Chiefs Mellinger: Pioli has time to reflect on where it went wrong - Page 4

FloridaMan88 · 01-05-2013, 11:17 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/05...-headline.html

Pioli has time to reflect on where it went wrong

By SAM MELLINGER

The Kansas City Star

The truth set in at some point in Philadelphia. There is no way to get inside a man’s mind, of course, but Scott Pioli likely came to know his time in charge of the Chiefs had expired outside of a conference room at a Philadelphia airport. It must’ve been there that Pioli understood he was still the Chiefs general manager in technical terms, but no longer in practice.

Behind the closed doors in front of Pioli, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt ate up the biggest chunk of a nine-hour meeting alone with Andy Reid. If there was any remaining doubt about who would be in charge, it died in those hours. Pioli used to be the one in that meeting, the one asking the tough questions and making the big decisions.

Now, though, he was left sitting outside, waiting. Like everyone else.

Pioli – part of a five-man traveling party with Hunt, Chiefs president Mark Donovan, vice president Ted Crews and Hunt Sports Group executive Ryan Petkoff – got some facetime with Reid. But it was clear to everyone involved who was in charge. Hunt took the time. Hunt asked the important questions. Hunt would make the decision. Pioli waited to be told.

The first major football hire done without Pioli’s input would also be the last one done with him as an employee. Pioli was professional, but nobody could ignore the awkward setup. He sat outside, researching on his phone or computer, working on contingency options in case Reid did not agree to come to Kansas City – just like the others who would not be making the decision.

The next day, on Friday, the Chiefs announced what they called a mutual decision for Pioli to walk away from the biggest job of his 20-year career in professional football. The Chiefs went 23-41 in his time in charge, the worst four-year stretch since Hunt’s father founded the team in 1960.

Pioli, seen as an egomaniac by so many, left the Chiefs humbled. He thanked Hunt for the opportunity, and told people he was sorry for failing. One of the most dramatic, tumultuous, miserable, and at times tragic eras in franchise history ended in a thank you and apology.

The announcement of the inevitable end to Pioli’s rule included a short statement from both him and Hunt, but Pioli has not spoken publicly. Nobody knows for sure what is next for him, but indications are that he’ll take some time off. Right now, he is resting. Decompressing, as one person put it. It’s a lot to take in.

Pioli and his wife have a young daughter and a home in Nantucket, which he bought years ago in steps – first the land, then the construction – after an old football friend told him everyone in the business needed a place to stay after being fired.

The consensus among NFL people is that he won’t have trouble finding another job whenever he wants one, perhaps even another GM position in the future though, as one friend of Pioli’s put it, “he obviously made some mistakes and will learn from it like we all do.”

The friend made it clear that Pioli wanted to make it work with the Chiefs, even after this awful season, saying Pioli had grown to love Kansas City. He made friends here, many of them outside of football, and became involved in the local arts scene and an organization that promotes women’s sports.

What turned out to be the worst year of Pioli’s professional life began with such promise. He lost about 30 pounds in the offseason, enough that he had to buy new clothes, and in training camp publicly welcomed higher expectations. And why not? Four years into the job he had what he considered his best roster. He hired a new coach. Sports Illustrated, among other national outlets, picked the Chiefs to win the division.

But the bad news started, literally, as soon as the season did. Tamba Hali was suspended for the first game and Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez, the Hall of Fame tight end Pioli traded shortly after arriving in Kansas City, dunked the ball through the goalposts after a touchdown in a blowout loss to the Falcons. The next week, Dwayne Bowe – the recovering knucklehead – pointed to the back of his jersey in another blowout loss that turned fan frustration from code orange to red.

Meanwhile, Pioli was dealing with personal stress. There was a report that he was offered a contract extension, which a source close to the Chiefs adamantly denied to the Star. He was deposed at least once in an age discrimination lawsuit stemming from ongoing intra-office drama, much of which was detailed by the Star. In what would later be seen as a tragic prequel, a team employee killed a woman and then himself.

Then, of course, Pioli was face-to-face with Jovan Belcher in the parking lot outside the Chiefs facility one morning, a few steps away when Belcher knelt behind a car and shot himself shortly after murdering his longtime girlfriend.

Pioli has always been fiercely private – even innocuous quotes would usually be given only off-the-record – but seemed to keep relatively good spirits until the end was imminent.

If his final season is remembered as the worst in franchise history – and it is – his final days will be remembered for confusion. Hunt announced Romeo Crennel’s firing on Monday, which led to many inside the Chiefs’ offices to wonder about Pioli’s. But Hunt is one of the few men more private than Pioli, so team employees expecting a fresh start had to wait.

