Kansas.com: Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City sets sights on Pioli

ADAM TEICHER — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:39 CST

In beginning the search for a new general manager, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt laid out the qualities he wanted in Carl Peterson's successor: a shrewd talent evaluator, a strong leader, a good communicator, someone with experience in building a winning NFL team.

It seemed inevitable from that point that Hunt would have Scott Pioli, New England's vice president for player personnel, on his search list. Hunt, along with interim president and general manager Denny Thum, were expected to interview Pioli on Monday for the vacancy.

Pioli, who turns 44 in March, has everything Hunt said he was looking for. With Pioli assisting coach Bill Belichick with personnel decisions over the last nine years, the Patriots played in four Super Bowls, winning three.

Pioli talked last week with the Cleveland Browns, who reportedly were putting on the full-court press, but Pioli hasn't given them an answer, and the Browns have talked with other candidates as well.

Pioli's interviews in the last week are the first he's accepted since joining the Patriots in 2000. In the last few years, he had been granted permission to interview with two teams but declined both offers. In 2005, the Seattle Seahawks, despite having not formally interviewed Pioli, offered him a five-year, $15 million deal, which he turned down. He also declined a request to be interviewed by the New York Giants in January 2007.

Hunt takes time in search

KENT BABB — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:38 CST

As the weeks pass and anticipation of Clark Hunt's first major hire as Chiefs chairman gathers intensity, the man at the center of the storm has resolved to be calm -- and, most of all, be right.

Details are scarce these days about Hunt's line of thinking, but one prevailing fact continues to surround the search for the Chiefs' first new general manager in 20 years: Hunt is more interested in being thorough than timely.

"This is critical," said Jack Steadman, a longtime former Chiefs president and general manager. "There's no easy turnaround; it's like turning around a battleship."

The battle that Hunt, 43, is undertaking could have drastic consequences if he makes a mistake. If he hires the wrong man to lead the Chiefs' football operations, it begins a chain reaction that could plague the team for years.

That general manager will hear input from Hunt but, Hunt has said, will be given the freedom to steer the Chiefs' most important decisions: whether Herm Edwards is retained as coach, whether last year's youth movement will continue without strategic changes, and the overall direction the Chiefs take as they advance into their most pivotal offseason in decades.

Gonzalez plans return to Chiefs unless he hears the R word (rebuild)

ADAM TEICHER — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:20 CST

Tony Gonzalez will soon make his annual postseason trip to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl. Upon his return, he should have a better idea about which direction the Chiefs are headed.

By then, the Chiefs will likely have a new general manager and a decision on whether coach Herm Edwards will be retained.

At that point, Gonzalez will decide whether he will again ask for a trade.

“As far as I know, I’ll be a Chief next year,” Gonzalez said. “Depending on what Clark (Hunt) wants to do, if he wants to blow this whole thing up and bring in a new coaching staff and bring in a new coordinator with that and bring in a new quarterback in the draft, that all weighs into whether or not I want to be a Chief next year.

“As far as I’m concerned, as a veteran on this team going into my 13th year next year, the last thing I want to hear is ‘rebuild.’ I’m not into it. If they come in here and they want to blow it all up, I’ll be frustrated and I’ll be a little (ticked) off.

Chiefs focus on Pioli, not Marty

KENT BABB and ADAM TEICHER — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:50 CST

Marty Schottenheimer apparently is out; Scott Pioli could still be in — but there’s little time to waste. The Chiefs’ search for a new general manager still appears centered on Pioli, the New England Patriots’ vice president of player personnel.

Kansas City reportedly has received permission to speak with him. It’s not clear when that meeting might take place, but Pioli met Wednesday with the Cleveland Browns, who have a history with Pioli and reportedly are eager for an answer as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Schottenheimer, a former Chiefs head coach, said Wednesday that it was “highly unlikely” he would have another role in Kansas City. His name has been floated as a possible candidate for GM, coach or a front-office consulting role similar to the position that Bill Parcells holds in Miami. In a lengthy conversation with The Star, Schottenheimer didn’t shoot down a return to the Chiefs but said he didn’t expect to be working in Kansas City next season.

The Boston Herald reported that Browns owner Randy Lerner was prepared to make a “huge” financial offer to Pioli that would include full control of the organization. The Browns also have a coach to hire after relieving Romeo Crennel of his duties this week.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt has already decided that the duties of former GM Carl Peterson will be divided rather than giving full control to his replacement. The new president will handle the team’s business operations; the new general manager will oversee the football side.

