February 2009-March 2009

WHITLOCK OFFERS HIS BEST GUESS ON KC COACHES, WE CHALLENGE HIM

In an article this morning, Kansas City Star writer Jason Whitlock gave his best guess on how the new Chiefs coaching staff will play out.

Whitlock predicts current Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will take a year off from football, with Todd Haley taking over playcalling duties. Whitlock then predicts that the Chiefs will bring in former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Bill Muir to handle OC duties. As for defensive coordinator, Whitlock thinks the Chiefs will land Jim Haslett -- a hire we wouldn't argue. Furthermore, he expects former Cardinals defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast to join the Chiefs as a defensive position coach.

So that is Whitlock's opinion, and now we will grace you with ours. Just for the sake of competition, we will see whose assessment turns out to be the most accurate. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

We think Chan Gailey will stay on as offensive coordinator, and also as assistant head coach under Haley. We think there is a good shot that Todd Haley will do the playcalling, but we also believe that Gailey and Haley will collaborate to create an exciting, aggressive offensive scheme. We do think Bill Muir will come to the Chiefs, but as an offensive line coach. We are also crossing our fingers for Terry Shea as quarterbacks coach, but this is merely wishful thinking, so don't hold us to it.

As for the defense, we also believe that Pendergast has a good chance of landing a role as a position coach on Haley's staff, so we will buy in to Whitlock's prediction there. While we would welcome Jim Haslett as a defensive coordinator with open arms, we think the front-runners for Chiefs defensive coordinator will be Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler, and former Browns head coach Romeo Crennel.

Since Butler is still employed by the Steelers and is projected to become the next defensive coordinator for the reigning Super Bowlp champs once Dick LeBeau retires, this may be a bit of a long-shot. But, given the Rooney's history of changing their mind at the last minute (e.g. choosing Mike Tomlin over Ken Whisenhunt), Butler may feel more secure coming to KC.

Romeo Crennel will be a candidate based on his relationship with new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, dating back to their New England days. There is speculation that Pioli wants to bring the 3-4 defense to KC, and if this is true, Crennel would certainly be at the top of Pioli's list.

These are our predictions. We will see who comes out on top. Good luck Jason!

A CASE FOR HOLT AND PACE

Multiple sources are reporting that it appears likely the St. Louis Rams will not retain wide receiver Torry Holt and offensive tackle Orlando Pace, which prompted us to consider Kansas City as a possible suitor for the duo.

Although Pace, 33, has struggled over the past three years with injuries, he is a perenniel Pro Bowler and 5-time All-Pro selection. If the Rams do indeed let Pace go, I don't seee how the Chiefs could not give him a good, long look. You can't forget the impact Willie Roaf had on the Chiefs offensive line after coming to the Chiefs as a supposedly washed-up tackle who was past his prime and had knee injury concerns. Furthermore, Pace would bring veteran leadership to a young offensive line that includes budding star Branden Albert, and his tutelage would be immeasurable. At 33 years old, Pace could probably play a few more years if he wanted to.

As for Holt, we all know the Chiefs passing offense needs some more targets. Besides starters Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, quarterback Tyler Thigpen didn't have much else to throw to. Former Bears wideout Mark Bradley filled in well for the Chiefs, but he has a history of injury problems, and has finished a complete season yet in his five-year career.

Torry Holt is a 7-time Pro Bowl selection and 2 time All-Pro, who would give the Chiefs a significant offensive threat in the passing game. Furthermore, Holt would fill a definite need for the Chiefs and make passing on Texas Tech standout receiver Michael Crabtree at #3 a whole lot easier. This year's draft and free agent class of receivers isn't overly impressive, so if the Chiefs decide to make a run for Holt, they may run into some serious competition, possibly from the Tennessee Titans, who were reportedly interested in trading as high as a 1st round pick for Holt during the 2008 regular season.

We all know the Chiefs youth movement is in full swing, but to be consistent winners in the NFL, you have to have the right mix of young players and veterans. The teams who are at the top year-in and year-out have found a way to balance youth and experience. While the Chiefs were the youngest team in the NFL in 2008, they also have the second-worst record. The Chiefs need to fill some holes, sooner rather than later, and I think both Pace and Holt deserve a look.

CHIEFS SPYING O-LINE COACH?

SportingNews.com supplied us with a little tidbit of information that is yet to surface in Chiefs media circles -- the Chiefs may have an early favorite to fill the position of offensive line coach. According to sources, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Bill Muir is the front-runner for the position, and may bring Bucs young, talented offensive tackle Donald Penn with him.

Muir was a member of Jon Gruden's coaching staff in Tampa and served as the team's offensive coordinator from 2002 until 2008 and was recently replaced by Jeff Jagodzinski following Grduen's firing. During his stint in Tampa, Muir specialized in coaching the offensive line.

SportingNews.com hinted that free agent offensive tackle Donald Penn may follow Muir to Kansas City, and even went so far as to predict that Penn would be wearing a different shade of red and gold in 2009. Sources describe Penn as an "up-and-comer" and rank him 6th on their list of the top 10 free agent offensive tackles.

We all know the Chiefs need help at RT, and a Muir-Penn packaged deal seems like a great idea to us, as the duo is more than qualified to fill their respective positons.

HALEY TO DO THE PLAYCALLING?

There is more and more speculation growing in league circles that new Chiefs head coach Todd Haley will be calling the plays for the Chiefs offense in 2009. In interviews, Haley has never denied that he will be doing the playcalling, so one can speculate that he is at least considering doing so.

Current offensive coordinator Chan Gailey called the plays for the Chiefs in 2008, and his pseudospread offense and clever playcalling single-handedly kept the Chiefs in most of the games they played. Gailey's only fault was a lack of halftime adjustments, and his approach almost seemed too elementary for the NFL at times, with defenses usually catching on by the third quarter.

We are unsure how Gailey would react to such a power shift, but if the alternative is to lose his job, we would tend to believe that Gailey will swallow his pride and cave. Although Gailey may not be doing the playcalling, he will certainly have an influence on how the Chiefs offense operates (provided he remains with the team, of course), and we are pretty excited to see what a Haley-Gailey collaboration can come up with.

CHIEFS ON LIST OF POSSIBLE CASSEL SUITORS

National Football Post columnist Mike Lombardi is listing the Chiefs on his list of possible Matt Cassel suitors. Other teams Lombardi lists are Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, and New York, with Washington and Carolina as sleepers.

Out of the teams Lombardi lists, we believe St. Louis, Kansas City, and San Francisco will make the strongest pushes for Cassel. Detroit seems set on drafting Matt Stafford with the first overall pick, and New York seems to be leaning towards keeping Brett Favre as their quarterback at this point. Carolina has enough salary cap issues in trying to retain defensive end Julius Peppers and left tackle Jordan Gross, and we just don't see the rest of the teams making a strong play for Cassel.

If this is all the interest Cassel garners, KC should have a significant shot at landing Cassel. Bringing in Cassel will likely cost the Chiefs a second round pick in this years draft, and a first rounder next year. If the Chiefs do trade Cassel, expect them to restructure his contract and sign him to a long-term deal to avoid a nearly $15 million cap hit this season. The Chiefs will likely pick up a 4th round pick or higher if running back Larry Johnson is traded, so this type of deal is entirely possible.

This rumor mill is updated daily by Red Zone owner Nick Britt. You can contact him at nick@kcredzone.com with any questions, comments, or suggestions.