Chiefs Search for a New Coaching Staff
With my first post as a new writer on this blog I would like to welcome any and all criticism, debate, kudos, etc. I know Chiefs fans do not always see eye to eye, but in the end we all want the same thing. A winning football team and a chance at a championship. We can debate all day long about the proper path to achieve this, but just remember we are all on the same side.
At this point it sounds like Todd Haley will be the new Chiefs Head Coach, awaiting a few details and signatures to make it official. So with that finally resolved the next big questions will surround the staff he will assemble. Will he be able to coax any of his buddies from Arizona to follow him? Will Chan Gailey stay on as Offensive Coordinator? Who will he hire at Defensive Coordinator? In this short post I will look at a couple of options.
Offense:
Frankly I believe our offense, at least the last half of the season, was not to blame for the majority of our loses. The defense ended up losing quite a few winnable games in 2008. I’ve long been a fan of Gunther, but he and Herm just did not see eye to eye when it came to defensive schemes. A new start in Detroit should prove productive for Gunther, given he can find any talent to surround himself with.
So with that said, I whole heartedly believe Chan Gailey should stay on as Offensive Coordinator in 2009. He was able to take Tyler “Getting Thiggy Wit It” Thigpen, and transform him into a respectable NFL QB. Thiggy is not your “typical” under center, NFL style quarterback, but he has proven himself as a viable option given the appropriate game plan. Don’t let our record fool you, we were a much more competitive team the last half of the season, rather it produced wins or not.
Combining Gailey’s knack for making something out of nothing, and Haley’s obviously offensive prowess, we could easily have a top 15 offense this year. I will discuss my thoughts on the draft at a later date.
Defense:
So what about our defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in virtually every statistical category in 2008? If we can find a Defensive Coordinator that is on the same page as Haley, that alone can only help this unit. Having Gunther “handcuffed” into playing Herm’s style wasn’t productive, and it obviously showed.
So who may be next? One name I’d like to throw out there is Romeo Crennel. What!? The same Romeo Crennel that just got fired by the Browns? Yes. Crennel has shown promise in the past, but as a Defensive Coordinator, not a Head Coach. Some people just aren’t cut out for leading a team, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lead a defense.
In his time as Defensive Coordinator with the Patriots he won three Super Bowls in four years. Not a bad track record. He has been a part of six different Super Bowls and has came out of top five out of those six times. Again, sounds promising right?
Crennel has worked with both Pioli and Haley in the past, along with Parcells and Belichick. He coached with Parcells from 1993-1996 with the Patriots and from 1997-1999 with the Jets. While with the Jets, Pioli was the Director of Pro Personnel (97-2000) and Haley was the Wide Receiver’s Coach (95-2000), so he has history with them. In 2000, Crennel became the Defensive Coordinator for Belichick in New England until 2004. Having both Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick want you as their DC is quite a vote of confidence.
Well that’s my first two cents. I hope I didn’t drag that on too long. As I stated before, please feel free to comment on my style, ideas, etc. Should I post multiple, shorter posts or combine them into one like this? Also, I do pride myself with be at the fore front of most all rumors and/or happenings with the Chiefs and hope to have more “breaking news” rumors posted on a regular basis.
Thanks for reading and please, be gentle!
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Comments
2 Comments on Chiefs Search for a New Coaching Staff
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bigknoxy on
Fri, 6th Feb 2009 1:51 pm
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go_saleaumua on
Sat, 7th Feb 2009 10:51 am
Yo ‘The Low Down’ Lol… Great first article man!
Looking forward to seeing more from you.
I can see Romeo Crennel coming to the Chiefs and you can’t argue with the success he has had as a DC. And I’m not sure how I feel on Chan Gailey staying or leaving, but hey, whatever Pioli and Haley want to do is fine with me for now. 
Great to be a Chiefs fan right now! You can see this could be the building blocks to something great.
Nice first post, Ryan…good “voice” and style, definitely readable. Don’t worry, I’ll find something to nitpick on at some point.
*On Crennel. A good hire, yes, and probably the most capable DC on the market right now–Clancy P, Haslett be damned. He wasn’t a taskmaster as a head coach but knew how to call games as a DC and it’d be interesting to see him in red.
*On his defense. As I’ve told you before, I’m still really unsure about our switch to a 34, based on our players on the line. Glenn Dorsey is a wild-card in an odd front–not strong enough for nose, possibly too short for end, will need work on shedding blockers. Tank Tyler’s pursuit skills and lack of sheer physical POWER make him seem like a better fit for strongside end than nose, and McBride’s got weakside 3-man end written all over him (good strength and pursuit skills, lack of sheer pass-rush speed).
All of that being said, I’d love to see RAC stop in KC and help build a winner. Good coaches know how to make chicken salad out of chicken [feathers], and RAC is a proven quality coach.
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