PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Steelers will hire former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley to be their offensive coordinator, according to an ESPN report.

The move, first reported by 610 AM in Kansas City, has not yet been announced.

Haley will replace Bruce Arians, now with the Indianapolis Colts.

The 45-year-old Haley, fired by Kansas City on Dec. 13, went 19-26 in two-plus seasons with the Chiefs, leading them to the 2010 AFC West title.

He spent 10 seasons as an assistant before being hired by Kansas City. He was offensive coordinator for Arizona in 2007-08, helping lead the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance.

Phone messages left for Haley by the Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The Steelers went 12-4 this season but lost the AFC North title to Baltimore on a tiebreaker.

The Chiefs were 5-8 when Haley was dismissed. His last game was a tough one. Kansas City lost, 37-10, to the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, and it was their fifth loss in six games. Kansas City committed 11 penalties for 128 yards in the performance, including a 15-yarder on Haley for unsportsmanlike conduct that may have sealed his fate.

The next day, he was fired.

“Timing in these situations is always difficult. There never seems to be a right time,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said at the time. “We just felt the inconsistent play the team has experienced throughout the season, including yesterday’s game, made today the right day to do it.”

After three lopsided losses to start the season, Kansas City rattled off four straight wins and briefly pulled into a tie atop the AFC West. But that was followed by a home loss to previously winless Miami, the start of a disastrous six weeks in which the losses mounted.

“We’ve had one of those years where we’ve had injuries, and injuries to key players, but that’s typical in the National Football League,” Hunt said then. “As a team, you have to find a way to overcome that, and we just weren’t able to do that this year. Our play was up and down the entire season and at times it was up and down during a given game, and I think those contributed to our decision.”

Without a bye, the Steelers had to play a road game at Denver to open the postseason. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 289 yards and a touchdown, but the Steelers fell to the Broncos, 29-23, in overtime.

Haley is the son of Dick Haley, formerly the director of player personnel for the Steelers from 1971-1990.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Steelers will hire former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley to be their offensive coordinator, according to an ESPN report.

The move, first reported by 610 AM in Kansas City, has not yet been announced.

Haley will replace Bruce Arians, now with the Indianapolis Colts.

The 45-year-old Haley, fired by Kansas City on Dec. 13, went 19-26 in two-plus seasons with the Chiefs, leading them to the 2010 AFC West title.

He spent 10 seasons as an assistant before being hired by Kansas City. He was offensive coordinator for Arizona in 2007-08, helping lead the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance.

Phone messages left for Haley by the Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The Steelers went 12-4 this season but lost the AFC North title to Baltimore on a tiebreaker.

The Chiefs were 5-8 when Haley was dismissed. His last game was a tough one. Kansas City lost, 37-10, to the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, and it was their fifth loss in six games. Kansas City committed 11 penalties for 128 yards in the performance, including a 15-yarder on Haley for unsportsmanlike conduct that may have sealed his fate.

The next day, he was fired.

“Timing in these situations is always difficult. There never seems to be a right time,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said at the time. “We just felt the inconsistent play the team has experienced throughout the season, including yesterday’s game, made today the right day to do it.”

After three lopsided losses to start the season, Kansas City rattled off four straight wins and briefly pulled into a tie atop the AFC West. But that was followed by a home loss to previously winless Miami, the start of a disastrous six weeks in which the losses mounted.

“We’ve had one of those years where we’ve had injuries, and injuries to key players, but that’s typical in the National Football League,” Hunt said then. “As a team, you have to find a way to overcome that, and we just weren’t able to do that this year. Our play was up and down the entire season and at times it was up and down during a given game, and I think those contributed to our decision.”

Without a bye, the Steelers had to play a road game at Denver to open the postseason. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 289 yards and a touchdown, but the Steelers fell to the Broncos, 29-23, in overtime.

Haley is the son of Dick Haley, formerly the director of player personnel for the Steelers from 1971-1990.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive staff has taken shape for the 2012 season.

Appearing with me and co-host Jim Miller on Sirius XM NFL Radio, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said he expected new head coach Romeo Crennel to double as the team’s defensive coordinator. Crennel handled both duties for the final three games last season when promoted on a then-interim basis to replace the fired Todd Haley.

“I’m not sure if he stated it publicly, but I get the sense Romeo wants to be the coordinator on defense,” Pioli said while attending the Senior Bowl. “I don’t know if he’s made the absolute final decision, but I’m pretty sure that’s the way he wants to go.”

Chiefs defensive back coach Emmitt Thomas also will be returning to the staff, a source told FOXSports.com. Numerous media outlets reported Thomas had drawn interest from Oakland to join the staff of new Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, which was confirmed to FOXSports.com by two sources. The 68-year-old Thomas served as a mentor to Allen when the latter landed his first NFL coaching job with Atlanta in 2002.

