Underappreciated Kuharich deserved better from Chiefs

[T-post Tom]

Caution, this may piss you off...

Underappreciated Kuharich deserved better from Chiefs
Jan. 13, 2009
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

Memo to Scott Pioli: Keep Bill Kuharich.

Kuharich is Kansas City's vice president of player personnel, and to say he just got a raw deal is an understatement. Kuharich deserved to be part of the Chiefs' hunt for a general manager, but he wasn't ... and he wasn't because the Chiefs confined their search to applicants outside the club.

So they landed the Patriots' Pioli, and hooray for them.

Now my question is: Where does that leave Kuharich? I suspect only Pioli knows.

If he does what is best for him and his new employer keeps him, he trusts him and he relies on him. Kuharich not only is good at his job; he is so good he deserved to be a candidate for the position Pioli just filled.

But he wasn't, and I'm still not sure why.

Maybe the Chiefs considered him too old. He's 55. Maybe they wanted someone more telegenic. Kuharich is more at home in a sweater and khakis. Or maybe they just wanted a perspective from someone outside the organization, someone more removed from former president Carl Peterson.

"He was collateral damage," one NFC general manager said. "The Chiefs didn't want to go anywhere near someone close to Carl. And that's unfortunate because Kuharich is outstanding."

Well, whatever the reason it was apparent Kuharich didn't pass the physical and that owner Clark Hunt would be sold on someone outside the 816 area code. And that's OK if Hunt also understood that by doing that he eliminated one of his most qualified candidates.

"I want somebody who's a shrewd evaluator of football talent," Hunt said last month. "(His) job will be to think 24/7 about the football team. That's the most important quality."

Pardon me, but I think he just described Kuharich.

Look, I don't know if he could have outpolled Pioli. I don't know that anyone could. But I do know he deserved a chance to make his case because, like Pioli, he knew how to build a football team. He did it when he was general manager with the Saints, and he has done in his nine years with the Chiefs.

Let's start with New Orleans. I know what you're going to tell me: The Saints didn't rebound from their 1990s funk until Kuharich left, and you're right. But this just in: They got good with Kuharich's players.

The foundation of the team that went to the 2000 playoffs was laid by Kuharich, and don't tell me how foolish it was for the Saints to trade away an entire draft class for Ricky Williams.

First, that was an organizational decision, with the owner signing off on it. Second, of the draft picks they sacrificed, only one -- tackle Chris Samuels -- amounted to anything. Third, Williams became a marquee player for the Saints, rushing for 179 yards in a game as a rookie and 1,000 or more yards in two of his three seasons there.

So, yeah, that move worked out. Like other drafts in New Orleans worked out, with four first-rounders under Kuharich going on to Pro Bowls.

When he left after the 1999 season, the Saints were stocked with talent -- much as Tampa Bay was when Tony Dungy departed following the 2002 season. The Saints went from dead last (3-13) in their division in 1999 to first (10-6) a year later, a remarkable achievement that earned Kuharich's successor, Randy Mueller, the league's Executive of the Year.

But the Saints won with many of the players Kuharich chose, which means he was as much Executive of the Year as Mueller.

And let's not forget, it was Kuharich who brought free agent Jake Delhomme to the Saints in 1997. I once remember him telling me he thought the guy was good enough to start for the club. Only he never really had a chance. So he shuffled off to Carolina after Kuharich left ... and took the Panthers to the Super Bowl.

Score another for Kuharich.

Now fast forward to Kansas City. It was Kuharich who ran the pro personnel department that acquired starters like running back Priest Holmes, quarterback Trent Green and wide receiver Eddie Kennison and that swung the deal for tackle Willie Roaf.

It was Kuharich who ran the past three drafts that delivered a raft of starters, including Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Bernard Pollard, Jarrad Page, Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Flowers and Branden Albert. And it was Kuharich who oversaw a 2008 draft that was universally acclaimed as one of the best anywhere.

Four draft picks became starters, and all but one of the 11 choices played.

Then there was quarterback Tyler Thigpen, whom Kuharich recommended after watching him in a preseason game with Minnesota. The Chiefs claimed him after he was waived, and he started 11 games this season.

So the Chiefs went 2-14. Big deal. This is a tear-down long overdue. They served youth, with so many young players gaining experience that the foundation Kansas City needs to rebuild is firmly established.

Too bad the guy who made it happen isn't.

I don't know what happens to Kuharich now, and I bet he doesn't know, either. Essentially, management has just told him he's gone as far as he can in the organization, and that if he wants a promotion he can start by reaching for the yellow pages.

That's a mistake.

He has the Chiefs on the road to recovery; it just might be time to find the next patient to cure. Maybe he never becomes a general manager anywhere again, but he should at least go where he's appreciated -- and I can't believe that can't be Kansas City.

