Pioli's hiring puts K.C. back on the football map
By Michael Blunda
Jan. 13, 2009
The Chiefs have hired Patriots VP of player personnel Scott Pioli as head of football operations, according to our sources.
Pioli had spent nine years in the Patriots' organization, most recently as vice president of player personnel, helping put together three Super Bowl-champion teams.
Pioli's arrival means the end of Herm Edwards' time in Kansas City, as PFW's sources have told us that Pioli has asked Edwards and his staff to clear out their desks at Chiefs headquarters. Edwards was 15-33 in three seasons as the Chiefs' head coach.
The PFW spin
The arrival of Pioli in Kansas City signals a ray of hope for a franchise desperately in need of a change at the top.
After 20 years as president, general manager and CEO of the Chiefs, Carl Peterson had gotten stale. His past 11 seasons included only two postseason appearances, and K.C. hadn't won a playoff game since 1993. His resignation last month was the first step in a structural overhaul of the organization.
Owner Clark Hunt's hiring of Pioli is the next significant step. Considered one of the sharpest minds in the game today, Pioli joined the Patriots in 2000 and quickly worked his way up the ranks. During his tenure in New England, the Pats ascended to join the NFL's elite, winning three Super Bowls and five division crowns.
The only thing Pioli was missing in New England was the title of general manager, something he now can claim in Kansas City. As head of football operations, the 43-year-old has a monumental challenge in front of him: transforming a team that has won six games over the past two seasons into a consistent contender. And after watching two clubs — Atlanta and Miami — go from doormats to playoff qualifiers in one season, the pressure is on.
Pioli's first step is going to be bringing in a whole new coaching staff.
It's likely that Pioli will follow in the footsteps of Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, another former Pats executive, and hire a defensive-minded head coach to turn the Chiefs around. Since he'll probably choose from the ranks of NFL coordinators, the top candidates appear to be the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo, the Vikings' Leslie Frazier and the Dolphins' Paul Pasqualoni. Each has led a very effective defensive unit and has experience running a 3-4 scheme, which Pioli wants to employ, we hear.
If Pioli opts to explore the collegiate ranks, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz would be an obvious choice, since the two are very close from their days together in Cleveland. However, Ferentz looks like more of a long shot at this point, because not only is he an offensive coach but also a larger risk, coming from the college level.
Getting a new head coach in place will be the first of many moves Pioli will need to make if he hopes to breathe new life into the franchise. But at least his hiring proves that the Chiefs, one of the league's most respected organizations, are once again serious about winning.
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