QB? Check.
Pick up a couple of first round offensive linemen? Check.
Control the draft by moving down? Check.

So you say, “well Double D, suppose nobody is willing to pony up a high draft pick for Carr? Aren’t you then stuck with an overpaid secondary that you’re underutilizing most of the time because, well, as everybody knows, you really only need 2 good corners? Very, very risky. Very expensive (i.e., unClark-like). Not good. Or as my AA colleague Big Matt might say ‘Mattie no likey.’”

Not good? How about not so fast?

Merlin and I were texting back and forth on this whole deal the other day and he brought to my attention a pretty interesting fact of which I was previously unaware. To wit, an NFL nickel plays about 50% of all snaps currently. That is a lot. On top of that, the more success you have at containing teams on 1st down, the more likely it is that you’ll see the nickel utilized on successive downs. In fact, I think with the right personnel, a pretty compelling argument can be made for having the nickel formation as your base D.

When I think of Flowers, Carr, and Routt being on the field all at the same time, I start thinking “two’s company, but hey, three’s a party!” Arenas might excel at wrapping up receivers pretty quickly after the catch but he’s not exactly setting the world on fire when it comes to preventing that catch from happening in the first place. Just sayin.

As many on the message boards here have already suggested, the Routt signing may indeed turn out to be a very forward thinking approach on the part of Crennel and Pioli. In fact, passing against a defensive backfield comprised primarily of Flowers, Carr and Routt would be close to impossible. In this increasingly pass-friendly league, I have to think that that level of secondary presence would basically relegate opposing offenses to beating you with their running game, and maybe tossing in a few dink and dunks for good measure (which painfully brings to mind a certain low-scoring, rather flaccid offense with which I happen to be pretty familiar).

The only practical alternative to going with the run would be to simultaneously risk a lot of coverage sacks. Unless your QB can progress through his reads quickly and also get rid of the ball in a hurry, you’re gonna be in a heap of trouble. If a team goes run, we’ll have DJ, Berry, and perhaps Belcher up in there to contain it. If a team opts to pass, their dealing with a DB set of Flowers, Routt, Carr, and Berry with maybe DJ in coverage while Hali & Houston, along with either an ILB, S, or CB, are all breathing fire in your backfield.

Next– just stay with me here– we grab a very gettable guy in the form of one Paul Soliai as our NT. Tell me, how can that cannot be considered a run stuffing, block eating, shutdown, ballhawking, nightmare defense?

So, armed on defense, we head into the draft to start filling holes on offense.

Final (crazy?) thought. While neither has any experience at the position (at least none of which I’m aware), both Carr and Routt possess prototypical size and speed to play Safety, Routt perhaps moreso because of his physicality. Might this signing, combined with the retention Carr, offer more options and much needed depth at that position as well? I know, stupid idea, probably makes more sense to just plug Sabby Piscatelli whenever the need arises, right? I’m sure we’ll be just fine should Eric Berry happen to miss any games.

That’s my Double Take.

Sound off Addicts!

Well, Chiefs fans, today is Valentine’s Day, and that means only one thing: margaritas.

However, while it might be our tradition to spend every Valentine’s Night at a Mexican restaurant (the tacky-red-paper-hearts-per-person quotient is much lower), I realize everyone approaches this fake holiday in his or her own special way. Even back in third grade—which, frankly, is where the celebration of this day should begin and end—when societal norms and, more specifically, Mrs. Brockmeyer demanded that we give paper valentines to everyone in class, we had to decide which valentines best represented us, as well as which of our secret crushes would receive the more risqué—and risky—messages.*

*Was “You rock, Valentine!” coming on way too strong?

Just as a set of perforated Transformers valentines (“Let’s roll, Valentine! You’re a Mega Friend!”) perfectly represented who I was back in 1984, today’s Kansas City Chiefs fans need valentines that speak to us, that capture the angst and occasional joy of this tumultuous relationship in which we’ve entangled ourselves. And among all the boxes of Harry Potter, Shrek, and Smurfs valentines at the local CVS, I couldn’t find any. So—you can guess what’s coming next—I had no choice but to make a few of my own.

Feel free to print, perforate, and share as you wish. Perhaps—just like the Indianapolis Colts on draft day—you’ll get lucky.

