Scott Pioli is Out in Kansas City as GM, Ending The Worst Four Year Stretch in Chiefs History

All, NFL Jason Lisk January 4th. 2013, 10:36am

Scott Pioli came into Kansas City with the promise of bringing the Patriot Way to Kansas City. He leaves just four years later having turned them into the Patriots of the early 1990′s owned by Victor Kiam. If you look at the power ratings at Pro Football Reference for the Chiefs franchise, the four worst seasons in franchise history were 2008 (the year before he was hired) and three of Pioli’s four seasons as Kansas City GM. To put that in some perspective, only two of Detroit’s worst four seasons came when Matt Millen was GM. 2012 was the worst in Kansas City franchise history, whether you look at wins, points scored and allowed, or the fact that Kansas City now has earned #1 overall pick for the first time as a member of the NFL.

He came in promising the Patriot Way, but the results pointed to the bad portions, and not the good ones. Remember when Todd Haley feared that his phones were bugged, or the candy wrapper story? If you get results, people ignore the other stuff. When you put up three of the worst seasons in franchise history, it just amplifies it. Pioli now joins others like Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, and Josh McDaniels as spectacular flameouts after moving away from Bill Belichick.

Good riddance, and on to the future.

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48 Responses to “Scott Pioli is Out in Kansas City as GM, Ending The Worst Four Year Stretch in Chiefs History”

1
roarke49 Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Those interviews with Andy Reid must have been really awkward where Pioli had to discuss Reid’s preferences for his successor.
2
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Pioli now joins others like Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, and Josh McDaniels as spectacular flameouts after moving away from Bill Belichick.
Dang. Is there a worse “coaching tree” out there? Even Denny Green had Dungy and Billick who were fine.
3
Career High Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:57 AM

He came in promising the Patriot Way
The secret to the Patriot Way is having Tom Brady at QB.
4
Der Kaiser Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Jury is still out of Thomas Dmitroff. Another “patriot way” disciple. Drafted Julio Jones, but defense continues to be a problem for the Falcons.
5
Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:59 AM
The secret to the Patriot Way is having Tom Brady at QB.
I thought having Matt Cassell guarantees you an 11 win season.
/settle down
6
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:59 AM
The Bill Cowher coaching tree may be just as ugly: Dom Capers, Chan Gailey, Jim Haslett, Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt, Dick LeBeau, Marvin Lewis. Ouch.
7
Career High Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 10:59 AM

Pioli now joins others like Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, and Josh McDaniels as spectacular flameouts after moving away from Bill Belichick.
Dang. Is there a worse “coaching tree” out there? Even Denny Green had Dungy and Billick who were fine.
That list doesn’t include Mangini and if you are just talking success at the NFL level you could also include Saban.
8
Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:00 AM
I think if anything, it shows that BB is a lot more in control than previously thought. His drafting without Pioli has ranged from solid-to-excellent, in reality. Having Tom Brady helps, but so does having the skills to develop Tom Brady.
9
St. Bear Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Belichick should rehire all of his assistants, and win another 3 SBs.
10
Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:01 AM
It’s pretty clear BB does a terrible job delegating responsibilities and letting coaches come into their own. I wonder how McDaniels will do in his second gig in 2014.
11
Rat Face Krzyzewski Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Pioli now joins others like Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, and Josh McDaniels as spectacular flameouts after moving away from Bill Belichick.
I wonder if Bill O’Brien can break the curse.
12
Career High Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:03 AM

