Kansas City
Chiefs

Chiefs Team Report

Updated: February 07, 2012 10:26 EST

Although it's not always visible, there's apparently a plan in place for the Chiefs according to team chairman Clark Hunt.

"When I became chairman of the club five or six years ago, what I mentioned at the time was I wanted us to be a team that drafted well and developed the players that we drafted," Hunt said.

And, that was it, the sum total of Hunt's vision for his team or at least all that he was willing to share with the media and ticket buying public.

Whether there is a real vision or plan is hard to believe given the way the last year or so has gone around the franchise. Details on the Chiefs road map are never discussed. Hunt wants to draft well and develop the talent the team selects into contributing players. OK, that's good; it's a plan 31 other teams in the league share.

What about beyond that? What about when those draft choices are developed into contributing players? Are they allowed to walk, or are they paid the going market rate for their services? And what happens when amidst all those developing players, there are holes in the roster that must be filled. Is the team's vision to do that as cheaply as possible, or to sign the best player available? How tight are the purse strings on items other than players? Is there enough money in the club's vision to pay for high caliber assistant coaches, or trainers, workout specialists all those people? Is there enough money available to pay for talented scouts and personnel people to evaluate those draft choices that are so important?

Five years after he took control of the franchise, Clark Hunt hasn't provided much in the way of answers or explanation of his vision.

If the draft is the lynchpin to everything, that puts a lot of pressure on the personnel department and the person making the selections. That batting average has to be far higher than normal. With seven rounds each year and say seven picks per team, the average club will get short-term contributions from five choices and long-term contributions from two or three. The Chiefs would have to score short-term from six and long-term from three or four, or better than 50 percent. Those are tough odds year after year after year.

Those types of questions get a mouth of football speak and are never really addressed. This is where the secrecy of the Chiefs organization under Hunt and Pioli hurts them. It's hard to convince a lot of people to invest in something they don't quite understand because they've been given so little information. Most ticket buying decisions are made on whether the team wins or loses, but a significant segment of fans will hang on through tough times if they've been clued in to the road map the team is following. A map to the Holy Grail is easier to find than a document that outlines the direction of the Clark Hunt Chiefs.

Right now, the Chiefs have two issues leading directly back to Hunt. First, it's the murkiness of the franchise's vision or plan. Second, is the impatience Hunt has shown over the last six years with his head coaches. Herm Edwards moved forward with his desire to go with a young roster in 2008 because he thought he had Hunt's support. Edwards told him there would be some temporary pain. Hunt couldn't handle that (2-14 in 2008) and swept out the old regime.

Todd Haley won several coach of the year honors in 2010, taking his team to a 10-6 record and an AFC West championship. Then 13 games later, after an unusual offseason with an owners' lockout and a host of injuries to key players, Haley gets dumped with a 5-8 record.

That brings us to Crennel, who signed just a three-year contract as head coach, not four like Haley signed in 2009. For his sake, Crennel hopefully has an idea of Clark Hunt's vision for his team. And hopefully, the new head coach understands that vision seems to change when things get tough.

In the amended words of a football legend, Romeo, you'd better just win baby! There's no room for building here. Just ask Herm and Todd. Turns out the vision wasn't quite in focus for them.

Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennell knows exactly what he's getting from his new offensive coordinator. After all, they've worked together before.

Brian Daboll, who worked alongside Crennell for four seasons and three Super Bowl victories on Bill Belichick's coaching staff in New England, was hired Monday as the Chiefs' new offensive coordinator. It will be his fourth season as an offensive coordinator, after he spent the 2011 campaign as offensive coordinator in Miami and the 2009 and 2010 seasons in Cleveland.

"Brian is a fine football coach and offensive mind," said Head Coach Romeo Crennel. "I worked with him when he was a young coach in New England and I am proud of the way his career has developed."

Crennel had previously stated that the new offensive coordinator would be major hire, as Crennel will focus his efforts primarily on the Chiefs' defense.

While in New England, Daboll spent three seasons working under the man he'll replace in Kansas City, new University of Kansas head coach Charlie Weis. Daboll started his tenure with the Patriots as a defensive assistant, but took over as wide receivers coach in 2002 when Ivan Fears took over as running backs coach. He's worked exclusively on the offensive side of the ball ever since, moving to the Jets as quarterbacks coach in 2007, then taking over as offensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2009.

Daboll inherits a Chiefs team that ranked 27th in the NFL in total offense in 2011 (310 yards per game), and next to last (13.2 points per game) in scoring offense. Kansas City was 25th in the league in passing offense (192.5 yards per game) and 15th in rushing offense (118.3 yards per game). Matt Cassel went 4-5 as the team's starter before giving way to Tyler Palko in Week 11, with Kyle Orton leading the Chiefs to wins over Green Bay and Denver in their last three games after being cut by the Broncos. Orton and Cassel are expected to compete for the starting job this fall.