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So, that happened. Another NFL season (and postseason) has come and gone. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm as I watched the New York Giants win the Super Bowl for the fourth time in my lifetime, and the New England Patriots lose it for the fourth time (to go along with their three championships). In fact, in the 38 Super Bowls I have lived through (not that I really remember Super Bowls IX through, oh, XV or XVI), 27 different teams have participated. Not one of them has been the Kansas City Chiefs—their Super Bowl appearances live in other people’s memories.

But the good news, of course, is that as soon as Tom Brady’s last “Hail Myra” pass landed incomplete in the end zone and Super Bowl XLVI officially came to an end, the Chiefs were immediately back in contention. All eyes, and odds, are now focused on 2012-13, and the earliest probabilities are already in. The MGM Grand Las Vegas and at least one leading gaming site have opened betting season with the Chiefs as 50-1 shots to win Super Bowl XLVII, which is as good or better than 13 other teams. Not quite as favorable as the 40-1 odds they were given a year ago, but much better than the one-in-100 chance set before the Chiefs’ 2010 AFC West Championship season.

In other words, the odds-makers don’t really know what they’re doing, at least at this stage—out of last year’s top five preseason favorites, three didn’t even make the playoffs. But for fans, it’s amusing to see just how favorably (or not) our team’s prospects are marked in the books of various distinguished sports-betting establishments, and ask ourselves, “What if…?”

Last year at this time, I made a list of the XLVI reasons the Chiefs could win it all. A number of those “reasons” are now no longer with the team or else tore up their knees within the first few weeks of the season. So I’ve learned my lesson—and I’m not about to try to come up with XLVII reasons now. After all, so many things can happen: the most important players can get hurt, the coach can go crazy, the GM can go crazier…I mean, what are the odds?

Ah. Good question. Why don’t we find out?

(more…)

Let’s just cut to the chase here. Unless you guys want to hear about my hilarious adventures over the weekend?  See, there was this dinner party, and I couldn’t keep my zipper up……

Clark Hunt

You all know how I feel about Clark Hunt.  My opinion hasn’t changed.

But let’s take opinion out of this for second and look only at what Clark Hunt has done in comparison with other owners.  Because that’s what we need to do if we want to assign him a grade.  Obviously this isn’t a leader who can inspire confidence.  His personality is wooden, his soundbites are sleep-inducing, and he has no connection whatsoever with his team’s fan base.  I’ve literally never seen a less charismatic public figure.  But does that matter?  Maybe not.

Obviously it would be nice to have a likable owner, but none of us would worry too much about that if the team was good.  So if we want to assign Hunt a grade, it should be based not on his personality (or lack thereof), but on how well he performs his duties as owner.

And what are those duties, exactly?  His apologists would like you to believe an owner’s only duty is to sign a GM.  According to them, Hunt should be given an A+ on that front because Scott Pioli seemed like the best candidate at the time.This perspective is flawed on several fronts, the first and most obvious being the actual performance of the team since Scott Pioli took over.  Hunt only scores points for signing Pioli if Pioli succeeds at his job. So far, he has not. Was the right hire still the right hire if it was the wrong hire?*

*According to Scott Pioli, yes, actually, this is true. see Haley, Todd

You don’t get credit for making the choice that seemed right, you get credit for making the choice that was right. Hunt interviewed the most obvious candidate, was delighted to discover he was a like-minded penny-pincher, and pulled the trigger. In true Chiefs fan fashion, we dismissed all potential problems and assumed Hunt had made a slam-dunk hire. Three years later, Pioli’s Chiefs are 21-28.  Can an intelligent brain really come to the conclusion that Hunt gets an A in 2011 for a sub-.500 hire he made in 2009? I’m sorry, but that’s crazy talk.

Still, the Hunt apologists are correct, in a way. There isn’t much an owner is supposed to do.  Choosing a GM is one aspect. But even that is only done at most once every few years. The other aspect, which more often than not is the only thing an owner really has to do, is spending enough to keep his team on an even playing field. And in this aspect Hunt, as ever, has been woefully inadequate.

Make excuses for him if you like, but there is no getting around the fact that every year we spend less than about 30 other teams. Pioli says Hunt has never refused to spend on a given player, and maybe that’s true. But if you’re naive enough to think that tells the whole story, then I just may know a Nigerian prince who could use your assistance.

Hunt talked openly in an October interview about instructing Pioli to manage the cap prudently. This when the team was more than $30 million below the cap, and hadn’t sniffed the ceiling since Lamar passed away. And Clark is instructing him to “manage the cap prudently?” I ask you, what is he really saying there?

