JoPo: MAJOR changes coming for the Chiefs this offseason?

[FloridaMan88]

http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/405684.html


JOE POSNANSKI COMMENTARY
Taking blame requires action

There are a lot of people trying to take the blame over at One Arrowhead Drive. The Chiefs’ offices resemble the “I’m Spartacus” scene in the movie, you know, when all the slaves were jumping up and shouting, “I’m Spartacus.” It’s just like that, except without Kirk Douglas and people wearing tunics.

Oh yeah, everybody’s jumping up and shouting, “I’m at fault.” If you are keeping score at home: Chiefs coach Herm Edwards took the blame last week (“I’ve got broad shoulders.”). Moments later, though, Chiefs president Carl Peterson blocked Edwards’ attempt to take the blame by taking it himself (“Blame me, OK? If you want to blame someone, blame me.”). After that, several players said it was silly for the coach or the GM to take the blame when it was clearly the players’ fault.

Then a few cheerleaders reportedly admitted they have not been as cheery as in past years, and they want some of the blame, too.

Some people suggested they were all at fault, all of them, everyone from the coaches to the players to the clubhouse guys to the people who clean up the stadium after games. This seems especially unfair to the people who clean stadiums after games. It’s bad enough they have to clean up substances chemists wouldn’t touch while wearing radiation suits. They don’t also need to take the blame for the Chiefs’ offensive line problems.

Point is that everyone sees that this season has gone down the tubes. It will only get worse from here. If the Chiefs win out, we will scream that they blew their shot at a decent draft pick. If the Chiefs lose out, they will have their worst record in 25 years (anyway, only really crummy teams lose out to get draft picks). Nobody’s going to be happy about anything that happens the rest of the way. The ship has already hit the iceberg — we’re all just waiting for the water to reach neck level.

And while it’s good to see so many people involved with the Chiefs trying to take the blame — Mitch Holthus, don’t you think it’s about time you take some blame here? Lenny? Grigs? — that’s a first step. It’s easy to “take blame.” I remember once writing a column about how a team messed up something badly. One guy in the front office called to say: “It’s entirely my fault. I blew it. I take full responsibility.”

OK, so the next day I ripped him in the paper for messing up. And the poor guy freaked out. He seemed to think, “I take full responsibility” was just a saying, kind of like, “Have a nice day,” or “Ding, fries are done.” He didn’t think there would be actual consequences. That’s sort of how it goes these days. People seem to think that, “I take responsibility” has become just a get-out-of-jail-free card, a meaningless cliché for coaches and players (and also criminals) to sputter when things don’t go right. Then they leave everything exactly the same.

So that’s why I say it’s only a first step for the Chiefs. The second step means blowing things up, which will be a lot harder and more involved than grabbing for blame.

The Chiefs are broken. Humpty Dumpty broken. Off-the-record interviews with several Chiefs insiders lead me to believe that this is understood — the Chiefs cannot fix this team. They can only salvage a few parts and start again. The word inside Arrowhead is that at least 20 players from this year’s team will have to go at the end of the year. That’s almost half the roster. You can undoubtedly guess some of the players who will be sent packing — the aging corners will be gone, the entire right side of the offensive line will be gone — but you can expect some surprises, too.

The word inside Arrowhead is that the offense will be completely redesigned, top to bottom — they will take whatever pages remain from Dick Vermeil/Al Saunders and throw them in fireplaces. To be blunt, I don’t see any resemblance between the plays the Chiefs run now and the plays they ran when Vermeil and Saunders were here (the Vermeil/Saunders plays tended to, you know, work). But either way, here’s hoping that little 2-yard out pass to Kris Wilson is the first play to go into the fire.

The word inside Arrowhead is that the whole Chiefs philosophy will change — no more aging veterans, no more short-term fixes, no more free-agent shortcuts. Even Peterson, who has for years refused to even utter the “R” word, admitted last week that the Chiefs are, in fact, rebuilding. Look for the Chiefs to try and stockpile draft picks (they already have 10), go crazy inviting college free agents, perhaps sign a couple of younger veterans and then go to camp next year with one of the NFL’s youngest and most enthusiastic teams.

So they say they want a revolution (well, you know, we all want to change the world). The question is: Who is going to run the revolution? The answer right now is hazy. Some changes are inevitable. It seems likely that offensive coordinator Mike Solari will be gone. But that’s not going to convince anybody that things are really changing. Maybe some other coaches will go. Maybe there will be a reshuffling in the front office. But clearly the big questions surround the two men trying to take the blame last week.

Start with Edwards. His approval rating is very low — I can’t remember a Kansas City coach who has inspired more nasty e-mails and phone calls. But Edwards is only in his second year as Chiefs coach, and the first year he did take the Chiefs to the playoffs. He certainly has his share of blame, but he was given an old team with a litter of quarterbacks who could not stay healthy, a decomposing offensive line, a defense with issues and a franchise running back who got hurt. He deserves more time.

That leaves Peterson, who last week made a rather odd statement. Doesn’t it seem like the Chiefs lead the NFL in odd statements? Whenever they say anything, it’s like trying to decode quotes from the Riddler on the old Batman TV show.

Anyway, Peterson said he “absolutely” would step down as GM if he decided that was best for the team. “I evaluate myself every year,” he said through his enigma machine. “But I look at the whole body of work.”

Of course, nobody knows what this means. Most read the quote and believe that the fix is in, that Peterson will look at his entire 19 years and, based on the success of the 1990s Marty teams, say to the mirror: “Hey, overall, I’ve done a darned good job. Look at all those early playoff appearances. Let’s go get some dinner! On me!”

