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Chiefs, Raiders Were Among Teams Interested In Mike Sherman Before Dolphins Hired Him

The Chiefs have reportedly made their decision -- Romeo Crennel will be the new head coach.

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33 Total Updates since January 5, 2012
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Romeo Crennel Called 'Best Candidate' Chiefs Could Have Hoped For

One thing was clear at the end of Romeo Crennel's interim period as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs this season: he was the clear player's choice in the locker room. And fans had warmed up to the idea as well after the team took down the mighty Green Bay Packers and even handled Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos at season's end. The Chiefs, in other words, showed signs of life against playoff teams, and that makes a major difference .

That was enough to give Crennel the job and others agree that they made the right move. The latest column from Seth Wickersham at ESPN points out the off-season coaching hires and Wickersham says the Chiefs made the best move they could have made in promoting from within.

Wickersham writes, "Like [Jeff] Fisher, Crennel is a so-called retread, which means that he's held a previous NFL head-coaching job. It's an undervalued trait. According to NYU, hires with previous NFL head-coaching experience win 57 percent of their regular-season games and 52 percent of their playoff games in their second jobs. It makes sense: Most coaches cannot be choosy their first time around and often walk into awful situations. (See: Cleveland.)

"But remember, they have to be good retreads. One of the most important factors in retreads was whether factors outside of their control reasonably contributed to their losing. NYU analyzed the win-loss records for each coach's team three years before his hiring and three years after his departure. It's safe to say that Crennel was not the only reason that the Cleveland Browns have lost; the Browns have won 14 games since he was fired. He was the best candidate the Chiefs could have hoped for."

The Chiefs pl

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Tom Clements Promoted To Packers Offensive Coordinator, Chiefs Must Move On

If the Kansas City Chiefs were ever truly interested in the services of Tom Clements as their own offensive coordinator, they apparently waited too late. Tom Clements was promoted to the offensive coordinator position with the Green Bay Packers yesterday, as announced by Adam Schefter, and the Chiefs are now left with an even smaller pack of candidates to choose from.

Clements had been rumored as a possibility over the last few weeks, but now it looks like Al Saunders of the Oakland Raiders and internal quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn are the two in play. Perhaps another could come from the Patriots and Giants after the Super Bowl, but other teams are likely thinking the same thing. Plus the Patriots tree has been plucked of most available fruit who would qualify.

The Chiefs decision should come soon and it’s hard to tell how they will choose. If Zorn does not get the job, it’s rumored he will walk. If that’s the case, the new offensive coordinator will have at least one position to fill.

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Chiefs, Raiders Were Among Teams Interested In Mike Sherman Before Dolphins Hired Him

The Kansas City Chiefs still have not filled their offensive coordinator position, and fans are wondering when the day will finally arrive with even a hint of news. Unfortunately, the only news coming through comes after the fact, with the word dropped by Dan Pompei recently that the Chiefs were interested in now-Dolphins OC Mike Sherman. The former Texas A&M head coach was formerly with the Green Bay Packers and Pompei said the Chiefs were just one of several teams interested in Sherman’s services.

Pompei writes, “The Dolphins are fortunate to have landed Mike Sherman as their offensive coordinator. Sherman could have had a number of jobs, as teams that were interested in him included the Browns, Chiefs and Raiders. Sherman’s relationship with Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin, and the fact he will have a say in some of the other assistants, steered him to Miami.”

Word is that Brian Daboll and Jim Zorn are among other possibilities.

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Mike Lombardi Lists Brian Daboll As Possible Outside Finalist For Chiefs Offensive Coordinator

Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are primarily interested in one thing at this point in the off-season: who is going to be the team’s next offensive coordinator? The reason is that the position and who fills it means a lot for what the team will do with the rest of their off-season on offense. Draft picks and free agent targets will all be selected with the offensive schemes of the OC in mind, so the hire is a major one for Romeo Crennel’s first year as the permanent head coach.

Mike Lombardi says the Chiefs could go with the familiar Jim Zorn, the team’s current quarterbacks coach, or they could step outside with Brian Daboll, a face that both Scottt Pioli and Romeo Crennel know quite well.

