Chiefs Kent Babb dismantles Fat Scott - Page 12

FloridaMan88 · 09-16-2012, 05:36 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/16...-big-with.html

Chiefs will never win big with Pioli in charge

By KENT BABB

The Kansas City Star

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Scott Pioli pushed his way through a doorway, into the Ralph Wilson Stadium tunnel and then, alone, disappeared into the Chiefs’ locker room.

As the team he built was enduring the final minutes of death-by-Ryan Fitzpatrick, an embarrassing 35-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs’ general manager walked toward a few minutes of solitude. Days like this are lonely when you’re the king, and maybe he embraced what is obvious to so many others who saw Sunday’s loss: that another team he constructed looks lost and unprepared. No injuries and no excuses, no former head coach to blame, and no safety net below the Chiefs’ most powerful football man.

The Chiefs’ problems are with their coaches and players, but the bigger issue is about the man who brought in those coaches and players. Yes, this game and this season are on Pioli, and there’s no denying that anymore. And there’s no more denying another truth, whether you’re ready to read it or not: The Chiefs will never win big while Pioli is this team’s boss. His priorities are too misguided, his insecurities and denial too immense to allow Kansas City’s favorite team to win the Super Bowl that he was brought here to claim.

Pioli is now in his fourth year of trying to justify the hype that earned him accolades in New England, respect within the NFL, and a multi-million-dollar job as a GM. Expectations were unreachable, maybe, but Pioli has done himself no favors by obsessing over trivial details, spending too much time trying to feed his addition to his own reputation, and engineering a team using the “discount football” philosophy that has made the Hunt family richer but has gotten the Chiefs only marginally closer to a Super Bowl.

Days like Sunday should be behind the Chiefs. This roster is so much better than the one Pioli inherited in January 2009. He’s responsible for that, too. But how much better could it be if Pioli weren’t so consumed by off-the-field nonsense? He arrived nearly five years ago and promised to curb a culture of losing. Instead, Pioli now oversees an organization shadowed in a culture of misplaced priorities and anxiety — and, yes, more losing.

Now in his fourth season as GM, Pioli has spent too much time trying to justify his decisions, rather than trying to improve them.

He whines to outsiders that the Chiefs’ salary-cap shortcomings are misunderstood? Well, spend more money, as team chairman Clark Hunt has said Pioli is authorized to do. Pioli excuses himself for his biggest mistakes, such as saying he just didn’t do his homework before hiring former coach Todd Haley? Well, why not? And he says privately that drafting a quarterback in the early rounds isn’t the point; it’s about drafting the right one. Well, Scott, then draft the right one. These things are big parts of Pioli’s job, but instead of acknowledging that, he chooses to tell himself — and, through back channels, you — that things are just fine.

In Scott We Trust? Not anymore.

Pioli cares more than you can imagine about what others think; about how his gilded reputation still shines nearly five years after it landed him this job.

He calls opinion-makers in Kansas City to plead with them to share his side of the story in exchange for a nibble of access, and he spends his own time compiling ultimately meaningless statistics in an attempt to spin unpopular draft choices and questionable spending habits into a more favorable light. He hints to anyone who’ll listen — in exchange for agreeing that you didn’t hear it from him — that the Chiefs’ playoff run in 2010 and a brief winning streak last season weren’t a result of Haley’s coaching. Those, he is convinced, were results of the magic of former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis two seasons ago and, last year, the motivating skills of Romeo Crennel. He obsesses over public relations, attempting to manipulate the message large and small. Pioli is as responsible as anyone for the misconception that Haley ruined the Chiefs and that, by firing him last December, Pioli helped to save it. How does that narrative look after the Chiefs’ second consecutive blowout loss?

Pioli craves credit and validation on good days, and he wants to hide and blame others after days like Sunday.

He worries so much about trivial matters that it’s impossible to think that such an emphasis hasn’t been an obstacle to the Chiefs’ success. He was concerned enough about what cornerback Brandon Flowers might’ve thought if Pioli had signed Brandon Carr to a richer contract that this factored into his decision to let Carr leave Kansas City and sign with the Dallas Cowboys.

Win, and nobody cares about how many dollars the Chiefs are under the salary cap, or which coach was responsible for past success, or why a free agent was allowed to walk. Lose, and all anyone wants to talk about is going to war with your first head coach, a new and considerably less shiny reputation built on micromanagement and insecurity, and stubbornly sticking with quarterback Matt Cassel just because you drafted him in New England, traded for him in Kansas City, and signed him to an extension.

