Kansas City Chiefs: 5 Steps To Begin the Rebuilding Process

Two games into the season seems a bit early to start thinking about next season.

Unless, of course, you're the Kansas City Chiefs, who in two games looked more like the small school homecoming opponent to a Division I powerhouse.

The Chiefs weren't expected to dominate this season, but few people expected the utter collapse that fans witnessed the last two weeks. Teams don't lose by a combined 79 points without something seriously wrong.

And something is seriously wrong with the Chiefs. It goes beyond the crippling losses of Kansas City's top playmakers to injury, the brutal 2010 schedule, and the back-to-back contests against former coaches who apparently have something to prove.

The Chiefs need to fix what has become a systemic issue throughout the club, and they need to do it fast. It's one thing to be at the bottom of the league when everyone knows the team is rebuilding. But Kansas City put the pieces in place and should be making strides towards consistent playoff contention.

This team doesn't need to be rebuilt; the roster in Kansas City boasts quality talent and a number of leaders on and off the field. But the Chiefs have plenty of changes needed to turn things around before this cancer currently eating away at their team becomes inoperable.

And they're already closer to being on life support than anyone figured to start the season.

Stick with Scott Pioli

It all started when the Chiefs announced Carl Peterson's resignation as general manager.

Peterson long surpassed his shelf life in Kansas City, despite the quality of his final draft class in 2008. His draft classes had more busts than gems. He consistently overpaid for average free agents, and built the dubious reputation of being the harshest negotiator in the league.

So when Kansas City started shopping for a new general manager, the entire league considered Scott Pioli to be the crown jewel of NFL front office personnel. No other executive received as many accolades and awards in recent history, and few were more respected.

Pioli helped build a Patriots franchise that won three Super Bowls in four years, and four appearances in the big game over seven years. And put all the "Bill Belichick coattails" bull to the side; you don't earn "NFL Executive of the Year" while working behind the scenes without doing something right.

You certainly don't do it four times; his most recent award came last year after the Chiefs' 10-6 season.

That isn't to say Pioli hasn't made mistakes. His 2009 draft class left much to be desired, but so did most every other team's. Only two players outside of the first round have made it to the Pro Bowl.

Unless you count Kansas City's second-round pick, which they traded to New England for Matt Cassel. Seems that paid off for the Chiefs last year.

Pioli prefers to remain in the background; Chiefs fans aren't used to that after Peterson's consistent presence in the public eye. And while he's made a couple poor judgments to start in his new position, his overall body of work lends the belief that he will help usher in better days for Kansas City

Fire Todd Haley

Speaking of mistakes Pioli made...

Much like Pioli, Todd Haley's name came up as one of the top coaching candidates following Arizona's surprise Super Bowl run in 2008. His explosive offense helped provide one of the most exciting games in the history of the NFL.

Unfortunately, that game wasn't the only explosive thing about Haley.

And that's where the comparison between Pioli and Haley end.

While Pioli came with a resume to make anyone's head turn, Haley's body of work was limited to one year of play calling and a number of years coaching receivers.

However, the Chiefs wanted a younger coach to set the tone for their team. It worked with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, and it is working with Raheem Morris in Tampa.

Unfortunately, Haley tends more towards the model of Bill Parcells or Tom Coughlin with his abrasive manner. That doesn't work when you don't have a strong enough body of work to back the attitude up.

Now it looks like that approach is losing Haley the locker room. Last week, reports sprung up how Haley's players tune him out. His relationship with the front office is strained.

Oh, and his team's been outscored 89-10 in the last two weeks.

Unless the Chiefs turn things around, Pioli will correct his first big mistake in Kansas City and fire Haley at the end of the season with one year remaining on his contract.

And if things don't at least improve in the coming weeks, he and Clark Hunt might go against their conservative tendencies and get rid of him sooner.

Hire Bill Cowher

Firing Todd Haley won't do Kansas City any good unless they bring in someone the team can rally behind.  They need an established coach who can walk in the first day and earn the respect and trust of the team.

Romeo Crennel could be that guy; Crennel earned a reputation of getting the most out of his players, and is a quality defensive coordinator. He'd likely bring Pepper Johnson, another accomplished coach and player besides, to run the defense. Johnson coached with Crennel in New England and currently runs the D-line for the Patriots.

