When the Kansas City Chiefs made the move to fire Todd Haley and promote Romeo Crennel as the team’s head coach, the offensive side of the coaching staff became infinitely more important. With Crennel’s expertise and experience coming on the opposite side, it made the hire of the new offensive coordinator an impactful one. Thus, Brian Daboll has a tall order ahead as the team’s new OC.
But it’s also his hiring that brought one of the more celebrated free agent signings of the offseason in Peyton Hillis. The team already knew it wanted to sign a tandem running back to partner with Jamaal Charles, but given that Charles is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and subsequent rehab makes Hillis that much more valuable. Hillis says he’s excited to play for his old coach in Cleveland.
"I know what his scheme presents, what he can bring, and I know he can use me in a lot of different situations," Hillis told the Kansas City Star. "I also know we have another great back here in Jamaal Charles, and you know, having a complementary back like me come in there and help him, it’s not as fun when you take all the beating and all the pounding. So when you have a guy in there that you know is just as good, if not a lot better than you are, that’s really good, too."
As for Hillis, he had a down year last year, but it seems like he believes partnering with Charles and playing in KC could be good for turning things around.
“Whenever you’re having a down year, it’s always tough, especially when you expect a lot from yourself," Hillis said. "Some bad things happened, but you move on from it. That’s what I’m taking for my mind-set this year — to come out here and do the best I can and help this team win. That’s what I’m most enjoying — just coming out here, having no pressure, coming out here to just play.
"I don’t have to prove anything to anybody just because I feel like if I just go somewhere and I get to play, I’m going to do my best and I’m going to be OK. As far as proving to everybody else, in my mind-set, I’m always hardest on myself. I come out and prove stuff to myself more than I prove stuff to everyone else."
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