Mellinger: First three months of Dorsey’s Chiefs regime far cry from *****’s
 

First three months of Dorsey’s Chiefs regime far cry from *****’s
By Sam Mellinger
The Kansas City Star
John Dorsey knows Kansas City. By now you’ve heard that part of his story. His wife is from the area, and their first date was at Jack Stack. When the Chiefs introduced him as their new general manager, he called it his dream job.

But living in a place can be very different than visiting. He just bought a house here. This is real now. Working a dream job can be very different than dreaming about it. So we wanted to check in after three months and see if anything had changed.

“No way, this place is awesome, man,” he says. “Here’s an example. We went down to Oklahoma Joe’s (on Wednesday), Andy and I and some other guys, and we sat in line for 40 minutes. The people were great. This is the good thing about the Midwest: Everybody respects your space. It’s a cool thing.

“Some guys would come up and talk to us; they’re genuinely excited. That’s what it’s all about. It’s the people, man.”

Dorsey will talk your ear off about Kansas City. The other day, as the lawn mower was going by his office window, he realized it was never this nice in Green Bay until mid-May, at least. You hear Dorsey talk, and you hear others in the Chiefs offices talk about him, and you begin to understand a franchise-defining change.

We don’t know if Dorsey will succeed in Kansas City. Nobody does. But after three months, there are clues about how the Chiefs are, and will continue to be, different.

He doesn’t spend any time trash-talking his predecessor, for one. This was a favorite pastime of Scott *****’s. Publicly and privately, directly and indirectly, ***** wanted you to know what kind of mess he inherited.

Dorsey never mentions that he arrives on the heels of what many involved called the worst football year of their lives.

“We’re just trying to get people excited, because that’s a good working environment,” Dorsey says.

The second major difference between this regime change and the one that preceded it is that Dorsey isn’t overhauling the front office. ***** talked constantly of changing the culture and spent a lot of time firing and hiring people. Dorsey has spent a large chunk of his time meeting and working with and listening to people who were here long before January.

“Not one guy has all the answers, my God,” Dorsey says. “This is a hard job now. There are going to be some people here who are going to help and it’s good to have everybody here to do this.”

That leads to the third major difference between Dorsey and *****. Whenever possible, ***** would namedrop Bill Belichick. Dorsey doesn’t talk much about Green Bay. Doesn’t tell stories about drafting Aaron Rodgers or winning the Super Bowl with the league’s youngest roster or what they saw in Clay Matthews that 25 other teams passed on ... unless you ask.

Dorsey isn’t coming to Kansas City expecting people to kiss his Super Bowl rings as much as he’s hoping the people here can help him win another one.

“I think you’ve got to earn everybody’s respect,” he says. “I’m trying to earn everybody’s respect in the organization. I only know one way. I have no ego. I like to work. I like work, I like football, and I love my family.”

The Chiefs’ last four years were filled with drama. Carl Peterson ran the organization for two decades, and although he probably should have been replaced a year or two earlier, you can now look back and see a professionalism that went missing when he departed. He had his quirks — quite frankly… — but people genuinely liked working for him. There’s something to be said for that.

It’s only three months, of course, but there seems to be a steadiness and professionalism returning to the Chiefs’ offices. You don’t hear stories of paranoia, or micromanaging, or bizarre rules about who can make color copies.

This is still an NFL organization, so secrets are still closely guarded. Besides, NFL teams are bigger than the general manager. Owner Clark Hunt was going to push his franchise in this direction no matter who he hired as general manager.

But the sense from the inside is one of confidence, comfort and a renewed optimism. You can see that in Dorsey as he talks about the rewards of hard work and the focus on empowering his scouts. Get people invested, he says. Get them excited. That’s how you build a winning culture.

Again, we don’t know how this story will end. Dorsey is only three months into the job. His first draft is three weeks off, his first game six months away. All we have are these hints. But all these hints are positive.

I can't believe how many dumbass fans were still supporting Pioli, even halfway through last year, especially on arrowheadpride.com

It's pretty good apart from the Smiths, I'll admit that.

Both were woefully under-coached for the vast majority of their careers.

Both also give you the best possible available players at their respective positions this off-season so that this new regime can hit the ground running versus trying to find a guy in the draft that may or may not work out immediately.

I don't have a problem with either at this point - as long as the future is also addressed at the QB position for the long term, i.e. Geno. (Sean Smith is only 25 and has the physical skill set to be a quality #2 CB in the league with proper coaching/attitude re-adjustment. Everyone knows that Miami is a mess, so he gets a clean slate from me when he puts on the Red to start this season.)

http://imageshack.us/a/img811/7338/p...arackobama.jpg

I don't believe this is true in regards to Smith.

Yeah this country was in fantastic shape when Obama took over. Let's be idiots and ram this thing straight into DC. Don't be idiots people.

