In big win, Chiefs find a leader in Romeo Crennel

[Hammock Parties]

This is dangerous. Chiefs players are lobbying openly for Crennel to get the job.

64-year old interim head coaches don't win shit in this league.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/12/18...-a-leader.html

Rookie linebacker Justin Houston grabbed an orange bucket of blue Gatorade and followed a pack of co-conspirators to drench the Chiefs’ new head coach. Romeo Crennel took it, smiled and clapped.

Running back Le’Ron McClain strutted toward Arrowhead Stadium’s west end zone, dropped his helmet around the 25-yard line, and joined five or six teammates in high-fiving and hugging delirious fans.

Crennel missed it. By this time, he was making his way off the field, wiping away tears.

The Chiefs stunned the football world by beating the previously undefeated Packers 19-14 on Sunday, the most shocking outcome in the NFL this season and in Kansas City for longer than that, one that we all might look back on in a few years as the day the franchise’s direction changed.

Three critical developments, in ascending order of importance, emerged from Sunday’s improbable upset: The Chiefs maintained a sliver of playoff hope, reminded a city that football can be fun and almost certainly found their new head coach.

“We treated this as our Super Bowl,” running back Dexter McCluster said. “This was our Super Bowl. You could feel that positive energy.”

What the Chiefs accomplished on Sunday is now the talk of the league. The Packers are still the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites, owners of the second-longest winning streak in NFL history, the model franchise for 31 others trying to build sustainable and long-term success. They’d won 19 straight and came in averaging nearly 36 points per game.

Juxtapose that with an organization in disarray. The Chiefs hadn’t scored more than 10 points since October and have lost five times by 27 points or more — one away from the most since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

This last week started with head coach Todd Haley being fired. Kyle Orton, cut by the Broncos a month ago, became the Chiefs’ third starting quarterback of the season. Injuries continue to expose an inexcusable lack of depth.

Nobody wondered whether the Packers would beat the Chiefs as much as they wondered just how badly the Packers would beat the Chiefs.

Then a funny, fun and completely unpredictable thing happened: The Chiefs led for all but 4 minutes, held the Packers to their fewest points and yards since last season, shut down Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers and beat the defending world champions.

It can’t be as simple as Tyler Palko sitting, and the plainly capable Orton playing, can it?

Because even before this, Crennel figured to drop the “interim” from his new title as head coach after Haley’s firing.

But now, after the team’s most inspired effort of the season, the Chiefs almost surely have their man. The locker room is rooting for Crennel to get the permanent job — actually, some Chiefs players are openly lobbying for it.

“Everything was different,” McClain said of the past week. “More meeting time. More football time. Learning your opponent better, understanding your opponent. I know I watched more film this week than I watched all year. Everything was different, man. Good different.”

Especially after Haley openly admitted the Jets were better prepared than the Chiefs last weekend. What you hear from players now is both an indictment of the past and endorsement of the future with Crennel.

McCluster: “I know everybody in this locker room will fight for him.”

Receiver Terrance Copper: “He doesn’t give us a reason not to play hard for him.”

Running back Thomas Jones: “He’d be a great choice for us.”

Receiver Steve Breaston, a noted Haley supporter, even referred to Crennel’s nickname after the game on Twitter: “Yeah by the way … Rac City!!!!”

The descriptions of Crennel are a general sketch of what owner Clark Hunt and general manager Scott Pioli say they want in a head coach.

Crennel treats everyone with respect. He is obsessed with details, with fundamentals, with the kind of preparation that means the Chiefs know their opponents better than the other way around.

Crennel makes his own decisions (Orton found out he was starting Sunday’s game before Pioli did) without being insubordinate. He gives credit to his players first, his assistants second and himself never.

“I was just standing on the sideline,” he said. “That’s all I did today. They got it done.”

The parallels are too many to ignore. Crennel is consistent. He is dedicated. You will never see him take the kind of unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that Haley drew in his last game.

Crennel went 24-40 over four seasons in Cleveland, but you know that Bill Belichick was also fired by the Browns before taking over the Patriots.

Pioli believes in guys he’s worked with, guys who’ve been in his system before. He believes that smart and motivated people get better with experience and can learn from mistakes.

In other words, Crennel fits.

The immediate impact of the Chiefs winning his first game in charge is kind of fun and mostly obvious. Green Bay’s perfect season is over. The Chiefs can still claim a mathematical shot at the playoffs.

A fan base is truly encouraged for the first time since that Monday night win over the Chargers, when the Chiefs improved to 4-3 and receiver Dwayne Bowe spray-painted his shoes and a dozen or so teammates put on “Scream” masks to celebrate on Halloween.

But it’s the other stuff that is more important, the other stuff that the players seem to know gives this a chance to be more than a temporary reprieve like their win in Chicago two weeks ago.

