Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel Talk Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs began their offseason program today and so Romeo Crennel and Scott Pioli took the podium for the team’s annual pre-draft press conference.
RAC and Pioli had a lot of interesting things to say, particularly when it came to the QB position.
According to Scott Pioli, the Chiefs would like to try to draft a QB every year. He said that drafting a QB every year was “good business” and “smart business,” not only because the position is so important but also because if developed properly, teams can often move QBs to other teams for compensation, much the way the Patriots moved Matt Cassel to the Chiefs and the Packers moved Matt Flynn to the Seahawks.
The money quote, for me in the whole press conference was when Pioli said:
“We’d love to have 4 QBs going into training camp.”
That pretty much confirms that the Chiefs are serious about selecting a signal caller in this draft if the right opportunity presents itself. Brady Quinn is only on a one year deal and Ricky Stanzi was a fifth-round draft pick. If the Chiefs find a guy they like in this year’s draft, they can easily bring him to camp and then cut the player they feel they no longer need.
Pioli was also asked if the Chiefs would be interested in trading up or down or if they would like to stay at #11 to which Pioli replied:
“Yes.”
He later added:
“It might be interesting this year when we’re sitting there, as to what we want to do.”
Pioli basically said that the Chiefs could do anything depending on the way the board shakes out in front of them. He said that if there was a player that they had their hearts set on that was getting close to them they might move up. He also left the door open for a trade-back.
At one point Romeo was asked if there would be a major difference in how the team drafted under him as opposed to Todd Haley. Pioli kind of jumped in and said that it is an organizational philosophy. It doesn’t change from one person to another. There is a way that the Chiefs are going to build their football team. He believes that if you don’t have a core structure–if you change too much–you are setting yourself up for failure.
When asked about the NFL scouting combine Pioli said the numbers aren’t always a good indicator of the kind of player the guy is. You have to trust the tape. He said he respects the combine numbers but that he doesn’t put too much stock in it.
Pioli was asked about QB Ryan Tannnehill:
“He’s a competitive young player. Smart player, tough player. He is a player I have a lot of respect for.”
RAC and Pioli were also asked about Matt Cassel and how he might feel about the fact that the team went after QB Peyton Manning. Pioli made it clear that Cassel, just like any other player on the roster, is aware that the Chiefs will constantly try to add talent at every position. He said that he did not believe that was something the Chiefs needed to hide and that everyone’s job was on the line every day, including his.
As far as surrounding Cassel with talent, Pioli had some interesting words.
“This isn’t about improving our roster around Matt Cassel. This is about improving our roster. This isn’t the Matt Cassel show.”
Pioli’s point was that the goal is to improve the Kansas City Chiefs, at every position, not to improve the other positions for Matt Cassel. I thought this was a really interesting point.
As for Crennel, he was a bit more blunt when it came to explaining the team’s methods for bringing in talent.
“The teams I’ve been on, if you don’t bring in good players, they’re pissed off. The veterans are pissed off,” said Crennel.
Lastly, Pioli was asked about the potential of moving Branden Albert from LT to G.
“Not right now,” said Pioli.
“I think Branden Albert’s a pretty solid tackle in the league.”