How does Dorsey feel about gay marriage? Or North Korea? These are the real issues of the day. I bet Pioli could get North Korea to stand down.

I know, but I'm okay with the signing. I think he's a better player than what he showed down in Miami and getting him here on this team is going to be a good thing for him. And he's one of the few CB's in this league who is capable of effectively hard pressing the big WR's.

**** Obama !

Please keep this garbage in the cesspool.

http://blog.jgurian.com/wp-content/u...010/07/boo.gif

What the hell is up with all the DC freaks invading the Lounge with their politico bullshit?

Bringing DC bullshit into the lounge should earn a poster a 1 day vacation.

This country would literally be better off if everyone who 1) worships Obama and 2) has an obsessive vile hatred of Obama were all put on an island and blown up by North Korea. I really think all of these people are mentally ill. I don't know how you could worship or have an obsessive hatred of another human being so much. Drives me nuts.

That's why we had to ship you idiots off to a different forum in the first place.

ROFL

Dorsey has made good and bad moves IMHO. We shall see. Mellinger=journalist.

On the flipside, I'm sure Kansas City probably seems like Florida to Dorsey after living in northern Wisconsin for 20 years.

How long did it take for the warning signs to come out regarding Pioli though? There were questionable moves but the inter-office stuff was about two years later wasn't it?

BOOOOOO

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To be fair, Whitlock wrote his first column saying Pioli's ego was going to railroad the team pretty early on. Not sure if it was before the first game but it was definitely early in Pioli's first year.

As soon as he signed a QB before getting a coach.

***** probably cleared out a bunch of Peterson croonies that needed the boot. He may have saved Dorsey a bit of dirty work there.

This is just a fluff piece, but it's good to know that Dorsey's not an egomaniac douche at least. I hope he lets the Chiefs be more involved in the community that Pioli ever allowed.

He seems like the kind of guy you could have a beer with. Now it just remains to be seen if he can actually build a team or not.

I don't think anyone could ever make Arrowhead more of an impenetrable fortress than how Pioli did it. That place was on lockdown from day 1, and he loved it like that.

The article does two things -

1) Gives us all a breath of fresh air as to how our team is now run
2) Provides conclusive evidence that the "Patriot Way" starts with Bill Belichick and ends with Tom Brady.

Yeah, and say what you want about Smith, but that move is all Andy Reid. The good thing I suppose is that the coach got to pick his QB this time rather than being forced one.

It's going to be tougher to evaluate Dorsey than Pioli however, because Reid for all intents and purposes hired the guy and is calling the shots, despite what anyone says. This is Reid's show. Dorsey needs to be able to hold him in check and convince him not to make bad decisions, but unlike Pioli, he's not the overseer...

He doesn’t spend any time trash-talking his predecessor, for one. This was a favorite pastime of Scott *****’s. Publicly and privately, directly and indirectly, ***** wanted you to know what kind of mess he inherited.


What a POS Pioli was. This was his excuse for his failure.

It's also what keeps sane people from ever trying to discuss politics in polite company. Which is a recipe for disaster.

I believe Dorsey is a Genoite.
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Don't care who has the final say.

When it all goes wrong, they'll both be culpable.

Unfortunately Dorsey has already done one important thing identical to what Fat Scott did when he arrived in KC... trade for a true fan-wet dream-caliber veteran QB to be the Chiefs starting QB.

I understand that some people feel that way but I spoke to someone today at great length that's been a frequent contributor for two decades at both ESPN and the NFL Network that had the opposite view.

Without going into too much detail, the "League" views the Chiefs as a real playoff threat this season and the consensus is that the Alex Smith move was genius, especially when coupled with Reid. The "League" has also been extremely impressed with their moves in free agency.

I was also told that the Bills have no interest in Smith, have targeted Nassib and will take him with their second round pick, so eliminate him from contention. If there's an unlikely run on QB's, they'll be more than happy to trade up into the late first round and grab him.

Take it for what it's worth. It's not "Bible" but it was interesting and I appreciated the input, especially since we're so close to the draft.

Again, FWIW.

The Chiefs aren't a playoff threat while Peyton Manning is in the AFC West.

For shits and grins, let say the Broncos, Patriots and Ravens are solid bets to win their divisions. That leaves three spots open.

I'd be shocked if both the Texans and Colts both made the playoffs in 2013. It's not outside the realm of possibility, but it would surprise to see either take a step back.

The Steelers are on a slow train to mediocrity. The Bengals seem to be stuck in neutral. The Jets and Dolphins are going in opposite directions and the Bills are a mess. The Raiders and Chargers are crap.

It's not outside the box thinking that the Chiefs could be pushing for a playoff spot in 2013.

