|
Hamas is spot on in his assessment. We are only really now noticing how this team was completely ignored in terms of depth of talent across the board in favor of one or two guys on each side of the ball. This was the Carl way, and has been consistent over the course of his tenure with the Chiefs. Thomas and Smith on defense. Shields, Roaf and Gonzalez on offense. Then just fill in with player "X" and we'll be good enough to make the playoffs and keep fans in the seats. However, when he hired Herm, he lost the last of the talented coaches that kept these past 20 year KC Chiefs teams in games. Marty and Dick were good coaches. Herm was not. He was not able to coach beyond the talent level he had and Carl, who I think started mailing it in five years ago or so, never got that next marquee level player - other than Jared Allen, who he proceeded to trade away in yet another player trade debacle that became his calling card the last five years or so. Personally, I think that Derrick's untimely death probably had a bigger impact on Carl and this franchise than we all realized at the time. He just seemed to stop giving a shit at that point, although it looks like he was generally overrated anyway.
Receivers had been ignored because of the talents of Gonzalez. Offensive line depth was never addressed because Roaf and Shields never missed a game. And Pioli and Haley stepped into the ravages of what was left behind. I think that they have tried to fix this situation. Cassel and Vrabel. Ndukew and Alleman. Zach Thomas. Mike Goff. There is only so much you can do and only so much you can fix in a single, short off-season, especially when there are so many holes at so many positions. But Pioli and Haley are the last people anyone should be blaming at this point. We out to be celebrating the fact that it looks like they are making an attempt to fix the problems of the former administration.
|