Chiefs Rand: Clark is being prudent - Page 4

shaneo69 · 10-21-2008, 11:19 AM

An owner's dilemma
Oct 21, 2008, 8:38:24 AM by Jonathan Rand

With the Chiefs’ latest lopsided loss, you can expect fans to resume their exasperation with chairman Clark Hunt for saying that coach Herm Edwards and president Carl Peterson are doing a good job rebuilding the team.

Fans want to hear Hunt tell them that he shares their pain and frustration, and no doubt would welcome an angry ultimatum to his entire football operation.

But that’s not how a good owner operates, and Hunt in a recent Kansas City Star interview said that he’s staying the course. Publicly chewing out his coach and front office might briefly give an owner a “Joe the Plumber” moment of popularity, but would serve mainly to demoralize and divide the very people he’s trying to help succeed.

Firing NFL coaches during a season is relatively rare and usually futile, the 2-0 start of the Rams’ Jim Haslett notwithstanding. Once a season starts, football teams are like concrete that’s been allowed to dry, and it’s too late to tear it all up.

An offense and defense are meticulously crafted and married to the available personnel. Once the season starts, a team is on a 16-game roller coaster ride, and good luck trying to get out of your car. An owner has to keep the faith that the decisions he signed off on were sound ones unless 16 games tell him otherwise.

In baseball, you can follow through on a managerial shakeup by calling up minor-league prospects and making a major trade or two. The NFL has no minor leagues and the relatively few important trades are made before the season. If you acquire draft picks, they can’t help you now.

It would be naïve to believe that Hunt doesn’t grasp what he’s been watching for six games. Having graduated first in his class at SMU, played soccer there and having watched the Chiefs most of his life, you can bet that he’s keenly aware of all their shortcomings.

But it’s unwise to evaluate a team at its peak or valley, and the Chiefs clearly have reached bottom. Their offense and defense are among the NFL’s worst.

The Brodie Croyle era has probably ended before it really started. Former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson, with his irresponsible behavior, seems determined to fulfill his prophecy that the Chiefs are trying to phase him out.

Hunt could be excused if all this made him scream. It’s to his credit that he hasn’t.

The New York Yankees’ George Steinbrenner was once the poster child for the populist owner who rips his managers and players, to the delight of fans. But the record shows that his tirades bred instability and underachievement, and that his Yankees enjoyed their greatest success when he finally stuck with one manager, Joe Torre, and began respecting sound personnel advice.

Giving his people the benefit of the doubt, however, often leads an owner into the “vote of confidence” trap. If he fires somebody after giving a vote of confidence, he’s considered inept, indecisive or dishonest.

But if he withholds a vote of confidence – even by uttering a simple “no comment” — he’s seen as pulling the rug out from under his people. For the owner of a losing team, this is truly a no-win situation.

As poorly as the Chiefs played Sunday in a 34-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, no reasonable NFL owner pulls the plug on a rebuilding program after only six games. For Hunt to call for a restart at this point would make a tough situation worse.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/10...wners_dilemma/

ChiefsCountry · 10-21-2008, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoman69

Miami brought in Parcelles half way thru last season.

Halfway through the year?

http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/350561.html

Mecca · 10-21-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Pretty much spot on.

Don't encourage Mikey.....all he does is call people stupid while offering 0 thoughts himself, that takes real brains eh?

oaklandhater · 10-21-2008, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

Don't encourage Mikey.....all he does is call people stupid while offering 0 thoughts himself, that takes real brains eh?

QFT

**the Talking Can** · 10-21-2008, 07:17 PM

yes, it's prudent to continue 15 years of carl peterson's failure....

i'm so glad we're prudent....we suck for near 2 decades, but we're prudent!!

woo-hoo!

**MahiMike** · 10-21-2008, 07:22 PM

What possible benefit can we imagine to receive from a man that kicks a FG w/5 mins left in a 27-0 game? I say let bunny the cheerleader coach the team. Change the unis to pink instead of red. Have some fun on the way to 2-14 (credit bunny for 1 win).

milkman · 10-22-2008, 07:05 AM

What gets me is how far off these media types are in reading the fans reaction.

They have this idea that we have jumped ship on the concept of rebuilding.

The fact is, the one thing I will give Herman ****ing Edwards credit for is finally getting this organization to make the right decision and build htis team through the draft, to get younger, to attempt to put a team together that would be able to compete at a high level.

