John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE
OK Addicts, five games in and the season is already lost. When you compare the team’s performance to its talent level, it’s very, very disappointing. This is the worst season by that metric I can recall and I go all the way back to the early 70’s. That is over forty years of Chiefs football. Fear not Addicts, Merlin has your back. Let’s cut through the crap and get down to the bottom line. The talent level is high, yet the team is not performing. The Chiefs look like a team that has given up. Ordinarily, the solution is to keep the GM and let the head coach go. However, this is not an ordinary situation. Here, the GM has shoved Matt Cassel as a starting quarterback down the throat of each head coach and offensive coordinator he has hired.
The bottom line is that Scott Pioli and coaching staff must go. It’s really not something that should be debated. It’s the reasonable conclusion for Clark Hunt to arrive at. Scott Pioli has had four years and two head coaches to make the Chiefs successful. He has not, although the talent level is higher. The lack of a good quarterback is the albatross around the Chiefs neck. The real questions are: when do you make that change and who do you bring in? Many fans are looking for the bye week as the time to can Pioli. I am not sure. I believe the timing is contingent on the person brought in. Personally, I would fire Pioli when I have his replacement lined up. Is that now or after the season? I have no idea.
The big question is who to bring in. I have thought about it and analyzed the situation and have my nominee for GM of the Chiefs. First, let’s go through my thought process and values. What is important in a GM? There are several qualities, however, let’s focus on the most important aspect, talent acquisition. What is the primary means for talent acquisition? The NFL draft. Therefore, I want someone seeped in college scouting. A former scout is a major plus.
My choice for GM is: Marc Ross. In the words of Cornell Nathan Jessup… who the F! is Marc Ross? Marc Ross currently in his fifth season as the Director of College Scouting for the NY Giants. However, let’s go through his resume.
Marc Ross was an All-Ivy League receiver at Princeton. Let’s stipulate that he is highly intelligent. Marc started as the Eagle’s eastern regional scout for three years. In 2000, he became the Eagles’ National Scouting Director at the tender age of 27. There, he drafted players such as Derrick Burgess, Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook. In 2004, he moved to the Bills as a national college scout.
In 2007, Marc became the Giants’ National Scouting Director. The Giants are a deep and talented team. Ross gets a good deal of credit for it, but not all, of course. He has drafted players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Hakeem Nicks, as well as signing undrafted receiver Victor Cruz. I don’t think I can sum him up any better than his boss, Giants GM Jerry Reese: “He’s a veteran personnel guy, and he’s been around two or three different clubs, so he’s seen how things are done differently at different places. He’s smart, He is a people person (and) a terrific evaluator.”
What does he bring to the table? He is an excellent evaluator of talent. He has been around different clubs, so he is less likely to be stuck in “one way,” unlike Scott Pioli. He is young, so he could be a long-term (ten to fifteen year) solution. After the Pioli regime, a people person as a GM is needed.
I know DD has already floated Marty Shottenheimer’s name and Paddy has already placed the standard Bill Cowher call. However, the Chiefs could do a lot worse than Marc Ross. He isn’t a name. However, he is a young gun ready to move up. My closing though is the title of the NY Post article published on February 25, 2012. When Marc Ross interviewed and did not get the GM job for the Bears: “Ross’ loss gain for Giants.”
That’s my take, Addicts. Who do you want as the next Chiefs GM and why?