Pioli has, for years now, learned from far too many mistakes. Haley. Sticking with Cassel. Thinking he can control every ounce of information. A growing number of unimpressive draft classes. The way front-office employees are treated and how bizarrely secretive everyone is expected to be. Pioli wasn’t brought to Kansas City to learn from trial and error; he was hired because he was advertised as being smart enough to avoid learning things the hard way.

Crennel is now the Chiefs’ head coach, and few people inside or outside the organization after last season would’ve suggested that elevating Crennel would be a mistake. But after an 0-2 start in which the Chiefs’ defense — Crennel’s baby — has allowed 68 points and has no idea why, that hire now looks like another blunder.

Fair or not, Pioli’s job is to anticipate days like this, put aside emotion and past allegiance in New England and with the New York Giants, and hire a coach who can take on one of the NFL’s most talented rosters and avoid this kind of start. This is the tradeoff of cashing those big paychecks, of sitting in that sprawling office, and taking on the role of one of sports’ most powerful men.

Pioli is a very bright man. He has made the Hunts a mountain of money and built the Chiefs into a team that should begin each season as a trendy playoff choice, and those things are enough to keep him employed for the foreseeable future. He has a cushion of otherwise undeserved job security because of this and because the Chiefs believe you’ll keep filling Arrowhead Stadium, keep tuning in to disasters like the one broadcast in Kansas City on Sunday, and keep believing that better days are ahead.

Maybe they are, but assembling a team at a discount and prioritizing things that don’t really matter only builds a team with a limited ceiling. As long as Pioli is in that office, your expectations should have a low ceiling, too.

**notorious** · 09-16-2012, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

he's failed twice at hiring a HC...and failed spectacularly (no need to mention the QB fiasco)

I will never figure why he thought that hiring Crennel was a good idea.

**the Talking Can** · 09-16-2012, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

It's not a rare 49ers-like situation.

We saw how good our defense was to close last season. We saw how efficiently we could move the ball even with an average QB like Orton (he couldn't score in the red zone, but he moved the ball very efficiently).

I dont' know why people forget that this team despite bottom 5 players at QB and RB were playing very good football the second half of the year.

i don't know why you're hung up on last year...

there's nothing about the last 4 games that make them anything but one offs...

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-16-2012, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fritz88

Whitlock was right, yet people here flamed him.
Posted via Mobile Device

People here are ****ing stupid

mcaj22 · 09-16-2012, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

It's not a rare 49ers-like situation.

We saw how good our defense was to close last season. We saw how efficiently we could move the ball even with an average QB like Orton (he couldn't score in the red zone, but he moved the ball very efficiently).

I dont' know why people forget that this team despite bottom 5 players at QB and RB were playing very good football the second half of the year.

but I was talking TALENT added by Pioli only in terms of drafting.

Any GM could add a veteran like Orton and our momentum last season was carried by a core group of guys that WERE NOT drafted by Pioli. And I am saying that talent will slowly start to leave the Chiefs (i.e. like Carr) and Pioli in 4 years has done a poor job to replenish their voids with playmakers of equal value.

Who will replace Bowe, Albert, Dorsey? Who replaces Carr? These are answers Pioli has done a poor job of addressing and next offseason will be the biggest test if it blows up in his face

**DeezNutz** · 09-16-2012, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

The excuses never end

'09 was an evaluation year.
'10 was the "real" year.
'11 was injuries and Haley. **** them both.
'12...oh...shit.

Ace Gunner · 09-16-2012, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

Lol I don't know about that but ok.

If they look like keystone cops at the NFL level with the cameras rolling, that is what they are. Many fans on this board ripped Mike Vrabel's old crusty ass, but he lined this ****ing stupendous train wreck up just about every ****ing play of every ****ing game he was with them and they looked far better than this piece of **** DJ is lining up.

Romeo is going to change out personnel. He already started to do it today. That is not because of "coaching leadership" it is because the ****ing leaders on the field are ****ing failures and they need to siddown.

FAX · 09-16-2012, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

I see this Palko complaint for Haley over and over. But we've seen what Stanzi is AND he was even rawer and less skilled last year with no off season. Sadly and due to Piolis incompetence Palko was the best option available to Haley.

I agree. That needs to stop.

Blaming Haley for Palko is like blaming a dog for sniffing its own ass.

Actually ... come to think of it ... they're identical.

FAX

**Rain Man** · 09-16-2012, 08:21 PM

Wow. There are a lot of tidbits in the article.

