Tuesday Tidbits: The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

It's been a little over two years since we lost our founding father. Thanks be to goodness his honorable name lives on, his efforts extended by his son Clark. While many reports of this, one of the biggest four-week periods in Chiefs history in the last 20 years, have yet to be signed off on by editors, remain speculation, there are some with which we can be hopeful, like the one John Clayton has scribed for the ol E-S-Ps of N:

"A source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Bill Williamson that Edwards sent his assistant coaching staff home to await word on the future in light of the Pioli hiring news.

At this point, Pioli is expected to meet with coaches Thursday so a decision on Edwards and his staff's future could be made in the coming days."

In that same article, there's also a quote from the hoodie himself:

"To sum up in words everything Scott Pioli has meant to this organization and to me personally would be difficult, if not impossible," said Belichick. "From the day I met him, he has demonstrated a passion for football and respect for the game that is second to none."

From there we go to Bill Williamson himself, who has called the hiring "a monster move for the organization."

"Scott Pioli's first order of business when it comes to his new roster in Kansas City will be on the offensive side of the ball.

Two major issues need to be cleared on offense and Pioli, whether he keeps head coach Herm Edwards or not, needs to tackle them. Pioli needs to clear up the Tony Gonzalez situation and he needs to figure out if Tyler Thigpen will be the team's quarterback in 2009 or if a franchise quarterback will be pursued...

...There isn't much deliberation time needed on the Kansas City defense. The questions on defense are simple. It needs a whole lot of help, particularly on the defensive front seven. The Chiefs' concentration in free agency and the draft will likely be on improving the defense.

Pioli has a lot on his personnel plate, but it starts with the Gonzalez and Thigpen questions."

There's a quote from Pats owner Robert Craft (Editor's Note: Listen up, TLR. You're being called out here, you opinionated little prick.)

"Scott Pioli was an integral part of the many championships the New England Patriots have celebrated this decade...He has played an important role in building a championship tradition...I think Clark Hunt and the Kansas City Chiefs have made a very wise hire."

Anyway, I'm eager for this thing to pick up steam. I'm ready to get to know my new coaching staff, and for Cecil to process it all so he can tell us who we'll be taking with the third overall pick in April. Go, go gadget time machine!
Read more

Tradition Tuesday: Time For Change III

The week that was meant for the House of Georges keeps steamrolling. By "meant for," I mean the three of us were destined to write frantically within this window of time, and all two of our readers would await patiently, ready to devour with salivating jowels. As we already noted, ESPN reported that the Chiefs and New England Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli have agreed to terms. And now Adam Schefter has chimed in as well. He's also confirmed that the Denver Broncos have hired Mike Nolan to coordinate the defense, but we're going to keep this post aimed at the unfoldings at One Arrowhead Drive. Not to worry, the rough focus of this blog remains the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, and it will remain so until Cecil and Old No. 7 fire me and hire a Chargers fan since that hatred has beckoned higher flames in recent seasons. For now, however, the Chief rule is...

So, the TalkRadios are going nuts over this hire, and we've linked to a couple reliable sources on the matter, but nothing has been officially announced by either franchise. Rumors suggest that Pioli was seen packing up his office, and that the New England organization will not acknowledge -- or deny -- the hiring. The Chiefs are also mum for the time being. We're going to proceed as if it's truth though, and there are a number of things to discuss, and we'll do so with the handy-dandy numeric system.

1) Pioli himself. There are some skeptics (Editor's Note: It's actually only one and he goes by the moniker of the Lone Reader.) that think Pioli is a poor hire. His reason, if you can call it that, is that Bill Belichick has run the show in Foxboro. Sources in touch with the TalkRadios have said that not one single person in New England suggests that that theory has any merit. What they say is that Pioli worked beneath/alongside with Belichick, and that Pioli has the gift of talent evaluation. One radio -- he goes by "Cowboy" but his real name is Cory Anderson -- personality said that "Anyone that thinks Pioli didn't have a largely significant role in putting together the Patriots dynasty has been living in a cave." The same cat reports that Belichick basically took Pioli's word "as gospel" and believed whatever the VP had to say about a player was true.

