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THE NFL’S NATURAL ATTRITION
February 4th – 2:32 PM

The art of mentorship should never go underestimated in any way, shape or form across any type of business. As football teams win, or companies produce shareholder value, competitors want their piece as well. Often times that piece means luring away key cogs from the successful operation to the offices of the hopeful, up-and-comer.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs leadership are preparing for the prospects of long-term success even before the club has matured into that projected vision. You’ll never get there if you don’t prepare to get there.

A key component of development - mentorship - has been talked about this week by Emmitt Thomas, Todd Haley, Scott Pioli, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, as well as in this blog. Success in the NFL is so incredibly hard to attain, yet so easy to lose once reached. The climb is long and the fall is fast. Part of that reason is the natural attrition success in the league brings.

Mentorship fights attrition.

“It goes back to something that I talked about when I first got here,” Pioli said. “We’re not only building for now, but we’re building for the future. If you want to build something that stands the test of time you have to bring in people that can contribute right now, but understand that as you have success as an organization that there is going to be a natural attrition.

“Every team that is successful loses players and loses coaches,” Pioli continued. “It’s just part of the natural evolution and we have to put ourselves in a position where we have good coaches and good players, but you’re always developing you’re entire organization.“

Pioli himself is a product of mentorship, beginning his post-collegiate football career as graduate assistant at Syracuse and NFL career as a scouting departmental assistant with the Browns.

“It’s the spot that I started 20 years ago as an entry-level person, but evolved over time,” Pioli explained. “You have to be taught and trained and mentored in every part of your organization. I think that it’s being done on the business side as well.“

As we’ve looked at this week, there are clear mentorships lined throughout the Chiefs coaching staff. Pioli himself has seen the comings and goings first hand.

Take a look at some of the NFL attrition that Pioli experienced with in New England. During the 21st century, New England has lost the following “top” assistants to other NFL jobs.

Charlie Weis
Romeo Crennel
Eric Mangini
Rob Ryan
Brian Daboll
Brad Seely
Josh McDaniels
John Hufnagle
Jeff Davidson
Sean Gustus
Thomas Dimitroff
Cory Undlin

Ironically, Pioli himself was part of the NFL’s natural attrition in 2009 when the Chiefs (among others) came calling for his services.

“We lost players, coaches and administrators (in New England),” Pioli said. “If you set yourself up to be successful and you have success, than you are going to lose people. It brings exposure to your organization and, whether it’s accurate or inaccurate, people think you’re smarter than you really are and you start losing people.

“You have to have people in that learn and know the system that you can promote from within, rather than going to another club and having to re-train somebody,” Pioli finished.

PIOLI SPEAKS ON NEW HIRES
February 4th – 11:21 AM

As we’ve talked about much of the week, there are a number of new coaches here in Kansas City as the Chiefs officially finalized the club’s 2010 coaching staff this past Monday. We’ve now heard from head coach Todd Haley, both of the new coordinators and a pro football hall of famer. The only man we hadn’t yet heard from was the Chiefs general manager.

That all changed yesterday when GM Scott Pioli joined Chiefs COO Mark Donovan and “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus on Sports Radio 810 WHB’s afternoon program, Between the Lines with Kevin Kietzman, to announce the Chiefs new broadcasting partnership.

Naturally, with the general manager seated at the table for live radio, some football-specific talk was bound to occur. Why not start by discussing the Chiefs new coaching additions?

“I think we had a good foundation and a solid coaching staff last year,” Pioli said. “There were some changes, obviously adding a couple of coordinators that Todd and I have some familiarity with and several other coaches that are really going to help this football team.

“What I don’t want to get lost in this is that we had a number of very good coaches here prior to that,” Pioli continued. “Charlie and Romeo have names and star-power, so to speak. But there are other coaches - Gary Gibbs was a head coach at Oklahoma for quite a few years, as well as Bill Muir and Maurice Carthon. There is a very solid foundation to build on and then we just added a couple new coordinators.“

Emmitt Thomas was the “exclamation point” to close out “Phase I” of the Chiefs 2010 offseason program. Most every Chiefs fan knew that there would be a few more coaching additions implemented to round out the 2010 staff, but the Thomas hire almost seemed to come straight out of left field. Especially considering he hadn’t had a direct working relationship with either Haley or Pioli.

The hiring of Thomas, however, seems to be a welcome surprise as the fan base looks ready to welcome back a Chiefs legend with open arms.

“Emmitt is a guy that I’ve known and followed for a number of years,” Pioli explained. “I had heard about the changes being made down in Atlanta, (Falcons GM) Thomas Dimitroff is a very close friend of mine and spend the last two years with Emmitt. When i heard that this was happening, we weren’t sure what the situation was going to be on our staff.

“I’ve spent some time with (Emmitt) and he’s a phenomenal human being,” Pioli continued. “I knew that from my past experiences with him, but he’s really going to add a dynamic to this football team that’s going to help not only on the football field, but in the coaching staff. He’s going to be helping coach and mentor a lot of our younger players and coaches on the staff.“

There is no question that the Chiefs are aligning their coaching staff with a mentor/mentoree (or mentee as some readers have pointed out) relationship from top-to-bottom. Pioli went on to explain the rationale behind that philosophy later in the program.