Under Daboll's leadership, Miami was 22nd in the NFL in total offense in 2011 (317.4 yards per game) and 20th in scoring offense (20.6 points per game). The Dolphins were 23rd in the league in passing offense (193.2 yards per game) and 11th in the league on the ground (124.2 yards per game).

--The Chiefs halted the Chicago Bears bid to interview Jim Zorn for their quarterbacks coach position, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Zorn has a long history in the position, serving as quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks from 2001-07, before going on to become the Redskins head coach in 2008-09.

He returned to coaching quarterbacks for the Ravens in 2010 before moving on to the same position with the Chiefs last season.

Kansas City already lost their director of college scouting to the Bears earlier in the week, as Phil Emery was hired as Chicago's new GM.

The Bears are also interested in one-time Chiefs quarterback Alex Van Pelt for the position, as previously reported by the NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.

--Head coach Romeo Crennel has been very quietly trying to piece together a coaching staff for the 2012 season and his first public move came on Jan. 30 when Tom McMahon was announced as the club's new special teams coach. McMahon joins the Chiefs after spending the last three seasons with the Rams in St. Louis. He will replace Steve Hoffman who was released; the Chiefs wanted to keep Hoffman as strictly a kickers coach, but the pay cut involved was more than Hoffman was willing to live with.

--After 34 seasons in the NFL, Chiefs offensive coordinator Bill Muir informed the club that he will retire from coaching.

"I am excited for Bill as he moves into retirement," Crennel said. "I have known him for a long time and he is one of the finest coaches I've ever been around and an even better person. Bill is a very good friend and I have a great deal of respect for the way he worked. It was a privilege to work alongside him."

"It has been an honor to be a part of this great league for so long," Muir said. "Over the years I've made a lot of great friends and worked with many talented players and coaches. This was a personal decision for me, the timing was right. The Chiefs are in great hands with Romeo and Scott and I wish them nothing but the best."

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bill," said general manager Scott Pioli. "I have worked with him for a long time and have witnessed him develop a number of very good football players. His contributions are very much appreciated and he will be missed. We wish him the best moving forward."

--The Chiefs have announced that along with special teams coach Steve Hoffman, two other members of the 2011 staff were shown the door: wide receivers coach Richie Anderson and assistant offensive line coach Pat Perles.

--Quarterback Matt Cassel made headlines off the field - he helped a woman evacuate her burning home in his gated community in south Kansas City on January 26. Lauren Cassel first noticed smoke coming from the house and while his wife called 9-1-1, Cassel ran to the home, beating on the door and windows. The only person at home was a woman who later said she was unaware of the blaze until Cassel alerted her. Neighbors are calling Cassel a hero for his quick actions. Cassel has refused interview requests, but said through a neighbor: "I wasn't heroic at all. I just ran up to the house and alerted them. The real heroes are the firefighters."

--According to GM Scott Pioli the Chiefs had conversations with about a half-dozen candidates for the team's head coaching job that was eventually filled by defensive coordinator/interim head coach Romeo Crennel. The club would not reveal those names, but several surfaced including former Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher, former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio and Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

--Crennel made it very clear who his starting quarterback will be -- Matt Cassel. "Matt Cassel has won here," Crennel said. "I mean we've been to a playoff with Matt Cassel so I don't think that Matt Cassel has fallen off of the wagon overnight. I think he's a good talent, a good quarterback and he's taken us to a playoff so I anticipate that he can do it again."

--Would new head coach Romeo Crennel like to have quarterback Kyle Orton back on the roster for the 2012 season? "Kyle did a tremendous job for us and I'm probably not sitting here if Kyle hadn't done the job that he did and I'm very appreciative of that," Crennel said of Orton, who went 2-1 as the Chiefs' starting quarterback over the final three games. "I'm also appreciative of that fact that he is an unrestricted free agent and we have to go through the process you know."

--General manager Scott Pioli said continuity and consistency were key parts of the equation in naming Romeo Crennel the team's head coach. "Having things like that in place really does add to the likelihood of success by having someone who has intimate knowledge of the team, who the players also have intimate knowledge of," Pioli said. "Anytime you can create or have consistency, especially when you believe that things are headed in the right direction, I think that's a positive."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think going forward we have an opportunity to develop and build that competitive team that will hopefully give us a chance to be on the championship track year-in and year-out."- Head coach Romeo Crennel.