2) Herman Edwards. If you are what your record says you are, then Edwards is 15-33. Most folks aren't being that generous; they're eliminating the first year of his tenure and calling him 6-26. Pick the number sets you want. Either way, it's atrocious. He does have one more year on his contract. It's possible that he could string together some more wins but this isn't Dayton Moore acknowledging that Buddy Bell is a decent manager/we'll stay the coure for now. We're talking Herman "I've never even coordinated" Edwards. He. Must. Go.

3) Steve Spagnuolo. (Update: The Chiefs are now confirming the Pioli hire.) This guy has emerged, so say the rumors, as the leading candidate to be the first head coach of the Pioli era. I don't know why, really, but the notion makes me squirm. That said, it doesn't scare me in the way that giving Edwards another year does, but the flip side of that is that Edwards would almost certainly get only one more year, barring some miraculous turnaround. I don't know. I guess I was hoping for someone with a bit of experience, but maybe this is in the same vein of promoting a Pioli to GM, promoting a Josh McDaniels to head coach. Spagnuolo is the current defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, and he allegedly turned down the head coach position with the Washington Redskins last year, saying that he felt he wasn't ready for the responsibility. Now, other rumors suggested that he was a candidate for the head-coaching positions in Denver, Detroit and in New York for the Jets.

Granted, the Giants defense has been pretty solid for a couple of seasons, and he does come from the Jim Johnson school of defense in Philadelphia, which has had a tight D for even longer than the Giants. Further -- thank Christ for this time of year when ESPN begins playing the "The Greatest Games" series just before launching into the replays of all the Super Bowls -- last night the four-letter network played the Packers/Lions wildcard game of 1993 (Note: That was far more Wayne Fontes than anyone should stomach.) just before replaying last year's Super Bowl. Coincidentally, there were a number of sideline scenes with the Giants troops rallied around Spagnuolo, who seemed to have the inside scoop on the Patriots playbook, and consequently, Tom Brady's audibles. So that aspect is exciting.

Add to that that Spagnuolo has allegedly already been in Dallas and met with Clark Hunt, and he's in (or has been in) Kansas City today, which says to me that Hunt and the Chiefs have moved steadfast in getting these two positions filled. Critics have said that they dragged their feet in getting this GM interview process complete, but now they're praising them for "getting their guy." To that I posit that, if the Chiefs got their guy in Pioli, and one could hardly argue that they didn't, then it's plausible that they did the same in obtaining a head coach.

4) The rest of the coaching staff. I appreciate what Chan Gailey attempted in 2008, so my first inclination is that the Chiefs should keep him around. Then again, cleaning house might not be terrible. I love Gunther Cunningham, and I'm no expert, but the game appears to have passed him by. Mike Priefer? I hope his bags are already packed. Like Cecil once said about his Broncos: "Could our special teams possibly be any less special?" The one aspect that is perhaps the dangling participle of the coaching staff is one Tyler Thigpen. If Gailey's gone, then that means the spread probably is, too, which doesn't do Thigpen's chances of starting any favors. This all leads to...

5) Matt Cassel. I'm not going to touch this one since we're already so far down speculation avenue, but his name has been popping up all afternoon. Some say the Pats will franchise him, which would be ridiculously expensive, and New England isn't notorious for dumping money in that way. That could protect him, though, if they fear that Brady won't be ready; no team has ever coughed up the required two first-round picks for a franchise player. The other theory is that New England will sign Brady's backup to a tiny deal, thus allowing them to make a trade. I think we should wait and see how the rest of this hay gets baled before we start raking up the other pieces scattered in the field.

Anyway, it's been quite the afternoon, and I'm certain the days and weeks to follow will be equally intriguing. Suddenly, 2-14 seems a touch more distant.
Read more

Tradition Tuesday: Rumor Mills and Talk Radio Disappointments

It's true that the rough focus of this blog is the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs (represented by me) and the Denver Broncos (Cecil and Old No. 7 claim them). It's also true that nine years ago, we started The Tradition, in which we make annual pilgrimages to one another's stadiums for some damn good times. Tradition Tuesday is our weekly state-of-the-rivlary address. In it, we touch on both clubs, but today, I'll barely mention Denver, offering Seven one last shot at touching on the canning of the Rat before it becomes really, really old news.