but so does having the skills to develop Tom Brady.
But wasn’t this credited to Charlie Weiss?
13
Cowboy Mike's Old Original Red Hot Ricochet Barbeque Sauce Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:04 AM
A guy named Kay just called my office. Really confused.
Also I choose to read the headline that Pioli is now open about his sexuality, and unemployment.
14
Liquor Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:05 AM
but so does having the skills to develop Tom Brady.
But wasn’t this credited to Charlie Weiss?
According to the last 48 hours of news, Bill OBrien was actually behind it all.
15
SouvenirCity Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:06 AM
If you can get Dayton Moore out before the calendar turns over again, this is a banner year for Kansas City.
Belichick’s “tree” isn’t all bad. Still think Mangini deserves another run and despite the recent down years, Kirk Ferentz has been a solid coach at Iowa for about a decade. By Hawkeye standards, of course. Bill O’Brien did a helluva job with the Nittany Lions this season as well.
16
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Marvin Lewis made the playoffs twice in Cinci. That alone gets him off the shitlist of Cowher assistants.
17
jayhawk88 Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Really impressed with the way Hunt handled this. A couple months ago, we weren’t sure he was even paying attention to the direction this franchise was headed. Maybe it’s all smoke and mirrors, but the way he kind of took charge of this from the get-go, didn’t pull any punches (or at least as many as he could) when discussing how he would hire the next coach, not Pioli, and the fact that he was able to get Reid when Andy definitely had opportunities waiting for him in both SD and Arizona, really raised my opinion of Hunt. I feel a lot better about the future of this franchise than I did a week ago.
As for Reid himself, I think it’s a good hire. I don’t think we needed a coordinator getting his first gig, we needed a vet who has had success and show this team what it takes to win. Whether Reid is a good in-game coach or fit for the personnel, to me is almost immaterial at this point. From the stuff you hear about how Romeo and Haley (and Pioli) ran things, it really sounds like it’s just been a bush-league atmosphere in there for quite some time. Getting some professional NFL coaches into 1 Arrowhead again will help this team a lot.
On the field? I’m optimistic. Charles and maybe even McCluster are guys that could work in Reid’s system. If Reid can bring in good assistants we’ll improve on both sides of the ball. The big question will obviously be QB, whether it’s Geno or trying to score like a Flynn/Cousins/Smith type. It’s a franchise turning decision, no doubt, but at least now I feel like we have/will soon have some front office personnel that are capable of making the right decision.
18
njensen79 Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:06 AM
So they fire Pioli, but then hire Reid?
19
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:07 AM
Mangini would be incapable of putting together a staff of good assistants and would be unable to cope with the new practice restrictions. He’d be a terrible hire.
20
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:07 AM
Still think Mangini deserves another run and despite the recent down years
If Eric Mangini gets a 3rd head coaching job, then there’s still hope for Bruce Coslet.
21
TheRealAC Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:07 AM
still think Mangini deserves another run and despite the recent down years
i’m still so mad the browns fired him.
22
Cowboy Mike's Old Original Red Hot Ricochet Barbeque Sauce Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Most of Cowher’s assistants were better at being assistants than he ever was at being a head coach.
23
jayhawk88 Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:08 AM
The Bill Cowher coaching tree may be just as ugly: Dom Capers, Chan Gailey, Jim Haslett, Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt, Dick LeBeau, Marvin Lewis. Ouch.
Yeah but that’s a very solid list of coordinators who have all had success at those positions. Just not head coaching material.
24
Career High Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mangini would be incapable of putting together a staff of good assistants and would be unable to cope with the new practice restrictions. He’d be a terrible hire.
Having to cope with the new practice rules might actually help Mangini. His players revolted against him because of this.
25
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Most of Cowher’s assistants were better at being assistants than he ever was at being a head coach.
Just saying, if you add up all those guys’ win-loss records, it’d be like 20 games under .500.
26
Pdd53 Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:13 AM
I bet Whitlock just colored in his pants. He was always bashing Pioli.
27
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Having to cope with the new practice rules might actually help Mangini. His players revolted against him because of this.
I see the logic of this. But I dont think an old dog is learning new tricks at this point in his coaching career. He’d be a good guy to remake himself in college like Carroll. He should stay in a media role.
28
gfunk supreme Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:14 AM
I don’t think we needed a coordinator getting his first gig, we needed a vet who has had success and show this team what it takes to win.
cool analysis
29
TheRealAC Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:14 AM
mangini’s teams were always well prepared, played hard, and disciplined. even if they had no talent…
30
Jason Lisk Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:14 AM
Belichick’s “tree” isn’t all bad. Still think Mangini deserves another run and despite the recent down years, Kirk Ferentz has been a solid coach at Iowa for about a decade. By Hawkeye standards, of course. Bill O’Brien did a helluva job with the Nittany Lions this season as well.
