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.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

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.

You haven't addressed points 1 and 2 yet...

You're pretty much getting bitch slapped by logic in this thread.. you know that right?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

My god, you act like 65 year olds need to be put to sleep... 65 is NOTHING in terms of age these days. If Romeo's health really is an issue now then I can see a valid point there. I'm not privy to that information so I won't speculate.

I'd love to see us go with a youngish college coach but I am not going to pretend I KNOW that Romeo is a bad choice when NO ONE knows that...

GoChiefs is welcome to his opinion... but that's all it is...and offering it up as FACT is just ****ing annoying... and generally a sign of insecurity and immaturity. Par for the course I guess.

Thanks for ventriloquizing me. There are exceptions to every rule, but there is a reason why most NFL coaches are done by their early 60s. It's an incredibly stressful job, and, sorry to disappoint, but as people age longer hours, little sleep, and high stress environments are more difficult to cope with. It's a natural part of the aging process. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but acting like aging doesn't take a toll on coaches is no different than thinking it doesn't take a toll on athletes, it just manifests itself through a different mechanism.

Originally Posted by AustinChief

You haven't addressed points 1 and 2 yet...

You're pretty much getting bitch slapped by logic in this thread.. you know that right?

This thread makes me want to spend a couple hours in D.C. arguing with Denize.

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Thanks for ventriloquizing me. There are exceptions to every rule, but there is a reason why most NFL coaches are done by their early 60s. It's an incredibly stressful job, and, sorry to disappoint, but as people age longer hours, little sleep, and high stress environments are more difficult to cope with. It's a natural part of the aging process. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but acting like aging doesn't take a toll on coaches is no different than thinking it doesn't take a toll on athletes, it just manifests itself through a different mechanism.

I agree with your stance on people of age. But let's not act like NFL head coaches are out there digging ditches for 20 hours a day. They're sitting in a $10,000 chair watching film and meeting with assistants. They have an entire staff at their disposal and delegate. I agree, it is a moderate factor in the hiring process that should be discussed and a contingency plan drawn up in advance should they opt to hire RC. But it's NOT the overwhelming reason to outright dismiss his candidacy as Clay would have us believe.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Thanks for ventriloquizing me. There are exceptions to every rule, but there is a reason why most NFL coaches are done by their early 60s. It's an incredibly stressful job, and, sorry to disappoint, but as people age longer hours, little sleep, and high stress environments are more difficult to cope with. It's a natural part of the aging process. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but acting like aging doesn't take a toll on coaches is no different than thinking it doesn't take a toll on athletes, it just manifests itself through a different mechanism.

I agree that age could be a factor but I also know there is a WIDE degree of variance between how individuals age and handle stress, long hours etc... If he were 70 I would agree with you but at 64 I just don't put his age at or even NEAR the top of my list of concerns.

And GoChiefs argument that he can't WIN because of his age is just moronic.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I agree with your stance on people of age. But let's not act like NFL head coaches are out there digging ditches for 20 hours a day. They're sitting in a $10,000 chair watching film and meeting with assistants. They have an entire staff at their disposal and delegate. I agree, it is a moderate factor in the hiring process that should be discussed and a contingency plan drawn up in advance should they opt to hire RC. But it's NOT the overwhelming reason to outright dismiss his candidacy as Clay would have us believe.

ok, yeah what Phil said.. I like his post better, I'm going with this one...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I agree with your stance on people of age. But let's not act like NFL head coaches are out there digging ditches for 20 hours a day. They're sitting in a $10,000 chair watching film and meeting with assistants. They have an entire staff at their disposal and delegate. I agree, it is a moderate factor in the hiring process that should be discussed and a contingency plan drawn up in advance should they opt to hire RC. But it's NOT the overwhelming reason to outright dismiss his candidacy as Clay would have us believe.

Originally Posted by AustinChief

I agree that age could be a factor but I also know there is a WIDE degree of variance between how individuals age and handle stress, long hours etc... If he were 70 I would agree with you but at 64 I just don't put his age at or even NEAR the top of my list of concerns.

And GoChiefs argument that he can't WIN because of his age is just moronic.

I agree with both of these. It's a complex factor that has to be judged on an individual basis, but given what we do know about aging in general, at the very least, it should be taken into consideration.

With regard to the strain of the work, no it's by no means manual labor, but there is a great deal of stress as a function of the job, and much of that is internal, fear of failure and overlooking the smallest detail. That's why we hear so many stories of coaches working 18+ hour days, and also why there are so many high profile stories of coaches with family problems, Belichick, Reid, Dungy, et. al.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by Omega

24 of 27 is very solid footing.

The odds are astronomically against Romeo.

What has happened in the past has no bearing on what will happen in this situation. This is not the same team, the same players or the same coach. As you said, apples and oranges.

[Chiefspants]

Out of all of the coaches who have ever been in the NFL, I wonder how many of them have led their team to a Super Bowl championship.

Now, I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm guessing that the ratio's percentage would be quite similar to the 3/27 that's been showcased throughout the thread.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by Omega

I actually love old people. They are infinitely more interesting than young people, and less douchey.

Just don't see the value in Romeo as HC.

64 isn't old these days. I guess you are just too young to understand that.

[Titty Meat]

Age is part of the factor but I'd also be interested in hearing why Crennel didn't work in Cleveland?

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Age is part of the factor but I'd also be interested in hearing why Crennel didn't work in Cleveland?

I think Anderson and Quinn got hurt if my memory is right and it all went down hill from then.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Phobia

This thread makes me want to spend a couple hours in D.C. arguing with Denize.

I've just read the whole and, uh, NO!

I'll take this troll over that one any day.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Phobia

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.

Do you really think I intended to mount an argument based solely on Romeo's age this season?

That's ridiculous. No one thinks Romeo is winning it this year.

The entire line of reasoning is coaches in their 60s...hence why I brought up 24 of 27.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by splatbass

64 isn't old these days. I guess you are just too young to understand that.

It's ancient for an NFL head coach. You are too ignorant to understand that.