Coaching changes could include KC's Edwards

ADAM TEICHER — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:40 CST

The typical last day of school scenes played out at the Chiefs' Truman Sports Complex practice facility Monday. Players said their good-byes and walked out for the season carrying black trash bags loaded with their belongings.

Each year, the tableaus carry an overwhelming sense of finality. This year, there's also the sense awareness that they could eventually return to a very different world.

The next time the Chiefs convene as a group, sometime in March or April, they will have a new general manager and perhaps a new coach. That means uncertainty for all, even players who are sure of having a job next season.

One is safety Jarrad Page. One of the Chiefs' better defensive players, Page has known only one head coach, defensive coordinator and secondary coach in his three NFL seasons.

When he's back in the spring, Herm Edwards, Gunther Cunningham and David Gibbs could be working elsewhere.

Chiefs finish dismal 2-14

ADAM TEICHER — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:39 CST

The Chiefs could have made the decision on Herm Edwards' future more difficult for Clark Hunt and the next general manager had they simply been more competitive Sunday against an opponent almost as down and almost as out.

Instead, the Chiefs barely showed up for their season finale, losing to Cincinnati 16-6 and ensuring a 2-14 record, worst in franchise history.

That promises to make an already uncomfortable interlude for Edwards even more agonizing as he waits on word whether he will coach the Chiefs again next season. Until then, it's business as usual, or as usual as it can get under some strange circumstances.

"It's real simple," he said afterward on Sunday, maintaining his even keel. "I'll go back to work. Unless I'm told something different, that's what I'm going to do.

"We'll evaluate the players (today) and Tuesday. We'll kind of go from there. I'll set the calendar as far as the offseason program goes and free-agency goes."

End of an era could benefit KC

ADAM TEICHER — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:39 CST

The face of the Chiefs for the last 20 years has, by most accounts, not been a friendly one.

Carl Peterson might see himself as a zealous defender of the Hunt family money, but to many others he has been a needlessly ruthless negotiator and cheap. Many times over the years, negotiations with agents degenerated into ugly bickering -- clashes that didn't cast a favorable light on the Chiefs or how they've done business.

The Chiefs also angered much of their fan base by raising ticket prices most seasons, despite having participated in the playoffs just twice in the last 10 years.

"I've had players tell me before they didn't want to come play here because of what this team's reputation was," guard Brian Waters said. "So I'm sure there are a lot of agents and players out there jumping up and down saying, 'Oh, man, Carl Peterson is gone and now the Chiefs are going to be easier to deal with.' I'm sure there are a lot of fans that are happy, too."

Peterson's last game with the team is today, when the 2-13 Chiefs finish their season against the Bengals in Cincinnati. The Chiefs, since chairman Clark Hunt's announcement two weeks ago, have had little to say about the departure of Peterson, their longtime president, general manager and chief executive officer.

Edwards says Chiefs are ready to compete

KENT BABB — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:39 CST

Herm Edwards dressed down for the occasion, but then again, the Chiefs coach always dresses down for his Tuesday meetings with reporters.

This time it was a familiar look, a gray sweatshirt with white thermals underneath. Edwards' job security is the new hottest question in Kansas City, and he's the leader of one of the NFL's worst teams. Edwards said his look hasn't changed, and neither has his attitude, even amid reports he is burned out after three seasons as Chiefs coach.

"Does it look like it?" Edwards said when asked if he'd used up all his energy. "I don't know where people get that from, but no. I've got a lot of energy."

He'll need it. The Chiefs' final game of this chaotic season is Sunday at Cincinnati. But that doesn't mean Edwards' work is finished. While team chairman Clark Hunt searches for Carl Peterson's replacement as general manager, Edwards will stick to his schedule and await word on whether he'll return for the final year of his contract.

Edwards said Tuesday his schedule already has been set. After the Bengals game, the team will return to Kansas City on Sunday night and will have a season-ending team meeting at 10 a.m. Monday. Then players will disperse, and assistant coaches will begin a brief vacation. But Edwards said he'll keep plugging, evaluating this year's players and scouting new ones. He said he'd meet next week with personnel director Bill Kuharich to begin discussing the Senior Bowl and next year's draft.

Edwards still thinks youth movement right for KC

ADAM TEICHER — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:39 CST

Herm Edwards might pay for it with the loss of his job, but he remains convinced the massive youth movement he embraced for the Chiefs was the proper way to go.

Even knowing how the season turned out -- the Chiefs are 2-13, giving them the most losses in club history -- Edwards said Monday that he would willing to go this route again.

