By now, you all must know Scott Pioli has decided to become GM of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh McDaniels the head coach of the Denver Broncos. The homeristic side of me is acting like the kid on the playground who doesn't want to share his ball, "MINE!! MINE!! MINE!!". The other part of me wants to say, "Thank you Scott and Josh. Thank you for my AFC Championship hats and jersies as well as my Super Bowl champion ones, too. It's been fun. Now, I hope Belichick beats the snot out of your new teams." Well, that last part probably belongs with the homeristic side of my brain, but you catch my drift, dontcha?
It's not clear how successful Josh will be. Part of me says he may do just fine. As the OC coordinator, he had to deal with quite a bit in 2008, nurturing Matt Cassel being one of the more important duties. If Dom Capers ends up joining him, Josh would be wise to listen to him; Dom's been a head coach and has many many years in the football biz.
Josh has a good background and Belichick speaks highly of him:
"Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with. Since joining us eight years ago, Josh performed a variety of roles and excelled in every one of them. Between his work on defense, in scouting, player evaluation and coordinating the offense, Josh is a very well-rounded coach whose outstanding body of work speaks for itself. He is the product of a pure football environment which is evident in his approach to the game. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we thank Josh for tremendous success in New England and congratulate him and the McDaniels family for this most deserving opportunity for advancement."
Hoodie's accolades are a major feather in your cap. It means 3 things: a) you're smart, b) you worked like a dog, and c) you left on good terms (Mangini is an example of a relationship gone bad). To be successful, Josh will have to take what he's learned and become his own man; that's no small task. Belichick taught him a great deal, but they both know that the other one knows exactly what and how much was taught. To be more direct, when NE plays Denver in 2009, you can bet Belichick will be playing with Josh's mind. New signals will pop up, old signals will mean different things, and Belichick will, most assuredly, school is protege. If Josh is smart, he will take with a grain of salt, what he sees from his former team. Let the poker match begin.
Scott Pioli is the one that really gets me. Sure, I completely understand why he's doing it. You have to strike while the iron is hot and he's a red hot commodity right now. Guys in Scott's position don't become successful by settling. He's got an ego as big as Arrowhead Stadium. And his ego DEMANDS that he do it again to prove it wasn't a fluke. He's brilliant and he's a shark in business man's clothing. You don't get 3 rings without a little Machiavelli in you. As GM, his boss is the owner. Everyone, from coaches to players to equipment assistants, reports to him. One of his first duties will be to decide if Herm Edwards should stay or go. Welcome to Kansas City.
Instead of sulking around the house, feeling like the world is coming to an end, I think I'll just say thanks. Thanks for all the great memories and laundry with champion written all over it. It's been great. Let's hope you groomed your successors well.
For the "receiving" fan's perspective, visit Mile High Report for all things Broncos and Arrowhead Pride for Chiefs tidbits.