The better choice, though, would be to coax Bill Cowher out of his broadcast booth and back to the sidelines. Cowher's resisted rejoining the NFL coaching ranks for years, but a chance to return to Kansas City could be just the thing to bring him back.

My impression is Cowher wants to coach again, and it became most apparent during Sunday's pre-game broadcast. Cowher spent a few minutes Sunday morning detailing how to nullify the Tom Brady mystique and stop New England's nearly-insurmountable passing attack.

What stood out was the level of detail in his assessment. He pointed out that Reshad Jones deserved more of the blame for Wes Welker's 99-yard touchdown against Miami; he was out of position to support Benny Sapp against one of the best receivers in the game.

Cowher's talents are wasted in the booth. It's like asking Bobby Fischer to play in a high school chess club. Cowher belongs on the sidelines where he can face a real challenge rather than providing spot commentary.

Scott Pioli should provide him that opportunity, and Cowher's blue-collar attitude will fit just as well in Kansas City as it did in Pittsburgh.

Draft Andrew Luck

Bill Cowher did his best work when he had a first round quarterback behind center.

Kansas City should give him that same luxury next season by drafting Andrew Luck.

The Chiefs, like it or not, are seriously in the running for the top pick of next year's draft. With their current schedule, only Minnesota, Miami, Indianapolis, Denver, and Oakland look like possible wins.

Even if they could win all those contests, they'd have a 7-9 record.  That's a big 'if'.

More likely, they'll come out ahead against Denver and Oakland once apiece, and maybe take down Indianapolis. That's three wins, and the Colts will likely start putting better games together the longer they're removed from relying on Peyton Manning to carry the team on his shoulders.

That puts the Chiefs in serious contention for the top pick, and the number of teams who couldn't use Luck can be counted on one hand.

Now, I'm a Matt Cassel supporter, but he needs a top notch coordinator and strong supporting cast to perform well. The Chiefs should provide him the latter, but the former is difficult to hold on to.

Luck is the best quarterback prospect, and most pro-ready quarterback, since Peyton Manning. He possess nearly every tangible and intangible franchises look for to lead their team.

Kansas City could stick with Cassel. A number of other teams would salivate at the chance to trade up for Luck. And after Atlanta's trade for Julio Jones, the asking price would likely reach three first round picks, with a second and more thrown in on top.

But this is a passing league, now, and teams looking to reach the Super Bowl need an elite quarterback behind center. In the last 20 years, only four quarterbacks not named Tom Brady or Brett Favre won the Super Bowl who were not first round picks.

Cassel unfortunately just doesn't measure up to Luck, especially not in the long run.

Fill out the Coaching Ranks

One coach does not a team make, and the Chiefs will definitely find themselves with a few openings following Haley's departure.

The defensive staff would likely remain. Crennel's loyalty lies with Pioli, not Haley. Plus, Cowher would definitely see the value in keeping such a successful coordinator on staff. Chiefs Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas would be a solid bet to stay as well; Thomas deserves to finish his career where it started and has a solid coaching resume to boot.

The biggest changes would come on the offensive side of the ball. Maurice Carthon and Richie Anderson came to Kansas City with Haley, and a demotion back to offensive line coach wouldn't sit well with Bill Muir.

Jim Zorn could likely step in admirably as the new offensive coordinator, the job he wanted in Washington before being saddled with the head coach position. Zorn tutored Matt Hasselbeck before his doomed stint with the Redskins, developing Hasselbeck into one of the better quarterbacks of the last decade.

Kansas City's offensive line never performed better than it did until the nine-year direction of Mike Solari. Since his failed promotion to offensive coordinator, Solari bounced around to Seattle and now San Francisco. The Chiefs should tempt him to return to where he had his greatest success and help return Kansas City's offensive line to its earlier glory days.

Next year would not be the first time Emmitt Thomas coached both the secondary and receivers on a team. He handled both responsibilities from 1986-1994 with the Washington Redskins, winning two Super Bowls and coaching Art Monk into the Hall of Fame.

Finally, Zorn's promotion would leave a hole at quarterbacks' coach, and I believe there would be no better person for this position than Trent Green. Another person wasted in the broadcast booth, Green possesses a better understanding of the vertical passing game than most anyone past or present. Furthermore, he is one of the most upstanding people ever to play the game, and would easily build a rapport with Kansas City's young quarterbacks.

Green would help steer Luck on the path towards being a successful NFL quarterback, both on and off the field.