That included Pioli, who by all accounts handled his final few days of employment with class, even amid an air of inevitability that he would soon be gone.

Pioli came arrived in Kansas City with the Chiefs in a terrible place. They had just gone 2-14, fans fed up with years of falling behind. The new coach Pioli hired unwittingly set a new hard tone when he told a respected Pro Bowler he could win two games with “22 guys off the street.”

Four years and four drafts later, the Chiefs again won just two games. A rough, overly dramatic, and ultimately alienating time ends with the team in the exact same spot, accomplished men on all sides left to reflect on what went wrong.

01-06-2013, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

It wasn't a very well written article. Reading the words "team killer" so many times was tiring.

The author wanted to make a clear point, I presume.

**HemiEd** · 01-06-2013, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia

The author wanted to make a clear point, I presume.

In triplicate.

rtmike · 01-06-2013, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

I think I can honestly say now that I would have preferred Carl and Herm for 4 more years over the Scott 'Team-killer' Pioli regime. That's sad.

Let's see, 4 years of Herm got us:

2 starting CB's
Pro Bowl, leading '12 AFC rusher
Left tackle of the future
Starting right tackle for another team
Pro Bowl OLB
Pro Bowl ILB
Pro Bowl Punter
Former Pro Bowl WR
2 starting tackles on other teams
A kicker
4 year starter on our D line

TK Peehole's stand outs:

Safety
OLB

**mdchiefsfan** · 01-06-2013, 04:11 AM

Clark "face-raper" Hunt FTW

**bevischief** · 01-06-2013, 04:58 AM

What was the purpose of this article?

Nightfyre · 01-06-2013, 04:59 AM

Rub some dirt in it?

**mdchiefsfan** · 01-06-2013, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevischief

What was the purpose of this article?

Evidently to say Pioli about 78421133 times. I think Mellinger had some pent up aggression.

Edit: Oh Mods, I was wondering why I kept getting a dup on team killer.

CoMoChief · 01-06-2013, 05:37 AM

Clark was playing games w/ Pioli. Basically stripping him of all his power, but still making him travel w/ them only to sit outside in the waiting room while the owner selects the new HC. ****in love it. Clark was obviously seeing if Pioli would just say "screw this - I'm just going to walk away".

CoMoChief · 01-06-2013, 05:38 AM

Haha just saw the filter CP now has on Scott Pioli. <===

CoMoChief · 01-06-2013, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmike

Let's see, 4 years of Herm got us:

2 starting CB's
Pro Bowl, leading '12 AFC rusher
Left tackle of the future
Starting right tackle for another team
Pro Bowl OLB
Pro Bowl ILB
Pro Bowl Punter
Former Pro Bowl WR
2 starting tackles on other teams
A kicker
4 year starter on our D line

TK Peehole's stand outs:

Safety
OLB

Probowlers ILB and Punter came from Dick Vermeil

chiefzilla1501 · 01-06-2013, 05:51 AM

I don't think Clark is nearly the dick people are making him out to be. I think he's a business guy, plain and simple. I don't think he did what he did to humiliate Pioli. He just wanted to stay consistent with the process he laid out, and as part of that process, that meant figuring out if the head coach interviewed would have chemistry with Pioli (even if he already knew the answer... it's part of the process to make sure).

CoMoChief · 01-06-2013, 06:03 AM

Dick Vermeil
P-Dustin Colquitt (probowler)*still w/ team but for how long?
ILB-Derrick Johnson (probowler)*still w/ team
OG-Brian Waters (probowler)*contract expired/not re-signed/now retired
C- Casey Weigman (probowler)*retired
DE-Jared Allen (probowler)*traded
TE-Tony Gonzalez* (probowler)*traded*left over from Marty era

Herm Edwards
WR-Dwayne Bowe (probowler)*still w/ team-but for how long?
RB-Jamaal Charles (probowler)*still w/ team
OLB-Tamba Hali (probowler)*still w/ team
OG-Wade Smith (probowler)*contract not re-signed
SS-Bernard Pollard (solid starter-borderline probowler)*released
CB-Brandon Flowers (solid starter-borderline probowler)*still w/ team
CB-Brandon Carr (solid starter-borderline probowler)*contract not re-signed
LT-Branden Albert (solid starter-borderline probowler)*still w/ team but for how long?

Scott 'Team-killer' 'Team-killer' Pioli/Todd Haley/Romeo Crennel
SS-Eric Berry (probowler)
OLB-Justin Houston (solid starter-borderline probowler)
RT-Eric Winston (solid starter-borderline probowler*Most RT's don't get any love in PB voting).