I’m going to leave adjectives like “greedy” and “cheap” out of this. In his six years of ownership, Hunt has spent considerably less than his peers, and his team’s record is 36-62. He clearly places profit above winning. That might not make him a bad person (although yeah, it kinda does), but it definitely makes him a bad owner.  Final Grade: F

(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs are likely to add a new offensive coordinator this offseason and the hire could come as soon as this week.

New head coach Romeo Crennel has now been on the job for a couple of weeks and presumably one of his first tasks is to put together his staff.

Since Crennel was promoted from within, it is likely that most of his defensive coaches will remain with the team. Crennel has already said he will call the defensive plays so the biggest shake up on that side of the ball could be a promotion of an assistant to “defensive coordinator,” to help out when Crennel is tending to his other head coaching duties.

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“Winning isn’t everything—it’s the only thing.”

This legendary sports quote is most often attributed to legendary coach Vince Lombardi,* but rarely is it reprinted in its entirety: “Winning isn’t everything—it’s the only thing I love more than picking up candy wrappers.”

*Speaking of Green Bay, I didn’t get to see much of the games this past weekend, but I’m looking forward to Sunday. What time is Saints-Packers?

In the history of sports and coaching—particularly the rarified domain of big-time professional sports ownership and leadership—there have always been idiosyncratic personalities. That’s not news, and it’s one of the reasons why Kansas City Star reporter Kent Babb’s examination of “Arrowhead Anxiety” was as credible in its concept as it was dreadful in some of its details.

The sidebar—“Gold, greed lead to murder”—is actually unrelated.

Babb’s story was a solid piece of reporting, based on weeks of investigation and reflection and more than 30 interviews (as it should be—I wish I hadn’t been so pleasantly surprised by its thoroughness). For that alone, it deserved to be on the front page. As to whether it deserved to be the front page—for anyone who hasn’t seen the hard copy, Babb’s story (and its accompanying, menacing graphic) occupy about 80 percent of the broadsheet (right)—or to be the only sports story discussed in Kansas City and to make its way to many other markets, I have mixed feelings.

Actually, not mixed at all—I hate that we’re talking about this, because even though football is the undercurrent and the reason we care, actual football-on-the-field is removed from this discussion. I understand it’s interesting that Chiefs executives may seem more preoccupied with the surreptitious routes their employees take to lunch (so as not to be seen fraternizing with one another) than they are with Dwayne Bowe’s pass routes,* but does that mean we should be? Can’t we all just get back to relishing the end of Tebow Time?**

*I stole that clever route comparison from Nick Wright, who spent about four hours—three-and-a-half hours too many—discussing this on his show yesterday.

**And its return next fall, which, I feel, will ultimately be a good thing for the Chiefs (and all of the Denver Broncos’ opponents).

Yes, I’m writing about it right now, and no, I don’t think I’m hypocritical for doing so. Not wanting to talk about something and believing it can’t be ignored are two different things. I’m adding to the hubbub,* but I hope that by talking it out now, we will all see this story fade away sooner.

*Couldn’t decide whether to go with “hubbub” or “hullabaloo.” Hullabaloo? Yeah, I should have used hullabaloo.

Because I don’t have much at all to add—it’s hard to imagine how anyone could—to the comprehensive scrutiny laid down by Big Matt and Lyle yesterday. I appreciate the points made all around. I agree with most of Matt’s observations and roughly 100 percent of Lyle’s conclusions (and in the comments, it sounds like Matt agrees more than disagrees, too). So before I leave it at that, I will share just a couple of my own, none-too-profound reactions to the article and its allegations…

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For the last couple of years, I’ve had a tradition where I adapt the classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to make it about our beloved Kansas City Chiefs.

This year I dropped the ball and forgot, which AA’s senior copy editor Natasha pointed out to me recently. Ashamed, I sat down and hammered one out in hopes that it will help you feel cheerful as we head into the offseason.

Thus I continue AA’s long-standing tradition of ridiculous poetry with ”Twas The Night Before Chiefsmas, Part III.”

Twas the night before playoffs, when all through the land
All the Chiefs fans were crying, no game was at hand.
Their best jerseys were hung in the closet with care,
In hopes that 20-12 would be easier to bear.