'Round here, if a guy does the TalkRadios on a regular basis, he usually does this one or this one. It seems to me that older folks tend toward the latter, younger the former. And it seems to me that very few folks do both, though I'm sure there are some. I go the 610 route; always have. A couple of years ago, according to one personality in particular, managment there wanted to "go in a different direction." They made, in my estimation, one long-overdue decision, and a couple of bad ones. Or shall we say that they just weren't Wright. More on that, after the jump.

Briefly, though, I'm a bit pleased to say, that after who knows how many days of speculation, someone finally published some firm "Scott Pioli's in town" news. Lucky as always for Cecil, his favoritest journalist gets the credit. There are also new speculations hovering, ones tied to media functions slated for today, that Carl Peterson will be accepting employment elsewhere, like in Florida. The 610 Web site says the following:

"He's slated to join The Morning Sports Drive on 610 Sports Radio this morning at 8:10and meet the media for the final time in a 330pm newsconference (sic) to be aired live on 610 Sports Radio. This amidst reports that he may not be out of work for long, and that he may be in line for a front office job with the Miami Dolphins."

If that's the case, good for Carl. I wish him the best, and thank him for his contributions to the franchise.

Mr. Nick Wright of KCSP 610 AM, on the other hand, has some retooling to do; the ol' noggin', as it were, has gotten a bit cobwebby. Let's put it this way, his co-worker, Neal Jones (who takes the four-hour slot before Wright), along with most anybody with any intelligence, has been campaigning for Herm Edwards to go, that the new GM can't afford to gamble on another year with him as head coach. Support for the contrary lacks common sense. It really does.

Like most men, on December 23, I started my Christmas shopping. At the time, Jones was on the air, and luckily, I had it done shortly after Wright (not even three hours total) took the mic. I had some time to kill, and decided to pop in to a dive for a beer and a burger, and en route to the joint, Wright offered considerable contributions to my already-alarming road rage. I got to the bar and sat in the parking lot, listening to his sheer idiocy (Editor's Note: For the record, I've heard his program many times before, and don't always find it terrible.). Eventually, I'd had enough, and I went in to place my order: a bacon cheeseburger, a Pabst, a water with no ice, and four blank guest checks; these thoughts had to be penned immediately. Understand, I was mad, and in the haste of the moment, I said some things that weren't nice. What follows is my letter to him.

Nick --

I've been listening to 610 for about five years. The resignation of Chiefs General Manager Carl Peterson has given Kansas City talk radio a plethora of material. Neal Jones has received many e-mails and texts calling him an idiot for his stance on Herm, but I'm writing to say that the idiot is you. There are a few items for which I will give you credit(Note: In hindsight, it may've only been one.), but negative criticism is the majority of what I have to offer your program from this evening.

1) Yes, your interview (Note: Wright interviewed Chiefs defensemen Tank Tyler and Turk McBride; it had been broadcast the previous evening) with Tank and Turk was good, but you ruined most of it this evening by giving yourself props for conducting it in a "well-thought-out, well-researched, felt-good-about-what-I-said" manner. You're an on-air radio personality. You should do that every time you pot up with the 'phones on.

2) Like many media personalities, you insult the listener by assuming you know something they don't. What I mean is that you pretend to know specifics like what coach and/or GM picked particular players in past drafts. Practically in the same breath this evening, you blasted Peterson for the picks of the Vermeil era, then lauded Herm for the selections during his tenure.

This implies that these men have personally told you or a colleague of yours whose pick was whose, and you and I both know that didn't happen in any regard, and never will. It's simply not how the NFL (or its personalities) operates.

3) It takes a lot of nerve to take this mentality to the next level and suggest that there are plenty of other "vacation spots" where a Bill Cowher type would prefer to relocate for employment purposes. Then you backtrack by saying KC is your hometown, you love it here, etc. Real on-air professionals have already touched on this on your station and all of the nationally acclaimed guests interviewed in those slots have agreed that KC is a top-tier attraction for an NFL higher-up.

But on to Herm.

4) You just agreed that 1) Priefer, 2) Solari, 3) (retention of Cunningham), 4) in-game decisions, and 5) clock management are all fair knocks on Herm while the overwhelming argument against his record is not. And that's where you lose credibility. Not matter the stance or the angle you take, this game is about winning on Sundays.