The problem isn't the direction, it's the stupid mother****er directing the product on the field, and the stupid mother****er who hired that idiot, and traded away a draft pick for the chance to do so.

He (Herman ****ing Edwards) is a coach that coaches in fear.

He wants to win, he doesn't however, want to risk losing in that effort.

He consistently puts his players in position to fail.

The fact is, I beleive that the team has drafted a solid core group, and that even were Herman ****ing Edwards not fired, this team would appear to be competitive in a couple of years.

But that would be an illusion, because when it came time to make plays, he would still be putting his players in a position to fail.

milkman · 10-22-2008, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patteeu

I don't remember for sure if that was at the same time or not, but it seems like there were other RB options in the mix. Priest was under my radar though.

A lot of people were pissed that the Chiefs let Charlie Garner sign with the Raiders.

Delano · 10-22-2008, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

What gets me is how far off these media types are in reading the fans reaction.

They have this idea that we have jumped ship on the concept of rebuilding.

The fact is, the one thing I will give Herman ****ing Edwards credit for is finally getting this organization to make the right decision and build htis team through the draft, to get younger, to attempt to put a team together that would be able to compete at a high level.

The problem isn't the direction, it's the stupid mother****er directing the product on the field, and the stupid mother****er who hired that idiot, and traded away a draft pick for the chance to do so.

He (Herman ****ing Edwards) is a coach that coaches in fear.

He wants to win, he doesn't however, want to risk losing in that effort.

He consistently puts his players in position to fail.

The fact is, I beleive that the team has drafted a solid core group, and that even were Herman ****ing Edwards not fired, this team would appear to be competitive in a couple of years.

But that would be an illusion, because when it came time to make plays, he would still be putting his players in a position to fail.

Nice.

TEX · 10-22-2008, 07:18 AM

The problem with that thinking is that Herm ****ing Edwards is no Joe Torre - it's not even close...

patteeu · 10-22-2008, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

A lot of people were pissed that the Chiefs let Charlie Garner sign with the Raiders.

Thanks. That's probably the third guy I was thinking of. I remember being in the camp that wanted Garner. I was underwhelmed by the Priest signing. Crazy.

whoman69 · 10-22-2008, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Halfway through the year?

http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/350561.html

There were stories in the papers a month before that he was taking over, they just didn't know where and in what capacity. The fact that he was able to get a look at the organization and even override the GM speaks volumes.

I just noticed the article called Hunt prudent. Is that like George HW Bush prudent? Do all wimps get the label prudent on their actions?

chiefsngop · 10-22-2008, 09:03 AM

Points to Clark for accepting a rebuild as a good idea for this strategy.

But negative points for allowing Carl to oversee it. Steinbrenner wouldn't allow a GM with limited to no success for over a decade to continue on.

And potential negative points if he allows Herm to continue on after this season, the proofs in the pudding that he's not developing these rooks nor fesible game plans for that matter....