The Donkeys were gloating all smug in their beds.
While visions of Super Bowls danced in their heads.
And Tebow on his throne, and Fox on his lap.
Had just devised a game plan to give Brady a slap.

When out on my lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew in a rush,
My eyes met the darkness, my ears just a hush.

The stars were shining but were looking quite dim.
It might’ve just been me, my mood was so grim.
When, what to my dry, bloodshot eyes should appear,
But a dude with some Gates and a round keg of beer.

With a plump old belly, so round and thick,
I knew in a moment it must be some hick.
Now into the porch light he slowly emerged,
“Holy crap, that is Romeo.” My blood pressure surged.

“So Paddy! Big Matt! now Merlin and Vic!
Come Lyle! Natasha! Double D, and Nick!
I’m outside on the porch! With ribs and some beer!
Now open the door, the off season is here.”

Amazed at our fortune I opened the door,
The coach trotted in and started to pour.
The Addicts emerged with sleep in their eyes.
Poor Natasha she lives with all creepy guys.

They asked no questions, only started to eat.
This is Gates we’re talkin bout, “shit’s some good meat.”
As I sucked off some sauce, and was turning around,
The coach raised up his glass which came down with a pound.

He was dressed all in red, from his head to his toes,
And his glasses were foggy atop of his nose.
A bundle of plays he had stuffed in his pack,
And he looked like Lombardi, except he was black.

His eyes-how they twinkled! His hair was snow white!
His cheeks kind of puffy, his smile so bright.
On his lip was a stache, born of 70’s swag,
He once had a afro but he don’t want to brag.

He pulled out those plays he had stuffed in his pack,
Plays unused in Cleveland for the knife in his back.
He laid them all out for the Addicts to see,
The stuff was so brilliant, Vic started to pee.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old coach,
He was so like a granddad, not Haley the roach.
A blitz by E. Berry, and Tamba his peer,
Made us so happy, we cracked open more beer.

He spoke not a word, but just finished his ribs,
He packed up his stuff, the trash and the bibs.
And laying a hand on the side of my arm,
He gave me a nod and said “I’ll do no harm.”

He hopped down the steps, like a man so much younger,
As he trotted towards Arrowhead to quench his hunger,
But we heard him call out, ‘ere he walk down the street,
“I told the Pats how to do it. Tebow they’ll beat.”

Other great AA Poetry:

‘Twas The Night Before Chiefmas II by Patrick Allen

‘Twas The Night Before Football by Patrick Allen (the poem that started it all)

Chiefs To Ravens: “Nevermore!” by Victor Wishna

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:*

From Williamson:

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.

(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only NFL team interested in Romeo Crennel as a head coaching option.

According to a report, so were the St. Louis Rams.

From St. Louis Today.com:

In addition, it was learned Thursday that the Rams requested permission to interview Kansas City defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel for the job early in their search process, but the Chiefs rebuffed them. Kansas City named Crennel their new head coach Monday.

My guess is that the Rams weren’t the only team calling to inquire about Crennel. Teams doing their due diligence in a coaching search would be fools to not at least want to interview a coach as talented as Crennel.

The Rams had to ask permission to speak with Crennel because he was still under contract with the Chiefs as their defensive coordinator. Had they attempted to speak with Crennel about their opening without the Chiefs’ permission, they would have opened themselves up to a possible tampering charge.

Smart move by the Chiefs not allowing Romeo to be wooed. Romeos are susceptible to being wooed.

Get it?

(resigns from site)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach stopped by Sirius XM Blitz today to talk with Adam Schein, and he had some very interesting things to say.

Without coming right out and saying Matt Cassel is the team’s starter, he pretty much confirmed it.

“He’s taken us to the playoffs before and I’m looking forward to Matt taking us to the playoffs again,” said Crennel.

That isn’t the nail in the coffin of the dream for the Chiefs to get a franchise QB this offseason but it is certainly  a closing of the lid.

It could just be coachspeak. Right now Crennel doesn’t have another QB, so he might as well back the best one he’s got. Still, the conversation turned to QB controversy, something Crennel had to deal with when he was the head coach in Cleveland, and it did not sound like he was interested in dealing with it again in Kansas City.

From Schein’s Twitter:

Romeo says he learned about eliminating QB controversies from CLE. And Romeo will keep calling the plays on defense. Perfect.

