Mellinger: Chiefs need to make fixes, but not at head coach

[FringeNC]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/01...ennel-and.html

Chiefs need to make fixes, but not at head coach
By SAM MELLINGER

The Kansas City Star

DENVER | They are chanting his name in the locker room, over and over and over, the second time in three weeks they’ve busted out in beautiful, spontaneous, united success for the man they overwhelmingly want to coach them next year.

RAC! … RAC! … RAC! …

Those Chiefs players will almost certainly get their wish, and very soon, as general manager Scott Pioli is expected to make interim coach Romeo Crennel the permanent leader of a roster already dedicated to him.

Crennel deserves it. He’s earned it, removing the most reasonable doubts by beating the Broncos 7-3 here on Sunday. That’s wins over two playoff teams in three games for a man who embodies most of the characteristics the organization wants to project.

Three respected Chiefs players — Tamba Hali, Steve Breaston and Le’Ron McClain — agreed that Crennel has “overwhelming” support from the players. So the Chiefs are best served with him as the head coach, but only under the following condition:

They don’t get fooled into believing the rest of the fixes from a disappointing season are in-house.

Early indications are good. The coaching staff will undergo major changes, almost certainly with a new offensive coordinator and new special-teams coach.

Crennel would have final say in hiring assistants, and that includes Josh McDaniels, with whom he worked four seasons in New England and will reportedly be fired as Rams offensive coordinator. Chiefs fans have spent a lot of time agonizing over McDaniels, but a Chiefs source said he was not and will not be interviewed for the head coaching job.

That’s a good start, but not enough. The players seem to understand this.

“Yeah, you need to bring in some guys,” says Hali, who with a long-term contract and universal respect is among the Chiefs who can speak most freely. “We need some younger guys. Guys like Derrick (Johnson) and I, we are aging in this game. I do believe you need to bring in some younger guys to help us.”

Hali goes on. He says that “we have to make sure that (quarterback) position is solidified,” and that “nothing against our old coach, but Romeo’s a little older, experienced, he knows what he’s doing.”

There is more, and it is echoed throughout the locker room, with a season now officially over and the players as honest and reflective as the NFL and Chiefs culture allows.

Breaston talks of being proud that his team played hard, when it had nothing to play for and the Broncos had so much. He thinks that’s equal parts Crennel’s influence and what he’s come to think of as a unique vibe within the Chiefs’ locker room.

McClain talks of hoping to be back next year, so he can see this thing through, only without an absurd string of injuries that hampered so much of what would’ve otherwise been possible.

Changes will be made, of course, mostly because changes are always made in the NFL, but also because changes need to be made with the Chiefs.

Injuries have become a crutch for apologists, and this is counterproductive if it allows anyone to believe that a near-historic number of blowout losses can be fixed by a doctor.

The offensive line was perfectly healthy, for instance, and it stunk for most of the season. Same with the defensive line, though Allen Bailey’s emergence is encouraging.

The Chiefs’ decision-makers seem to understand this. You get that sense through private conversations, anyway, though there is enough deliberate ambiguity within the organization that it’s hard to tell for sure.

One of the most dangerous temptations is to believe that the Chiefs are this close to the playoffs because they weren’t eliminated until last week.

You can even point out that if Dwayne Bowe hadn’t dropped a touchdown pass against the Raiders, or if Ryan Succop had made one of those field goals, the Chiefs would be in the playoffs.

Except that’s not a reason to be comfortable; it’s the opposite. The Chiefs came within a game of the playoffs because the AFC West is worse than chicken pox. Failing to take advantage would be a shame — a fireable offense.

Realistically, the Chiefs quit against the Jets and Dolphins, lost by 27 or more points five times and actually got pretty lucky with a schedule that gave them a string of failing quarterbacks (including the Chargers’ Philip Rivers fumbling away a win on Halloween) and breaks in Chicago.

Just by virtue of medical technology, the Chiefs will be the AFC West’s most improved team if Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki fully recover. There is no way to plan for a similar stack of injuries next year, but only fools would rely on duplicating the remarkably injury-free season of 2010.

Hali understands this. He talked for about 10 minutes as the locker room around him cleared out for the last time this season. He talked mostly about his coach, and about how Crennel is one of those “special people … almost like your father” whom players want to make proud.

“You know our league,” he says. “Some guys buy in, some guys don’t. It seems like a lot of guys have bought into Romeo. His philosophy and everything he wants to get done, we’ve bought into it.”

The Chiefs need to make that matter. But they also need to understand that to capitalize on a beautiful opportunity next year, many of the other needed changes must come from outside the organization.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Shox

IGive him credit he canned a horrible hire in Haley in the middle of the season.

Why would I give him credit for a move that could have been (and most likely was) completely self-serving?

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Several of the vets complained about Vermeil the whole time he was here. Willie Roaf retired rather than deal with that training camp again.

Maybe, but Roaf retired with Vermeil.

Too bad, he would have loved Club Herm.

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Why would I give him credit for a move that could have been (and most likely was) completely self-serving?

