Inside the Huddle with the X-Factor

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By Ty Rowton, X-Factor

How much is

Pioli willing to

rock the boat?

Some of you may recall the song “Rock the Boat” by the Hues Corporation that includes the lyrics, “Don’t rock the boat . . . don’t tip the boat over.”

Well, I don’t know if Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli is a fan of ‘70s music, but those lyrics must be running through his head as he contemplates what to do about his next head coach.

Does he stay with Romeo Crennel who guided Kansas City to a 2-1 record during his brief time as interim head coach - which included wins over division champions Green Bay and Denver - and a move which would seem to be very popular with the players?

Or does he bring in someone from outside the organization with the strong likelihood that Crennel would then look at a possible head coaching job elsewhere in the league?

In other words, just how much is Pioli willing to rock the boat?

It would still seem that Crennel has the inside track. It would be difficult denying Crennel the head coaching job after the way the injury-decimated Chiefs performed over their final three games. They were a blocked field goal away from being division champions and getting into the playoffs.

As horrendous as the Chiefs looked at times this season - and as good as they looked at others - it was pretty remarkable that they came within a game of winning the AFC West.

One has to believe that the Chiefs will enter next season favored to win the division.

Then again, that could depend on what happens in the next 2-3 weeks.

On Wednesday, Pioli had an interview with Joe Philbin who was at Arrowhead Stadium three weeks ago as the offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. Outside of former head coaches, the only people racking up more frequent flyer miles on job interviews this time of year are offensive and defensive coordinators for teams in the playoffs. Philbin, as you might imagine, is a hot commodity.

There are two things to consider (probably more if you’re Pioli).

1) Green Bay runs the west coast offense, which would be a major shift from what the Chiefs are doing now.

2) If Philbin is the new head coach, does that mean Green Bay backup quarterback Matt Flynn (the same one who passed for a franchise-record 480 yards and six touchdowns against Detroit last weekend and is a free agent) could follow him to Kansas City?

That would also prompt a bigger question for Pioli: Is history something to be learned from or repeated?

What does that mean?

Keep in mind, it was only three years ago that Pioli hired a hot offensive coordinator who was part of a team that came within a remarkable catch of winning the Super Bowl. That coordinator was Arizona’s Todd Haley.

Less than three full seasons later he’s rubbing elbows with Herm Edwards as an ESPN analyst.

And remember the “can’t miss” backup quarterback who guided New England to an 11-5 record in 2008 when Tom Brady was lost for the season due to an injury in the opening game?

Granted, Matt Cassel was an All-Pro quarterback in 2010, but it’s also been evident that he isn’t a player who can carry a team without a running game - which he also had in 2010.

That doesn’t make him a bust, but it does cast a lot of doubt on whether he’s our quarterback of the future.

Does Pioli look at Philbin and Flynn as sort of a package deal?

If the Chiefs do go after Flynn, then it would seem that Cassel is the odd man out. Free agent quarterback Kyle Orton showed what he could do with a very limited offensive arsenal - made even more limited against Denver with the injury to Dwayne Bowe in the first half. Cassel hasn’t shown that same ability.

Kansas City is also one of the few teams that could afford to get into a bidding war for Flynn. We have the draft picks that can be packaged together should Green Bay decide to put a franchise tag on Flynn. We also have the salary cap room to compete with Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder, who will probably be looking for a quarterback in the off-season, along with Cleveland, Seattle and half a dozen other teams.

Which takes us back to the original question: How much does Pioli rock the boat?

From a coaching standpoint, my gut feeling tells me the answer is “not much.”

Crennel’s prior experience as a head coach, his performance over the past three games and his popularity in the locker room make him the logical choice. This will also provide a little stability for a coaching staff that’s seen a lot of turnover during the past few years.

There’s also a strong possibility that Jim Zorn will be promoted from quarterback coach to offensive coordinator leaving only the defensive coordinator position to be filled.

The Chiefs are close to being a scary good team. Pioli has already rocked the boat, which wasn’t a bad thing. He’s too smart to tip the boat over.

The X Factor (Ty Rowton) is a former Scott City resident who has been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as a Chiefs Super Fan. He provides weekly commentary and insight about the Kansas City Chiefs. To learn more about X-Factor’s charity events visit www.kcsuperfans.com