The good news in all this is that Romeo will continue to call the defensive plays. I anticipate he will promote an assistant internally to help him out with setting up and executing the game plan. This person will probably be called the “defensive coordinator” but it will be Romeo who calls the plays.

“I want [my players] to be strong, I want them to be tough, I want them to be physical, I want them to be aggressive, I want them to be tenacious….did I forget anything? Smart? Yes, that should’ve been at the forefront.”

—Romeo Crennel, upon accepting the job as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
January 9, 2012

Yep, the Kansas City Chiefs and Romeo Crennel made it official. This interim is over, and yesterday they got together to let the world know: They are in love. For now, at least. Even when you’ve started out as friends, any serious relationship takes work—What’s the give and take? How do we want to raise our family? Who will be our starting quarterback?—and this partnership might take more work than most.

The Chiefs, of course, are at a crucial juncture. Some think one small tweak* could lead them to the Super Bowl. But the possibilities are downright Shakespearean. Will we see tragedy, as we did for too many recent years, or comedy—you know, the good Shakespearean kind that always has a happy ending but for some reason isn’t really funny at all? Or just another comedy of errors?

*Peyton Manning?

Crennel has said all the right things publicly—he is here to win a championship and thinks it can happen and soon—but what is he really thinking?

At times when I feel like I don’t have nearly as much as others to add to this ongoing Chiefs conversation in terms of facts, figures, and analysis (these times include the off-season, the pre-season, the post-season, and, occasionally, the regular season), I opt to have some fun and squeeze my ramblings into rhyme or rap or greeting cards or even Mad Libs.

So here we go: In tribute to Romeo Crennel’s namesake* and with apologies to Bill Shakespeare (or whoever really wrote Romeo & Juliet and those other plays that bear his name) and to all of you, I offer our fair Romeo’s first inner monologue as Chiefs head coach—yes, in iambic pentameter (except, you know, when it’s not)…

*Seriously, Crennel is named after Shakespeare’s Romeo. He even has a sister named Juliet.

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I’m liking this Crennel hire more and more by the minute.

According to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, one of the first things Romeo Crennel did upon becoming interim head coach of the Chiefs was call out Thomas Jones.

Actually, the first thing he did was bench Tyler Palko.

From Mellinger:

Crennel is 18 years older than Pioli, strikingly comfortable in his own skin and secure in his own accomplishments. He calls his boss Scott, and the first thing he did upon taking over was switch quarterbacks. The second thing was to tell Scott that he switched quarterbacks.

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Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece called Todd Haley’s Chiefs Weren’t Built To Win In Today’s NFL. In this post I explained how the most important stats for winning games right now in the NFL are passing yards and scoring points. These happen to be the weakest areas for the 2011 Chiefs team. My thought at the time was that if KC wanted to have any chance of winning games going forward that their number one priority this offseason was getting a new QB that could help fix these problems.

Then Matt Barkley and Landry Jones decided to go back for their senior seasons. That leaves a shortage of possible starting QBs available compared to the number of teams on the market for one. As I see it, there are seven teams that may be looking for a QB this offseason: Indianapolis, Cleveland, Washington, Miami, Seattle, Kansas City, and possibly the Jets. As I see it, there are only five QBs out there to fill those openings: Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Flynn, and Kyle Orton. So that means 2 of these 5 teams won’t get an immediate upgrade. It could be even worse if the Colts decide to keep both Manning and Luck next season. That means the value of these QBs, and therefore the cost to acquire them, will go up.

Luck isn’t going to be an option for KC. Peyton Manning has injury questions, is up there in age, and could cost a fortune in either draft picks in a trade or dollars in a contract. Matt Flynn is a HUGE question mark with limited NFL snaps whose price tag went up drastically with his huge game to end the season. Green Bay may even franchise him so that they can get some draft picks for him to boot. Robert Griffin III is as exciting of a prospect as you can find, but this QB shortage and all the hype around him could make the price to move up and get him pretty steep. Kyle Orton is by far the least exciting of the NFL starting caliber QBs out there, but most still think he is a slight upgrade over Matt Cassel.

So knowing what we know about Scott Pioli to this point, how many of those QB options do you think are realistic? I think Flynn is too big of risk for Pioli. If he were to gamble a big contract (and possibly draft picks) on another back-up QB that showed upside while still having his first one under contract and it blew up in his face, he would be ruined. I don’t see Pioli staking his reputation on Matt Flynn. That means if they want a major upgrade at QB, they will have to get in a bidding war for either Peyton Manning or RG3. It’s possible I guess, but it just doesn’t seem like Pioli’s style. I will be happy to be proved wrong, but I’ve already come to terms with the fact that next year’s QB will be either Matt Cassel or possibly Kyle Orton.

