Babb:Chiefs’ changes must start with Crennel’s actions and attitude

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs’ changes must start with Crennel’s actions and attitude
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
Romeo Crennel finally indicated this week that he has his defense figured out. His own defense, that is.

The Chiefs coach’s plan didn’t seem to have anything to do with what will happen Sunday in New Orleans or in any of the winless Chiefs’ remaining 14 games. No, Crennel began defending himself this week and deflecting blame for his team’s two embarrassing, blowout losses — and intimating that the fault lies not on coaches’ shoulders, but with the players.

“If they do their job the way they’re supposed to do it,” Crennel said, “then we’ll be able to make plays.”

Maybe that’s not what he meant. Maybe the words just got twisted, or came out wrong, or maybe we’re reading into them too deeply.

Crennel is 65 years old and has been an NFL coach since 1981. You don’t hang around that long or move up without being a good coach, and this isn’t meant to kick mud onto that fact. But being a head coach isn’t for everyone, and it tests all who dare by amplifying their words and shining a spotlight onto everything they say. No one knows yet if Crennel can prove, in his second stint as a head coach, that he can handle this job. But now that he’s in crisis mode, his words suggest he’s in over his head.

There’s time to change, but it starts with Crennel admitting that things actually need to change — starting with a more energetic and focused showing from himself. He doesn’t have the personality to consistently get in players’ faces, and he apparently has lost the public-speaking chops to adequately explain what needs to be done to curb this horrible start.

“I really thought that we would be better, and we’re not,” Crennel said after Buffalo’s 35-17 win on Sunday. “We’ve got to try to really figure out why that is.”

He also doesn’t seem to have the self-awareness necessary to identify an obvious weakness in the defense — and strip himself of coordinator duties and focus only on being the head coach. Coaches make this mistake all the time, and it almost always costs them.

“I’ve done both jobs before,” he said Monday before quickly clarifying. “I haven’t done both of them at the same time before. I’ve been a defensive line coach and a defensive coordinator before, so I’ve done dual roles in the past. I kind of understand what it takes.”

Crennel, who lost and was fired as Cleveland’s head coach even with a coordinator, had to have misspoken there. Surely he knows better than anyone that being a position coach is nothing like being a coordinator, and neither of those jobs is anything like being a head coach. So what if he worked with linemen on the same days he designed a defensive game plan? He never would’ve been asked in those jobs to also sit in on offensive and special-teams meetings, have daily news conferences, and appear in marketing material as the team’s face.

His job means he is asked, almost continually, to use his words to inspire players, win over reporters, articulate his needs to the personnel department and his vision to assistant coaches, and keep a community of battered fans from staying home on the seven remaining Sundays that Arrowhead Stadium is supposed to be full.

Instead, he says things like this about the upcoming contest against the 0-2 Saints:

“I know we will try to look at it as a must-win because we want to win it,” he said, “but we’re not going to fall off the earth if we lose it.”

Nothing is quite as stirring as a coach whose words suggest he’s OK with the idea of losing his first three games of 2012.

The issue is that Crennel will have to use his voice, now more than ever, to rally so many people who have turned to him for guidance, comfort and confidence. Losing is certainly no fun, particularly when there are so many problems that Crennel is being asked to fix. It’ll change your outlook and your attitude. But nothing encourages hope or leads to change when he sulks through a news conference or looks downtrodden on the sideline — in the first two or three weeks of the season.

Difficult as it might be, he has to fight this with all he’s got. With three games remaining in the 2011 season, Crennel took over a 5-8 team after Todd Haley was fired. In his first news conference as interim coach, he stated in clear terms that quarterback Tyler Palko was out, Kyle Orton was in, and the days of misdirection from Haley were finished. Crennel on that day was the leader the Chiefs needed. No more confusion, no more nonsense.

“We’re changing some things,” he said on Dec. 14.

Crennel took charge of a team in shambles and won two of the Chiefs’ final three games, the first one against the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers. They dumped Gatorade on Crennel after that game, and the future seemed in good hands.