"What I've always liked about him," one league source said [Rufas Dawes?], "is that he knows what a football player looks like. He doesn't need a stopwatch or a list of measureables. He can just look at a guy and tell."

I remember when Kuharich once told me about an offensive lineman he admired and how he was sure he would be a perfect fit for New Orleans. Yeah, I said, I had heard of Willie Roaf, but I wasn't sure he was a can't-miss prospect. Kuharich was.

Bill Kuharich knew what he was doing then, just as he knows what he's doing now. He deserves a chance to stay with the Chiefs. So give it to him, Scott Pioli.

[the Talking Can]

Carl is gone

The Stupid obviously isn't

[rocks]

What a piece of trash article. I felt cheated of my time after I read it. Disgusting!

[Adept Havelock]

I hope Pioli keeps Kuharich.

That said, how can we be expected to take this writer seriously when he says this?

First, that was an organizational decision, with the owner signing off on it.
Joining two other people in making a bad decision does not make it less of a bad decision.

Second, of the draft picks they sacrificed, only one -- tackle Chris Samuels -- amounted to anything.
So we are to believe the Saints would have picked the exact same players the recipient of the draft picks did?

Third, Williams became a marquee player for the Saints, rushing for 179 yards in a game as a rookie and 1,000 or more yards in two of his three seasons there.
And flaked out/flamed out in spectacular fashion. What do the Saints have to show for their massive investment? Three ho-hum seasons at RB.

[FloridaMan88]

basically this article greatly overemphasizes Kuharich accomplishments (sorry I don't see Tyler Thigpen and Tamba Hali as acquisitions to build a resume around) and tries to brush aside his major mistakes (trading an entire draft for Ricky Williams? The Chiefs winning 2 of their last 25 games?)

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Oh boo hoo...

Buh Bye

EXACTLY! Hello - RINGS. It's laughable to compare the two.

[Chiefnj2]

If Kuharich is so good he'll find employment with another team.

[SLAG]

I say Mr. P should give Mr. K a temporary position as transition Manager, get all the info out of him and send him gleefully into retirement

After all, he did so great in all his other jobs and work, no need for him to do any more work.

Go ahead, Mr. K has earned it

[alanm]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Oh boo hoo...

Buh Bye

I don't think Kuharich is going anywhere. Unless it's his choice to move on. I would think that Pioli knows all about Kuharich. It sounds like Clark Judge is all butt hurt that Bill wasn't promoted.

[the Talking Can]

Chiefs do the first smart thing in over a decade....and people just want to bitch....

i just want to win, i don't give a flying yak boner about anyone's feelings....

[alanm]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

Carl is gone

The Stupid obviously isn't

Then there's that. Can't figure out why Judge is worked up about it.

[CaliforniaChief]

BFD.

There are always undeserving victims in a sweep out. If Kuharich is there, fine...otherwise if he ends up with Carl somewhere maybe they'll trade us their whole draft for LJ.

[The Bad Guy]

Judge, Gretz, Nick Athan...

Get all of them the **** away from the Chiefs.

Judge is one of the biggest old regime ass kissers there is. Kuharich may have done a decent job, but the guy never once deserved to be mentioned in the same sentence for GM as Scott Pioli.

The access that all 3 clowns listed above is the reason they want any part of the old regime to stick around so they have an in.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

If Kuharich is so good he'll find employment with another team.

He undoubtedly would.

[Nero's Neptune]

Originally Posted by Adept Havelock

I hope Pioli keeps Kuharich.

That said, how can we be expected to take this writer seriously when he says this?

First, that was an organizational decision, with the owner signing off on it.
Joining two other people in making a bad decision does not make it less of a bad decision.

Second, of the draft picks they sacrificed, only one -- tackle Chris Samuels -- amounted to anything.
So we are to believe the Saints would have picked the exact same players the recipient of the draft picks did?

Third, Williams became a marquee player for the Saints, rushing for 179 yards in a game as a rookie and 1,000 or more yards in two of his three seasons there.
And flaked out/flamed out in spectacular fashion. What do the Saints have to show for their massive investment? Three ho-hum seasons at RB.

Exactly.... I just laughed and stopped taking this seriously... I mean, wtf? seriously? where is the logic here? The owner hires a football guy to make draft decisions...so he agrees to the trade and therefore the football guy isn't really so much to blame.....um, ok.

and they gave up pics for Ricky Williams. What that other team did with those pics is just so completely irrelavent to the point...I'm lost.

[bowener]

I dont give a **** where that leaves him. If he wasn't getting his job done, then fire his ass or demote him. He was included in the search because we started with the best guy for the job, and he wanted in, that is why we didn't interview that rubbish.