Chiefs Mellinger: Credibility of the Chiefs takes a hit

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-19-2011, 11:41 PM

Credibility of the Chiefs takes a hit
SAM MELLINGER COMMENTARY

BALTIMORE | Even as the Chiefs guard details like wartime secrets, we know that a scuffle happened between their top draft pick and a respected veteran.

We know that the rookie is missing snaps and falling back before his rookie year even begins.

That’s not the worst part.

The Chiefs can try to ignore this incident and tell their players not to talk about it, but the story of the preseason has consequences both on and off the field. This is a horrible look for Jonathan Baldwin, the first-year receiver who already carried a reputation as a diva, and the second time Thomas Jones is known to have fought a younger teammate.

Those are both minor sidebars to the big takeaway: General manager Scott Pioli and the Chiefs’ decision makers look foolish today.

The Chiefs lost their second preseason game 31-13 to the Ravens on Friday. There are football issues to discuss, but for now the only topic that matters is a midweek scuffle between Baldwin and Jones that occurred during training camp and has Baldwin injured and unsure when he’ll return.

“If it’s not a football question, at this point, there’s nothing for me to answer,” Jones said after the game, in which he played and gained 15 yards on five carries. “If it’s not a football question, I’m really not interested in answering.”

Stopped in the locker room, head coach Todd Haley confirmed that Baldwin was back in Kansas City “getting treatment” but otherwise declined to comment.

Some context is essential here. Training camp fights happen all the time. Testosterone-charged men are isolated with each other and millions of dollars at stake, so stuff happens. Most of it we never hear about. The day before Jones and Baldwin reportedly got into it away from fans and media, there was a minor scuffle on the practice field.

So a fight between teammates is neither unusual nor unexpected.

But it is significant, most notably because the first-round draft pick is now injured. That makes it a big deal for the Chiefs’ offense. Baldwin is a key part of insulating quarterback Matt Cassel with enough playmakers to be one of the league’s more dynamic offenses.

Already without a summer’s worth of workouts and reps because of the lockout, Baldwin is now even further behind. What this does for his status in the locker room is even worse. First impressions matter.

The biggest egg, though, is on Pioli’s face. He spent most of the last two years preaching character and team-building and especially The Right 53 — a reference to fielding the right men, upstanding men, on the club’s 53-man roster. The first two years of the Pioli regime, the Chiefs drafted team captains and National Merit finalists. They were very clear that this was part of The Plan.

But all of that felt more like convenient rhetoric this spring when Pioli selected Baldwin, whose time in college included charges of indecent assault, harassment and disorderly conduct that were later dropped. That’s not to mention his public accusations that his coaches at the University of Pittsburgh were deliberately sabotaging his draft stock.

After the draft, the Chiefs went out of their way to squash any talk about Baldwin’s issues.

“We are very comfortable making him a Kansas City Chief,” Haley said.

“We talked to a lot of people on this, and we feel very confident,” Pioli said.

“I won’t be a problem,” Baldwin said.

Three weeks into training camp, there is already evidence against that. To whatever extent it disrupts the Chiefs’ progress, Pioli is the one in charge and in line for the blame.

It isn’t just Baldwin. The Chiefs used a third-round pick on linebacker Justin Houston, who reportedly failed a drug test before the draft.

They went away from the Boy Scouts and citizenship award winners they so valued while building the Chiefs into AFC West champions last year, and they didn’t make it to the first real game before the first real problem.

There is a credibility issue here. Privately and publicly, they have talked up Baldwin’s character, promoting the fact that he moved in with Cassel for part of the summer and downplaying his past problems as overblown.

Whatever the genesis of the issue between Baldwin and Jones, who once scuffled with fellow running back Cedric Benson when the two played in Chicago, it puts Pioli and the other decision makers in an awful spot.

If there is a significant feeling in the locker room that Baldwin was the instigator, then not only are the Chiefs seeing their top rookie’s development set back, there are questions about the franchise’s overall direction.

When a group ties itself so closely to a philosophy, credits it for success and then shifts away from it, opinions will be formed.

Again, scuffles between football players during training camp are not uncommon. This isn’t the end of their progress or a condemnation of what the organization stands for.

If the Chiefs have been as successful at team-building as they say during the new regime’s first two seasons, they should be able to move past this and classify it as a normal locker room occurrence that just happened to leak out to the public.

The hope within the organization is that Baldwin can use this incident as a positive experience. He wouldn’t be the first Chiefs receiver to shed some knucklehead.

The point is that there are people — inside the locker room and out — who believe Pioli never should have taken the risk.