“When the Chiefs hired Crennel as their head coach, everyone was happy, from the front office to the players,” writes Lombardi. " Crennel certainly won’t have as long a leash as Fisher — he’ll have to show significant progress in the next two years. He does have the full support of the front office at the outset, though, so the players know he is in charge. The key hire for Crennel will be who he chooses to become his offensive coordinator. Will it be Jim Zorn from the current staff or former Dolphins coordinator Brian Daboll?"

Daboll has been offensive coordinator the last three season with the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. Those teams are definitely bottom feeders in recent years, so that’s not an inspiring stamp of approval. But it’s also likely that if he’s hired, the team would know exactly what he is capable of since they worked with him in New England where Daboll was an assistant from 2000 to 2006.

It would not be surprising in the least if the Chiefs stick with the men that they know and bring in Daboll to helm the offense. Then again, everything is so secretive that it’s impossible to tell what they will do at this point.

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Romeo Crennel Hiring Graded As Best Off-Season Coaching Hire In NFL

Jeff Fisher’s hiring got all of the praise. Greg Schiano is getting all of the criticism. Somewhere in between, Kansas City Chiefs fans would figure that Romeo Crennel would land somewhere in the middle in terms of perception of new coaching hires. However, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated says that the Chiefs made the single greatest coaching hire of the off-season with their promotion of interim head coach Romeo Crennel to permanent status.

That’s surprising since Crennel is not the sexy name for sure. His last go around in Cleveland left something to be desired, and other teams reached for promising young hires left and right. Yet Burke says that Crennel’s steady qualities are what qualifies him to earn Burke’s best grade of all coaching hires at an “A-”.

Yes, I’m well aware that Crennel finished 16 games under .500 (24-40) during four years in Cleveland. I am also aware that he didn’t exactly have a stacked deck to work with there — in his tenure, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Bruce Gradkowski all started at quarterback.

Crennel’s brief stint as Kansas City’s interim head coach was impressive, with wins over then-undefeated Green Bay and at Denver in Week 17. Those performances alone aren’t enough to guarantee Crennel has success going forward, but the reason this is a great hire is that it goes the exact opposite direction of Todd Haley. Between his unusual sideline personality and clashes with GM Scott Pioli, Haley walked the tightrope his entire tenure.

Crennel has full support in the Chiefs’ locker room, experience as a head coach and a smart defensive-minded approach. His second go-round leading a team should be better than his first.

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Scott Pioli Says Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Search Involves Inside And Outside Candidates

The situation is “fluid.” That’s the term used by Scott Pioli in a recent interview to describe the Kansas City Chiefs situation at offensive coordinator. While other teams determine a set list of candidates and go to work on that list to determine the “winner”, Pioli is apparently still unsettled in the process and is willing to take his time to help Romeo Crennel find his offensive right hand.

Joel Thorman at Arrowhead Pride has the quotes from Pioli’s interview on Sirius radio, “From the offensive coordinator position, we’re talking internally, we’re talking externally,” Pioli said. “There’s a lot of moving parts here as you know right now because even though there’s been a lot of changes there are a lot of people remaining under contract with other teams that…they don’t have to necessarily give you permission if they don’t want. So it’s still fluid right now.”

This implies a lot about the situation and specifically that they might not even know who they can or cannot place on their candidate list. While it’s not said, it stands to reason that there’s at least one candidate in mind who they are unsure if they can even interview.

If that’s true, then the reason the Chiefs might not be moving forward is that they don’t want to settle for Plan B if they don’t have to. Let’s say, for example, that Maurice Carthon or Jim Zorn is a possibility for the position, but those guys are already in-house and under contract. So there’s no reason to move as quickly as other teams. While fans are frustrated, this means that Pioli is still holding out for a favorite candidate who hasn’t been given permission to leave his current team (or is in a holding pattern himself for unknown reasons).