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 01-06-2013, 06:31 AM

I think Clark played hardball for the cameras, but I still believe the guy had a man crush on Pioli. I think he was sweet as punch to him behind the scenes. And I don't give a shit. DING DONG PIOLI'S DEAD!

**mdchiefsfan** · 01-06-2013, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

I think Clark played hardball for the cameras, but I still believe the guy had a man crush on 'Team-killer' Pioli. I think he was sweet as punch to him behind the scenes. And I don't give a shit. DING DONG 'Team-killer' Pioli'S DEAD!

If that's true it actually makes me respect Clark more. A man in his position needs to be able to separate business and personal life. That means regardless of the situation Clark will do what is right to provide a winner in KC. Pioli couldn't help but get his buddies jobs, Clark is in it to win it. Results or get the **** out.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 01-06-2013, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdchiefsfan

If that's true it actually makes me respect Clark more. A man in his position needs to be able to separate business and personal life. That means regardless of the situation Clark will do what is right to provide a winner in KC. 'Team-killer' Pioli couldn't help but get his buddies jobs, Clark is in it to win it. Results or get the **** out.

Absolutely. I've been dangling off of his nutsack for everything he's done, and I agree with you on this point. He put his personal opinions aside, and did what he thought was necessary for the team to be successful. That takes a lot of moxie to me.

01-05-2013, 11:17 PM
FloridaMan88 Mahomes: We Are All Witnesses Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Casino cash: $3262906	Mellinger: Pioli has time to reflect on where it went wrong http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/05...-headline.html Pioli has time to reflect on where it went wrong By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star The truth set in at some point in Philadelphia. There is no way to get inside a man’s mind, of course, but Scott Pioli likely came to know his time in charge of the Chiefs had expired outside of a conference room at a Philadelphia airport. It must’ve been there that Pioli understood he was still the Chiefs general manager in technical terms, but no longer in practice. Behind the closed doors in front of Pioli, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt ate up the biggest chunk of a nine-hour meeting alone with Andy Reid. If there was any remaining doubt about who would be in charge, it died in those hours. Pioli used to be the one in that meeting, the one asking the tough questions and making the big decisions. Now, though, he was left sitting outside, waiting. Like everyone else. Pioli – part of a five-man traveling party with Hunt, Chiefs president Mark Donovan, vice president Ted Crews and Hunt Sports Group executive Ryan Petkoff – got some facetime with Reid. But it was clear to everyone involved who was in charge. Hunt took the time. Hunt asked the important questions. Hunt would make the decision. Pioli waited to be told. The first major football hire done without Pioli’s input would also be the last one done with him as an employee. Pioli was professional, but nobody could ignore the awkward setup. He sat outside, researching on his phone or computer, working on contingency options in case Reid did not agree to come to Kansas City – just like the others who would not be making the decision. The next day, on Friday, the Chiefs announced what they called a mutual decision for Pioli to walk away from the biggest job of his 20-year career in professional football. The Chiefs went 23-41 in his time in charge, the worst four-year stretch since Hunt’s father founded the team in 1960. Pioli, seen as an egomaniac by so many, left the Chiefs humbled. He thanked Hunt for the opportunity, and told people he was sorry for failing. One of the most dramatic, tumultuous, miserable, and at times tragic eras in franchise history ended in a thank you and apology. The announcement of the inevitable end to Pioli’s rule included a short statement from both him and Hunt, but Pioli has not spoken publicly. Nobody knows for sure what is next for him, but indications are that he’ll take some time off. Right now, he is resting. Decompressing, as one person put it. It’s a lot to take in. Pioli and his wife have a young daughter and a home in Nantucket, which he bought years ago in steps – first the land, then the construction – after an old football friend told him everyone in the business needed a place to stay after being fired. The consensus among NFL people is that he won’t have trouble finding another job whenever he wants one, perhaps even another GM position in the future though, as one friend of Pioli’s put it, “he obviously made some mistakes and will learn from it like we all do.” The friend made it clear that Pioli wanted to make it work with the Chiefs, even after this awful season, saying Pioli had grown to love Kansas City. He made friends here, many of them outside of football, and became involved in the local arts scene and an organization that promotes women’s sports. What turned out to be the worst year of Pioli’s professional life began with such promise. He lost about 30 pounds in the offseason, enough that he had to buy new clothes, and in training camp publicly welcomed higher expectations. And why not? Four years into the job he had what he considered his best roster. He hired a new coach. Sports Illustrated, among other national outlets, picked the Chiefs to win the division. But the bad news started, literally, as soon as the season did. Tamba Hali was suspended for the first game and Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez, the Hall of Fame tight end Pioli traded shortly after arriving in Kansas City, dunked the ball through the goalposts after a touchdown in a blowout loss to the Falcons. The next week, Dwayne Bowe – the recovering knucklehead – pointed to the back of his jersey in another blowout loss that turned fan frustration from code orange to red. Meanwhile, Pioli was dealing with personal stress. There was a report that he was offered a contract extension, which a source close to the Chiefs adamantly denied to the Star. He was deposed at least once in an age discrimination lawsuit stemming from ongoing intra-office drama, much of which was detailed by the Star. In what would later be seen as a tragic prequel, a team employee killed a woman and then himself. Then, of course, Pioli was face-to-face with Jovan Belcher in the parking lot outside the Chiefs facility one morning, a few steps away when Belcher knelt behind a car and shot himself shortly after murdering his longtime girlfriend. Pioli has always been fiercely private – even innocuous quotes would usually be given only off-the-record – but seemed to keep relatively good spirits until the end was imminent. If his final season is remembered as the worst in franchise history – and it is – his final days will be remembered for confusion. Hunt announced Romeo Crennel’s firing on Monday, which led to many inside the Chiefs’ offices to wonder about Pioli’s. But Hunt is one of the few men more private than Pioli, so team employees expecting a fresh start had to wait. That included Pioli, who by all accounts handled his final few days of employment with class, even amid an air of inevitability that he would soon be gone. Pioli came arrived in Kansas City with the Chiefs in a terrible place. They had just gone 2-14, fans fed up with years of falling behind. The new coach Pioli hired unwittingly set a new hard tone when he told a respected Pro Bowler he could win two games with “22 guys off the street.” Four years and four drafts later, the Chiefs again won just two games. A rough, overly dramatic, and ultimately alienating time ends with the team in the exact same spot, accomplished men on all sides left to reflect on what went wrong.
Posts: 37,979