"This was the right thing to do for the organization," Edwards said. "I said that from the beginning. When you do something like this, you're doing it for the right reasons. That's something I thought about and we all thought about, but it was the correct thing to do. This is going to be a good football team. There's no doubt about that.

"If you go back and look at how we've played, (starting) from the Jet game we've played pretty consistent. That's what you want to see from a young football team. The disappointing part is that you play all of those games and you've got a chance to win some of those games and you don't quite get it done. That's the thing that leaves you a little disappointed. You're so close and you could have some more wins than you have right now.

"The experience this team has gained will help them next year. These games we let slip away will be ones that you win."

Chiefs throw away chance at victory

ADAM TEICHER — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:38 CST

On a day when any football put in the air represented an uncharted adventure, the Chiefs opted to largely ignore their multimillion-dollar run-ning back and put their for-tunes on their minimum-wage quarterback.

It speaks to the misery of their season that Tyler Thigpen was good enough to pass for a career-high 320 yards, but not good enough to deliver a victory over the Miami Dolphins at frigid Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs pushed their luck with Thigpen -- a native South Carolinian who spent much of the game with chattering teeth -- and he wound up tossing three interceptions in the 38-31 defeat. That dropped the Chiefs to 2-13, a franchise record for losses in one season.

"Any guy that has to throw the ball in this type of weather and completed what he com-pleted is doing a heck of a job," Chiefs wide receiver Mark Bradley said. "The Dolphins tried throwing it around a little bit in the first half, and it just wasn't working for them, so they had to go to Plan B.

"There aren't too many teams that would try to throw in this type of weather."

Albert's progress has been a bright spot for KC

KENT BABB — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:39 CST

It wasn't long ago that Branden Albert was a shy, quiet rookie who slipped into and out of the Chiefs' locker room without being noticed, difficult as it might be to hide a 316-pound left tackle.

It wasn't long ago that Albert was another name on the injury list, a foot and then an ankle and then an elbow, another player who seemed destined to carry that dreaded tag: "injury-prone."

Now in struts Albert, bellowing across the Chiefs' locker room toward a teammate or serenading a few dozen unlucky souls with his falsetto rendition of an R&B song. In walks a new man, a confident man, who carries a team's expectations on his broad shoulders.

"We told him: 'Hey, it's OK to be you,' " says veteran guard Brian Waters, Albert's mentor and former training camp roommate.

That's not a problem anymore. Albert is confident and outgoing, and he says that comes with settling into the comfort of a new position and the end of a 16-game adjustment period. A writer asked Albert this week about how satisfied he is with his rookie season. It's been solid, coaches and teammates will say. And that Albert's name doesn't come in news conferences or team meetings is a good thing for a left tackle.

Edwards expected change

KENT BABB — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:40 CST

As Chiefs employees adjusted Tuesday to an Arrowhead Stadium without Carl Peterson, coach Herm Edwards said the news did not come as a surprise to everyone.

"We knew this day was coming," Edwards said. "This was going to transpire."

Edwards was among an exclusive and guarded group of Chiefs employees who had known for months that Peterson would not be with the team beyond this season. Edwards said Peterson and chairman Clark Hunt had ongoing discussions about the manner in which Peterson would exit, and only a few of the highest-ranking team officials were in on the secret.

Edwards wouldn't say Tuesday when he first heard that Peterson wouldn't be retained beyond this season. His contract was due to expire after the 2009 season, but neither side was interested in allowing Peterson to enter next season as a lame duck. Edwards said it had become a foregone conclusion that Peterson would not enter a 20th offseason as the Chiefs' general manager, president and chief executive.

"It's been in discussion for a while," Edwards said. "Carl was going to step down sometime, at the end of the season or before the season had ended. At this point in time, it was best for the football team."

Gonzalez, Waters get Pro Bowl spots

KENT BABB — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:40 CST

A pair of Chiefs veterans will be headed back to Hawaii.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez and left guard Brian Waters were selected to the AFC's Pro Bowl team Tuesday, giving those players a combined 14 trips to pro football's all-star game. Gonzalez will be the AFC's starting tight end, and it was his 10th consecutive election to the Pro Bowl. Former Chiefs guard Will Shields went to 12 in a row, the only player in Chiefs history with more Pro Bowls than Gonzalez.

"He's been terrific," Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said of his tight end. "This is one of those seasons where there's been a lot of setbacks, but he's continued to be very consistent through his play."

Waters was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in the past five seasons. He didn't make last year's squad, when Gonzalez and former defensive end Jared Allen were the Chiefs' representatives.