Of course, this is all speculation, but it makes sense that Pioli can take his time knowing there’s at least someone he feels good about already on staff. Whether that will please Chiefs fans is another story, but Pioli’s quote seems to point to a Plan A that isn’t a known quantity at this point. Perhaps that’s someone with the Pats or Giants or it’s someone currently unavailable with another team.

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Cam Cameron Becomes New Possibility For Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator

The Kansas City Chiefs have been watching and waiting. At least that’s how it feels. For many Chiefs fans, the biggest question about their team right now has to do with the hole at offensive coordinator. Since Romeo Crennel was hired to lead the team as their new head coach, that places a significant emphasis on the offensive coordinator position to be the man to lead the Chiefs with dynamic playmakers like Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe. But so far, nothing much of interest has come out of Arrowhead Drive.

Usually that silence means that the man that they want is still involved with another club. Scott Pioli did this the last time around to get his man Todd Haley from the Arizona Cardinals, who were playing in that year’s Super Bowl in 2009 (for the 2008 season). Fans of the Chiefs might be forced to wait again if Pioli is wanting to raid the Patriots or the Giants for his next OC.

However, if he is interested, two more teams now have been flushed out of the postseason and the Baltimore Ravens are reportedly not interested in bringing their offensive coordinator of the last four seasons back for yet another round. Cam Cameron is likely being let go by John Harbaugh and the longtime OC would know what it takes to run an offense after doing so for years in Baltimore and also with the San Diego Chargers.

Again, there is no report coming out of Arrowhead to confirm this in any way. At this point, the only thing any of us can do is guess who Pioli and Crennel have their eyes upon. But Cameron has been an impressive coordinator for some time around the NFL. Perhaps he’s the one we’ve been waiting for.

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Kansas City Chiefs Likely Looking At Playoff Teams For Next Offensive Coordinator

After days of wondering who the next offensive coordinator will be, Pro Football Weekly might have at least something of an idea to help narrow down a guess when they reflect on the situation in this week’s Whispers column from around the NFL. While an in-house candidate like Jim Zorn is technically a possibility, instead, they point to the teams left standing for the Super Bowl title.

“A source told PFW that the Chiefs are staying tight-lipped about the search for an offensive coordinator, maybe indicating they want to interview a coach whose team is still alive in the playoffs. Hiring a coach who can be a good tutor to the quarterbacks would benefit the team, as it seems to excel when Matt Cassel is playing his best. Jim Zorn, who was the team’s QB coach last season, did some good things in 2011, but the source said he is “a bit of an oddball” and not likely to be promoted to coordinator."

That leaves members of the Giants, 49ers, Ravens and Patriots to choose from.

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Tom Clements Would Make Interesting Offensive Coordinator Option For Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are being quite cautious and silent when it comes to revealing any possibilities for the team’s offensive coordinator opening. Various names have been thrown out in articles (such as this), but that’s only because it is impossible to get a solid read on who Romeo Crennel and the rest of the Chiefs brass might be interested in. Once Josh McDaniels went to the Patriots, the rest has been a round of guess work that hasn’t revealed anything of substance.

We are left, then, with only conjecture as our friend to try to ascertain the next Chiefs offensive coordinator. One name earning some attention from the Tampa Bay Bucs makes sense for the Chiefs as well in the Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. While the Bucs are considering Clements to be their next head coach, that would be quite a jump for a guy who’s been monitoring the Packers’ quarterbacks the last five seasons. Still offensive coordinator is a position he’d be ready for and it’s actually something he has a history with.

Related: Todd Haley's Firing Shows Impatience Of NFL (Not For Long) Franchises

Clements was already OC for the Buffalo Bills back in 2004-05 before joining the Packers’ staff. While that ultimately didn’t work out, it shows that he has experience and should know what to expect. As for his recent body of work, his associated with Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and now Matt Flynn bode well for Clements’ chances to move up the NFL’s food chain if he so desired.

Ideally, Clements would be a great hire for a team who planned on bringing in Matt Flynn as well, but the Dolphins might be thinking the same thing with their hire of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Clements might be earning a head coach interview with the Bucs, but that’s not a position he will likely get, unless the Bucs want to surprise everyone as much as they did with the Raheem Morris move three years ago.

