In the first From the Sideline, I broke down the three major decisions that Scott Pioli will have to make as the Kansas City Chiefs’ new General Manager, starting with whether or not to keep or fire head coach Herm Edwards.
Herm once said, “You play to win the game,†but somehow those words haven’t translated well with the Kansas City Chiefs, who started the 2008 season losing 11 out of their first 12 games and finishing with a 2-14 record. But is this so surprising? He had only mild success with the Jets before he made his way to the Midwest and was fought over as though he held all the answers for the Chiefs.
ESPN reported last week that Scott Pioli’s decision to keep or release Herm Edwards, would be final by the end of this week. Herm Edwards is a good coach and has had some success in the NFL, but somehow he has not been able to execute with the prosperity that he and Kansas City had hoped he would have.
Scott Pioli is going to have to decide whether or not Edwards had lost the team’s, for lack of a better word, “respect.†I believe that his players respect him as a coach and as a person, but there is only so much defeat you can take emotionally and mentally as an athlete. I would know, I played sports my entire life; and from experience, when it comes to a point where you and your team are accustomed to losing, you don’t care if you like the coach or not, you just want something to change, something that brings enthusiasm back to the game. If Herm Edwards is to come back next year are they going to have enthusiasm to come out every Sunday and “Play to win the game?†It’s hard to compartmentalize a 2-14 season.
The Cowboys are going through a similar stint with Wade Philips. Philips has no control anymore of his team and his softened persona gives players, Tony Romo in particular, the freedom to laugh and smile on the sidelines like they are up 44-6 with two minutes left…except wait, that was the Eagles who were up 44-6. 
And while I’m on the subject, the fashion shows that Romo has during the press conferences are creating quite a lot of animosity among the fans. Someone needs to tell him that after yet another loss, coming out in a beret only shifts the focus from how you completely lost the game to how you have completely lost your mind. The Cowboys went from Bill Parcells the General to Wade Phillips the Grandpa and it’s not working.
Pioli is going to have to decide for himself whether or not the Chiefs have a Wade Philips on their hands or if Edwards can be the man to turn the team around like Bill Cowher did with the Steelers in 1992, taking them from a 7-9 record the previous season to an 11-5 record and winning home advantage in the AFC.
If Scott Pioli believes in miracles and keeps Edwards around, I think it would be only because he might have more hiring options at the end of the 2009 season. Who knows — Tony Dungy might be restless after a year of retirement.
I think Pioli is going to look to greener pastures A) because that is what most GM’s do, they like to bring in their own people; they want to be responsible for the success or failure of the team they are running, and B) because the Chiefs need a fresh start. They are getting a new GM, a newly remodeled stadium and need a new head coach to go with the equation.
But then who does Pioli hire? Would he dare try to hire Mike Shanahan, the ex-head coach of the Chiefs’ arch-rival, Denver Broncos? That could be an excellent fit, as Mike Shanahan is known for producing thousand ya
rd backs and if they keep Larry Johnson, which they should, those two together could be detrimental to their opponents in the 2009 season. Not to mention the tutelage Shanahan could provide to the Chiefs’ young and undersized offensive line, a staple of Shanahan’s zone blocking schemes.
The Chiefs also have a quarterback, Tyler Thigpen, whose mobility and arm strength bear resemblance to current Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, and Shanahan-favorite, Tony Romo. Just think about it: Shanahan’s offensive success was based around John Elway, Terrell Davis, and Shannon Sharpe, and the Chiefs have those pieces in place with Tyler Thigpen, Larry Johnson, and Tony Gonzalez.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Herm Edwards is great person, a well respected coach and has done all he can for the Chiefs; but I think we can all agree that it is time for a new beginning for the Chiefs and that their fans deserve it.
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Candice Crawford is a Featured Author for Midwest Sports Fans and regularly provides her unique perspective into the sports world in her column “From the Sideline.†A native of Dallas, Texas, Candice will graduate from the University of Missouri in May of 2009 with a degree in journalism. You can email Candice with questions or comments about her “From the Sideline†features at candice@midwestsportsfans.com.