Yeah, but it’s fun to point out. The lesser known names have done better (O’Brien, Dimitroff).
31
SouvenirCity Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:19 AM
I see the logic of this. But I dont think an old dog is learning new tricks at this point in his coaching career.
Eric Mangini is 41 years old. He got his first head coaching job when he was 35. I think there’s room for growth, especially after the two horrendous environments he was placed in.
32
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Yeah, but it’s fun to point out. The lesser known names have done better (O’Brien, Dimitroff).
Mike Lombardi – personnel guru.
/looks for cyanide
33
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Eric Mangini is 41 years old. He got his first head coaching job when he was 35. I think there’s room for growth, especially after the two horrendous environments he was hired for the specific purpose of turning around.
Not buying the Mangenius rejuvenation stuff.
34
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:27 AM
I think there’s room for growth, especially after the two horrendous environments he was placed in.
Wait. In Cleveland, he was given total control per his request. He advised the GM hire who he had fired shortly into their tenure. He then used 3 2nd round picks on Veikune, Robiskie and MoMass. He then loaded up a terrible team with aging guys. He took Colt McCoy and then had him mocked by his OC (Daboll) and then wouldnt give him reps until way after his first two QBs got hurt so he had a completely unprepared for playing time. He also spent tons of practice time on making players run penalty laps instead of getting extra reps. His teams had so little installed at the start of the season they weren’t prepaed.
Sorry, the CLE debacle was a great deal his fault. He took a bad state and made it even worse. And I like some of his merits as a game coach and overall tactician. His strengths and minuss were bizarrely the opposite of Shurmur.
35
The Wayne Fontes Safari Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:30 AM
The Wayne Fontes coaching tree makes a cameo every December in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
36
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:32 AM
The Wayne Fontes coaching tree makes a cameo every December in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The “Legacy” section on his Wikipedia page is 5 paragraphs!
37
ButtersBC Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:34 AM
The “Legacy” section on his Wikipedia page is 5 paragraphs!
Had no idea he was from Canton…only makes sense though that one of the great football minds of our time would have been raised in the cradle of the sport
38
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez has the highest WAR evah! Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:36 AM
The Bill Parcells coaching tree on the other hand is tremendous
39
HtownHacker Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:38 AM
The quarterbacks who started games under Mangini in Cleveland:
Brady Quinn
Derek Anderson
Colt McCoy
Jake DelHomme
Seneca Wallace
Pretty hard to fashion a winning record with that cast of characters.
Of course, some of my Longhorn brethren are hoping Chip Kelly comes in next year and makes Colt a star…
40
s1rweeze Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:39 AM
The Bill Parcells coaching tree on the other hand is tremendous
The only one better is Bill Walsh, if only because it covers like half the league the past 20 years
41
ButtersBC Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:45 AM
If the Bears hire Tom Clements (reportedly interested) McCarthy will have his own adorable little coaching tree, awww
42
kazzythekid Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:45 AM
The only one better is Bill Walsh, if only because it covers like half the league the past 20 years
Cool coaching tree from Wikipedia, with Sid Gillman at the top.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Gillman_Coaching_Tree.gif
43
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:50 AM
I think hoodie did more for Tuna than vice versa.
44
HakeemtheDream Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 11:55 AM
Simmons interviewed Mike Lombardi about the Cleveland 95 doc, and Lombardi said that someone got way too much airtime than he deserved because he wasn’t really involved for very long. It felt like he was referring to Pioli.
/completely off topic
45
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez has the highest WAR evah! Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 12:17 PM
I think hoodie did more for Tuna than vice versa.
after Cleveland, Parcells was Belichick’s lifeline. Parcells is the person who put that Giants defense together first as defensive coordinator and continued it as head coach. Once he became head coach, he delegated the defensive game plan to his d coordinator for sure, but the foundation of what the Giants defense was for the 80′s was created by Parcells, revisionist history aside.
46
Nada Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 12:32 PM
If Eric Mangini gets a 3rd head coaching job, then there’s still hope for Bruce Coslet
Which would in turn leave Rich Kotite chomping at the bit for a return as well.
47
scripty Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 12:58 PM
Those are good points but I think Bill eventually was getting more cracks at things, the Giants one was a bit of convenience that worked for everybody. Romeo was there and not going well.
48
thedoctlc Says:
January 4th, 2013 at 1:14 PM
after Cleveland, Parcells was Belichick’s lifeline. Parcells is the person who put that Giants defense together first as defensive coordinator and continued it as head coach. Once he became head coach, he delegated the defensive game plan to his d coordinator for sure, but the foundation of what the Giants defense was for the 80′s was created by Parcells, revisionist history aside.
Lazy. If you’re giving credit it’s due, then you’re short-changing Chuck Fairbanks and Hank Bullough:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Patriots_strategy#Fairbanks-Bullough_3-4_defensive_system