It’s unknown whether the Raiders officially asked permission to interview Thomas for their defensive coordinator role and were denied.

Pioli said “the head coach makes the decision” when it comes to deciding whether they want to also serve as a coordinator. This happened with the Chiefs in 2009 when Haley fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey during the preseason and handled play-calling duties himself.

“What it does is add other responsibilities to the staff,” Pioli said. “I was very happy ‘Rack’ wanted to keep his defensive staff because that is a good group of coaches.

“I also watch around the league. Even if sometimes a head coach doesn’t say they’re coordinating something, we’re all able and smart enough to watch how things go. There are a lot of [head] coaches who run their offenses and defenses. I don’t think it’s that unique.”

The Chiefs excelled defensively under Crennel late in the 2011 campaign. The unit limited Denver to a field goal in the season finale against Denver and also keyed a Week 15 victory over Green Bay that ended the Packers’ chances at an unbeaten season.

Kansas City remains in the search for an offensive coordinator. One possibility is Brian Daboll, who will not be returning to Miami.

“We’re talking (about candidates) internally and externally,” Pioli said. “It remains fluid right now.”

Newly-hired Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Romeo Crennel told the team’s official website his offseason has been busy. Recently, he noted all of the attention he was getting at the 2012 Senior Bowl. Many people were shaking his hand in congratulations when there were spare moments.

The reason for all the fuss? Crennel still has some coaching positions to fill.

Crennel stated on the day he was hired that he will keep his defensive staff intact, largely because Crennel himself was the defensive coordinator and will call the defensive plays in 2012. But the offense still needs some tweaking in the coaching department.

The defense was the pride of the Chiefs in 2011. The defensive side of the ball held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just 13 points in a losing cause. The Denver Broncos just got three points on the final day of the season in Colorado. On a good day when the offense came alive, the Chiefs were responsible for the only regular season loss of the Green Bay Packers.

The offense is in need of a few good men to make that unit better. A new offensive coordinator would be nice. An improving Matt Cassel or Kyle Oroton is also a must. Something that can be cured by the draft would be some great offensive linemen. The Chiefs will pick 11th in the 2012 NFL Draft to be held in late April.

While Crennel is in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl for a week. He’s been finalizing lists of candidates for the jobs he wants. The new head coach plans announcements sometime in the next week in order to keep fans abreast of any hires.

The Chiefs finished 7-9 in 2011. The team fired Todd Haley as head coach with three games before the end of the season. Kansas City was a streaky team losing three games, winning four, losing another four before alternating wins and losses the final five weeks of the season.

The Chiefs ended up one victory away from winning the AFC West title before faltering in the last two weeks. The next season should be an improvement as the Chiefs will have many players recovering from major injuries.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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ESPN reports the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of hiring Romeo Crennel as the team’s next head coach. He has been in that position as an interim capacity ever since Todd Haley was relieved of coaching duties in mid-December after a disappointing loss to the New York Jets. Despite interviewing other candidates such as Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio, the Chiefs may have already had their man in-house.

Crennel would come into the job with previous head coaching experience. He helmed the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008. He amassed 24-40 record in Cleveland, earning a 10-6 record in 2007, but Crennel failed to lead Cleveland to the playoffs.

He formerly held the job of defensive coordinator with the Chiefs. The defense was the cornerstone of Kansas City’s play this year as the offense sputtered. The unit held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just 13 points back on Nov. 27. They also kept the Green Bay Packers to just 14 points in their only loss of the season to this point.

Crennel is also well-liked. Players joked with him and were all smiles after the victory against the Packers. Had Kansas City won their game against the Oakland Raiders late in the season, they would be hosting the Steelers as opposed to the Denver Broncos.

Two other things helped. Both sides of the ball improved under Crennel’s leadership, not just the defense. The on-field intensity and enjoyment of playing the game of football was apparent when Kansas City took the field for Crennel. His 2-1 record also speaks volumes to general manager Scott Pioli. Positive attitudes are great, but when that translates to victories then the people that write paychecks take notice in professional sports.

Hiring Crennel is an excellent choice. He’s already familiar with the players and upper management. Clearly the defense liked playing with him as players stepped up to fill voids left by injuries.

Crennel’s time as head coach won’t be easy to start the season. He will have a potential quarterback controversy on his hands when Matt Cassel returns from his hand injury. Kyle Orton started the last three games of the year. He had a game of 299 yards passing and 300 yards passing, both of which were season-highs for the club.

Nothing is official as of yet. The Chiefs’ website states when the team is ready to announce a new head coach, a press conference will be scheduled. That press briefing will be broadcast live on the website.

