Sunday’s NFL results solidified the teams in the AFC who will be participating in the playoffs this season. With little intrigue remaining for the final week of the year, I thought it might be interesting to project into the second round of the playoffs to see what possible match ups the Patriots might face.
We know the six teams who are in: The Patriots, the Steelers, the Ravens, the Colts, the Jets and the Chiefs. Seeding is the only detail left to determine. Cruising to another turnover-free, emphatic victory in Buffalo, the Patriots secured the AFC East division title, a bye in the first round, and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Now, what sells in the NFL today? What tends to grab the majority of the front-page headlines? Drama, intrigue, scandal - it’s just like anything else in the news/media sector. Keeping that in mind, I believe that there’s a potential match up for the Pats packed with those sorts of storylines.
The Kansas Chiefs may no longer be the household name they once were or a current NFL elite powerhouse, but they are developing into quite the feel-good story this year. Adding to the appeal of this possible contest is the links that exist between the two organizations.
The most significant of these ties is a move that occurred before the ’09-‘10 season. The Kansas City Chiefs front office made a move that placed Scott Pioli as their new General Manager. Prior to accepting that position, Pioli was the Vice President of Player Personnel for the New England for nine seasons. During his tenure he received several nationally recognized accolades, including “Executive of the Year” in 2007 by several media outlets.
His hiring spurred a number of integral moves that now shape the core of a vastly improved, playoff-bound team, only one year after finishing with just three wins. This turnaround would probably not have been possible without quarterback Matt Cassel. This is a name, as Patriots fans, with which we should all be very familiar.
After three seasons of playing second fiddle to starting QB Tom Brady, Cassel finally got his shot once Brady suffered a season ending injury in 2008. He led the Patriots to an 11-5 record that year, forcing the Patriots to place the franchise tag on him because of his unexpected success. Shortly after that, with news that Tom Brady had regained full health, the Patriots traded Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a 2nd round draft pick.
The similarities don’t stop there. Many fans would recognize a few other familiar names while fanning through a Kansas City Chiefs program, particularly when they reached the section listing the coaching staff. Charlie Weis, a Bill Belichick protégé and offensive guru, once held the title of Offensive Coordinator throughout some of New England’s most prolific and successful years (2000-2004) including the three Superbowl champion seasons.
Another staff member that might catch your eye is the current Defensive Coordinator for the Chiefs, Romeo Crenell. He also used to don a headset on the Patriots sidelines, where he held the same position from 2001-2004 earning three Superbowl rings as well.
Both of these former assistants were not only key ingredients that helped form the Patriots championship pedigree, but both also spurned head coach, Bill Belichick, and opted to leave his system for seemingly more glamorous positions elsewhere. Charlie Weis signed a lucrative contract to coach college football at Notre Dame and Romeo Crenell took a head coaching position with the Cleveland Browns. Both of their departures were somewhat controversial and both failed miserably.
Despite not having any concrete evidence to support this notion, I don’t doubt for one second that the ultra-competitive, control-freak Bill Belichick, secretly reveled in their demise away from under his sphere of influence. This inability to let go of these personal grudges and vendettas would only add more fuel to the fire if these foes were to meet in Foxboro.
I know that this may not have quite the allure of a match up that Philadelphia at Atlanta might provide with the whole Michael Vick plot line, but there’s certainly enough to storylines to generate enough fascination amongst a fan base hungry for another championship, looking to replace that bitter taste from the 2007 Superbowl. I’m not sure what the likelihood of this imaginary scenario actually coming to fruition is, but I do know that this is what I’ll be rooting for.
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