Neither of those options are going to lead to KC becoming a high-powered passing attack that scores 30 points per game. So does that mean that KC can’t be a big-time contender next season? No, I still think they can be, but they’re going to have to take a different path.

Right now the elite teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, and New England are winning with record-breaking passing attacks led by Hall of Fame caliber QBs that rack up huge points and cover for their “less then stellar” defenses. I think the Chiefs’ only hope for becoming a power in the NFL next season is taking the exact opposite approach. That’s how they beat Green Bay. They played great defense and controlled the clock. They even hung with New England for a half doing that with no Jamaal Charles and Tyler Palko at QB.

The NFL HAS evolved into a QB league. It’s 100 percent true and everybody knows it. Because of that, teams are now all trying to copy this design. Defenses are being put together to stop this kind of attack. Sometimes when all the other teams are building their teams to play one way if you are one of the few teams that is completely different, teams aren’t equipped to deal with it. I think that is part of the reason Tebow has been able to have some success. That is now the path I think that KC should take (not getting Tebow, but going against the “pass happy” approach).

I’ll lay out my step-by-step blueprint on how I think they should do it after the break.

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Multiple sources are reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have signed a three-year deal with Romeo Crennel to make him their permanent head coach.

Joe Linta, Crennel’s agent has confirmed that the deal was done late Sunday night.

The Chiefs have scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. Central today, likely to announce the move and introduce Crennel officially to the media.

More after the jump.

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If I were a betting man I would put some green down on the Kansas City Chiefs announcing Romeo Crennel as their new head coach today.

The news leaked out over the weekend that the Chiefs were planning to remove the interim tag from Crennel. In fact, I heard one analyst on NFL.com (I think it was Michael Lombardi) say that Crennel was already on the phone talking to potential staffers.

Once the news broke, the Chiefs rushed to put out an announcement that they has made no official decision. The team wasn’t likely to make the announcement over the weekend so as not to anger the league by taking away from the playoffs (like the Chiefs hiring a coach would do that) but it was kind of strange that the Chiefs were so keen to declare that they hadn’t made a decision yet. I am not really sure why the team felt the need to even bother trying to squash the reports but as Big Matt said on AA Radio last night, “they do it because it helps them win football games.”

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Multiple sources are reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs plan to remove the interim tag from Romeo Crennel, making him the team’s permanent head coach.

We think most KC fans approve of this move but we wanted to get a look at the numbers nonetheless. So have at it.

As the Chiefs begin their head coach search, most analysts seem to point to interim head coach Romeo Crennel as the most likely candidate to get the job. Crennel has obviously been great for this team as a defensive coordinator and the team played well under him in the last three games of the season, ending 2-1 including a win against Green Bay and a razor-thin overtime loss to Oakland.

Still, I have my qualms with him.

I think Chiefs fans need to take a hard look at the entirety of this season and what Crennel can take credit for and what he can’t. There was also a lot I saw in the games Crennel led that had me pulling my hair out – tendencies I think could spell death for the Chiefs in 2012 if Crennel remains in charge of the game plans.

My problems with Romeo after the jump. (more…)

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Kansas City Chiefs have found their next head coach in Romeo Crennel.

From Schefter, via Twitter:

Chiefs are planning to retain Romeo Crennel and remove interim tag from his title. Move would be popular in the locker room.

This was expected. I figured GM Scott Pioli would want to wrap up all of his interviews this week so that he could mull things over over the weekend. With this news breaking now from Schefter, I am guessing none of the candidates impressed him too much.

I doubt we’ll hear an official announcement this weekend as the NFL generally frowns upon teams making any major announcements that could take away from the playoffs. I would expect the team to make the move official first thing Monday morning or even very late Sunday night. I say the latter only because I am guessing Pioli wants to hit the ground running with Crennel so the team can put a staff in place. They will in particular look to fill the role of offensive coordinator, assuming Bill Muir retires/is canned/is demoted.

What a season.

