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.

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

We are so ****ed. RAC is going to be a terrible head coach. A perfect example is this last game. Meaningless worthless game yet he won't start Stanzi, Powe or Hudson to give them some seasoning. When asked about it in the press conference he said I'm going with the players that got us here.

Thats all I need to hear. We need someone with some balls and some vision for blending in rooks and getting them some playing time.

I can understand that. He is coaching for his job. for him it was not a meaningless game. Lilja has played pretty well in the last couple of games and truthfully Weigman's record doesn't allow him to sit his final game on the bench.

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

This.

All this "Clark is cheap" crap is nonsense.

Clark is cheap. In that light if you are Pioli doesn't it look better for you having saved the owner all that money? I can't see how the Chiefs staff could be one of the highest paid staffs in football with what was a HC on his first contract, an OC that was promoted from position coach. Crennel was probably well paid as a DC.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

adbrandtAndrew Brandt


Teams that left the most Cap room on the table in 2011: Jax, TB and KC. Just don't tell Del Rio, Raheem and Haley that

[Mr. Laz]

Marty II, Marty II, Marty II!!!

[FringeNC]

Originally Posted by whoman69

Clark is cheap. In that light if you are Pioli doesn't it look better for you having saved the owner all that money? I can't see how the Chiefs staff could be one of the highest paid staffs in football with what was a HC on his first contract, an OC that was promoted from position coach. Crennel was probably well paid as a DC.

Too bad he blew 40 million on 3 years of Cassel...

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by JD10367

I remember when Bill Parcells left New England, and they hired "Pom Pom" Pete Carroll. The players talked about how great it would be to have a "players' coach". At the press conference, one of the Patriots defensive players had his arm around Carroll.

And I also remember last year's epic collapse by the Boston Red Sox, with players eating chicken and drinking beer in the dugout while the team had the biggest September collapse in MLB history under another "players' coach", Terry Francona. Just before the September slide, after a victory no less, Francona tried to grow some balls and had a meeting with the players where he said he didn't like things that were going on; they responded with the biggest choke job in baseball.

Now, this all does validate your point somewhat but, the thing is, we don't know why the Chiefs players want/like Romeo. Is it because he's a great coach? Is it because he's coming up with unique and victorious plays? Those are great reasons to like him, and keep him. But if it's because he "isn't as mean as Haley", then, yeah, this could be a bad thing.

That's just the thing. There's very little evidence to suggest it's anything OTHER than a reaction to Haley. It could be any number of things other thant that, but the evidence doesn't point there. They all talk about how he's a father figure and a teddy bear and blah blah blah.

[johnny961]

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.

Just because a coach isn't a total prick doesn't necessarily mean that they can't motivate and lead a disciplined team. Dick Vermeil was known as a players coach yet the guys here at the time seemed to play hard for him. Vermeil had his own motivational style that worked for him. I'm not saying I think that hiring Crennel is a 100% certainty as far as success goes but IMO he has earned a shot at it anyway.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

adbrandtAndrew Brandt


Teams that left the most Cap room on the table in 2011: Jax, TB and KC. Just don't tell Del Rio, Raheem and Haley that

Imagine that, the amount of money you invest in the talent on the field having a direct correlation to wins.

Fat Scott? Clark? Your thoughts on this?

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by johnny961

Vermeil had his own motivational style that worked for him.

Worked for no playoff wins!

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

http://mellinger.kansascity.com/entr...unken-shyness/


@ChiefsandOsFan Is Mcdaniels the next OC of chiefs?

I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t bet a lot of money on it. Wrote this in the column off the Denver game, but I was told in very clear and strong words that Josh McDaniels wasn’t and won’t be interviewed for the head coaching job.

Final say on the coordinators will go to the head coach — still think it’ll be Romeo, but messages are mudding up a bit — but if you read anything into the information about McDaniels, it’s not a good sign for his chances.



Sam is Backpeddling

[O.city]

Good.

No to McD. Seems like the FO is actually putting time into this decision and not going knee jerk and giving it to ROmeo.

If they go thru the process and he is the guy they like the most, fine. But don't just give it to him just because.

[RustShack]

Romeo is the best candidate for the job.

[Shox]

Originally Posted by Dexter Manley

Ah shut up and get back to hockey...

Have Chiefs have season ticket holders. They need to tell the Hunts that Pioli had his chance and doesn't deserve another season as Chiefs GM...

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.

[FAX]

This has likely been mentioned (I have not the time to read this whole, entire thread thing), but Crennel has a nice end-of-season press conference on the Chiefs site.

They cut him off at the end, though. It would be nice to hear the entire presser since he is asked about what "needs" he feels the Chiefs have at this time. He says, "I'll be general with you, but we need depth across the board." You get the feeling that he continues to expand on that response, but the bastards who run the Chiefs site go dark at that point.

If anyone has any ideas where a dude person can find the entire press conference, that would be pretty great.

FAX

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by johnny961

Just because a coach isn't a total prick doesn't necessarily mean that they can't motivate and lead a disciplined team. Dick Vermeil was known as a players coach yet the guys here at the time seemed to play hard for him. Vermeil had his own motivational style that worked for him. I'm not saying I think that hiring Crennel is a 100% certainty as far as success goes but IMO he has earned a shot at it anyway.

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