01-06-2013, 04:11 AM	#49
mdchiefsfan Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Casino cash: $3553904	Clark "face-raper" Hunt FTW
Posts: 10,759

01-06-2013, 04:58 AM	#50
bevischief .... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere Kansas Casino cash: $8659352 VARSITY	What was the purpose of this article?
Posts: 27,731

01-06-2013, 04:59 AM	#51
Nightfyre MVP Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Helena, MT Casino cash: $3738849	Rub some dirt in it?
Posts: 18,519

01-06-2013, 05:37 AM	#53
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $8052254	Clark was playing games w/ Pioli. Basically stripping him of all his power, but still making him travel w/ them only to sit outside in the waiting room while the owner selects the new HC. ****in love it. Clark was obviously seeing if Pioli would just say "screw this - I'm just going to walk away". __________________
Posts: 39,155

01-06-2013, 05:38 AM	#54
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $8052254	Haha just saw the filter CP now has on Scott Pioli. <=== __________________
Posts: 39,155

01-06-2013, 05:51 AM	#56
chiefzilla1501 In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $2204497	I don't think Clark is nearly the dick people are making him out to be. I think he's a business guy, plain and simple. I don't think he did what he did to humiliate Pioli. He just wanted to stay consistent with the process he laid out, and as part of that process, that meant figuring out if the head coach interviewed would have chemistry with Pioli (even if he already knew the answer... it's part of the process to make sure).
Posts: 47,937

01-06-2013, 06:03 AM	#57
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $8052254	Dick Vermeil P-Dustin Colquitt (probowler)still w/ team but for how long? ILB-Derrick Johnson (probowler)still w/ team OG-Brian Waters (probowler)contract expired/not re-signed/now retired C- Casey Weigman (probowler)retired DE-Jared Allen (probowler)traded TE-Tony Gonzalez (probowler)tradedleft over from Marty era Herm Edwards WR-Dwayne Bowe (probowler)still w/ team-but for how long? RB-Jamaal Charles (probowler)still w/ team OLB-Tamba Hali (probowler)still w/ team OG-Wade Smith (probowler)contract not re-signed SS-Bernard Pollard (solid starter-borderline probowler)released CB-Brandon Flowers (solid starter-borderline probowler)still w/ team CB-Brandon Carr (solid starter-borderline probowler)contract not re-signed LT-Branden Albert (solid starter-borderline probowler)still w/ team but for how long? Scott 'Team-killer' 'Team-killer' Pioli/Todd Haley/Romeo Crennel SS-Eric Berry (probowler) OLB-Justin Houston (solid starter-borderline probowler) RT-Eric Winston (solid starter-borderline probowlerMost RT's don't get any love in PB voting). __________________ Last edited by CoMoChief; 01-06-2013 at 07:26 AM..*
Posts: 39,155

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