Bring on the Crennel era. It should have happened a lot sooner.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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Tim Tebow gets one more chance to show what he can do on the football field during the regular season. The Denver Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs to decide the AFC West on Sunday, Jan. 1. The scenario is pretty simple for Tebow and his Broncos in that if the team wins, they clinch the AFC West. If they lose, the Oakland Raiders can win the division by beating the San Diego Chargers.

The Week 17 game is also a chance for Tebow to put up more fantasy football points for leagues that still count stats this week. Last week, Tebow had a rough game against the Buffalo Bills, throwing 3 interceptions and losing a fumble. He did have 185 passing yards, 34 rushing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown, but Tebow finished the week with just 15.8 fantasy points. That made him the No. 17 ranked quarterback for the week and not exactly what fans were looking to see from him with seasons on the line.

Now Tebow faces a team that he didn’t have a lot of success against in Week 10, but it is a team that he also helped his Broncos to beat. While the Broncos won the game 17-10, Tebow was 2-of-8 in passing with one touchdown and he also rushed for another 43 yards and a touchdown. Overall those aren’t great numbers, but it was good enough for the Broncos to win the game. Now the team hosts the Chiefs in a Week 17 must-win situation and Tebow goes out for a second chance to put up big numbers.

It doesn’t seem likely that Tebow will have great fantasy football numbers in Week 17, but many also predicted he wouldn’t have them against some of the other teams he has beaten either. The truth is that you never know what to expect from Tebow in games like this one, but the likely scenario is that he will put the Broncos in a position to win the game in the fourth quarter. It’s a risky start if you are trying to figure out your Week 17 quarterback situation and simply looking at his performance in Week 10 against the Chiefs, I wouldn’t advise going with Tebow in this game either.

More From YCN :

Best_Week_16_Players

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Sources:

Week 16 NFL Scores

Defensive Team Leaders

Yahoo! Fantasy Football

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The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20 two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.
     Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red-zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.
     There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than the AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.
     “It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”
     It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.
     Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.
     At least they got three points out of that trip.
     Their next one was even uglier.
     Kansas City had second-and-1 at the 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and the next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.
     Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.
     “If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, ‘Here we go again,’ guys say, ‘OK, we made it happen,’” Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”
     It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red-zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.
     Besides, the problems have existed all season.
     Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red-zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.
     Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red-zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.
     Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red-zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.
     No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.
     “We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”
     It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.
     But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.
     The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.
     Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0.
     The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.
     Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free-agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.
     “Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”

Here’s one more thing that makes the veteran center a throwback: He doesn’t miss a play. Ever.

Wiegmann will make his 175th straight start when the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, along with adding to an iron man streak of consecutive snaps that already stands at 11,102. Both are the longest active streaks among NFL offensive linemen, dating back to the 2001 season.

“That’s a lot of snaps, and consecutive snaps. That’s pretty good,” Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said. “You get banged every down, and to be able to take that many snaps and still be out there playing, that’s an accomplishment. I don’t know who else can say that, but that’s an accomplishment.”

Not bad for an Iowa farm boy who wasn’t even drafted.

The Chiefs’ season finale may also be the finale for the 38-year-old Wiegmann, who contemplated retirement after last season. He won’t decide until after the season whether he’s finished, but one thing is clear: The decision won’t come with any fanfare.

“Just looking on the news and stuff, how Jason Taylor announced his retirement. You don’t have to do that,” Wiegmann said. “That’s just wanting attention on yourself. That’s not me at all.”

No, Wiegmann is a laconic overachiever who, at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, regularly goes against brutish defensive tackles who outweigh him by 50 pounds. And yet he’s been able to put together a stretch of sustained excellence that is rare in the modern NFL.

His streak of consecutive snaps started on Sept. 23, 2001, against the New York Giants, the first game the Chiefs played after the attacks of Sept. 11. It’s lasted through the presidency of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq, the rise of Facebook and Twitter — you won’t catch Wiegmann spouting off in 140 characters or fewer anytime soon — despite bumps, bruises and aches too numerous to count.

The streak nearly ended in 2005 with an injury to Wiegmann’s right knee, though he pushed through the pain. He admits that he’s spent more time in the training room this season than he can recall, his name showing up on the injury report with finger ailments and a calf injury.

Wiegmann may be the only one who ever thought he’d miss a down.

“It’s been a long year, fighting through aches and pains and injuries,” he said. “But like I’ve said before, I’m here to play football. It has to be something devastating to keep you out.”

Nobody knows whether Wiegmann’s consecutive snaps streak is a record; the league does not track such things. That means it’s virtually impossible to compare it to Brett Favre’s 297 regular-season games started at quarterback or Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 straight games in baseball.

