I like this hire.
Scratch that. I love this hire.
A few weeks ago when some friends and I were having an email discussion regarding who Scott Pioli should hire, my top choice was Todd Haley. My reasoning was this:
* he comes from the Parcells tree.
* he would bring back the aggressive offensive style of the Vermeil years, which never should have departed, and
* he's not afraid to adapt to his players, rather than force his players to adapt to his system.
Everything I saw yesterday, just reinforced my opinions of the guy, and left me very satisfied with this hiring.
Now the real fun begins. Here's the five key things I think the Chiefs need to focus on over the next few weeks, as free agency and the draft begin to approach:
Priority one has to be the defensive coordinator. There's three "name" candidates out there right now that can be had for nothing: Romeo Crennel, Ted Cottrell, and as of yesterday, Clancy Pendergast. Of the three, the only one I would want is Pendergast. Crennel has always struck me as a baffoon. And Cottrell ... good God. The guy couldn't put together a top 15 defense with the Chargers talent. He'd be a catastrophe here.
Pendergast though, is intriguing. The Cards forced more turnovers (13) than any other team in the postseason. Yes, the Steelers mounted an incredible, historic drive for the ages to win the Super Bowl, but how did they get to that point? Because Clancy's D forced 3 straight punts and a safety in the four drives prior to that, to help turn a 13 point deficit into a 3 point lead.
My preferred style of defense is a 3-4 cover 2. I'm not a huge blitz guy, although I see nothing wrong with sending the OLB or the blind side corner 3-4 times a game to try to force the situation. Defense I view like a chess game. Strategically place your pieces and then pounce once you see what's coming at you. This is the way Pendergast coaches. I'd like to see him get a chance here to work his magic.
Priority two is Tony Gonzalez. Look it, I don't care what he said about the coaching hire. Who cares if he dropped an expletive to describe one of the candidates. The problem with Tony Gonzalez is that at this point, the only thing he gives a sh*t about is stats. He wants to ensure his status as the game's greatest tight end. Well, wonderful. Good luck with that. In another city.
I'd trade Gonzalez to a contender (hello, Giants!), if I could get a 3rd and a conditional in 2010, or a 4th and 6th this year. Put it this way: the Chiefs have NEVER won a playoff game with Tony Gonzalez on the roster. I'm not saying he's the reason why. I'm just saying that keeping a me-first malcontent on the roster isn't the solution.
However, if Tony says he wants to stay, or if you can't at least get multiple day two picks for him, then keep him. He may be a whiny malcontent, he might be a me-first guy, but he's not a cancer. He's not going to quit on this team (as last year showed) even if he doesn't get what he wants. He is a professional. Really, we can't lose in this situation. Unlike ...
Priority three is LJ. This one hurts, because I genuinely like LJ. I'm not one of the "mean fans" who "boo him" everywhere he goes. Hell, I still wear my jersey t-shirt with pride around town. But its probably best for all parties to seek a trade, see if you can maybe fleece a conditional 2010 pick for him, or if you're lucky a 4th rounder in 2009. In a dreamworld, you'd have a contending team willing to do a Randy Moss type trade (a 4th rounder and a conditional the next year). I know everyone thinks New England or Dallas ... but what about Arizona? Edge James isn't coming back. I don't think Hightower is a franchise back. He's certainly not as good as LJ is. How about New Orleans? Deuce coming off another major knee surgery, and is Reggie Bush a 25 carry guy? The point is, there might be a market for him. But if not, cut him and move on. (or move out).
Priority four is that 3rd pick in the draft. I hate being in this slot. I prefer to trade down, pick up an extra pick or two for our consideration, save some cash on the signing bonus, and still pick up a stud player or two. The key is that someone has to be there to generate an interest in trading up. We'll see if that happens. If I was the Chiefs, knowing LJ is out of here, knowing Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles can't stay healthy, I'd make RB my top priority, and I'd try to move back into the 10-13 range and draft Knowshon Moreno, the RB from Georgia.
I know the Chiefs will be pass happy next year. And I'm perfectly good with that. I am going to LOVE the return to an agressive, quick strike, hit you where it counts offensive style. But you still have to have some semblance of a running game. Ideally with a RB who has great receiving ability (because as I've long argued, a 4-5 yard swing pass is every bit as effective at moving the clock as a 4-5 yard offtackle run is). Moreno has that ability. (So does Charles, but again, he can't stay healthy).
If you can't get out of the 3rd slot, well, that would suck. But let's say we're stuck. Nobody wants to move up, there's nobody on the board that intrigues another team enough to make a move. Why not build to your intended strengths at that point? I know everyone will say "defense! defense!" I say "Michael Crabtree!" He gives us two stud options at WR (ala Arizona). He solves our kick and punt return issues. And how can anyone argue that he isn't the best player on the board at that point? He's THE game-changer in this draft. God forbid we get a guy like that.
Finally, priority five is free agency. I don't expect the Chiefs to go after the big name guys. Its not Pioli's style. But there are some solid below-the-radar additions to be had. Seriously, just scroll through the list (easily available at http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/fa You don't have to be an ESPN Insider to see the list or player stats, but you do need access to read Scouts Inc's take on each player).
Should be a fun-filled busy couple of months at One Arrowhead Drive. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.
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