Instead, it shows much respect people around the league have for Clements, and the Chiefs have the space for him to move up. Whether there’s any interest on either side is a complete guess.

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Jim Caldwell Becomes Offensive Coordinator Possibility For Kansas City Chiefs After Being Let Go From Colts

The axe has fallen again, and yet another NFL head coach finds himself searching for gainful employment with the announcement from the Indianapolis Colts that Jim Caldwell has been fired from the team. Certainly any team with the first overall choice in the NFL Draft has to consider firing their head coach — or at least someone — but there’s no denying the lack of talent the Colts have in several places. Could someone else have succeeded? It’s hard to tell. Either way, Caldwell is now looking for a new place to work.

The Kansas City Chiefs, meanwhile, are looking for a new offensive coordinator to work with another steady, silent coach in Romeo Crennel. The Chiefs have interviewed a few possibilities, but it’s hard to tell which direction they’re going to go in. Caldwell, meanwhile, would bring head coaching experience to the team as well as vast experience as a quarterbacks coach for the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Caldwell also has considerable college experience with a head coaching tenure at Wake Forest and years coaching quarterbacks and wideouts for schools like Penn State, Louisville and Colorado.

There’s no way of knowing where Caldwell will go at this point since his former head coach is now retired. He’s been with the Colts since 2002, so his ties are there. Perhaps if the Polian clans lands somewhere else, Caldwell could go with them. But the Chiefs have an open slot and Caldwell has an extensive offensive background to consider with a 26-22 record as an NFL head coach.

Make sure to check out Stampede Blue for more reaction to the Colts firing of Jim Caldwell.

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Could Al Saunders Come Back To The Kansas City Chiefs?

A familiar face is the latest possibility brought up to be the Kansas City Chiefs next offensive coordinator, and it's one that would definitely make many Chiefs fans excited to see him again. Al Saunders led the Chiefs offense through some of its most prolific seasons and Mark Finocchio says its time the Chiefs thought about bringing him in again to restart an offense that's clearly the weak link for the team in 2011.

The Chiefs were among the top five offenses in football for five of Saunders' seasons, including No. 1 overall in yardage twice. Last year the Raiders were a top 10 team under Saunders and he did the same with the Redskins. Its' clear that Saunders' offenses are complicated, but they also work.

"It is clear to me that Al Saunders has experienced success at nearly every one of his coaching stops as the offensive coordinator or consultant," writes Finocchio. "Except for the 2008 anomaly in his record with St. Louis, Saunders has always been in the top half of the league for offense and in five of the last ten seasons he had a top 5 offense including two seasons with the number one offense.

"The Chiefs would do well to consider Saunders for offensive coordinator," he continues. "With Carl Peterson no longer calling the shots, the path is clear for Saunders return. Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel could see the emergence of the best offense in the NFL with a clear winner in Al Saunders."

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Brad Childress Remains Possibility For Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Search

There are several veteran names still out there vying for coordinator or even head coaching gigs in the NFL, and some notable names remain on the open market. Mike Martz is a popular name when mentioning offensive coordinator openings, and Brad Childress is another veteran coach. It’s possible that one could be the right fit for the Kansas City Chiefs — at least that’s what Dan Flaherty believes.

He writes, “Childress, on the other hand, oversaw successful offenses in Philadelphia as a coordinator. And his tenure at Minnesota was marked by one year where he managed to make the playoffs exclusively behind the running of Adrian Peterson and another where he almost made the Super Bowl behind the arm of Brett Favre. Childress was also the coordinator on the Wisconsin Badgers’ 1993 Rose Bowl team, where UW broke through and began to mark itself as a consistent Big Ten power. Whatever Childress’ flaws as a head coach, there can be no question of his ability to oversee half of a team.”

That’s an interesting proposition considering that Flaherty has a point about Childress’ talent. His final year in Minnesota was a mess, but before that, Childress’ teams were almost always in the top half of the NFL in total points and yards. He even had four top 10 finishes in this last nine seasons in total yardage.