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-16-2012, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lou_Zare

If they look like keystone cops at the NFL level with the cameras rolling, that is what they are. Many fans on this board ripped Mike Vrabel's old crusty ass, but he lined this ****ing stupendous train wreck up just about every ****ing play of every ****ing game he was with them and they looked far better than this piece of **** DJ is lining up.

**the Talking Can** · 09-16-2012, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

I will never figure why he thought that hiring Crennel was a good idea.

he's lazy, he's afraid to go outside the tree for fear of being exposed, and his reputation for little-dick syndrome is such that no one with ambition wants to work for him....mix and match as you will

**DeezNutz** · 09-16-2012, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

he's lazy, he's afraid to go outside the tree for fear of being exposed, and his reputation for little-dick syndrome is such that no one with ambition wants to work for him....mix and match as you will

Not laziness. Nepotism driven and fed by arrogance.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 09-16-2012, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lou_Zare

You know, you are really a ****ing moron. Haley was a very very late hire because Pioli was a very late hire.

And what makes me so irritated at posts like yours is, you don't even do your due diligence in researching the fact that Haley and Pioli go back to the Jets under Parcells during the nineties. They worked together for years.

There is no ****ing excuse for the charades Pioli has woven into his arsenal, yet Clark Hunt seems to keep finding them for dumbasses just like you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

The excuses never end

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

'09 was an evaluation year.
'10 was the "real" year.
'11 was injuries and Haley. **** them both.
'12...oh...shit.

Pioli was a very late hire?

On January 13th?

Black Bob · 09-16-2012, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lou_Zare

If they look like keystone cops at the NFL level with the cameras rolling, that is what they are. Many fans on this board ripped Mike Vrabel's old crusty ass, but he lined this ****ing stupendous train wreck up just about every ****ing play of every ****ing game he was with them and they looked far better than this piece of **** DJ is lining up.

Romeo is going to change out personnel. He already started to do it today. That is not because of "coaching leadership" it is because the ****ing leaders on the field are ****ing failures and they need to siddown.

You are damn right.

I was thinking the same thing today. Vrabel got a raw deal getting traded to KC and he busted his ass. The dude never quit and was a pro. It's their job to play hard.

Also, the problem with Palko was that Haley obviously thought he was good enough to be the back up QB. He chose to go with Palko in that role rather than having Pioli get someone. It's part of what got him fired imo. He was a Pitt guy and Haley ate that shit up.

Brock · 09-16-2012, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Pioli was a late hire?

On January 13th?

Yeah, that was also why he threw away an entire draft. He didn't have time to prepare, he was busy getting drapes in his office to match his eyes. Priorities.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 09-16-2012, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

Yeah, that was also why he threw away an entire draft. He didn't have time to prepare, he was busy getting drapes in his office to match his eyes. Priorities.

Damn, how do those teams that hire guys from Super Bowl teams do it?

Those guys must be very, very, very, very, VERY late hires.