Those teams you mentioned - the Colts, Texans, Steelers and Bengals - have a huge advantage over the Chiefs. They aren't in year one of a new system installing a completely new offense, defense, etc.

We're an 8-8 team at best next year. 2014 we can start talking playoffs if Alex Smith isn't a disaster.

I also think the Chargers are a sleeper.

We'll wild card. Ive never doubted that. Its the choice for the future that concerns me.
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9 - 7 could win this pathetic ass division so even with shitty Alex Smith @ QB we could win the division despite the QBs.

The Broncos are probably a 14-2 team.

The AFC is terrible. If the Chiefs are even average they'll be in the hunt. I actually feel like the Bengals and Colts may be the only two truly ascending teams at this point. Bengals have a good young D, a solid QB and AJ Green. The Colts have Luck. The Ravens are a mystery because they've had so many changes. Everyone else is backtracking and/or getting older.

I think the Chargers have a shit offensive line, no reliable or game breaking running back, crap at WR and a broken down tight end. With a new head coach, they're looking at 5-11 at best (at this point).

The Steelers don't have an advantage. They've been 8-8 and haven't upgraded their roster or coaching staff. The wheels are coming off the Mike Tomlin regime, and quickly.

The Bengals have an opportunity to make some noise but somehow, they fall short. I wouldn't count them out but I wouldn't count them in, either. They have extra draft choices due to the Palmer trade in a 50 deep draft.

The Texans really took a dump in December. I'm a believer in Luck and the Colts but he did take a ridiculous amount of sacks and they're changing their offense.

Nothing is a given.

Thanks for the insight Hootie.

We're ready to believe you! /Ghostbusters style :D

They were 13-3 last year.

How many playoff games did they win?

The 2011 NY Giants won the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record.

The 2008 Arizona Cardinals were two minutes away from a Super Bowl with a 9-7 record.

All that truly matters is getting into the playoffs.

The Ravens, Giants and Packers were all wild card Super Bowl winners.

Homer Dane going HAM this offseason.

With an elite QB.

Alex Smith isn't taking a 9-7 team anywhere.

Here we go...I can see it now:

"Didn't Alex just take the niners to the NFC Championship...?"

We call this move the Garcia Bronco.

If we had a draft pick quarterback to lead this team I'd be excited to get into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Forgive me that I think Alex Smith and any other retread QB the Chiefs would get ****ing suck for us to win in the playoffs. Could happen but we have only one playoff win with Joe Montana to show for it in the last 30 -40 years.

I don't think there's a QB in the draft that can play better than Alex Smith this season.

I'm just the messenger.

"This season" being the key phrase.
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This is not a dig at you.

ESPN analysts, and analysts all over, had the Chiefs as a playoff team.

They also thought that the move to get Cassel by Pioli when he first took the job was a great move.

Can't say I care much for how experts and analysts see things.

I personally think that if Reid tries to implement his offense the way he likes to run it with Alex Smith, this is a 5 win team at best.

If he adapts and asks Smith to manage the game in much the same way that Harbaugh, and Dontari Poe takes an impressive step forward in his progress, then this might be a 9 win team.

Again, I'm just a messenger.

The question is, or should be, is there one that can play better in the years to come?

Kurt Warner isn't walking through that door. Eli Manning isn't walking through that door, and Aaron Rodgers isn't walking through that door.

Yeah, you can win a SB as a WC if you have elite QB play.

Welp...

I suppose the best thing to remember is that Reid is never going to be satisfied with 'just ok' qb play long term. When McNabb began to decline, he drafted Kolb, signed Vick. When Vick wasnt a long term fix, he drafted Foles.

Alex Smith is here to establish some sort of consistency at the position. He's not here because Reid wants to show the NFL he's a genius who picks qbs in the 7th.

I like geno, and if they pick him, great. But if everyone sees something and you don't, what are the odds that it's everyone else?

FWIW, none of those guys he got to replace McNabb were good enough either. Washing down a shit sandwich with a glass of piss doesn't solve your problem.

The biggest problem with both Kolb and Vick is their inability to stay on the field; both are concussion magnets. Subtract some severe brain trauma, there's very little wrong with them as quarterbacks. Vick's second season in Philly was as dominant a season as a qb has had in the last fifteen years. And largely credited to the work Reid did with him.

While I respect your opinion, I'd prefer to wait until after Reid and Smith's first season in KC before shutting the door on any possibilities.

2013 "feels" like 1989 to me. It doesn't "feel" like 2001 or 2006 or 2009.

I've been fooled in the past, by Levy (he won in the CFL!) and especially with the Mackovic hire (Oh, well he was Tom Landry's "Right Hand Man!").

But I wasn't fooled by Gansz, wasn't fooled by Gunther, wasn't fooled by Vermeil and wasn't fooled by Pioli's bunch.

