Michael Silver on Chiefs

[the Talking Can]

The Kansas City Chiefs are in a very dark place, having been outscored 89-10 in two games (including Sunday’s 48-3 thrashing by the Lions). They’ve lost arguably their best defensive and offensive players, safety Eric Berry(notes) and reportedly halfback Jamaal Charles, to season-ending knee injuries, in consecutive weeks. That surprising AFC West title from last season seems like it happened about 100 years ago. So what now?

Naturally, coach Todd Haley is feeling his rear end burn (in a figurative sense only, I hope). While Haley on the hot seat will strike most fans as odd – he was a legitimate coach of the year candidate in 2010, his second season in K.C. – people who know what’s going on inside the organization are nodding their heads unremarkably. That there is a lot of tension between Haley and his boss, general manager Scott Pioli, is the worst kept secret in NFL circles. The fact that they get along like vegetarians and Gates Barbecue shouldn’t be enough to get Haley fired, but the combination of that and a season from hell could certainly do the trick.

Haley’s deal is up after 2012, so the Chiefs have to do something at the end of the year – extend him, or get rid of him – unless they’re fans of the lame-duck thing, which always works sooooo well in the NFL (see: Fox, John, Carolina 2010). At this rate, I’m not loving Haley’s chances of survival. We know Pioli’s not going to take the fall himself, and unless owner Clark Hunt decides he wants to get rid of both of them (don’t hold your breath), Haley likely will be the one to go.

That’s too bad, for a number of reasons:

1) I think Haley’s a very good coach, though he’s habitually dissed in the media, a sign (I suspect) that someone in his organization whose name rhymes with cannoli likes to go off the record with certain reporters.

2) That whole “he’s a lousy offensive coach without Charlie Weis” is a laughable load of crap. Weis, who left for the University of Florida after a single season as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, was completely unenthused about the prospect of coaching Matt Cassel(notes). Haley stepped in, took the lead and helped Cassel play at an alarmingly high level that resulted in a stunning Pro Bowl selection. Haley, by the way, was a pretty good offensive coach when he was Ken Whisenhunt’s coordinator in Arizona and the Cardinals nearly won the Super Bowl three seasons ago.

3) I believe that if Pioli fires Haley, he’ll try to hire his old New England colleague Josh McDaniels, he of the disastrous tenure as Broncos head coach that included dubious personnel moves too numerous to mention, a cheating scandal and five victories in his final 22 games. When McDaniels, currently the Rams’ offensive coordinator, becomes K.C.’s next head coach, count on two things: I’ll remind you that you heard it here first and you’re going to be treated to a real diatribe.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu..._hurdle_091911


say it to yourself...."Coach McDaniels..."