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.

[Beef Supreme]

I'm all in for Romeo getting the job. And not just because they won yesterday. I think he would make a great head coach for this team, and who gives a damn what happened in Cleveland.

It beats the hell out of McDaniels, who is ruining the Rams worse than he ruined Denver. And it's not like Jeff Fischer has ever won a damn thing either.

[BoneKrusher]

Originally Posted by BigChiefTablet

I'm all in for Romeo getting the job. And not just because they won yesterday. I think he would make a great head coach for this team, and who gives a damn what happened in Cleveland.

and we must keep in mind Bill Billichick didnt succeed in Cleveland his first try as a HC.

Originally Posted by Omega

You're comparing apples to oranges. Individual records are bound to fall.

You can bring up other old head coaches but that's not really an argument for Romeo. All those guys were proven head coaches.

Keep moving the goalposts, Clay. You told me to find old SuperBowl winning coaches. I gave you three. But that doesn't meet with your agenda so it's not good enough. Do you even realize you do that? It's like debating with a teenager.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Omega

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

Herm said this morning that he thinks Romeo already has the job sewn up.

The Chiefs need to re-sign Bowe - what if Bowe really wants Romeo?

It's a horrible situation to be in. All the more reason to not make hasty changes in the middle of a lost season. Now you might be stuck with a guy that's not your first choice.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

“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.”

What was Haley doing all year with the team? Were they still on their preseason schedule?

They were lifting weights. Haley was WAY too pre-occupied with weight/fitness...

[Chiefnj2]

Lets see if Romeo can keep them focused after a big win. One of Haley's biggest problems was lack of consistency.

I can't say how much I would love it if the West came down to the final game against Denver.

[trndobrd]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Lets see if Romeo can keep them focused after a big win. One of Haley's biggest problems was lack of consistency.

I can't say how much I would love it if the West came down to the final game against Denver.

This. Getting the players fired up for the defending SB champs, a new coach and QB is one thing. Keeping them playing at a high level through a couple weeks of Division opponents is another. If Crennel can keep them playing at the same level for the next two weeks, paint his name on the HC parking spot.

[InChiefsHeaven]

That's what I'm saying. This is a three week audition. Once the season is over, you take a look at how the team performed with Romeo, and you go from there. I'm not saying crown him now, but two more weeks like this and I'd say hell yeah.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

The defensive players openly campaigned for Gunther. We saw how that worked out.

I put at least a LITTLE bit less credence behind an offseason campaign than a beat the SB champs campaign.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I put at least a LITTLE bit less credence behind an offseason campaign than a beat the SB champs campaign.

I don't know why you'd put any in either.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Herm said this morning that he thinks Romeo already has the job sewn up.

The Chiefs need to re-sign Bowe - what if Bowe really wants Romeo?

It's a horrible situation to be in. All the more reason to not make hasty changes in the middle of a lost season. Now you might be stuck with a guy that's not your first choice.

You don't let a WR dictate coaching hires. C'mon, man.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

You don't let a WR dictate coaching hires. C'mon, man.

I didn't say *I* would. I'm merely asking the question.

Pioli put himself in a very, very bad situation. His interim coach just beat the undefeated SB champs.

If he wins 1 - or God forbid, BOTH - of the last 2, it doesn't matter who Pioli wants as HC. If he doesn't keep Crennel, there's going to be acrimony amongst both the players AND the fans.

This all falls on Pioli, from the day he hired Haley in the first place.

[ct]

Originally Posted by trndobrd

This. Getting the players fired up for the defending SB champs, a new coach and QB is one thing. Keeping them playing at a high level through a couple weeks of Division opponents is another. If Crennel can keep them playing at the same level for the next two weeks, paint his name on the HC parking spot.

This. This exactly.

[ct]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I didn't say *I* would. I'm merely asking the question.

Pioli put himself in a very, very bad situation. His interim coach just beat the undefeated SB champs.

If he wins 1 - or God forbid, BOTH - of the last 2, it doesn't matter who Pioli wants as HC. If he doesn't keep Crennel, there's going to be acrimony amongst both the players AND the fans.

This all falls on Pioli, from the day he hired Haley in the first place.

Very solid points!!

The Haley hire was a mistake, done very late in the game, so to speak. If he really turned out to hate him, but then couldn't fire him cause of our mirage of an AFC West Title season, then yet again he's put himself in a no-win situation, dicatated FOR him. I think at this point, he's gotta be prayin Romeo get this team to perform as well these last 2 weeks to justify hiring him, or an epic fail to justify not. Anything in between, and he may be writing his own farewell legacy.

[vailpass]