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.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by beach tribe

Something happens in the NFL that has never happened before every season.

Originally Posted by Omega

Find me a 64-year old interim head coach who went on to win a SB.

If Crennel is our HC and actually wins a SB here it will shock everyone in the NFL. It would be unprecedented.

Sorry for being concerned when 50 years of NFL history says this won't work out.

And FYI, Dick was younger than Romeo when he won it.

50 years of NFL history says that a QB won't throw a TD in 41 consecutive games either. 50 years of NFL history says that nobody will touch Tom Dempsey's 63 yard FG.
Weeb Ewbank, Tom Coughlin, and Dick Vermeil all won SuperBowls in their 60's. Dick was 63ish when he won it with the Rams.

I'm not even certain I want Crennel coaching the Chiefs in 2012 yet but your thought process is ridiculous.

[Holladay]

Was thinking bout this today. Haley, wet behind the ears. No street cred. Saw the lil man (Pioli) during the Hunt and Poili presser (Poili looked whipped). Romeo told Poili who was gonna start at QB (no lap dog).

Romeo has been there done that, as a head coach (his record wasnt great...nor were his QB's).

The key here is that Romeo is older then the youngster (Pioli), has respect from his players (Haley didnt) and which other Head Coach prospect would you rather have (other the Fisher)?

Point is, Romeo has had a QB contriversy, has the backing of the team, Pioli will HAVE to listen to the Head Coach due to his age and experience (street cred).

[Holladay]

It all, as we saw, comes down to Clark.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Phobia

50 years of NFL history says that a QB won't throw a TD in 41 consecutive games either. 50 years of NFL history says that nobody will touch Tom Dempsey's 63 yard FG.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Individual records are bound to fall.

You can bring up other old head coaches but that's not really an argument for Romeo. All those guys were proven head coaches.

[Slainte]

Originally Posted by Omega

You're comparing apples to oranges.

That's what you did when you compared the current situation to what happened with Gantz and the players 25 years ago.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The defensive players openly campaigned for Gunther. We saw how that worked out.

[Deberg_1990]

IM very weary of Romeo. I like the guy, but hes old and dude basically did nothing in Cleveland. Even Bellichek had 1 decent season with a playoff win in Cleveland. IM fearful that all this is is a Post Haley hangover bump.......

[Molitoth]

Find me a 64-year old interim head coach who went on to win a SB.

Find me a team with a first time starting QB with the team for a month and a freshly hired interim head coach that goes on to beat the defending super bowl champs currently undefeated.

Something happens in the NFL that has never happened before every season.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

More WPI junk.

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

More WPI junk.

Uh. No. Star link. Star product.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Originally Posted by Phobia

Uh. No. Star link. Star product.

My bad LoL

[Chiefnj2]

“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.”

What was Haley doing all year with the team? Were they still on their preseason schedule?

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by Omega

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.

His age shouldn't be a problem. Marv Levy went to the SB 4 times at Crennel's age. I wouldn't worry about it. Young kids like you don't realize that 64 isn't that old these days.

[BoneKrusher]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

“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.”

What was Haley doing all year with the team? Were they still on their preseason schedule?

it seems Haley was busy figuring out ways to screw Pioli..