okikcfan
02-02-2012, 10:49 PM
BY RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
INDIANAPOLIS -- The resume box is still wide open at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli are looking to plug holes on their coaching and scouting staffs and emphasized Thursday the need to bring in competition for Matt Cassel at starting quarterback.
Crennel has interviewed quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn and Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders for the vacant offensive coordinator’s job and said, “I might interview another one or two” before making a decision, perhaps early next week.
The new offensive coordinator also would have some say in the selection of a veteran quarterback — or quarterback taken in the draft — because Crennel and Pioli were adamant that there will be competition for veteran Matt Cassel, who along with second-year man Ricky Stanzi are the only two quarterbacks under contract.
“What happens in free agency remains to be seen,” Crennel said. “I know competition makes everybody better, and we’ll just have to see what kind of competition we’re going to have at the quarterback position.”
Crennel praised Cassel for leading the Chiefs to playoffs in 2010, but his stance on Thursday was a bit of a departure from the unqualified backing he gave Cassel last month when hired as head coach.
Pioli took it a step further.
“We’ve been saying it for three years, and I’m going to continue to say it, because it’s a core part of our philosophy: There will be increased competition at every position, including the quarterback position,” Pioli said. “Who that is, I don’t know. Maybe it’s Kyle (Orton), maybe it’s another free agent, maybe it’s a draft choice, I don’t know.
“Very few people can perform at an extremely high level without competition.”
Orton, who finished the season as the starter, winning two of the last three games, including a victory over then-unbeaten Green Bay after Crennel replaced Todd Haley on an interim basis, is an unrestricted free agent.
“Kyle did a good job in those three games, and you can’t take that away,” Crennel said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if he didn’t do the job he did.”
Cassel missed the last seven games because of a broken hand, and when asked about the importance of having a veteran backup, Crennel said: “Only if the first guy gets hurt. And you have to plan for that a little bit. I think in planning for it, you have to look at your philosophy, what it’s going to cost, and all those things that go into it.”
Meanwhile, Crennel said a new offensive coordinator would have an impact and input into the hiring of a new wide receivers coach, offensive line coach, assistant offensive line coach and perhaps a quarterbacks coach if Zorn is not promoted and chooses to leave.
Zorn would seem to make sense if Crennel wants to maintain continuity with the offense the Chiefs have run the past two years under Charlie Weis and Bill Muir, whose unexpected retirement as offensive line coach this week set Crennel back in his coordinator search.
Saunders, who is still under contract to the Raiders, has a track record of success as an offensive coordinator, particularly with the Chiefs during 2001-05 under Dick Vermeil, who said Saunders told him the interview with the Chiefs went well.
But hiring Saunders would entail installing a new system.
“If you hire a coordinator, you have to let the coordinator run his program,” Crennel said, “and if the program is a different program than what the players are used to, they have to adjust.”
Because Crennel will be serving as his own defensive coordinator, he’ll have to put a lot of trust into the new offensive coordinator.
“As a head coach you have to be involved in the offense … you want to know what’s going on,” Crennel said, “but I’m not going to be in the offensive meetings because I’m going to be running the defense as well. The guy I get I need him to be what I consider to be a good coordinator.”
When asked if there were some other assistants who have departed besides Muir and three others who were not retained, Crennel replied: “Not yet … you just don’t know.
“Let’s say, hypothetically, I make (someone) the offensive coordinator … who some guys on the offense might not like, and if they have opportunities, they might say, ‘I want to go someplace else.’ You can’t control it. If those guys don’t have opportunities, then they stay. But I’m not looking to run anybody off.”
The Chiefs also are without director of college scouting Phil Emery, who is now the general manager of the Chicago Bears. With the college all-star games complete, the NFL scouting combine later this month, followed by the draft in April, this is not the optimum time to bring in someone new.
“We have a staff in place, we have a bunch of scouts in place,” Pioli said. “People are going to pick up additional responsibilities as we go through this cycle. Making a change now, the timing would be terrible. What we’ve tried to do in coaching and scouting is we want to reward people by promoting from within. Those people have to be ready, but that’s the great reward you offer to these people.”
Well this should leave everyone to wonder...Zorn?