The feeling is entirely different this time. Some of that is Orton, who ran the offense well enough to knock off an opponent that hadn’t lost in more than a year.

The bigger part is Crennel, and a genuine vibe in the locker room that this team has found the right coach to make a still-promising future become reality.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

The big concern I have Chuzinski is he has only coached in the playoffs twice and both times as a tight ends coach. His teams haven't been very successful.

He did a good job at Miami as the OC and coached Franks, Shockey, and Winslow made them pretty good players. Antonio Gates as well. He did a good job in Cleveland as the OC, I believe he helped coordinate San Diegos passing game, and has helped turn around the Panthers offense with a rookie QB. I can't think of a more deserving candidate to be honest.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

We had a super staff last year it didn't work. I just don't see how Ferentz would come to the NFL and answer to someone else when the guy is a celeb in Iowa.

It didn't work because Haley and Weis were ego maniacs. Ferentz is more along the lines of Vermeil type. He would dictate to the staff. I think he would have worked great with last year's staff for sure.

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

He did a good job at Miami as the OC and coached Franks, Shockey, and Winslow made them pretty good players. Antonio Gates as well. He did a good job in Cleveland as the OC, I believe he helped coordinate San Diegos passing game, and has helped turn around the Panthers offense with a rookie QB. I can't think of a more deserving candidate to be honest.

A whole lot of truth in this post.

If we were going the inexperienced coordinator route, he'd be my guy.

I don't think we are though.

[Brock]

I agree that 64 is old for a head coach in the NFL, but that's really only if you look at the number by itself and not the man. Romeo seems like a pretty sharp guy and he's probably in a lot better health than somebody like Charlie Weis.

Also, the long hours that these guys work aren't really work in the conventional sense. This job isn't exactly rocket science, it's just thinking about ways to improve the team and its performance. I'm not necessarily sold on Crennel, but his age isn't a real compelling argument against.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

A whole lot of truth in this post.

If we were going the inexperienced coordinator route, he'd be my guy.

I don't think we are though.

I don't think so either. If I had to guess I'd say we're keeping Crennel though his comments the other day about how he'd have to be able to make some of the decisions were interesting.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Omega

True. This explains the great myriads of senior citizens heading NFL teams these days.

OMG!! YOU ARE RIGHT! And there is no team with a coach who has a first name starting with the letter D! You know why? Cuz Dans and Dons and Dirks make BAD COACHES! It most be so.. cuz that is what my pee-brained failed logic tells me!

Jesus, you can't possible be this stupid?

And you do realize there ARE some coaches like Tom Coughlin who is older? Oh and that being a head coach in COLLEGE can be just as challenging and yet who was the best coach in the game this year??? Yup a 72 year old.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

And you do realize there ARE some coaches like Tom Coughlin who is older?

Coughlin and "interim" Romeo.

That's it.

Clearly we should follow this developing trend.

[lewdog]

Cut Romeo off of the fried chicken and grape soda. Then get his ass on a treadmill! Problem solved.

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

I don't think so either. If I had to guess I'd say we're keeping Crennel though his comments the other day about how he'd have to be able to make some of the decisions were interesting.

Missed that. What did he say?

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by lewdog_5

Cut Romeo off of the fried chicken and grape soda. Then get his ass on a treadmill! Problem solved.

Is this how you travel through time? A treadmill sans fried chicken and grape soda?

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

who was the best coach in the game this year??? Yup a 72 year old.

Subjective. But the rest of your post was nice. You could've gotten away with "best coach in the big 12"

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Omega

Is this how you travel through time? A treadmill sans fried chicken and grape soda?

I bet if we got the black bear to run backwards, it could be possible.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Omega

Coughlin and "interim" Romeo.

That's it.

Clearly we should follow this developing trend.

So your entire argument is that due to the fact that he has lived 64 years he isn't qualified to coach the Chiefs? You base this on "trends" in the NFL...

then answer my question.. why are there no coaches with names that start with a D? THAT TREND MUST MEAN SOMETHING RIGHT????

I'm gonna try to force you to USE your brain for once... please explain why one "trend" is more meaningful then the other?

Have you heard an NFL exec voice an opinion that 64 years old is the cutoff for an effective coach? Or is this just another thing you pulled out of your ass?

(just to be clear, I'm not sold on Romeo yet but Clayton is an idiot, so I going to bury his idiotic ramblings in this thread)

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Missed that. What did he say?

It was his first press conference I think. He was asked if he would comeback as a DC he said maybe it would depend on what the HC wants. He then was asked if he wanted to be head coach and he said yes but wanted to be able to pick his guys.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Subjective. But the rest of your post was nice. You could've gotten away with "best coach in the big 12"

It still illustrates my point... the idea that 64 is too old is ludicrous.