In big win, Chiefs find a leader in Romeo Crennel

[Hammock Parties]

This is dangerous. Chiefs players are lobbying openly for Crennel to get the job.

64-year old interim head coaches don't win shit in this league.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/12/18...-a-leader.html

Rookie linebacker Justin Houston grabbed an orange bucket of blue Gatorade and followed a pack of co-conspirators to drench the Chiefs’ new head coach. Romeo Crennel took it, smiled and clapped.

Running back Le’Ron McClain strutted toward Arrowhead Stadium’s west end zone, dropped his helmet around the 25-yard line, and joined five or six teammates in high-fiving and hugging delirious fans.

Crennel missed it. By this time, he was making his way off the field, wiping away tears.

The Chiefs stunned the football world by beating the previously undefeated Packers 19-14 on Sunday, the most shocking outcome in the NFL this season and in Kansas City for longer than that, one that we all might look back on in a few years as the day the franchise’s direction changed.

Three critical developments, in ascending order of importance, emerged from Sunday’s improbable upset: The Chiefs maintained a sliver of playoff hope, reminded a city that football can be fun and almost certainly found their new head coach.

“We treated this as our Super Bowl,” running back Dexter McCluster said. “This was our Super Bowl. You could feel that positive energy.”

What the Chiefs accomplished on Sunday is now the talk of the league. The Packers are still the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites, owners of the second-longest winning streak in NFL history, the model franchise for 31 others trying to build sustainable and long-term success. They’d won 19 straight and came in averaging nearly 36 points per game.

Juxtapose that with an organization in disarray. The Chiefs hadn’t scored more than 10 points since October and have lost five times by 27 points or more — one away from the most since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

This last week started with head coach Todd Haley being fired. Kyle Orton, cut by the Broncos a month ago, became the Chiefs’ third starting quarterback of the season. Injuries continue to expose an inexcusable lack of depth.

Nobody wondered whether the Packers would beat the Chiefs as much as they wondered just how badly the Packers would beat the Chiefs.

Then a funny, fun and completely unpredictable thing happened: The Chiefs led for all but 4 minutes, held the Packers to their fewest points and yards since last season, shut down Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers and beat the defending world champions.

It can’t be as simple as Tyler Palko sitting, and the plainly capable Orton playing, can it?

Because even before this, Crennel figured to drop the “interim” from his new title as head coach after Haley’s firing.

But now, after the team’s most inspired effort of the season, the Chiefs almost surely have their man. The locker room is rooting for Crennel to get the permanent job — actually, some Chiefs players are openly lobbying for it.

“Everything was different,” McClain said of the past week. “More meeting time. More football time. Learning your opponent better, understanding your opponent. I know I watched more film this week than I watched all year. Everything was different, man. Good different.”

Especially after Haley openly admitted the Jets were better prepared than the Chiefs last weekend. What you hear from players now is both an indictment of the past and endorsement of the future with Crennel.

McCluster: “I know everybody in this locker room will fight for him.”

Receiver Terrance Copper: “He doesn’t give us a reason not to play hard for him.”

Running back Thomas Jones: “He’d be a great choice for us.”

Receiver Steve Breaston, a noted Haley supporter, even referred to Crennel’s nickname after the game on Twitter: “Yeah by the way … Rac City!!!!”

The descriptions of Crennel are a general sketch of what owner Clark Hunt and general manager Scott Pioli say they want in a head coach.

Crennel treats everyone with respect. He is obsessed with details, with fundamentals, with the kind of preparation that means the Chiefs know their opponents better than the other way around.

Crennel makes his own decisions (Orton found out he was starting Sunday’s game before Pioli did) without being insubordinate. He gives credit to his players first, his assistants second and himself never.

“I was just standing on the sideline,” he said. “That’s all I did today. They got it done.”

The parallels are too many to ignore. Crennel is consistent. He is dedicated. You will never see him take the kind of unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that Haley drew in his last game.

Crennel went 24-40 over four seasons in Cleveland, but you know that Bill Belichick was also fired by the Browns before taking over the Patriots.

Pioli believes in guys he’s worked with, guys who’ve been in his system before. He believes that smart and motivated people get better with experience and can learn from mistakes.

In other words, Crennel fits.

The immediate impact of the Chiefs winning his first game in charge is kind of fun and mostly obvious. Green Bay’s perfect season is over. The Chiefs can still claim a mathematical shot at the playoffs.

A fan base is truly encouraged for the first time since that Monday night win over the Chargers, when the Chiefs improved to 4-3 and receiver Dwayne Bowe spray-painted his shoes and a dozen or so teammates put on “Scream” masks to celebrate on Halloween.

But it’s the other stuff that is more important, the other stuff that the players seem to know gives this a chance to be more than a temporary reprieve like their win in Chicago two weeks ago.

The feeling is entirely different this time. Some of that is Orton, who ran the offense well enough to knock off an opponent that hadn’t lost in more than a year.

