The Bees Knees: Top 5 GM's and Coaches The Chiefs Should Consider in 2009

I love the Chiefs...and have for almost 20 years. Ever since the 1991 season when my dad and I would don our red shirts every Sunday and watch Steve DeBerg and Christian Okoye lead the "Martyball" offense, and Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith hammer out a crushing defense, I've rarely missed a game. So, you can see why - being as I wasn't around to watch the wretched Chiefs of the 70s and 80s - it hurts to watch a team I'm so used to seeing in playoff contention (or at the very least winning 7 or 8 games) play the way they have the last few years.

Said Chiefs owner Clark Hunt in January of this year:
"The 2008 season is going to be a very important year for our football team [and] I expect us to at least compete for a playoff spot. I'm realistic and patient to some degree. But I also know that in the NFL you can quickly turn things around. I think you can look at a franchise like Green Bay who three years ago was in the same spot we're in. They were 4-12. I'm not saying this football team's got to win 10 or 11 games next year. But I expect us to be competitive for a playoff spot. Certainly, if we're 4-12 again that would be a failure, or anywhere close to 4-12. It's not unrealistic for us to have a team that's in the mix fighting for a playoff spot late in the year next year."

That being said - barring some miracle - I'm convinced now that changes are in order not only on the field, but also on the sidelines and in the front office. Which is why I'm presenting this list of Top 5 Potential General Managers and Top 5 Potential Head Coaches that Clark Hunt should seek soon...very soon.

General Manager:
Let's get one thing straight: I have no doubt and won't deny Carl Peterson's positive contribution to Kansas City football when he first came to this organization in 1989. But in the 19 years he has been here, we have won TWO playoff games and both of them came in 1993. Carl did what he needed to do to resurrect the Chiefs from the embarrassment they had become, but to paraphrase "The Dark Knight" you either leave as a hero, or stay long enough to become the villain. And it's time we look at 5 people who could take his place:

5. "This Inanimate Carbon Rod!"

The one-time winner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Employee Of The Month Award doesn't have the experience to acquire any talent, but one could counter that it wouldn't have traded any away either.

4. Mike Shanahan

Shanahan is a bit arrogant, and known for gutsy calls, but to be fair, they've USUALLY never let him down either. For years, I thought he was crazy for having traded Clinton Portis for Champ Baily, but in the long run, it seemed to work out for him. Arrogance is not a bad thing to have in a GM. It's when you begin to have nothing to show for it, that fans become restless.
Super Bowl rings: Shanahan: 2 .... Peterson: 0

3. Mike Holmgren

Holmgren is entering his last year as Seattle's head coach. The transition to Jim Mora is all but a done deal. I've never gotten a clear answer as to whether or not he was going to stay on as Seattle's GM, but if not, we could sure use him. Although, I swear up-and-down I saw him stealing tips off tables from a local Perkins three years ago (although, I guess it could have just been someone who kind of looks like him), you can't deny that Holmgren is an available potential executive with an excellent eye for talent and developing not only players (Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck who I think is one of the NFL's most underrated QBs, and Shaun Alexander) but also in coaches (Andy Reid, Ray Rhodes, Jon Gruden, Dick Jauron).

2. Scott Pioli

Who? Pioli, since 2000, has been the Vice President of Player Personnel for the New England Patriots. If anyone beyond Bill Belichick is responsible for the Pats success, it's this guy. Four Super Bowls, three World Championships and the NFL's only 16-0 Regular Season don't lie.

1. Marty Schottenheimer

Kansas City has a love-hate relationship with Marty, but you can't deny that - other than Hank Stram - Schottenheimer has been the best coach the Chiefs have ever had. While he is the sixth winningest NFL coach of all-time, he is also the only one of those six to have never made it to a Super Bowl. So maybe GM would serve him better than coach. Because while his play-calling was often questioned here, he has an undisputed reputation for finding talent and turning around failing franchises (before KC, it was Cleveland, and afterward: San Diego). Marty resigned as the Chiefs coach in 1998 after ONE bad season roiled with personal problems. But I, for one, would welcome him back to KC in a heartbeat considering the current alternative.

Coaches:
Herman Edwards is a decent coach, who led a decent team with the Jets six years ago. But decent doesn't cut it anymore, and I'm honestly convinced now that he was never the right choice from the moment he joined the Chiefs. Edwards is a good leader, and good speaker and a good role model. On top of that he can put together an excellent defense. But for all he has in those aspects, he lacks in originality, clock management and an unprecedented focus on more trivial aspects of the game-plan. All three of those are strong virtues needed to manage a good offense, and he simply doesn't have it. He'll make a good defensive coordinator somewhere else (possibly even a championship team), but Head Coach of the Chiefs, I'm convinced, is no longer his calling. To whom does that belong? Take a look at these:

5. Hayden Fox

Fox took the Minnesota State Screaming Eagles to no less than three National Championships. While Fox may only be a fictional character, and the team he coached having never existed, he still would make a remarkable improvement over our current situation. Especially if he was to bring Luther VanDamme in as his Defensive Coordinator.

4. Lane Kiffin

This pick is a bit of a Wild Card, I know. But I don't think he (nor any coach in Oakland since Jon Gruden) was given a fair chance. It seems anymore, taking the head coach position in Oakland is signing a contract to make money calling Al Davis's plays. He seemed to be slowly moving the Raiders back into respectability, and while that may not really be enough to warrant another head coaching position, I still would like to see what he can do. And if that hint of turning a franchise around turns out to reveal a greater talent in that area, I would definitely want him to be coaching the Chiefs when it happens.

3. Gary Pinkel

I really don't know a lot about college football. I don't care about any of the teams. I could probably only name two of them off the top of my head. I actually go out of my way to NOT watch it. I could honestly care less. But even I know Mizzou has been fairing well over the last few years. And my friend, who is a huge Mizzou fan told me I'd be crazy not to include him on this list. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and go for it.

2. Tony Dungy

So that there's not any confusion, Tony Dungy is the guy who looks kind of like Herman Edwards, but wins games. Dungy's contract is up this year, and if the Colts don't do as well as they did in years' past, the Colts organization may not be as eager to pick him up for another year. Don't get me wrong, they will TRY to re-sign Dungy, but if he gets a good enough offer, they may not be as eager to COUNTER that offer. In all likelihood, it's not close to happening, but it's worth a shot.

1. Bill Cowher

Cowher has roots as a Defensive Coordinator in Kansas City under Marty Schottenheimer, and is still well-respected not only here, but in the NFL at large. If he could be coaxed out of retirement, his coaching style would probably fit the Chiefs current roster better than any other prospective coach out there. Cowher had a hard time making it to the big game, but several coaches took several years to reach the Super Bowl only to go onto win multiple times. Cowher is an excellent head coach, and a proven champion who could do great things for a failing Chiefs organization who needs help NOW.