Tradition Tuesday: December Dethroning

Yes, the rough focus of this blog is the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. And yes, on Tradition Tuesdays, we touch on both clubs in a state-of-the-rivalry address. No, I'm not going to talk Broncos today, because yes, it's time to break this thing down. Yes, the rest of ChiefsNation already has is doing the same, and yes, I'll do the same. And I'll not waste any time doing so...

First of all, check out Herm's press conference from today. The TalkRadios are very worried about this alleged timeline/conversation among Clark Hunt, Herman Edwards, and Carl Peterson. Said trio have indicated that this decision is one that's been part of a running chat all year, while certain media figures feel that it was perhaps only an idea, prior to Sunday's last-minute loss to the Chargers. I, however, am not. If this was an installment of "My Sports Life is a Rock Song," the feature would be "Let it Be."

I'm not interested in Peterson not being kept around for the final year of his contract. I'm not interested in speculating upon the empty promises that he made, or about the abundant accusations of only being concerned with team revenue and full seats at the stadium. I am willing to acknowledge that he turned this franchise around from the dismal days of the late 70s and most of the 80s, and I am interested joining Chiefs fans in saying that it was time for change. I'm certain that that statement comes anchored to disagreeances that would suggest it was time for a change 10 years ago. I'll not disagree with that.

What I do want to focus on is a particular phrase from Clark Hunt's press conference yesterday. And suffice it to say that Peterson allegedly tendered his resignation so that Hunt and the Chiefs had sufficient time to get the search for a new general manager underway as soon as possible. Hunt was asked who would be responsible -- himself or the new GM -- for deciding whether or not Edwards would be retained in 2009. And what Hunt said was (paraphrased) this: "I trust that the new general manager (who, for the record, will not be involved in a president/CEO fashion) will have significant input into that decision, but ultimately it will be mine."

That, to me, is the single best tidbit to come out of this. Sure. It's great that he's breaking up the three titles that Peterson has held for 20 years. True, it's wonderful that he seems serious about getting the proper figures in here that will deliver winning football. And absolutely, it is wonderful that Hunt has said he will find the candidate outside of the organization. The reason, though, that I think it's great that he'll make the decision is because it, coupled with Peterson's resignation, means that Hunt cares -- or at least wants to create the illusion that he does -- about more than revenue dollars, about putting championship football on the playing field.

Credit, as is almost always the case in the rhythm of Chiefs beat, goes to Adam Teicher of The Kansas Ciy Star. He broke the story yesterday, but the rest of the staff deserves a ton of credit, too. Joe Posnanski's piece touches closest to what I've been feeling. The headline is "Hunt Finally Steps Forward;" the jump header is "Emotion at Last." Teicher adds another piece of his own here. And of course Jason Whitlock gets a nod, mostly since he's been asking Santa for this sort of Christmas gift for literally years.

There are a ton of other angles to this story, such as that of Peterson's first hire Marty Schottenheimer, and that of (likely) Peterson's favorite pick in his KC tenure, and of course, that of the relationship between Hunt and Edwards, and how it may or may not develop.

The skinny as of right now is that Hunt has said he has a broad list of candidates, and that he will have it narrowed down so that he may begin the interviewing process by the end of the season. Along with a lot of folks, I'm pretty damn stoked. I may differ in that I appreciate those things Peterson has delivered, and that I'm not one who has called for his firing for any length of time. Ever really. I do think a change was necessary, but I never thought the painting needed to be one that depicted Peterson as the enemy, a hometown villain, or an evil figure. Was he at times arrogant? Perhaps. But I believe Peterson had championship football in mind for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the plans just didn't unfold how he envisioned he would.

I'll not forget that Carl put the Chiefs on the competitive map, that he did a lot for this city. I will admit that this transition is exciting, one that rivals the Glass family's hiring of Dayton Moore.