Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio takes dead aim at Clark/Pioli

[FloridaMan88]

Close your eyes Clark/Pioli homers... this one will hurt:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ay-to-the-top/

In Kansas City, blame goes all the way to the top

Posted by Mike Florio on September 19, 2011, 11:06 AM EDT

It’s become fashionable — and easy — to point to coach Todd Haley as the man responsible for the Kansas City clusterfudge. But in light of eight quarters of football in which, on average, the Chiefs have been outscored at a rate of more than 11 to less than two, the buck doesn’t stop only on the head coach’s desk.

Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star accurately points out at the finger of blame should be pointed higher.

G.M. Scott Pioli hired the coach who suddenly can’t, and to the extent that the acrid smoke of dysfunction currently is billowing from the team’s headquarters, Pioli is the chef who put in ingredients in the vat and began to stir. Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reports that the dysfunction between Pioli and Haley could be on the brink of all-out war, if it’s not already there. (And Chiefs fans surely will feel their stomachs continue to turn like cooked pigs on a spit as they process Silver’s prediction that Pioli wants to hire the man who ran the Broncos ship aground in only two seasons.)

As to the on-field employees, it’s Pioli who has spent — or who hasn’t spent — money on making the team better. Though few free-agency spending sprees ever have resulted in immediate success, the fact that, as of August 29, the Chiefs had more than $32 million in cap space suggests that the Chiefs plan to take full advantage of the next two years with no spending minimum, riding the fumes of an unlikely 2010 playoff berth to fill the seats at Arrowhead Stadium, and to stuff the mattresses with cash.

If that’s what’s happening, the oil slick of culpability goes all the way to owner Clark Hunt, who ultimately bears the blame for assembling a work force that has been worked over by two franchises that have no playoff berths between them in more than a decade. The Chiefs are indeed in bad, bad shape right now, and someone needs to rise above petty bickering and turf battles and provide real leadership.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

I think it's fine that Pioli brought in Cassel for this franchise originally. Hell, nobody knew what Cassel's ceiling was, but obviously after watching him play the last couple years, he HAS to realize that Cassel is NOT a good QB and he made a mistake. Even with a weak schedule, a good amount of momentum, and a good amount of skilled players playing for the Chiefs, Cassel was still a really bad QB last year. I'm glad Pioli drafted Stanzi in the draft, and I understand that he may not be ready to play. We are going to have to just face the facts that this season is a rebuild, (expecially with Charles, Berry, and Moeaki out).... but next season, Stanzi better be ready to play.

Yep ... trading for Cassel was fine. It was the huge contract and not looking for a QBoTF that was the real mistake.

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by TEX

I don't care about acquiring BIG name free agents as that has been proven not to work more than it has in the past. However, I do feel that $32 MILLION can buy a team a LOT of quality DEPTH. This past offseason, for whatvere reason, th Chiefs did not take the necessary steps to stay in tune with thier on-field sucess of last season. In other words - they got there (playoffs) but their moves were that of a team that intended to do whatever it needed to do in order to stay there and advance.

I think this situation has reach a point of clarity in terms of the philosophy of Pioli compared to KC fan expectations. Pioli thought they could ignore the w/l record and focus on developing a team by simply playing poor overall talent and weeding out the bad ones as they go.

He's finding he is wrong there. If he simply buys a few veteran players and the team wins the majority of home games by doing so, he'll save his ass and maybe still pull it off here in KC.

I still don't buy into the Pioli - Haley feud. That they may be yelling and having heated discussions in the halls of 1 Arrowhead is normal considering how awful this franchise has been and still is.

[Molitoth]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Shouldn't the guy who saw him every day in practice for four years and a full season as a starting QB have a pretty good gauge as to what his ceiling was?

If you can whiff that astoundingly on a QB who you've seen practice and play every day for four years, what QB selection can't you whiff on?

He also saw Tom Brady everyday, and Brady only sniffed the field due to an injury of Bledsoe. Are you gonna put that on him too?

