Chiefs Mellinger: The Chiefs Have Hit Rock Bottom

FloridaMan88 · 10-28-2012, 09:36 PM

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

10-28-2012, 09:36 PM	Topic Starter
FloridaMan88 Mahomes: We Are All Witnesses Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Casino cash: $3182906	Mellinger: The Chiefs Have Hit Rock Bottom 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
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