The bigger part is Crennel, and a genuine vibe in the locker room that this team has found the right coach to make a still-promising future become reality.

[Brock]

Most Super Bowl winners were white. I'll let you make that correlation for yourself, Clay.

Originally Posted by Omega

Terrible comparison. I'm examining 50 years of NFL history and the current state of head coaching in the NFL.

Someone making your argument is examining one team and one head coach.

But, nobody in 50 years had won a SuperBowl with a 35 year old head coach before, moron. It's an IDENTICAL argument except that there's a whole lot more reason to not hire a 35 year old head coach than there is not to hire a 64 year old.

Originally Posted by Brock

Most Super Bowl winners were white. I'll let you make that correlation for yourself, Clay.

He's not going to be able to process that, Brock.

[KCrockaholic]

Come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing a bald head coach win a Super Bowl. We MUST hire a hairy mother ****er. Oh, nevermind, Tony Dungy was bald. But he was black. Most head coaches who've won are white. We need a white, hairy mother ****er.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Phobia

But, nobody in 50 years had won a SuperBowl with a 35 year old head coach before, moron. It's an IDENTICAL argument

No it's not. Because a 35-year old head coach is going to last a lot longer than four or five years and will have more of a chance to win a SB.

I can also find several head coaches who were hired in their 30s (Don Shula or John Madden for instance) and won SBs.

[KCrockaholic]

If I get some extra time this week I'm seriously gonna break down this data like I talked about in my other post. And I will go back over the course of 30 years.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

If I get some extra time this week I'm seriously gonna break down this data like I talked about in my other post. And I will go back over the course of 30 years.

If you guys like stats so much you should check out baseball. A statistical game at its finest.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Omega

No. My argument also takes into consideration that:

1. Interim head coaches don't go on to win SBs.

2. I don't believe Romeo is going to go get a QB.

3. His age guarantees he will be gone in a few years.

and more stupidity....

1.OMG! THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A COACH WHO HAS A FIRST NAME STARTING WITH THE LETTER R! That means that Romeos and Rons can't win superbowls RIGHT? You ****ing moron.

2. that's really more of a Pioli thing but whatever. he has already shown that he is willing to play different guys when he took an anyone but Palko stance. I don't see ANY basis for you to think this. You do know he was head coach when Cleveland drafted Brady Quinn in the first round....

3. Why? yes he will definitely be gone in 6-8 years... just like ANY coach probably would.

[Hammock Parties]

In six to eight years? You really think Romeo Crennel is going to coach into his 70s?

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by Omega

Is this how you travel through time? A treadmill sans fried chicken and grape soda?

Let's make a deal: We'll get Romeo to travel back in time so he's healthier if you'll travel ahead in time till you have even a little ****ing intelligence.

Assuming your Mom won't rent the basement out while you're flying past the chronons.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Omega

In six to eight years? You really think Romeo Crennel is going to coach into his 70s?

I think that is the upper limit... yes, if he is successful and having fun, I see ZERO reason he wouldn't.

Let's get back to "interim" head coaches for a sec... what about Ray Malavasi, Raymond Berry, Jeff Fisher and Marv Levy... all where Interim Head Coaches that at one point took that team to the superbowl... but they don't count because SOMEHOW the interim title cursed them to never be able to win the superbowl right?

Originally Posted by Omega

No it's not. Because a 35-year old head coach is going to last a lot longer than four or five years and will have more of a chance to win a SB.

I can also find several head coaches who were hired in their 30s (Don Shula or John Madden for instance) and won SBs.

Sure you can, but you can't find somebody who was hired at 35 on the nose who went on to win a Superbowl because that never happened prior to Tomlin, you donkey. If I can't introduce a 62 year old Vermeil as a counter to your argument about old coaches then you can't introduce a 37 year old Don Shula. Can you phathom how stupid this age argument is? Honestly? Are you capable of that level of cognitive reasoning?

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Phobia

If I can't introduce a 62 year old Vermeil as a counter to your argument about old coaches then you can't introduce a 37 year old Don Shula.

That's not a counter to my argument, though.

I'm only arguing that coaches in their 60s infrequently win Super Bowls (just 3 of 27). I never specifically mentioned the age of 64.

Vermeil is actually part of MY argument.

[AustinChief]

Are you going to address my concern that coaches whose names start with R have NEVER won a superbowl????

So we can't hire a coach named Romeo or Ray or Ron, right?

Please explain how my argument significantly differs from yours.

I'd love to see this.

Originally Posted by Omega

That's not a counter to my argument, though.

I'm only arguing that coaches in their 60s infrequently win Super Bowls (just 3 of 27). I never specifically mentioned the age of 64.

Vermeil is actually part of MY argument.

And FYI, Dick was younger than Romeo when he won it.

You specifically mentioned the age of 64 in your opening post. Now you're drowning in your own crap.