The signing of Orton and firing of Haley gave KC a legit shot at making the playoffs.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Several of the vets complained about Vermeil the whole time he was here. Willie Roaf retired rather than deal with that training camp again.

I think that was Shields.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Shox

I'm a season ticket holder, I DON't want Pioli gone. You don't build a winning football franchise by replacing GMs every 3rd season. Pioli has not done an amazing job, but he has not been nearly as bad as many on the Planet rant about.

Give him credit he canned a horrible hire in Haley in the middle of the season. Most would not make such a move. He had a solid drafts with the exception of his first, where he went to work very late in process. He has made some solid FA signings.....Breaston & Siler.
He has hired some good coaches (except Hali), Crennel DC, Weiss OC, Thomas DBs.


I really see 3 significant errors; 1. Hiring Haley. 2. Leting Haley go with Muir as defacto OC. 3. Jackson with his 1st pick, he was a huge reach.

Many would say Cassell is a huge mistake. I don't think so. Cassell looked like he might be a quality QB the season he played for the Partiots. He was acquired for the right price and it just did not pan out. It happens all the time in the NFL. The mistake will be if they bring him back.

I'm probably in the minority, but I think Pioli has done a solid job. Not a miracle worker, but a solid job. Give him a B. However, if he does not move on let the Cassel era end then he will quickly turn the B into an F.

Pioli hired Haley. And you want to give him "credit" for firing him after he turned out to be lousy? Really? It seems to me that Pioli is using Haley as a convenient scapegoat to cover up his other various mistakes.

And how in hell does anybody justify Cassel's contract as "the right price"?

Your last sentence is rather telling in that regard. You've already detailed Pioli's worst mistakes as his first three important moves as the Chiefs new GM... Hiring Haley, Trading for Cassel, and selecting TJack with #3 overall. And you finish your statement saying if he doesn't also admit his mistake with Cassel and cut him, that you'll then give him a failing grade.

2 out of 3 of Pioli's first major moves for the franchise, and you're trying to give him props for admitting to one of the failures and "hopefully" admitting to the other.

I don't get it....

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

The Charger players LOVE Norv Turner.

Herm Edwards and Pete Carroll approve this message.

[TEX]

"The offensive line was perfectly healthy, for instance, and it stunk for most of the season."

For you Milkman - with lots of love...

[Bump]

whoever the LB coach is probably deserves a promotion or even the CB's coach, is it still Emmit Thomas? that would be cool to see him as DC

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by TEX

"The offensive line was perfectly healthy, for instance, and it stunk for most of the season."

For you Milkman - with lots of love...

Mellinger is an idiot. Really. Listen to the guy on the radio.

[The Bad Guy]

The crop of available coaches is so bad, I don't see why Romeo shouldn't get hired.

Yeah, he has the support of the team, but I really don't think that's a negative. The defense continued to improve, he actually beat playoff teams, which is something Haley and Cassel couldn't and the staff is going to get overhauled.

I'm not as down on McDaniels as many, but I don't think for a minute that McDaniels = Cassel.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

If the players want him THIS bad, there is NO WAY you hire him. None.

This story does not end well.

Exactly, if you ignore history, you are destined to repeat it.

They were EXACTLY like this for Frank Ganz, and to a slightly lesser degree, Gunther.

I love me some Romeo Crennel, but now I think hiring him as HC is a mistake.

[RustShack]

Maybe Crennel hires Todd Haley to be the OC?

[Monty]

Originally Posted by Bump

whoever the LB coach is probably deserves a promotion or even the CB's coach, is it still Emmit Thomas? that would be cool to see him as DC

I promised myself long ago that I wouldn't get involved in these discussions, but you're the first one I've seen with this suggestion to promote ET to DC. It's a damn good one IMO.

As far as Crennel goes, there's not a whole lot to get excited about whether he gets the job or not. If it's for the right reasons, then fine. If not, Pioli will bear the brunt. It's his reputation on the line, and I know he's very concerned about his image and that alone will prompt him to do what's best for the team. If you take away Pioli's first year and chalk it up to him learning to fly solo, then he hasn't been that bad. Sure, we don't want mediocrity at all, but this is interesting. There are many possible outcomes based on the decisions being made right now and it all falls on Pioli IMO. Time to sink or swim.....

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

The crop of available coaches is so bad, I don't see why Romeo shouldn't get hired.

Yeah, he has the support of the team, but I really don't think that's a negative. The defense continued to improve, he actually beat playoff teams, which is something Haley and Cassel couldn't and the staff is going to get overhauled.

I'm not as down on McDaniels as many, but I don't think for a minute that McDaniels = Cassel.

I'd actually be ok with Romeo + McDaniels if Cassel wasn't part of that equation....I'm just deathly afraid that Pioli simply cannot pass up on his Patriots west wet dream.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

but I don't think for a minute that McDaniels = Cassel.

Please elaborate.

I do not want Cassel here either...but with Cassel, "Pioli's guy", coupled with the the success McDaniels had with Cassel in the past...it would almost be a guarantee that Cassel would be the starter under McDaniels. I don't see how you could view it otherwise...

-Now-

PLEASE...tell me why I am wrong.