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This is obviously not a sexy hire, and I can't say it excites me, but not many hires would have excited me. So since everyone else is already ripping the move, I'll try to take a different view of it.
First, I doubt this was a "leftover" hire. This is probably the guy the Chiefs wanted after McDaniels took off for New England. Both Lombardi and LaCanfora mentioned it a while back. Since he was under contract until last week with the Dolphins, it's not a hire they had to rush to make.
Second, if we accepted the idea that Romeo's key thing was that he would provide stability and continuity with the offense, then it probably makes sense to look at this hire and say that it keeps in line with that same philosophy. Would it really make sense to have to spend another couple of years finding guys who fit into Saunder's offense, for example, if the goal is to win this year?
Third, Al Saunders was never an exciting candidate. His offenses post KC Pro-Bowl OL all ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring. He has always been seriously overrated by Chiefs fans. Jim Zorn was never a serious candidate. Tom Clements wasn't going to leave Green Bay. Mike Sherman was going to go coach with his best friend in Miami. So who else would have been better that got swept up by other teams? Schottenheimer? Bruce Arians, who got run out of Pittsburgh? Greg Knapp, who the fans in Oakland are grumbling about? Dirk Koetter, whose offense was one of the worst in the league last year? I don't see very many exciting candidates that other teams hired which we swung and missed on, so we had to settle for the scrapheap.
So I could look at that list, then look at Daboll and say that he looks like a young up and coming coach who has progressed through the ranks from WR coach, to QB coach, to OC. The places where he has been OC, first Cleveland, that was just a joke. I don't know any OC who can coordinate a good offense with the likes of Seneca Wallace and a rookie Colt McCoy. McCoy actually regressed this year once Daboll left. Who did they have on offense, Hillis and Cribbs? That's a pathetic offense personnel-wise. Then, he goes to Miami. No training camp, and your starting QB gets hurt. So you have to try and get things done with Matt Moore, who was horrible the year before. But they were able to eventually get Moore playing well, and turned Reggie Bush into a legit running back. That's at least encouraging.
Everything I've read so far about the guy describes him as high energy, bright, well prepared, passionate, and not afraid of thinking outside the box and being creative on offense (I guess you have to when you don't have legit playmakers). So, again, this is not a hire that excites me, but it's not an unexpected hire. And because it is what it is, I'll try to look at some positives and get to know the guy better and hope that it works out positively. Most of the time with offensive coaches, it's more about fit and talent on offense than anything (see Mike McCarthy who was hired by the Packers despite coordinating the 31st ranked offense in the NFL the year they got him)...
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