10-21-2008, 11:19 AM
shaneo69 Smug Weasel Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bleachers at Busch Casino cash: $10004900	Rand: Clark is being prudent An owner's dilemma Oct 21, 2008, 8:38:24 AM by Jonathan Rand With the Chiefs’ latest lopsided loss, you can expect fans to resume their exasperation with chairman Clark Hunt for saying that coach Herm Edwards and president Carl Peterson are doing a good job rebuilding the team. Fans want to hear Hunt tell them that he shares their pain and frustration, and no doubt would welcome an angry ultimatum to his entire football operation. But that’s not how a good owner operates, and Hunt in a recent Kansas City Star interview said that he’s staying the course. Publicly chewing out his coach and front office might briefly give an owner a “Joe the Plumber” moment of popularity, but would serve mainly to demoralize and divide the very people he’s trying to help succeed. Firing NFL coaches during a season is relatively rare and usually futile, the 2-0 start of the Rams’ Jim Haslett notwithstanding. Once a season starts, football teams are like concrete that’s been allowed to dry, and it’s too late to tear it all up. An offense and defense are meticulously crafted and married to the available personnel. Once the season starts, a team is on a 16-game roller coaster ride, and good luck trying to get out of your car. An owner has to keep the faith that the decisions he signed off on were sound ones unless 16 games tell him otherwise. In baseball, you can follow through on a managerial shakeup by calling up minor-league prospects and making a major trade or two. The NFL has no minor leagues and the relatively few important trades are made before the season. If you acquire draft picks, they can’t help you now. It would be naïve to believe that Hunt doesn’t grasp what he’s been watching for six games. Having graduated first in his class at SMU, played soccer there and having watched the Chiefs most of his life, you can bet that he’s keenly aware of all their shortcomings. But it’s unwise to evaluate a team at its peak or valley, and the Chiefs clearly have reached bottom. Their offense and defense are among the NFL’s worst. The Brodie Croyle era has probably ended before it really started. Former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson, with his irresponsible behavior, seems determined to fulfill his prophecy that the Chiefs are trying to phase him out. Hunt could be excused if all this made him scream. It’s to his credit that he hasn’t. The New York Yankees’ George Steinbrenner was once the poster child for the populist owner who rips his managers and players, to the delight of fans. But the record shows that his tirades bred instability and underachievement, and that his Yankees enjoyed their greatest success when he finally stuck with one manager, Joe Torre, and began respecting sound personnel advice. Giving his people the benefit of the doubt, however, often leads an owner into the “vote of confidence” trap. If he fires somebody after giving a vote of confidence, he’s considered inept, indecisive or dishonest. But if he withholds a vote of confidence – even by uttering a simple “no comment” — he’s seen as pulling the rug out from under his people. For the owner of a losing team, this is truly a no-win situation. As poorly as the Chiefs played Sunday in a 34-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, no reasonable NFL owner pulls the plug on a rebuilding program after only six games. For Hunt to call for a restart at this point would make a tough situation worse. http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/10...wners_dilemma/
Posts: 4,910

10-21-2008, 07:17 PM	#49
the Talking Can Supporter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: street Casino cash: $9062208	yes, it's prudent to continue 15 years of carl peterson's failure.... i'm so glad we're prudent....we suck for near 2 decades, but we're prudent!! woo-hoo! __________________ Clark Hunt: "Thank god for the Dominican pool boy"
Posts: 51,585

10-21-2008, 07:22 PM	#50
MahiMike He's Mahomie! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Jax, FL Casino cash: $10023443	What possible benefit can we imagine to receive from a man that kicks a FG w/5 mins left in a 27-0 game? I say let bunny the cheerleader coach the team. Change the unis to pink instead of red. Have some fun on the way to 2-14 (credit bunny for 1 win).
Posts: 17,387

10-22-2008, 07:05 AM	#51
milkman Dumbass! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Leading the Marty bashing Casino cash: $10029395	What gets me is how far off these media types are in reading the fans reaction. They have this idea that we have jumped ship on the concept of rebuilding. The fact is, the one thing I will give Herman **ing Edwards credit for is finally getting this organization to make the right decision and build htis team through the draft, to get younger, to attempt to put a team together that would be able to compete at a high level. The problem isn't the direction, it's the stupid motherer directing the product on the field, and the stupid motherer who hired that idiot, and traded away a draft pick for the chance to do so. He (Herman ing Edwards) is a coach that coaches in fear. He wants to win, he doesn't however, want to risk losing in that effort. He consistently puts his players in position to fail. The fact is, I beleive that the team has drafted a solid core group, and that even were Herman **ing Edwards not fired, this team would appear to be competitive in a couple of years. But that would be an illusion, because when it came time to make plays, he would still be putting his players in a position to fail. __________________
Posts: 70,769

10-22-2008, 07:18 AM	#54
TEX Out Gunning CP's Fandom Police Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Galveston, TX Casino cash: $-1536873	The problem with that thinking is that Herm ****ing Edwards is no Joe Torre - it's not even close... __________________ "Do we have time to run WASP?"
Posts: 37,119

10-22-2008, 09:03 AM	#57
chiefsngop Starter Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	Points to Clark for accepting a rebuild as a good idea for this strategy. But negative points for allowing Carl to oversee it. Steinbrenner wouldn't allow a GM with limited to no success for over a decade to continue on. And potential negative points if he allows Herm to continue on after this season, the proofs in the pudding that he's not developing these rooks nor fesible game plans for that matter.... __________________ We'll be fine. At least Carl Peterson's 5 year plan is finally completed.
Posts: 494