Crennel was comfortable in his skin back then, and even since training camp ended, that seems to have changed. Haley spent an offseason studying old news conferences of Bill Parcells, trying to pattern his answers and behavior after the master. He learned too late to be himself, but at least he learned it. Crennel seems to be going in reverse; once unafraid of how his words might sound to Big Brother watching in the general manager’s office, now he hesitates when Star beat writer Adam Teicher asks him things like whether his team was going for it on a fourth down in Buffalo.

“You saw the play,” the coach said flatly.

Regardless of the reasons, a Crennel who sounds defeated, or resigned, is bad for the Chiefs and bad for a wounded Kansas City. If it appears he has stopped believing, or if he has so little energy or confidence that he can’t explain what he expects and wants, then who would trust that he can say the right things to motivate players to pull out of this funk anytime soon?

So often, a team takes on the personality of its head coach. This team has, for two games, seemed to do that. Crennel lacks liveliness and answers, and so do the Chiefs.

Luckily for the coach and everyone who plays for or follows this team, there’s plenty of time left for Crennel to rediscover himself — and what made the Chiefs so good for two of three weeks last December.

[New World Order]

Sounds like Romeo has already cashed his 7 figure check for this year, he's not that concerned

[gold_and_red]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Sounds like Romeo is pretty smart.

He KNOWS we can't beat teams like NO with Cassel.

It's Pioli who is the dumb**** in this regard.

Not sure Romeo will even hint at such a thing even if he believes it to be true.

[BossChief]

I'd be just going through the motions, too, if Cassel was my quarterback.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Sounds like Romeo has already cashed his 7 figure check for this year, he's not that concerned

He's staring at the tail end of his career, and his chances to go out with a bang are:

1. Matt Cassel.

2. Fantasy Rookie QB X

SURE HE'S REALLY MOTIVATED.

GREAT HIRE SCOTT.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

That's really a giant leap.

You need to find a quote like Gunther had about Ty Law. He once said he had to call plays a certain way to protect certain people on the field.

Like talking about trading up for rg3 at the scouting combine? Or saying that we would be fools not to pursue Manning? Or all the praise he had for Orton? Or saying Cassel is the teams starter "until we get another quarterback in here" which he said at the combine?

Like those quotes?

[gold_and_red]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Like talking about trading up for rg3 at the scouting combine? Or saying that we would be fools not to pursue Manning? Or all the praise he had for Orton? Or saying Cassel is the teams starter "until we get another quarterback in here" which he said at the combine?

Like those quotes?

I totally believe that Romeo hates Cassel. This is Romeo's last chance and it is being s***stained by Cassel. But as the HC he is supposed to say the right things even if he doesn't believe in them. His only hope now is that his baby plays well enough for the team to be around .500 and he gets a 1st round QB who lights it up next year!

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

He's staring at the tail end of his career, and his chances to go out with a bang are:

1. Matt Cassel.

2. Fantasy Rookie QB X

SURE HE'S REALLY MOTIVATED.

GREAT HIRE SCOTT.

Romeo lacks a proper defensive gameplan because he knows it's ultimately going to come down to Matt Cassel in the last 5 minutes, so why even try?

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Romeo lacks a proper defensive gameplan because he knows it's ultimately going to come down to Matt Cassel in the FIRST 5 minutes, so why even try?

FYP

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by BossChief

FYP

I approve

[FAX]

I just remembered that Crennel said one thing in his presser that I found both highly peculiar and somewhat troubling.

Now, it may be that he had severe indigestion which might account for his response, but he was asked a question that had to do with why these defensive issues hadn't been worked out in camp or pre-season. I don't recall his exact words, but he said something to the effect that there were different guys in camp and pre-season. Different. Guys.

Okay, so the reason why our defense sucks diseased orangutan vagina is due to the fact that Crennel couldn't properly coach and/or prepare these guys because there were some "different guys" in camp.

If that isn't a Herm answer, I don't know what is. Honestly, Crennel and Dr. Evil must think that football fans are completely stupid. I know the NFL is a complex game full of nuance and subtlety, but it's really not so complicated that you can't figure out which guys are the main guys who are going to be your likely starting defensive guys, is it?

FAX

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by FAX

I just remembered that Crennel said one thing in his presser that I found both highly peculiar and somewhat troubling.

Now, it may be that he had severe indigestion which might account for his response, but he was asked a question that had to do with why these defensive issues hadn't been worked out in camp or pre-season. I don't recall his exact words, but he said something to the effect that there were different guys in camp and pre-season. Different. Guys.