It’s possible. But I don’t think that gives Peterson nearly enough credit. He cares monumentally about the Kansas City Chiefs. He is intensely loyal to the Hunt family. He does, despite what many might think, want more than anything for the Chiefs and the fans to win a Super Bowl. And he knows that the half-empty Arrowhead today is a harbinger of things to come.

Now, does this mean that he will step down? Maybe not. But I think he will look very, very hard at himself this offseason and ask himself the hardest questions: “Am I the right guy to lead the Chiefs on a complete reconstruction? Am I the guy who can win back the fans? Can I change enough to build a whole new kind of football team?”

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by scott free

I agree 100%.

Its a major relief to know that a complete team overhaul is in the works...Clark Hunt may love Carl & appreciate his loyalty, but you can bet that he's been read the riot act...irate fans, empty seats & lost revenue can test even the tightest business relationship.

Ill believe it when i see it.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

Zouk, is Herm Edwards responsible for the state of the New York Jets? If so, why should we have any confidence that Herm has a clue about building a roster?

I thought the state of the NYJ's was DV fault as well? Because if DV didnt retire, Herm would of completed his master plan in NYJ. Even though NYJ was going to can his sorry ass...

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Ill believe it when i see it.

I think those waiting for Herm, Carl & Gun to go will be disappointed, my gut tells me that they will stay...but after that its wide open...OC, most if not all position coaches, aging players, unproductive players.

It wont please everybody, but it will be a good start.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by scott free

I think those waiting for Herm, Carl & Gun to go will be disappointed, my gut tells me that they will stay...but after that its wide open...OC, most if not all position coaches, aging players, unproductive players.

It wont please everybody, but it will be a good start.

It just might be a good enough start that in a year or two (god help us) a new GM and a real NFL coach might have something to build on....

Until then we are just spinning our wheels, hoping for 9-7....

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by scott free

I think those waiting for Herm, Carl & Gun to go will be disappointed, my gut tells me that they will stay...but after that its wide open...OC, most if not all position coaches, aging players, unproductive players.

It wont please everybody, but it will be a good start.

Well then, thats the same old "business as usual" solutions.

Typical of this organization....

I dont blame Carl anymore, i blame the Hunts.

[Zouk]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

Zouk, is Herm Edwards responsible for the state of the New York Jets? If so, why should we have any confidence that Herm has a clue about building a roster?

I've argued this before. He built a team in 2004 that was capable of winning in the playoffs in San Diego (when Drew Brees and not Phillip Rivers was QBing - meaning they were better then than now) and in Pittsburgh (they missed a kick and lost in overtime). If they were not in the same division as the Patriots (who were 14-2 and won the Super Bowl that year) they might have gotten home games in the playoffs and advanced further. But because the Pats were in their division, the best seed they could get was 5. That means road playoff games which means no Super Bowl in virtually all cases.

After the following year in which the top 2 QBs got hurt in the first quarter of the season (no NFL team has ever won in similar circumstance) he left the Jets and Mangini took over. The Herm Edwards' Jets 3 best defensive players were then traded (John Abraham) or were a poor fit for the new 3-4 scheme (Dewayne Robertson, Jon Vilma). So they're transitioning. I don't think Mangini deserves to be fired there, and I don't think Herm deserves to be fired here.

But the facts are overpowering that the Chiefs he inherited had the least amount of young talent of any team in the NFL. The bill for all those traded and wasted draft picks came due once Kennison, Roaf, Shields, Wiegmann, and Dunn stopped being functional NFL starters.

[trndobrd]

[Reerun_KC]

Thanks trndobrd, for the first gay reference to the game day thread!

[siberian khatru]

I thought it was a good column, for 2 reasons:

1) He addressed an important issue, not just in sports but in society, about the "I take the blame, I accept full responsibility -- without consequences" tact (I think someone posted a post-Waco picture of Janet Reno on this last week, which was clever and apt).

2) He didn't just speculate about or assert what needed to be done, he has a source inside the organization who says the higher-ups know the team has to be blown up. That's encouraging.

However, I will believe it when I see it.

My column which will appear this week is similar in direction to JoPo's but he did it so much better than I ever could. Mine essentially leaves 1000 questions in your head about the state of the team. It boils down to who is ultimately responsible because so many things have gone wrong. The only solid phase of the whole team is the punting unit and that's 80% Colquitt.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

2) He didn't just speculate about or assert what needed to be done, he has a source inside the organization who says the higher-ups know the team has to be blown up. That's encouraging.

However, I will believe it when I see it.

yup...I hope they weren't blowing smoke up his you know what...

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Good Article....

As long as Herm is here, there isnt any hope for future success...

Unless someone takes us back to 1986.

[Deberg_1990]

Mort on ESPN just reported (or speculated) that either Herm or Norm Chow was interviewed for the UCLA head coaching job last night.

Hmmm... Come on Carl, use your connections!!

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Mort on ESPN just reported (or speculated) that either Herm or Norm Chow was interviewed for the UCLA head coaching job last night.

Hmmm... Come on Carl, use your connections!!

unfortunately, it has to be Chow...

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Mort on ESPN just reported (or speculated) that either Herm or Norm Chow was interviewed for the UCLA head coaching job last night.

Hmmm... Come on Carl, use your connections!!

Have to be Chow...

No way a program like UCLA would try and hire Herm.. They cant be that stupid...