After last year’s turn around from 4-12 to 10-6 division champ, it’s not what we all would have wanted. That having been said, what record would you have predicted for KC if someone told you that Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Tony Moeaki would all be lost for the season by week two, Matt Cassel would miss the second half of the season, Tyler Palko would start four games, Todd Haley would be fired, and the Chiefs would be the second lowest scoring offense in the NFL? Before all of that happened, I would have put the window of Chiefs wins this season between 7-11. If you had told me all of those things would happen I would have guessed that they’d win about two games. Instead, the Chiefs won seven games and were an overtime loss to the Raiders away from winning the division.

Now, let me be very clear. I know this team is not a Super Bowl contender yet, even when everyone is healthy. The offense was HORRIBLE this season, flat out HORRIBLE. They scored the fewest points of any team in the AFC. The fact that Jacksonville, Cleveland, and the Manningless Colts all scored more points than the Chiefs tells you all that you need to know. It also tells you just how good the defense is becoming that the offense was that horrible and the Chiefs still won seven games. Those three teams that I mentioned above only averaged 3.67 wins/team. The Chiefs’ defensive stats may not look elite when you just look at the numbers (11th in yards allowed, 12th in points allowed). However, multiple games where the Chiefs offense couldn’t stay on the field wore this defense down at times. I think this defense has proved that if the offense can just move the ball enough to let them rest and score a few points, the defense will hold up their end of the bargain.

It’s easy for fans to get carried away at the end of a disappointing season. Many fans may be crying for the Chiefs to fire Scott Pioli, hire Bill Cowher, trade the entire next two drafts for Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck or RG3, and then sign every high dollar free agent on the market. That all sounds very exciting, but it’s about as realistic as me winning both the Power Ball and the Publishers Clearing House in the same year.

So what should the Chiefs do?

They should keep the band together. I’ll explain after the break.

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The Kansas City Chiefs and interim coach Romeo Crennel will do everything they can to beat the Denver Broncos Sunday and that means playing their most experienced players.

“Probably, I’m going to go the way it has been because we feel like the guys that we have been playing with basically have given us the best chance to win,” Crennel told reporters yesterday at his weekly press conference. “I don’t know that making a change now will change that.”

Crennel is likely right. With one game to go, while it might be nice to get a look at some of KC’s younger players on the field, they aren’t likely to be the team’s best option if they want to win.

That being said, Crennel isn’t ruling out the possibility that some players might not force their way on to the field based on their performance against the Oakland Raiders.

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Yep. So I was there.

Living on the other side of the world, my brief return for the holidays was my only opportunity to see the Chiefs in person this season. I happened to be in town for two consecutive home games – against the Packers and the Raiders — and had to choose one, so I naturally chose the one I thought they were going to win.

But, like that guy in Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Holy Grail, I chose … poorly.

My impressions after the jump. (more…)

The more time that goes by following the firing of former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, the more we seem to be learning about what some of the players and coaches thought of him.

Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Bill Muir has some interesting things to say when talking about KC’s sudden offensive boom under QB Kyle Orton. While talking with the Kansas City Star, it was suggested to Muir that the plays were relayed to Kyle Orton in a more efficient manner with Haley out of the picture.

“If you thought it appeared that,” Muir said, “then it probably was. Romeo delegates authority and expects the people who are given authority to do their job.”

More from Muir on Crennel after the jump.

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Just days after Todd Haley was fired by the Kansas City Chiefs, interim head coach Romeo Crennel told reporters that he would like to take over the position on a permanent basis.

Beating the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers wasn’t a bad audition.

Now we are hearing reports that Crennel is almost certainly going to get his wish.

According to Mike Freeman of CBS Sports, Crennel is “almost a lock” to land the position.

I’m told by a several league sources that Kansas City interim coach Romeo Crennel is almost a lock to get the job full-time. One source said it’s 80 to 90 percent certain and what Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli could do is bring in a hot offensive coordinator to go with Crennel.

This could all change, of course, should the Chiefs stumble in their final two games. If Crennel can win out, he’ll likely be a slam dunk to get the job. If he loses both games, however, Pioli may reconsider as the good feelings from the upset of the Packers wears off.

As of now, though, it looks like the Romeo Crennel era in KC has already begun.

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a new head coach next season but it won’t be Scott Pioli’s buddy Kirk Ferentz.

The Iowa coach, believed by many to be at the top of Pioli’s wishlist to replace Todd Haley, has released a statement confirming that he intends to remain at Iowa.

Statement and more after the jump.

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