Okay, so the reason why our defense sucks diseased orangutan vagina is due to the fact that Crennel couldn't properly coach and/or prepare these guys because there were some "different guys" in camp.

If that isn't a Herm answer, I don't know what is. Honestly, Crennel and Dr. Evil must think that football fans are completely stupid. I know the NFL is a complex game full of nuance and subtlety, but it's really not so complicated that you can't figure out which guys are the main guys who are going to be your likely starting defensive guys, is it?

FAX

When you have a GM that celebrates not giving the media anything and who basically feels, like Carl did, that the media and fans are foolish money machines, then as a coach you have no reason to give real answers. If your boss doesn't respect the media and fans, why should you?

I can't stand listening to GM's or coaches talk. They aren't going to be honest even if they want to. So it all comes down to what we really think they are saying which isn't exactly easy to do. Add on top of that that our past 3 coaches and past 2 GM's all seem to lack an ability to talk like human beings and/or talk to you like you have a brain and it all adds up to a waste of time.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

When you have a GM that celebrates not giving the media anything and who basically feels, like Carl did, that the media and fans are foolish money machines, then as a coach you have no reason to give real answers. If your boss doesn't respect the media and fans, why should you?

I can't stand listening to GM's or coaches talk. They aren't going to be honest even if they want to. So it all comes down to what we really think they are saying which isn't exactly easy to do. Add on top of that that our past 3 coaches and past 2 GM's all seem to lack an ability to talk like human beings and/or talk to you like you have a brain and it all adds up to a waste of time.

You clearly have a handle on the situation, Mr. NJChiefsFan. This post is correct in all respects. I don't know why I continue to dial up the HC press conferences knowing he'll just feed pap to the masses. I suppose I'm hoping to glean some insight.

Right now, though, I'd have to rank Crennel's pressers below Haley's, Gunther's, ... heck, even Herm's. He says stuff like, "We lost the football game because in the NFL, if you don't win the football game, you lose the football game." It's astonishing, really.

I know an African Gray that can convey more information in 30 minutes.

FAX

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by FAX

You clearly have a handle on the situation, Mr. NJChiefsFan. This post is correct in all respects. I don't know why I continue to dial up the HC press conferences knowing he'll just feed pap to the masses. I suppose I'm hoping to glean some insight.

Right now, though, I'd have to rank Crennel's pressers below Haley's, Gunther's, ... heck, even Herm's. He says stuff like, "We lost the football game because in the NFL, if you don't win the football game, you lose the football game." It's astonishing, really.

I know an African Gray that can convey more information in 30 minutes.

FAX

Don't get me wrong, I sit there and listen to some of them too like an idiot. Not all of them and none since 2010, but I have watched a bunch asking myself what I am doing. Hell even in other sports where my teams are good like baseball and hockey the coach's presser is useless. The players too for that matter.

You want a glimpse, a hint as to whats going on behind the scenes when things are going well. A piece of evidence that they see what we see when things are going bad.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

Don't get me wrong, I sit there and listen to some of them too like an idiot. Not all of them and none since 2010, but I have watched a bunch asking myself what I am doing. Hell even in other sports where my teams are good like baseball and hockey the coach's presser is useless. The players too for that matter.

You want a glimpse, a hint as to whats going on behind the scenes when things are good. A piece of evidence that they see what we see when things are going bad.

I understand your point of view perfectly.

One of the issues I have is the geographic challenge of living in another state. Even with the amazing internet thing and the miracle of television, you don't feel very "connected" to the team most of the time. I suppose that's one of the reasons I spend so much time trying to stay current on what's happening with the franchise.

Heck, I even joined that Warpaint site (or whatever it's called) for awhile in order to gain access to their player interviews. I was eventually banned, though, on account of inquiring into Athan's (sp?) past record for accuracy.

I think it was Mr. Phobia who did it, but I'm not completely certain.

My main and original point is how absolutely demeaning it is to answer questions with such disregard for the truth. They don't even bother making up a plausible lie. Frankly, it's stunning. They really do believe that fans are imbeciles.

FAX

[Black Bob]

This article is stupid. The other article the Star put out this morning is about how Romeo chews ass behind closed doors.