I could be wrong and maybe I'm being fooled again. But right now, I think they've made some solid moves and I'm hopeful.

Check back next Spring. :D

I bet Geno Smith can make the big time plays that Alex Smith would fail at. Game managing Alex Smith would have the edge. Give another couple seasons and Geno Smith will most likely be head and shoulders over Alex Smith.

The 90s Chiefs plopped into the modern NFL would be even more dead in the water than they were then.

Besides, the only thing Carl ever built was something that clearly wasn't good enough.

This is a commonly held belief that happens to be completely false. Vick played tremendously for about a ten game stretch. That's not a full season of greatness.

There have been numerous other QBs who have put together tremendous aberrational years: Jake Delhomme, Steve Beuerlein, and Derek Anderson to name a few.

Ya lets get a new retread QB every 2-3 seasons and watch our draft picks get old and waist away on the roster and wonder why we never win shit in the playoffs.

Yeah but all intents and purposes, every Chiefs fan had passion for each and every Sunday.

As a fan that's nearly 2,000 miles from KC that's watched a horrible team for the better part of 15 years, my hope is a consistently competitive football team.

Championships aside, this team hasn't won a playoff game in more than 20 years. I'm worn out. I'm spent. I drove all over Los Angeles to watch the Chiefs on a 19" TV for a decade and spent more than $3,000 dollars on the Sunday Ticket in the past 10 years, not to mention travel to other cities, only to watch them lose.

A playoff win would be nice.

Ugh.

I think Reid will be gone long before Dorsey. Then we will see what Dorsey can really do. I don't mind Reid getting the players he wants though. The worst thing a GM can do is build a team against the philosophies of the HC. ex. Lynn Stiles and Jerry Burns with the Vikings and the Herschel Walker trade with Dallas.

I want Reid to succeed obviously, but at least we know he will succeed or fail under his own watch. I don't think Clark or Dorsey will fight him on much.

No team has ever won a Super Bowl without a QB that team has drafted in the first round.

Alright then; all im saying is reid isn't the sort to just commit blindly to one qb. So I have no doubt he's willing to jump on a qb who could be better than Alex smith. And I don't know that he thinks there's one in this draft.or at least, the talent differential isnt much between geno and a guy like Glennon, to justify taking him at 1.1 vs round 3.

And I assume if that's the case, the reasoning isn't 'I want to succeed only with Alex smith'

FWIW, I've been told by multiple people associated with the league in one way or another, that the Chiefs are absolutely sold on Alex Smith.

Again, take it FWIW.

Sure they are, they gave up a 2nd rounder and a conditional 3rd next year.

Marv Levy's teams improved each year for the first 3 years he was the HC, in the era when it did take 5 years to build a team that could compete.

He got ****ed over by the player strike.

I still believe, had he not been fired after a strike year, fielding a team of terrible replacement players, and allowed to continue his rebuild of that team after the strike, that he would have been successful over the long term in Kansas City.

It is interesting because it's not like Alex Smith has any connection to Reid or Dorsey prior to this. This is not like Pioli bringing in the late round pick he personally scouted and drafted.

But besides that fact, they apparently truly believe that he's a championship caliber QB that will have the same success in KC has he's had for the past two seasons in SF.

Again, take it FWIW.

Yeah, they improved but not through "normal" means. The Wing T?

:D

I liked Levy but I do believe he had a fair opportunity in KC. I know that Lamar Hunt said his biggest regret was firing Marv, but I also believe that Marv wouldn't have had the success he had in Buffalo without the growing pains he experienced in KC (and to a lesser degree, the USFL).

He had a helluva coaching staff, especially offensively, in Buffalo.

Seriously, they think a game manager has had some kind of great success?

If they are that stupid, then we are more ****ed than I thought when Reid was initially hired.

For something completely different that this franchise hasn't done in 30 years is draft a first round QB. We average a new QB every 3-4 years and one playoff win with Joe ****ing Montana. **** the retreads. Draft and see if we can develop a QB worth a shit to take us to the promise land.

Ya I agree. Reid can coach QBs. I'm fine with whomever he wants. Although, I want a first round QB draft pick, I'm good with Reid. Got to trust these guys to get it done. They're not arrogant douchebags who leeched off of Belicheat.

For now, I'm sure they are. If he doesn't measure up, I'm sure they'll kick him to the curb. But if someone better or with the potential to be better comes available, I don't think for a second they would pass on him because they had Alex smith on the roster.

He did what he had to do to compete.

He was hired onto a team that was complete shit.

Last year was the worst year I can remember, but that's because this team had better talent overall than a 2-14 record would indicate.

But that was the product of piss poor coaching and QB play.

Those teams in the early 80s had some of the worst football players we've ever seen in our lives.