Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
The Kansas City Chiefs need to fire GM Scott Pioli and hire Bill Cowher.
The sooner, the better.
I know, I know. We go through this every time the Chiefs need a need a new coach.
But this time, it’s different.
If Cowher does indeed want to coach again, there isn’t a more attractive option than the Kansas City Chiefs.
There is just one problem: Scott Pioli
We’ve already seen evidence that the environment Pioli has created at Arrowhead has frightened away qualified coaching candidates and free agents.Why did Jeff Fisher only briefly meet with the Chiefs before leaving the meeting early? Why wouldn’t Peyton Manning even visit Kansas City?
It is well know that Manning chose Denver because of his comfort level with John Elway. He chose the Broncos over more talented teams. One could argue that Manning would have been much better off with the Chiefs or even the Cardinals. Fit was clearly more important to Manning than talent and it is obvious that he never even considered Kansas City as a possible destination.
Guys like Bill Cowher and John Gruden likely feel the same way. If and when these gentleman return to coaching,
they’re likely going to want a lot of control. That is something they’d never get working for Pioli.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt was in a tough spot last offseason. He allowed Pioli to convince him that the problem in Kansas City was Todd Haley. While that may be partially true, it takes two to tango and Pioli and the environment he’s created was thoroughly exposed in Kent Babb’s Arrowhead Anxiety story. After that, should we really be surprised that Manning and Fisher wanted no part of the Chiefs?
It is clear now that Hunt’s best path forward is to cut ties with Pioli, not just because the Chiefs are losing so much but because of why they are losing so much. Hunt is smart enough to realize he has a team full of talent that is under-performing on the field because of a lack of leadership.
That’s on Romeo Crennel and it’s on Scott Pioli.
Cutting ties with Pioli will send a message to the Bill Cowhers and John Grudens of the world that Hunt is ready to turn over control of the organization to someone new.
Bill Cowher has been talking about the Chiefs an awful lot lately. Two weeks ago on the CBS pre-game show, Cowher gave a bold prediction that the Chiefs would end up going 10-6 and would make the playoffs. After the Chiefs lost on Sunday, Cowher again mentioned how much talent he thinks the Chiefs have.
I’m not saying Cowher is giving a wink-wink to Clark Hunt but I am saying his professional opinion is that the Chiefs shouldn’t be nearly as bad as they are this season.
If a smart and experienced coach like Cowher can see that then he should be able to see the opportunity that will be presented should Hunt decide to give Pioli his walking papers this season. The Chiefs look well on their way to a top 10 pick. With a number of excellent QB prospects expected to be available in this draft, the Chiefs should be able to snag one of them. Cowher would be walking into a familiar environment (he is a former Chiefs defensive coordinator) with a young and talented roster and a high draft pick.
Remember, Cowher had plenty of success in Pittsburgh but he didn’t get his Super Bowl ring until he got his franchise QB in Ben Roethlisberger.
Cowher is the perfect fit for Kansas City. He brings the leadership the Chiefs are sorely missing, he has the experience to take over the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense and make it great and he’ll likely have the draft pick he needs to get KC its first franchise QB since Len Dawson.
To those worried about the dreaded “rebuilding” word, you need not worry. The KC roster doesn’t need rebuilding.
The KC front office and coaching staff, does.
Whether it is Cowher, Gruden or someone else, Clark Hunt needs new a new sheriff in town.