And that, Mr. Wright, is not an accomplishable feat when you make mistakes at all three coordinator positions and simply are incapapble of managing/coaching a game.

(Note: I've said it a million times...) Herman Edwards is a smart man and a good coach. He may be the best of 32 in the NFL @ embodying those two characteristics from Monday-Saturday. Those days, however, are the six of seven in the week that don't matter. Sunday, Mr. Wright, matters. Period.

5) By comparison, Mike Shanahan has been (Note: Naturally, this note was written a week before his firing.) the head coach of the Denver Broncos since 1994. He has accomplished everything a head coach desires, and more. His worst record since assuming that role is 6-10. That means, in his worst campaign, he won as many games as Edwards has in two years. And as you mentioned, you don't count his first year here; Herman Edwards is 6-25 (basically) as the Chiefs head coach.

I don't care what spin he put on it, that 9-7 wildcard spot was a fluke, and a fluke with Dick Vermeil's team. And as we all know, he did the same thing in New York in putting together a "debut season" with Parcells' club; they more or less tanked every season after, and are clearly a better club under (Note: Again, pre-firing.) Eric Mangini. And while it may be a stretch, Tampa won a Super Bowl after Herm was gone and Jon Gruden got things re-tooled.

The fact of the matter remains that Edwards in not a great coach in the NFL, and he never will be. Everyone knows how easy it is to turn things around in today's NFL, courtesy of free agency and the salary cap. Herm is incapable of that task, though.

6) Now, I won't argue staunchly against the belief that he should get one more year, but there are too many intangibles on the line there to take that risk. As Jones puts it, what if you do (keep him around) and he goes 7-9? Are we supposed to believe that they'll go 10-6 in 2010? No. They won't. Not under Edwards.

Finally, you went all-out adolescent by saying that Belichick (were he in Herm's slot these past two years) couldn't even take this team to 15-9 against a Big VII team. And there is where you sound like a fool.

For starters, you take a plausibly easy road by using Belichick. Unfortunately, he's not the best coach in 2008. John Fox, Mike Tomlin, Jeff Fisher, and Tom Coughlin are all better. Why? They have more wins, Nick. More. Wins.

This game is about winning games and if you can't do that, at least play complete games en route to learning how to win. You wanna hang that insufficiency on personnel when you've already admitted that these poor coordinator choices, coupled with the two largest in-game responsibilities an NFL coach has, are all good knocks on Edwards. So, by that assertion, a good company boss can and will be successful by putting the wrong people in place and not knowing what he's doing to gain the edge on his competitors. But he can make quality hires? Can you honestly fail to see the sheer lack of logic and reasoning in this stance you've so boastfully taken?

Frankly, I hope it's been worth the few ego strokes you've gotten; I hope the ratings ploy has been a success. This Chiefs fan, however, hasn't been fooled. I'll likely continue to tune in on occasion, solely for the sake of how this KC Chiefs decision plays out, and for the sake of knowing I have a better understanding of the NFL than a trained, learned, and paid professional claims to.

Sincerely,
Bankmeister

P.S. You thought that "Freaks Come Out At Night" was by Michael Jackson? Dude...

Mr. Wright's opinions on the coaching genius known as Herman Edwards can be read here.
Read more

Monday Mainstay: The Waiting Game

There is some activity swarming in and out of various NFL franchises today, and perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs are somewhere in that swirling mix. Perhaps. The pessimist in me, however, doubts it. Rumors suggest that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt is traveling around, interviewing folks, thinning down his broad list of general manager candidates. Other clubs appear to be moving faster, which, on the surface, appears to put the Chiefs behind in the race for improvement. I'd like to think that's not true. I'd like to think that Hunt will make an impressive hire just like the Glass family did with the Dayton Moore on the other side of the Truman Sports Complex. I'm nervous, though, that the opposite might be true. A few details after the jump.

Among today's head coach firings, two are no surprise.

1) The Cleveland Browns, who have also fired General Manager Phil Savage, announced that Head Coach Romeo Crennel would not be retained. Crennel, over the course of four seasons, went 24-40, a winning percentage of .375.

2) In Detroit, Rod Marinelli has been relieved of his duties. Over three seasons, Marinelli went 10-38, which translates to .208. An 0-16 season never helps that.