One thing is clear: In an era of rapid turnover in the NFL, when season-ending injuries are common and orthopedists are kept on retainer, Wiegmann may be the last of a dying breed.

“The way things are in this league, I don’t think there are too many good examples like him,” said Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, who’s wrapping up his 12th season in the league.

“He’s pretty quiet,” Jones said. “He’s one of those guys who comes to work, does his job. You know what you’re going to get from him.”

Rookie center Rodney Hudson has a locker next to Wiegmann, tucked away in a back corner in the team’s practice facility. He’s been able to glean from Wiegmann the kind of wisdom that only comes with age and experience, from plying your trade in the trenches.

“He’s been a great help for me, and not only me, but other guys also,” said Hudson, who is being groomed as Wiegmann’s successor. “His approach, the way he plays, the things he’s seen, things that have happened — he’s been teaching me what I need to do.”

Wiegmann spent two seasons during his streak with the Broncos before returning to Kansas City this season, landing his only appearance in the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season. And now the end could come after a game against Denver.

Wiegmann still skirts the topic of retirement, even as he plans for the future.

He’s started a business with one of his friends back in Iowa, where they’re purchasing farmland and then leasing it out. He wants to give small-scale and independent farmers a chance to succeed in an age of large-scale operations run by corporations.

In that respect, Wiegmann stays true to his humble nature, which has served him well in the NFL.

“I’ve learned a lot of stuff form a lot of great football players, been taught a lot of great things through my years, family values and everything else, and you kind of take that with you wherever you go,” he said. “You take a lot of it to heart. Whatever I can do, I do. Hopefully I can pass some of that on to a younger player and they can run with it, too.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20 two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.

Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red-zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.

There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than the AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.

“It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”

It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.

Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.

At least they got three points out of that trip.

Their next one was even uglier.

Kansas City had second-and-1 at the 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and the next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.

Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.

“If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, ‘Here

we go again,’ guys say, ‘OK, we made it happen,’” Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”

It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red-zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.

Besides, the problems have existed all season.

Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red-zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.

Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red-zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.

Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red-zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.

No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”

It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.

But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.

The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.

Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0.

The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.

Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free-agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.

“Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20-yard line two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than an AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.”It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.At least they got three points out of that trip.Their next one was even uglier.Kansas City had second-and-1 at the Raiders 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and his next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the Raiders 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.

“If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, ‘Here we go again,’ guys say, ‘OK, we made it happen,’” Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.Besides, the problems have existed all season.Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.”We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0 yards per attempt.The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.”Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”

12/29/2011

By DAVE SKRETTA

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20-yard line two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.

Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.

There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than an AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.

“It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”

It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.

Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.

At least they got three points out of that trip.

Their next one was even uglier.

Kansas City had second-and-1 at the Raiders 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and his next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.

Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the Raiders 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.

“If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, `Here we go again,’ guys say, `OK, we made it happen,”’ Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”

It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.

Besides, the problems have existed all season.

Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.

Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.

Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.

No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”

It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.

But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.

The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.

Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0 yards per attempt. The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.

Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.

“Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”

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The Kansas City Chiefs close out the 2011 NFL season with a trip to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos. Here are five things to watch for as the Chiefs battle the Broncos.

Kyle Orton Versus Old Team

Kyle Orton was let go by the Broncos in late November. The Chiefs picked him up to stand in for injured Matt Cassel. Orton had two decent games against the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. If he has the same type of game against his old mates, it will be a long day for Denver. It will help that Orton should have some kind of working knowledge of the Broncos’ defense.

Tim Tebow Versus Chiefs’ Defense

In the first game between the Chiefs and Broncos back on Nov. 13, quarterback Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. He completed just two passes all game long and had 43 yards rushing. Surely the Chiefs would know how to handle the offense by now. Shut down the running game of Denver and then let the vaunted secondary take over after that and the Chiefs will win.

Head Coaches

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel is trying to prove he’s head coaching material. John Fox is trying to avoid another late-season disappointment for the Broncos. Despite not making the playoffs just a year after winning the AFC West, the Chiefs can spoil the postseason hopes of Denver.

Ryan Succop

Placekicker Ryan Succop had a miserable game against the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24. He had two kicks blocked that could have won the game. In the thinner air of Denver, a kicker’s dream exists. Earlier in the season, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders tied an NFL record with a 63-yard kick way back on Sept. 12 in Denver. Succop needs to have a good game in the thinner air to regain his confidence.

Momentum

A win for the Chiefs will give them momentum going into the offseason and a positive vibe with the draft and in the front office. With all of the major players coming back next year from their injuries, a season-ending victory may help nudge the team along as they start workouts for next season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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