On the contract front, the Chiefs have 20 players without contracts for next year but the key names right now are wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and cornerback Brandon Carr. Bowe had another 1,000-yard season and with the injury to running back Jamaal Charles, he was the biggest offensive weapon on the team. Carr has not missed a start in his four-year career and has improved each season. For a team with a roster that has many holes to fill, the Chiefs do not need the headache of losing Bowe and/or Carr.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- Kyle Orton. Backups -- Tyler Palko, Ricky Stanzi. Injured reserve: Matt Cassel.

Cassel is the starter and has recovered from a right hand injury that ended his season at nine games. With a 2-1 record as a starter to end the season, Orton is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. Palko was 1-3 as starter and it's unlikely he will return. Stanzi never saw the field.

RUNNING BACK: Starters -- RB Thomas Jones, FB Le'Ron McClain. Backups -- Shaun Draughn, Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster. Injured reserve: Jackie Battle, Jamaal Charles.

Charles is ahead of schedule on his rehab of a torn ACL in his left knee. Jones will be 33 years old and McCluster had a productive year as a third-down back. Draughn came off the practice squad after Battle suffered a foot injury at the end of the season.

TIGHT END: Starter -- Anthony Becht. Backups -- Jake O'Connell, Leonard Pope. Injured reserve: Tony Moeaki.

Moeaki's rehab from his torn ACL in his left knee is right on schedule. Journeyman Becht will be a UFA, as will Pope. O'Connell was a healthy scratch for most of the season's second half.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston. Backups -- Jonathan Baldwin, Terrance Copper, Jeremy Horne, Jamar Newsome, Jerheme Urban.

Bowe will be a UFA and has not reached agreement with the team on a new deal. Breaston fit in nicely as a UFA signee going into the 2011 season. Baldwin had a disappointing rookie season. Copper, Horne and Urban are special teams contributors. Newsome was on the practice squad but showed promise.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT Branden Albert, LG Ryan Lilja, C Casey Wiegmann, RG Jon Asamoah, RT Barry Richardson. Backups -- C/G Rodney Hudson, OT Steve Maneri, OT David Mims. Injured reserve: OT Ryan O'Callaghan.

Albert and Asamoah had solid seasons. Richardson struggled all season and performed poorly. Lilja and Wiegmann wore down as the season went on. Hudson showed some flashes of being able to handle the center position in limited play. Maneri is a converted tight end with limited OT snaps. Mims was a very raw rookie free agent with size, 6-8, 335 pounds.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- RDE Glenn Dorsey, NT Kelly Gregg, LDE Tyson Jackson. Backups -- DE Allen Bailey, DE Brandon Bair, DE Wallace Gilberry, NT Amon Gordon, NT Jerrell Powe.

As a group, the starters played better than they did in '10. Jackson finally showed some first-round flash and Dorsey continued to be solid. Gregg may have played his last season and he was OK. Gordon was a nice find on the street as he played both end and tackle. Gilberry was a disappointment as he dealt with injuries. In his rookie season Bailey showed improvement, while Powe had eight plays and Bair none.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- ROLB Tamba Hali, RILB Derrick Johnson, LILB Jovan Belcher, LOLB Justin Houston. Backups -- ILB Cory Greenwood, OLB Cameron Sheffield, OLB Andy Studebaker, ILB Demorrio Williams. Injured reserve: OLB Gabe Miller, ILB Brandon Siler.

Hali and Johnson got well-deserved spots in the Pro Bowl. Houston was the team's best rookie and showed a real upside when it comes to rushing the passer. Belcher was solid if not showy on the inside. Greenwood, Sheffield, Studebaker and Williams were all special teams contributors, with Greenwood leading the team in kicking game tackles.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- RCB Brandon Carr, FS Kendrick Lewis, SS Jon McGraw, LCB Brandon Flowers. Backups -- CB Javier Arenas, CB Jalil Brown, CB Travis Daniels, S Reshard Langford, S Sabby Piscitelli, S Donald Washington. Injured reserve: SS Eric Berry.

Carr and Flowers had good seasons. Now, Carr must be signed; he'll soon be a UFA. Lewis was inconsistent on the back line and McGraw was injured most of the season. Berry's rehab on his torn left ACL is on schedule. Arenas improved in coverage in his nickel back role and rookie Brown showed promise. The rest of the secondary were less than average, as they never replaced Berry's contribution.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Ryan Succop, P Dustin Colquitt, KR/PR Javier Arenas, LS Thomas Gafford.

Overall, both Succop and Colquitt had career best seasons. Arenas and McCluster were average on returns, without a score all season. Gafford was consistent on his snaps.