Chiefs Whitlock - Hiring of Pioli puts the Chiefs in the Hunt again - Page 3

ChiefsCountry · 01-13-2009, 11:46 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/980160.html

Hiring of Pioli puts the Chiefs in the Hunt again
Jason Whitlock

We have no more questions about Clark Hunt’s commitment to winning the Super Bowl.

By landing the biggest fish in the NFL’s off-season ocean — Patriots front-office guru Scott Pioli — Hunt told us everything we need to know about his desire to win at the highest level.

Clark Hunt is as passionate and committed as the most fanatic Chiefs fan.

You pierce your costume with arrows on game day, wear red on Fridays, decorate your basement with Chiefs apparel, rock Priest Holmes jerseys throughout the week, tolerate taxes to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and pay $22 to tailgate before exhibition games.

Clark Hunt appreciates all that. But he wants you to recognize he just spent a fortune to eliminate the stench of Carl Peterson and make the Chiefs Super Bowl contenders again.

We thought dethroning King Carl was a big deal. Luring Pioli to replace Peterson is much, much bigger.

There is no way to guarantee Pioli will be a success. The longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man might be as fraudulent as Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Eric Mangini and the other Belichick clones who failed once they left the Patriots coach’s shadow and cashed in.

I like Pioli — a lot. He’s young, confident, disciplined, smart and he’s certainly been in the right organization.

But when it comes to the Patriots and success, we just don’t know where Belichick ends and everybody else begins. The Patriots are like the Jackson 5, and Belichick is Michael Jackson. Crennel and Weis proved to be Tito and Jackie.

Is Pioli the next Jermaine Jackson, who had a solid solo career? Or, better yet, is Pioli the next Janet Jackson, a megastar just waiting for the opportunity to shine?

We don’t know. And we won’t know for a couple of years. We’ll need to see how he drafts, whether he can find a legitimate quarterback of the future for the Chiefs, whether he can hire his own version of Belichick.

(Oops, I’m assuming that Herm Edwards will be relieved of his duties.)

What we know for sure is that ownership is going to provide Pioli with everything he needs to be successful.

There’s no way Pioli takes the job without those assurances. He had a great deal of leverage entering this off-season. The Cleveland Browns wanted to make him their general manager. The Lions were initially interested. Pioli could’ve stayed with the Patriots and waited for the perfect situation.

He got it here. He took this job because he found an owner ready to do things the Patriots way. He found an owner ready to match his level of commitment.

You don’t leave Belichick and all those Super Bowl rings unless you believe you’ve discovered a place where you believe you can do the same thing. Oh, I’m sure the money is awesome. I’m sure the Pioli family is set.

But Pioli has no interest in being Weis or Crennel. They’re laughingstocks. They’re known as football men who were great Belichick puppets and nothing else. One of life’s toughest tasks is recovering a lost reputation.

Pioli has a great rep. He’s risking a lot leaving the Belichick nest. He didn’t do it blindly or with dollar signs dancing in his head.

He did it thinking about creating his own legacy and with playoff victories dancing in his head.

Pioli and Hunt recruited each other. Pioli had to convince Hunt that he had a plan to fix the Chiefs. And Hunt had to convince Pioli that he was willing to support that plan.

For two decades under Peterson’s rule and Lamar Hunt’s budget, the Chiefs shopped for bargains in their pursuit of a championship. Peterson grabbed Marcus Allen and Joe Montana at the end of their careers. Peterson snagged underappreciated veterans such as Dan Saleaumua and James Hasty.

Only once can I remember Peterson stepping out and paying top dollar for a big-time free agent. He gave his football godfather Dick Vermeil a golden parachute. Peterson spent lavishly on assistants and Vermeil’s dream of building an offense superior to Mike Martz’s.

It worked.

Well, now Clark Hunt has stepped out and grabbed the most elite name in front-office magic.

And with this move, Hunt has boldly stated only the best and brightest are good enough for the Chiefs.

That’s just what we needed to hear.

StcChief · 01-14-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillip

I don't think its sad. You can enjoy football without making it your #1 dedicated hobby. I enjoy my other hobbies a little more (tinkering with cars and skiing/snowboarding) because I can actually control the outcome. You can analyze the NFL to death, but in the end, it really doesn't matter what you think.

If it wasn't for me coming to ChiefsPlanet for news and more informed opinions, I would have never heard of Pioli. I think its safe to say I'm in the vast majority of Kansas Citians.

Whitlock knows his readership base is not the extremely serious message board fan. If he was writing for most of you guys, I'm sure his articles would be a lot more technical and a lot less stating the obvious and stirring the pot.

exactly QFT. the rabid fan BS really showed in the empty seat Arrowhead in 2008.

Stanley Nickels · 10-28-2012, 06:06 PM

Sure-Oz · 10-28-2012, 06:07 PM

Wow, who cares...

He's been one of the biggest supporters of getting rid of Pioli. Pioli fooled us all.

ChiefMojo · 10-28-2012, 06:08 PM

Lol to be fair Jason was one of the first person to turn on Pioli though. Everyone thought Pioli was the greatest thing since sliced bread when hired.

siberian khatru · 10-28-2012, 06:08 PM

This was before The Dinner.

Stanley Nickels · 10-28-2012, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

This was before The Dinner.