The 31-year-old Waters was the only returning offensive lineman to keep his position after last year's line overhaul. He has since taken on a mentor role for rookie left tackle Branden Albert and has helped strengthen the Chiefs' line after it was a liability last year.

Peterson steps down as Chiefs' GM, president

ADAM TEICHER — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:39 CST

Monday began like any other day, with the Chiefs stinging from yet another defeat, the 21st in their last 23 games. It ended in most extraordinary fashion, with Carl Peterson out after 20 years as their president and general manager. Chairman Clark Hunt called the move, which takes place immediately after the Dec. 28 final regular-season game at Cincinnati, a mutual decision.

Hunt and Peterson met Monday in what Hunt called "a continuation of some discussions we've had throughout the season about his role with the club in 2009.

"With our coaches coming into the last year of their contracts, he understood the right decision from an organizational standpoint was to make this change and announce it at this point. He was very much in agreement that this was the right thing to do."

Hunt said the Chiefs would divide Peterson's responsibilities into two jobs. The president will handle the business operation and the general manager will oversee the football side.

Peterson had help in franchise turnaround

BILL REITER — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:37 CST

The man who helped Carl Peterson turn around a moribund Chiefs franchise couldn't hide the shock.

"He quit?" Marty Schottenheimer asked quietly. "He did? Was this spontaneous, out of the blue?"

Schottenheimer was silent for a long time.

"Well, God almighty, oh boy," he went on. "Hmm. Oh my. Oh. Tell you what. I'm totally shocked. Call me back in 10 minutes. I need to think about this."

Of course he did. It was Peterson who hired Schottenheimer in 1989, a move that helped the Chiefs become a powerhouse. Under Schottenheimer, the Chiefs went 101-58-1 in the regular season. They filled the stands. They won three division titles, made the playoffs seven times and reached the AFC championship game once.

Chiefs blow 11-point lead in final two minutes

ADAM TEICHER — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:16 CST

The Chiefs lost games this season on a dropped touchdown pass, a failed two-point conversion attempt and after blowing a three-touchdown lead.

None was as painful as what they experienced Sunday against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium. They collapsed after leading by 11 points with a minute and a half left, and had they made any of several plays, they would have held on. Instead, as is their habit, the Chiefs made none and lost 22-21. This defeat, one that dropped the Chiefs to 2-12, obliterated the other stinging defeats.

"Right now, I can't even remember the other ones," safety Jarrad Page said in a stunned Chiefs locker room. "That's how bad we all feel right now."

Page and his teammates spoke as if they had seen a ghost, which in a way they had. They had made late-game mistakes before, but never in such crushing numbers.

Dwayne Bowe grabbed a San Diego onside kick with just more than a minute remaining and then saw it jarred loose, giving the Chargers the ball back moments after they scored.

Time takes its toll on backs like LT, Johnson

ADAM TEICHER — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:38 CST

Shortly after Larry Johnson's career arc began to shoot upward during his spectacular 2005 season, an opposing coach sounded a warning no one wanted to heed.

"Right now, he's a force in their offense," said Bill Parcells, then coaching in Dallas and preparing the Cowboys to face the Chiefs, who were routinely giving Johnson the ball 35 times a game.

"But it's a rare person who can take that physically for a prolonged period of time. That's what separates them. It's a difficult position to play. You have a bull's-eye on your chest every week, and sometimes that bull's-eye gets a little heavy.

"You can really separate most of the great players from the guys whose candle burned brightly for a little while just by the ability to persevere and the durability it takes to play."

Parcells was talking specifically about Johnson, but really, he could have been speaking about any running back. Parcells' candle eventually burns out for all running backs, and with most, it happens rather quickly.

Chiefs will discuss spread offense, QB

KENT BABB — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:38 CST

Chiefs officials will gather in three weeks and lay out a plan that could decide Kansas City's direction for years.

They will debate whether Tyler Thigpen proved himself capable of being the team's long-term starter. But the discussion will work deeper than that. The Chiefs want to figure out whether they can build next year's team continuing to use the spread offense, a scheme that was supposed to be as temporary as Thigpen's place in the starting lineup.

When Thigpen and the spread thrived, it attracted the attention of at least one of the men who will have a prominent voice in that meeting.

"I kind of like it," Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said Tuesday. "Me personally, I'm kind of leaning the way it's going. It's kind of helped everybody."

It helped Thigpen, and that was easy to see. The spread allowed the second-year passer to take snaps from the shotgun, and it thrived when he threw the ball quickly and safely. Edwards said part of the reason he would endorse the spread for 2009 is because Thigpen has protected the ball, throwing four interceptions compared to 12 touchdowns in the past seven games.