09-16-2012, 05:36 PM
FloridaMan88 Mahomes: We Are All Witnesses Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Casino cash: $-697094	Kent Babb dismantles Fat Scott http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/16...-big-with.html Chiefs will never win big with Pioli in charge By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Scott Pioli pushed his way through a doorway, into the Ralph Wilson Stadium tunnel and then, alone, disappeared into the Chiefs’ locker room. As the team he built was enduring the final minutes of death-by-Ryan Fitzpatrick, an embarrassing 35-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs’ general manager walked toward a few minutes of solitude. Days like this are lonely when you’re the king, and maybe he embraced what is obvious to so many others who saw Sunday’s loss: that another team he constructed looks lost and unprepared. No injuries and no excuses, no former head coach to blame, and no safety net below the Chiefs’ most powerful football man. The Chiefs’ problems are with their coaches and players, but the bigger issue is about the man who brought in those coaches and players. Yes, this game and this season are on Pioli, and there’s no denying that anymore. And there’s no more denying another truth, whether you’re ready to read it or not: The Chiefs will never win big while Pioli is this team’s boss. His priorities are too misguided, his insecurities and denial too immense to allow Kansas City’s favorite team to win the Super Bowl that he was brought here to claim. Pioli is now in his fourth year of trying to justify the hype that earned him accolades in New England, respect within the NFL, and a multi-million-dollar job as a GM. Expectations were unreachable, maybe, but Pioli has done himself no favors by obsessing over trivial details, spending too much time trying to feed his addition to his own reputation, and engineering a team using the “discount football” philosophy that has made the Hunt family richer but has gotten the Chiefs only marginally closer to a Super Bowl. Days like Sunday should be behind the Chiefs. This roster is so much better than the one Pioli inherited in January 2009. He’s responsible for that, too. But how much better could it be if Pioli weren’t so consumed by off-the-field nonsense? He arrived nearly five years ago and promised to curb a culture of losing. Instead, Pioli now oversees an organization shadowed in a culture of misplaced priorities and anxiety — and, yes, more losing. Now in his fourth season as GM, Pioli has spent too much time trying to justify his decisions, rather than trying to improve them. He whines to outsiders that the Chiefs’ salary-cap shortcomings are misunderstood? Well, spend more money, as team chairman Clark Hunt has said Pioli is authorized to do. Pioli excuses himself for his biggest mistakes, such as saying he just didn’t do his homework before hiring former coach Todd Haley? Well, why not? And he says privately that drafting a quarterback in the early rounds isn’t the point; it’s about drafting the right one. Well, Scott, then draft the right one. These things are big parts of Pioli’s job, but instead of acknowledging that, he chooses to tell himself — and, through back channels, you — that things are just fine. In Scott We Trust? Not anymore. Pioli cares more than you can imagine about what others think; about how his gilded reputation still shines nearly five years after it landed him this job. He calls opinion-makers in Kansas City to plead with them to share his side of the story in exchange for a nibble of access, and he spends his own time compiling ultimately meaningless statistics in an attempt to spin unpopular draft choices and questionable spending habits into a more favorable light. He hints to anyone who’ll listen — in exchange for agreeing that you didn’t hear it from him — that the Chiefs’ playoff run in 2010 and a brief winning streak last season weren’t a result of Haley’s coaching. Those, he is convinced, were results of the magic of former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis two seasons ago and, last year, the motivating skills of Romeo Crennel. He obsesses over public relations, attempting to manipulate the message large and small. Pioli is as responsible as anyone for the misconception that Haley ruined the Chiefs and that, by firing him last December, Pioli helped to save it. How does that narrative look after the Chiefs’ second consecutive blowout loss? Pioli craves credit and validation on good days, and he wants to hide and blame others after days like Sunday. He worries so much about trivial matters that it’s impossible to think that such an emphasis hasn’t been an obstacle to the Chiefs’ success. He was concerned enough about what cornerback Brandon Flowers might’ve thought if Pioli had signed Brandon Carr to a richer contract that this factored into his decision to let Carr leave Kansas City and sign with the Dallas Cowboys. Win, and nobody cares about how many dollars the Chiefs are under the salary cap, or which coach was responsible for past success, or why a free agent was allowed to walk. Lose, and all anyone wants to talk about is going to war with your first head coach, a new and considerably less shiny reputation built on micromanagement and insecurity, and stubbornly sticking with quarterback Matt Cassel just because you drafted him in New England, traded for him in Kansas City, and signed him to an extension. Pioli has, for years now, learned from far too many mistakes. Haley. Sticking with Cassel. Thinking he can control every ounce of information. A growing number of unimpressive draft classes. The way front-office employees are treated and how bizarrely secretive everyone is expected to be. Pioli wasn’t brought to Kansas City to learn from trial and error; he was hired because he was advertised as being smart enough to avoid learning things the hard way. Crennel is now the Chiefs’ head coach, and few people inside or outside the organization after last season would’ve suggested that elevating Crennel would be a mistake. But after an 0-2 start in which the Chiefs’ defense — Crennel’s baby — has allowed 68 points and has no idea why, that hire now looks like another blunder. Fair or not, Pioli’s job is to anticipate days like this, put aside emotion and past allegiance in New England and with the New York Giants, and hire a coach who can take on one of the NFL’s most talented rosters and avoid this kind of start. This is the tradeoff of cashing those big paychecks, of sitting in that sprawling office, and taking on the role of one of sports’ most powerful men. Pioli is a very bright man. He has made the Hunts a mountain of money and built the Chiefs into a team that should begin each season as a trendy playoff choice, and those things are enough to keep him employed for the foreseeable future. He has a cushion of otherwise undeserved job security because of this and because the Chiefs believe you’ll keep filling Arrowhead Stadium, keep tuning in to disasters like the one broadcast in Kansas City on Sunday, and keep believing that better days are ahead. Maybe they are, but assembling a team at a discount and prioritizing things that don’t really matter only builds a team with a limited ceiling. As long as Pioli is in that office, your expectations should have a low ceiling, too.
Posts: 50,132

09-16-2012, 08:21 PM	#173
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-632449 VARSITY	Wow. There are a lot of tidbits in the article. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
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