The Chiefs certainly have the dynamic offensive weapons any coordinator would love to get their hands on. The Chiefs will likely bolster the offensive line with their first round pick, and with playmakers like Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki, Steve Breaston, Jon Baldwin, Dexter McCluster and possibly Dwayne Bowe in the fold (if he resigns), then the Chiefs are loaded all around. While quarterback remains a mystery, an efficient veteran like Matt Cassel has proven to get the job done before and could do so again.

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Romeo Crennel Will Be The Next Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach, According To Report

The Kansas City Chiefs are apparently ready to end their coaching search, as the man who came in for a struggling Todd Haley and gained the love of the Chiefs locker room is now the head coach. Romeo Crennel will be the next head coach of the Chiefs, according to a report.

Chiefs are planning to retain Romeo Crennel and remove interim tag from his title. Move would be popular in the locker room. -- @AdamSchefter

While the Chiefs had also interviewed former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, Crennel had always been the favorite and the Chiefs brass stuck with their guy. As the coach of the Browns, his record was 24-40 and never made the playoffs.

For more on the Chiefs' coaching search, be sure to visit Arrowhead Pride. For a look at everything in the NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL page.

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Joe Philbin Interviews With Miami Dolphins After Another With Kansas City Chiefs

When your name is attached to the most dynamic offense in the NFL, teams are obviously going to come calling. That's what Joe Philbin is experiencing now as teams with head coaching openings are lining up to speak with the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator about the possibility of bringing his talents and acumen to their respective franchises. The Miami Dolphins are reportedly the latest to reach out to Philbin and this comes after the Kansas City Chiefs already inquired.

Scott Pioli is currently making the rounds, checking out some other possibilities in addition to interim head coach Romeo Crennel. Jeff Fisher was already rumored to have spoken to Pioli during week 17 of the NFL regular season. Josh McDaniels was rumored to be connected, but nothing of substance has come from that either. Kirk Ferentz was a common name but again that was mere conjecture. To this point, the only names to have officially interviewed are Fisher and Philbin and, it's assumed, Crennel.

If anyone besides Crennel gets the job, that will be a minor miracle given the momentum Crennel has built. However, an important hire like a team's head coach needs to be an educated decision for the long haul -- not an emotional decision based on locker room ideas. Expect Pioli to give this all he has to find the right guy -- even if he was already in house.

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Mike Mularkey Reportedly Drawing Interest From Kansas City Chiefs

CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson says that the Kansas City Chiefs are linked to Mike Mularkey. That's the first we've heard of such a thing, but news has to break somehow and perhaps in the midst of Josh McDaniels talk, Jeff Fisher rumors, Romeo Crennel support and Jack Del Rio frenzy, we missed yet another name in the midst of the Chiefs head coaching search. The Falcons offensive coordinator was recently rumored for the same position for the Jacksonville Jaguars as the front runner, so it would be interesting if some new teams were still emerging for him.

Mularkey was previously the head coach of the Buffalo Bills back in 2004 and 2005, but that tenure was short-lived after finishing 14-18 in two seasons with the Bills. Mularkey then went back to offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons ever since. With the Falcons, Mularkey has helped bring Roddy White to elite receiver status and developed Matt Ryan's pro game since he came into the league. While it's a new name, it's not surprising to see that Mularkey would earn a second chance.

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Joe Philbin Becomes Latest Name Connected To Kansas City Chiefs Head Coaching Position

As the Kansas City Chiefs continue their coaching search, Adam Schefter is reporting that Joe Philbin, the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, is the latest among many to receive an interview from Scott Pioli and Clark Hunt as they find Todd Haley’s replacement. Romeo Crennel is currently the favorite as he went 2-1 as the interim head coach and earned the trust and favor of the players on the team. Still, Pioli will search far and wide to find his own guy before he names someone to the position.

Philbin has been with the Green Bay Packers in some coaching capacity since 2003 and was with the Iowa Hawkeyes before that, perhaps providing some small link through Kirk Ferentz with Pioli. However, it’s Philbin’s work with the incredible Green Bay offense that speaks for itself. Philbin should be a hot candidate simply for his association with Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay offense.

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