08-19-2011, 11:41 PM	Topic Starter
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $1002813	Mellinger: Credibility of the Chiefs takes a hit Credibility of the Chiefs takes a hit SAM MELLINGER COMMENTARY BALTIMORE \| Even as the Chiefs guard details like wartime secrets, we know that a scuffle happened between their top draft pick and a respected veteran. We know that the rookie is missing snaps and falling back before his rookie year even begins. That’s not the worst part. The Chiefs can try to ignore this incident and tell their players not to talk about it, but the story of the preseason has consequences both on and off the field. This is a horrible look for Jonathan Baldwin, the first-year receiver who already carried a reputation as a diva, and the second time Thomas Jones is known to have fought a younger teammate. Those are both minor sidebars to the big takeaway: General manager Scott Pioli and the Chiefs’ decision makers look foolish today. The Chiefs lost their second preseason game 31-13 to the Ravens on Friday. There are football issues to discuss, but for now the only topic that matters is a midweek scuffle between Baldwin and Jones that occurred during training camp and has Baldwin injured and unsure when he’ll return. “If it’s not a football question, at this point, there’s nothing for me to answer,” Jones said after the game, in which he played and gained 15 yards on five carries. “If it’s not a football question, I’m really not interested in answering.” Stopped in the locker room, head coach Todd Haley confirmed that Baldwin was back in Kansas City “getting treatment” but otherwise declined to comment. Some context is essential here. Training camp fights happen all the time. Testosterone-charged men are isolated with each other and millions of dollars at stake, so stuff happens. Most of it we never hear about. The day before Jones and Baldwin reportedly got into it away from fans and media, there was a minor scuffle on the practice field. So a fight between teammates is neither unusual nor unexpected. But it is significant, most notably because the first-round draft pick is now injured. That makes it a big deal for the Chiefs’ offense. Baldwin is a key part of insulating quarterback Matt Cassel with enough playmakers to be one of the league’s more dynamic offenses. Already without a summer’s worth of workouts and reps because of the lockout, Baldwin is now even further behind. What this does for his status in the locker room is even worse. First impressions matter. The biggest egg, though, is on Pioli’s face. He spent most of the last two years preaching character and team-building and especially The Right 53 — a reference to fielding the right men, upstanding men, on the club’s 53-man roster. The first two years of the Pioli regime, the Chiefs drafted team captains and National Merit finalists. They were very clear that this was part of The Plan. But all of that felt more like convenient rhetoric this spring when Pioli selected Baldwin, whose time in college included charges of indecent assault, harassment and disorderly conduct that were later dropped. That’s not to mention his public accusations that his coaches at the University of Pittsburgh were deliberately sabotaging his draft stock. After the draft, the Chiefs went out of their way to squash any talk about Baldwin’s issues. “We are very comfortable making him a Kansas City Chief,” Haley said. “We talked to a lot of people on this, and we feel very confident,” Pioli said. “I won’t be a problem,” Baldwin said. Three weeks into training camp, there is already evidence against that. To whatever extent it disrupts the Chiefs’ progress, Pioli is the one in charge and in line for the blame. It isn’t just Baldwin. The Chiefs used a third-round pick on linebacker Justin Houston, who reportedly failed a drug test before the draft. They went away from the Boy Scouts and citizenship award winners they so valued while building the Chiefs into AFC West champions last year, and they didn’t make it to the first real game before the first real problem. There is a credibility issue here. Privately and publicly, they have talked up Baldwin’s character, promoting the fact that he moved in with Cassel for part of the summer and downplaying his past problems as overblown. Whatever the genesis of the issue between Baldwin and Jones, who once scuffled with fellow running back Cedric Benson when the two played in Chicago, it puts Pioli and the other decision makers in an awful spot. If there is a significant feeling in the locker room that Baldwin was the instigator, then not only are the Chiefs seeing their top rookie’s development set back, there are questions about the franchise’s overall direction. When a group ties itself so closely to a philosophy, credits it for success and then shifts away from it, opinions will be formed. Again, scuffles between football players during training camp are not uncommon. This isn’t the end of their progress or a condemnation of what the organization stands for. If the Chiefs have been as successful at team-building as they say during the new regime’s first two seasons, they should be able to move past this and classify it as a normal locker room occurrence that just happened to leak out to the public. The hope within the organization is that Baldwin can use this incident as a positive experience. He wouldn’t be the first Chiefs receiver to shed some knucklehead. The point is that there are people — inside the locker room and out — who believe Pioli never should have taken the risk.
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