Sometimes you don't know what you have until you throw it in the fire.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

He also saw Tom Brady everyday, and Brady only sniffed the field due to an injury of Bledsoe. Are you gonna put that on him too?

Sometimes you don't know what you have until you throw it in the fire.

That's a Belichick decision, BTW, and FWIW, they held 4 QBs in 2000 b/c they didn't want to cut Brady, and by 2001, he'd moved up to second team.

Pioli wasn't even with the team when they acquired Brady.

[Molitoth]

So what we really need to find out is:

Is Cassel on the field because of Pioli, or because of Haley?

Until we find that question out, we really don't know who's to blame.

[Okie_Apparition]

Is the friction because Haley won't be Pioli's puppet?

~WE ARE RAT ****ED

[Fritz88]

I sure hope this is not true because if our problem is Pioli then we are looking at a decade of incompetence.

All the signs point to Pioli. But I don't want to believe it.

When we hired Haley I knew that Pioli wanted a ' Yes Sir' guy, if Haley contented Pioli's wants then shit hit the fan, especially if these wants are Cassel and not spending money.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Fritz88]

Originally Posted by Okie_Apparition

Is the friction because Haley won't be Pioli's puppet?

~WE ARE RAT ****ED

Indeed we are.

It is some kind of post traumatic effect from being BB's bitch.
Posted via Mobile Device

[FringeNC]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

So what we really need to find out is:

Is Cassel on the field because of Pioli, or because of Haley?

Until we find that question out, we really don't know who's to blame.

Or rephrased, We know that Pioli loves Cassel. What we really don't know is what Haley thinks of him. The Mike Silver article really turned the controversy about Weis leaving on its head, suggesting Cassel's lack of ability chased him off.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

So what we really need to find out is:

Is Cassel on the field because of Pioli, or because of Haley?

Until we find that question out, we really don't know who's to blame.

umm ... Weis still had the ability to make chicken salad out of chicken shit while Haley doesn't.

I don't give a **** about who wanted cassel etc.

The only think that matters is getting good players and coaches who know how to make good use of those players.

The players on offense have stayed pretty much the same ... LJ left,waters switch to asomoah,breaston etc. Yet, we have had 2 distinct offensive outcomes. The 1st and 3rd year look remarkably similar in their suckage. Year 2 was chicken salad instead of chicken shit with the main difference being a different OC.

[Okie_Apparition]

When you got Cassel, running the ball is the only option. They got too far behind with Dex's fumble last week. THe run game was going right down the field until Charles went down yesterday. Then more turnovers.

It more than likely won't matter unles Palko or Stanzi can save Haley. He's gone

[Halfcan]

Tony G. is tearing it up this year!!! Good thing they traded him-lol

[Molitoth]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Tony G. is tearing it up this year!!! Good thing they traded him-lol

You forgot Gonzo didn't want to be here.

Unfortunately some times, the passion a player has for their team will effect their play. See: Barry Sanders early retirement.

Gonzo would be pissed that Cassel underthrew/overthrew him every attempt anyway.

[kaplin42]

Originally Posted by TEX

I don't care about acquiring BIG name free agents as that has been proven not to work more than it has in the past. However, I do feel that $32 MILLION can buy a team a LOT of quality DEPTH. This past offseason, for whatvere reason, th Chiefs did not take the necessary steps to stay in tune with thier on-field sucess of last season. In other words - they got there (playoffs) but their moves were not that of a team that intended to do whatever it needed to do in order to stay there and advance.

It's ok to get a few big name free agents if done right. Meaning, don't hand Ty Law a massive contract at 32+. Make sure you FA has several years of quality in him.

Then as mentioned above, grab quality backups so that you have good rotation, and not such a terrible difference in quality if a starter is lost.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

You forgot Gonzo didn't want to be here.

Unfortunately some times, the passion a player has for their team will effect their play. See: Barry Sanders early retirement.

Gonzo would be pissed that Cassel underthrew/overthrew him every attempt anyway.

Gonzo would have torn his ACL trying to grab an errant Cassel pass by now.