Mellinger: The Chiefs Have Hit Rock Bottom

[FloridaMan88]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/28...ck-bottom.html

Chiefs have hit rock bottom

By Sam Mellinger

The Kansas City Star


The picture of the Chiefs’ now historical level of “professional” football incompetence is their overmatched head coach, asked a simple question about why his star running back only got five carries in another blowout loss, saying “I’m not exactly sure.”

The Chiefs are beyond disappointment, beyond even the kind of stink that makes your eyes water, and are now neck-deep in the all-time pool of pathetic with Matt Millen’s Lions, Turner Gill’s Jayhawks and Buddy Bell’s Royals.

Keep in mind, the Raiders stink, too. They won only two games this season before beating the Chiefs 26-16, a sort-of-close final score that makes it seem like the Chiefs had a chance.

Here’s coach Romeo Crennel’s explanation:

“Well, generally, if the other team is able to score, that puts you down,” he says. “… You can say this is similar to what we’ve been talking about all along. We get penalties at inopportune times, we turn the ball over, then we allow teams to score.”

These are your Chiefs, Kansas City. And with the next two games shown nationally in prime time, the rest of the country will see why you’ve been booing so much, and why it’s past time for the coach and general manager to be fired.

At some point, the team may just be bad enough for owner Clark Hunt to break his silence.


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A few weeks ago, Crennel put up a sign in the locker room that will ensure he never gets another head-coaching job. On it, he urged the team to “ELIMINATE BAD FOOTBALL.”

Just a humble suggestion here, but maybe the new sign should say: “OK, LET’S JUST ELIMINATE HISTORICALLY INEPT FOOTBALL AND THEN WE’LL WORRY ABOUT MERELY BAD FOOTBALL.”

You might’ve heard this stat by now, but it’s so amazing it should be repeated a million times and shouted from the rooftops and included in every story once Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli are canned for leading this mess: The Chiefs are the first team to go seven weeks without a lead in regulation since 1940.

Nineteen-forty.

Do you know what the NFL was in 1940? The Brooklyn Dodgers finished second in the NFL’s Eastern Division. The Pittsburgh Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers. Players had day jobs. Lamar Hunt turned 8 years old.

The men in charge of today’s NFL have taken great strides to make sure a team is never so unable to compete with other professional teams that it trails six of seven games by at least 17 points. That’s a staple of the NFL’s success, actually. The league is built on parity.

The Chiefs have become parody.

Think about this: The Royals haven’t played in 25 days, finished their season like dogs, and still have two wins since the Chiefs’ last victory.

The Chiefs have been a fireable offense for Crennel and Pioli, but now the team is bad enough that the men in charge might think about apologizing when they’re fired.

This is an all-time level of pathetic, bad enough that fans are paying to fly banners mocking the team over the stadium, and incompetent enough that fans are already wearing paper bags and plan on coming to the next game dressed in mourning. At least one fan wrote to the team demanding his tickets be refunded — and they were.

This is the team Pioli has spent four offseasons and four drafts building.

Much has been said — both on the record and off — about how bad the Chiefs were when Pioli was hired, and only some of it is exaggerated. They won two games the year before, and the coach Pioli hired famously told the players he inherited that he could win two games with 22 guys off the street. Well, the Chiefs still haven’t won two games this season with the presumed “Right 53” guys that Pioli has spent four years accumulating.

He has talked so much about changing the Chiefs’ losing culture, but really, he’s just updated it.


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Hunt hasn’t said a word publicly about any of this, which is being taken by some fans as a sign of detachment. That perception is understandable, but also wrong.

Hunt is listening to angry fans, responding to some personally, inviting a few to lunch … and at least one for a two-hour meeting in his office. He talked publicly during last year’s bye week. His silence now may be frustrating, but indications are that it’s purposeful.

A source distanced the team from a report of an extension for Pioli, remember, and if Hunt says anything publicly now, he’s going to be asked about his faith in Pioli. At the very least, that appears to be a question he’s not willing to answer at the moment.

Hunt hired and has supported Pioli. Nearly everybody thought it was the best hire the Chiefs could make at the time. Hunt wants to believe in Pioli. Hunt wants to build a franchise like the Steelers, the NFL’s model of consistency, and firing a GM after four seasons is a rotten way to do it.

But this team is pathetic enough he may not have a choice.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Dave

I would have fired Pioli, Crennel, and Daboll after the game.

This.


On the sideline as soon as the clock hit 00:00.

[spanky 52]

I'm afraid we're stuck with these turds until the end of the season. Nothing will change if Pioli isn't canned. No one with any ability is going to want to coach this team while he's here.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by CJizzles

Nuke majority of it from orbit!

Only way to be sure.

[mr. tegu]

Maybe Clark is holding out firing Pioli and Crennel until after the season to ensure we don't have some miraculous turnaround and win our way out of the QB race.

[BlackHelicopters]

Rock bottom. Don't you have to admit you have a problem before rock bottom is official. Two losses on national TV ought to do it.

[notorious]

I am at the point where if we had to let go of Hali, Bowe, Berry, Houston, etc. just to get rid of Pioli's regime I would accept it.


Think of it as an "expansion franchise" experience.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Worst Chiefs team I've ever seen given the talent on this roster...

Yea, id have to say the same. Crennel is certainly right there with Paul Wiggins and Frank Ganz.....maybe even worse.

[munkey]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

I'm not even too sure Geno is the man. I'm not saying don't pick him if he's the best in this class and we have the top pick, I'm saying why couldn't we have been this shitty last year with Luck and RG3 coming out. And I don't care what anyone says, the Colts tanked it last year like a mother ****er. They're smart.

Even if we had tanked and had a chance at RG3 Pioli would have traded out for more picks since we have casehole....

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by Hugh Janus

A suggestion for the next banner to fly over Arrowhead... "ELIMINATE BAD FOOTBALL, FIRE PIOLI"

or "eliminate bad football, move this team to LA and let's start over"

[FAX]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Maybe Clark is holding out firing Pioli and Crennel until after the season to ensure we don't have some miraculous turnaround and win our way out of the QB race.

You are indeed inscrutable, Mr. mr. tegu.

Firing the hell out of people is all well and good, but how are you going to fill the vacuum created with you do? This season is a goner. Clark gains nothing by firing Pioli now. It just makes the entire process more difficult.

I certainly wouldn't interpret Clark's lack of public action as an indication that he's pleased with Pioli's performance or that he's hoping for a miracle.

FAX

[Woodchuck]

I would fire Daboll at the very least today if I were Romeo. Someone needs to be fired today.

[Romeo's Pants]

Why not just tell Pioli, RAC, and a multitude of players NOW that they will be fired when the season is over. Imagine the freedom of knowing you're going to be fired.

It has got to be good for some entertainment value. Maybe the play calling will get very loose and we'll see a few statue of liberty plays.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Another 13 points allowed off of turnovers. The team is giving up nearly TWELVE POINTS A GAME off turnovers. That is unheard of.

Bye Coaches!!

[ChiefMojo]

Parts of me doesn't want to make a coaching change until the end... bury the b**ch!!! Make it so Clark has no choice but to clean house.

[DTLB58]

Originally Posted by spanky 52

I'm afraid we're stuck with these turds until the end of the season. Nothing will change if Pioli isn't canned. No one with any ability is going to want to coach this team while he's here.

This.