The Kansas City Star
INDIANAPOLIS -- The resume box is still wide open at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli are looking to plug holes on their coaching and scouting staffs and emphasized Thursday the need to bring in competition for Matt Cassel at starting quarterback.
Crennel has interviewed quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn and Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders for the vacant offensive coordinator’s job and said, “I might interview another one or two” before making a decision, perhaps early next week.
The new offensive coordinator also would have some say in the selection of a veteran quarterback — or quarterback taken in the draft — because Crennel and Pioli were adamant that there will be competition for veteran Matt Cassel, who along with second-year man Ricky Stanzi are the only two quarterbacks under contract.
“What happens in free agency remains to be seen,” Crennel said. “I know competition makes everybody better, and we’ll just have to see what kind of competition we’re going to have at the quarterback position.”
Crennel praised Cassel for leading the Chiefs to playoffs in 2010, but his stance on Thursday was a bit of a departure from the unqualified backing he gave Cassel last month when hired as head coach.
Pioli took it a step further.
“We’ve been saying it for three years, and I’m going to continue to say it, because it’s a core part of our philosophy: There will be increased competition at every position, including the quarterback position,” Pioli said. “Who that is, I don’t know. Maybe it’s Kyle (Orton), maybe it’s another free agent, maybe it’s a draft choice, I don’t know.
“Very few people can perform at an extremely high level without competition.”
Orton, who finished the season as the starter, winning two of the last three games, including a victory over then-unbeaten Green Bay after Crennel replaced Todd Haley on an interim basis, is an unrestricted free agent.
“Kyle did a good job in those three games, and you can’t take that away,” Crennel said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if he didn’t do the job he did.”
Cassel missed the last seven games because of a broken hand, and when asked about the importance of having a veteran backup, Crennel said: “Only if the first guy gets hurt. And you have to plan for that a little bit. I think in planning for it, you have to look at your philosophy, what it’s going to cost, and all those things that go into it.”
Meanwhile, Crennel said a new offensive coordinator would have an impact and input into the hiring of a new wide receivers coach, offensive line coach, assistant offensive line coach and perhaps a quarterbacks coach if Zorn is not promoted and chooses to leave.
Zorn would seem to make sense if Crennel wants to maintain continuity with the offense the Chiefs have run the past two years under Charlie Weis and Bill Muir, whose unexpected retirement as offensive line coach this week set Crennel back in his coordinator search.
Saunders, who is still under contract to the Raiders, has a track record of success as an offensive coordinator, particularly with the Chiefs during 2001-05 under Dick Vermeil, who said Saunders told him the interview with the Chiefs went well.
But hiring Saunders would entail installing a new system.
“If you hire a coordinator, you have to let the coordinator run his program,” Crennel said, “and if the program is a different program than what the players are used to, they have to adjust.”
Because Crennel will be serving as his own defensive coordinator, he’ll have to put a lot of trust into the new offensive coordinator.
“As a head coach you have to be involved in the offense … you want to know what’s going on,” Crennel said, “but I’m not going to be in the offensive meetings because I’m going to be running the defense as well. The guy I get I need him to be what I consider to be a good coordinator.”
When asked if there were some other assistants who have departed besides Muir and three others who were not retained, Crennel replied: “Not yet … you just don’t know.
“Let’s say, hypothetically, I make (someone) the offensive coordinator … who some guys on the offense might not like, and if they have opportunities, they might say, ‘I want to go someplace else.’ You can’t control it. If those guys don’t have opportunities, then they stay. But I’m not looking to run anybody off.”
The Chiefs also are without director of college scouting Phil Emery, who is now the general manager of the Chicago Bears. With the college all-star games complete, the NFL scouting combine later this month, followed by the draft in April, this is not the optimum time to bring in someone new.
“We have a staff in place, we have a bunch of scouts in place,” Pioli said. “People are going to pick up additional responsibilities as we go through this cycle. Making a change now, the timing would be terrible. What we’ve tried to do in coaching and scouting is we want to reward people by promoting from within. Those people have to be ready, but that’s the great reward you offer to these people.”
Well this should leave everyone to wonder...Zorn?