3) And the most surprising is the fact that, Eric Mangini's been fired in New York. Through three campaigns, he went 23-26 for .469, which includes one playoff loss.

We've examined winning percentages of Herman Edwards compared to other Chiefs' coaches in franchise history, and we know that, at the time of that post, Herm ranked seventh of 10 in Chiefs history. Having concluded yesterday's season, Edwards' winning percentage in Kansas City has fallen to .312, dropping him to eighth, and leaving him only ahead of Frank Gansz and Tom Bettis.

Now, let's compare Edwards' "success" to those who've been fired today:

1) Mangini with the Jets: .469
2) Crennel with the Browns: .375
3) Edwards with the Chiefs: .312
4) Marinelli with the Lions: .208

So, Edwards has edged out Rod Marinelli, a coach who spent time under general manager Matt Millen, arguably the worst GM in NFL history, and his club just produced the first winless season ever. The Lions have, more or less, been a joke for as long as I can remember, save for a few Barry Sanders seasons.

The point, though, is that the Jets have decided that Edwards' successor in New York, a guy with over 150 percentage points in winning, is not good enough to be given a fourth year. Romeo Crennel, a coach with also a better winning percentage with his most recent team, has been fired, and that club canned his boss too.

There, then, is Herman Edwards' accomplishment: being better than Rod Marinelli and the Detroit Lions under similar tenures.

The Chiefs need to get a move on. The Patriots have given the Browns permission to speak with Scott Pioli, and Bill Cowher has declined Cleveland's offer.

I don't know who the right guy(s) for the job is/are. I do know that I hope Mr. Hunt is moving swiftly, as it appears his NFL counterparts are not wasting anytime.
Read more

Everything, Now, Have I Seen

Well, the Dallas Cowboys got absolutely destroyed today. The Detroit Lions made history by going winless in a 16-game campaign, and shortly, the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers will square off for an 8-8 record/division bragging rights. In my eyes, though, the real news of the day took place in Ohio, where the 2-13 Chiefs met the 3-11-1 Cincinnati Bengals.

The skinny is multi-faceted, so let's not waste any time.

1) Cincinnati played without their "marquee" players; Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chad Johnson were inactive.

2) Cedric Benson was the leading rusher of the contest, and Larry Johnson carried the ball as if he simply didn't care. Arrowhead Pride has discovered that perhaps he doesn't.

3) The Bengals put up 100+ more total yards than the Chiefs.

4) Herman Edwards has now been outbloached by Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Romeo Crennell, and Marvin Lewis, which of course leaves only Mike Singletary and Mike Tomlin.

5) The Chiefs have now demonstrated every possible type of terrible football in this 2008 campaign, and I couldn't be happier to call it a season.

9/7 @ New England: Both starting QBs go down; Pats receivers catch gooder.
9/14 vs. Oakland: KC gets downright embarrassed in their home opener.
9/21 @ Atlanta: Herm and company get a glimpse of what good teams look like.
10/5 @ Carolina: See above; include a dash of cluelessness.
10/19 vs. Tennessee: Domination 101 was in session; Jeff Fisher your instructor.
10/26 @ NY Jets: Chiefs threaten to win; Favre conducts last-minute TD drive.
11/2 vs Tampa Bay: KC leads all day, but lets Garcia and crew hang around.
11/9 @ San Diego: Chiefs tie the game at the end, go for two and the win, but don't.
11/16 vs. New Orleans: KC hangs with Saints offense, but not for four full quarters.
11/23 vs Buffalo: The Chiefs give up more than 50 points to a bad team.
12/7 @ Denver: Once again, KC comes up short at InVesCo Field.
12/14 vs San Diego: A twisted combo of the Jets and first Chargers game.
12/21 vs Miami: KC drops the Frigid Bowl, again with a sloppy ending.
12/28 @ Cincinnati: The Chiefs don't show, don't care, look absolutely pathetic.

So there you have it -- your 2-14 2008 Kansas City Chiefs. Simply. Amazing.
Read more

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.
Read more

Late-Night StubTube: Clark Hunt

(video courtesy of Arrowhead Pride)

We'll get around to some thoughts on this slightly massive development post-business hours this evening. Suffice it to say that this is the biggest story in Chiefs history since the tendered resignation of Marty Schottenheimer.

Also, Neil Diamond rocks.
Read more