That's what makes this remarkable; it seems to validate Whitlock's dinner story, and explains his subsequent souring on Pioli. He clearly was as excited as the rest of us, but did an about-face once he saw Pioli's true character.

10-28-2012, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

There is no way to guarantee Pioli will be a success. The longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man might be as fraudulent as Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Eric Mangini and the other Belichick clones who failed once they left the Patriots coach’s shadow and cashed in.

I think JW sufficiently CYA here.

**BigRedChief** · 10-28-2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefMojo

Lol to be fair Jason was one of the first person to turn on Pioli though. Everyone thought Pioli was the greatest thing since sliced bread when hired.

THIS. Everyone at the time loved the hire. Someone says different, I'm going to have to see some evidence.

01-13-2009, 11:46 PM
ChiefsCountry The Insider Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Lake of the Ozarks Casino cash: $2358752	Whitlock - Hiring of Pioli puts the Chiefs in the Hunt again http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/980160.html Hiring of Pioli puts the Chiefs in the Hunt again Jason Whitlock We have no more questions about Clark Hunt’s commitment to winning the Super Bowl. By landing the biggest fish in the NFL’s off-season ocean — Patriots front-office guru Scott Pioli — Hunt told us everything we need to know about his desire to win at the highest level. Clark Hunt is as passionate and committed as the most fanatic Chiefs fan. You pierce your costume with arrows on game day, wear red on Fridays, decorate your basement with Chiefs apparel, rock Priest Holmes jerseys throughout the week, tolerate taxes to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and pay $22 to tailgate before exhibition games. Clark Hunt appreciates all that. But he wants you to recognize he just spent a fortune to eliminate the stench of Carl Peterson and make the Chiefs Super Bowl contenders again. We thought dethroning King Carl was a big deal. Luring Pioli to replace Peterson is much, much bigger. There is no way to guarantee Pioli will be a success. The longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man might be as fraudulent as Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Eric Mangini and the other Belichick clones who failed once they left the Patriots coach’s shadow and cashed in. I like Pioli — a lot. He’s young, confident, disciplined, smart and he’s certainly been in the right organization. But when it comes to the Patriots and success, we just don’t know where Belichick ends and everybody else begins. The Patriots are like the Jackson 5, and Belichick is Michael Jackson. Crennel and Weis proved to be Tito and Jackie. Is Pioli the next Jermaine Jackson, who had a solid solo career? Or, better yet, is Pioli the next Janet Jackson, a megastar just waiting for the opportunity to shine? We don’t know. And we won’t know for a couple of years. We’ll need to see how he drafts, whether he can find a legitimate quarterback of the future for the Chiefs, whether he can hire his own version of Belichick. (Oops, I’m assuming that Herm Edwards will be relieved of his duties.) What we know for sure is that ownership is going to provide Pioli with everything he needs to be successful. There’s no way Pioli takes the job without those assurances. He had a great deal of leverage entering this off-season. The Cleveland Browns wanted to make him their general manager. The Lions were initially interested. Pioli could’ve stayed with the Patriots and waited for the perfect situation. He got it here. He took this job because he found an owner ready to do things the Patriots way. He found an owner ready to match his level of commitment. You don’t leave Belichick and all those Super Bowl rings unless you believe you’ve discovered a place where you believe you can do the same thing. Oh, I’m sure the money is awesome. I’m sure the Pioli family is set. But Pioli has no interest in being Weis or Crennel. They’re laughingstocks. They’re known as football men who were great Belichick puppets and nothing else. One of life’s toughest tasks is recovering a lost reputation. Pioli has a great rep. He’s risking a lot leaving the Belichick nest. He didn’t do it blindly or with dollar signs dancing in his head. He did it thinking about creating his own legacy and with playoff victories dancing in his head. Pioli and Hunt recruited each other. Pioli had to convince Hunt that he had a plan to fix the Chiefs. And Hunt had to convince Pioli that he was willing to support that plan. For two decades under Peterson’s rule and Lamar Hunt’s budget, the Chiefs shopped for bargains in their pursuit of a championship. Peterson grabbed Marcus Allen and Joe Montana at the end of their careers. Peterson snagged underappreciated veterans such as Dan Saleaumua and James Hasty. Only once can I remember Peterson stepping out and paying top dollar for a big-time free agent. He gave his football godfather Dick Vermeil a golden parachute. Peterson spent lavishly on assistants and Vermeil’s dream of building an offense superior to Mike Martz’s. It worked. Well, now Clark Hunt has stepped out and grabbed the most elite name in front-office magic. And with this move, Hunt has boldly stated only the best and brightest are good enough for the Chiefs. That’s just what we needed to hear.
Posts: 49,569

10-28-2012, 06:06 PM	#32
Stanley Nickels [null] Join Date: Sep 2008 Casino cash: $3230893	LOL. __________________ Bacon-wrapped shrimp: My first-favorite food wrapped around my third-favorite food. I'd go to a banquet in honor of those Somali pirates if they served bacon-wrapped shrimp.
Posts: 6,633

10-28-2012, 06:08 PM	#34
ChiefMojo Happy, Happy, Happy!!! Join Date: Jan 2009 Casino cash: $10004935	Lol to be fair Jason was one of the first person to turn on Pioli though. Everyone thought Pioli was the greatest thing since sliced bread when hired.
Posts: 2,283

10-28-2012, 06:08 PM	#35
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $2584950	This was before The Dinner.
Posts: 69,129