Early this afternoon, we’ll hear what Pioli had to say about the importance of mentoring young coaches due to the natural attrition of success in the NFL.

INQUIRING MINDS
February 4th – 6:15 AM

True or False…the Chiefs are interested in acquiring (expected to be) former Panthers DE Julius Peppers?

Inquiring minds want to know.

The Super Bowl has yet to arrive, but the talk of the NFL’s top free agents is already mixing heavily with NFL draft talk in Kansas City. Who’s available? Who can help? How would they fit?

So, to answer the question that has been blowing up the email box, Twitter feed and fan forums: are the Chiefs interested in acquiring Peppers? Here’s your politician-like answer.

Isn’t it a rhetorical question? Peppers says he prefers to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Naturally, the Chiefs join the conversation for Peppers’ services as Kansas City employs a 3-4 scheme. Peppers is currently the most talked about potential free agent (nationally) before free agency as even begun. Naturally, the Chiefs likely aren’t hitting the ignore button when/if Carl Carey (Peppers’ agent) calls.

Put the Chiefs in the same company as the Jaguars…and the Patriots…and the 49ers…and the Seahawks…and the Eagles…and the Titans…and the Bears…and about any team that runs a 3-4 defense (or doesn’t for that matter).

Exactly how interested the Chiefs are, and the realities of signing such a player as Peppers are far more complex questions to answer.

Per Bill Williamson of ESPN:
“This could be a good fit. But I’m not sure Peppers would be interested in being part of a rebuilding project. Still, the Chiefs may have the money to make it work. Kansas City stayed away from high-profile free agents last season in Scott Pioli’s first year in town. But Peppers could create havoc as part of Romeo Crennel’s 3-4 defense and he’d take pressure off the Chiefs’ young defensive front. He’d make this team better in a hurry.”

Is Bill stating the obvious? Sure. Is he accurate? Mostly. What many people discussing fee agency aren’t talking about, however, is that many more factors go into signing free agents (Peppers, or anyone else) this offseason. It’s not all about player preference, organizational fit and financial compensation in 2010.

I think you know where we’re heading…CBA talk (yawn). What seems boring on paper will be anything but bedtime material when the ball gets going this March.

For one, nobody knows what is going to happen in 2011 with the NFL salary cap. Teams must enter 2010 free agency at their own risk.

Per Greg Aiello of the NFL Office (via Pro Football Talk)
“There will be no “transition rules” unless and until the league and the NFLPA agree to such measures via collective bargaining. Thus, any team that decides to sign players to big-money deals will be assuming that risk that, eventually, they’ll have to scramble for cap space, if/when a cap is reapplied.”

Nobody can predict the future, but NFL general managers and owners are being asked to do just that heading into 2010 free agency. It’s a tough spot to be in.

The overall importance relative to Kansas City and Peppers (past the fact of whether Chiefs are serious about Peppers and vice-versa) is the 2010 free agency strategy set forth by Scott Pioli and Clark Hunt, as well as their counterparts across the league. How will each team approach these unchartered waters?

Poor decisions in the coming months could affect respective teams’ on-field fortunes for years to come. It’s a high-pressure situation with a lot of unknowns and that’s without the NFL Draft factored into the mix. Negotiating rookie contracts in the final year of the CBA is another can or worms.

Anybody have a crystal ball handy?

Another factor that goes into free agency this year, if you’re looking for advantages that point into the Chiefs favor, is the fact that the “final eight” teams from the 2009/2010 NFL Playoffs are entering free agency at a distinct disadvantage.

For starters, the participants in the AFC and NFL Championship games are restricted from signing free agents until they lose a free agent of their own. They won’t be part of the “midnight bargaining.”

That represents four teams (Minnesota, New Orleans, Indianapolis and the N.Y. Jets).

The other four teams that round out the “final eight” (Dallas, Arizona, San Diego and Baltimore) will begin free agency with specific financial guidelines.

Per the NFL…
For the four clubs that lost in the Divisional Playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters. Those four only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases.

In the case of all final eight teams, the first year salary of UFAs they sign to replace those lost cannot exceed the first year salary of the player lost with limitations on the per year increases.

Got all that? Confused yet? If not, then consider yourself ahead of the game.

Personally, I’m looking forward to constraints of CBA, because that makes front office decisions all the more important. I’m confident in Kansas City’s front office, cap guys and scouts. They’ll certainly be put to the test this offseason. I guess it all depends on what side of the fence you sit on.

We’re entering a critical area of faith. “Phase II” of the Chiefs 2010 offseason should be one of the more interesting (and difficult) in recent years.

We’ll kick off our “who’s available” in free agency look next week. For now, let’s enjoy the Super Bowl. This offseason might just make the head spin.

Oh, and a word of the wise. Don’t hinge on everything you read or everything you hear pertaining to the upcoming draft or free agency. It will give you an aneurism. Seriously. “Official” is not longer “official” in today’s NFL…until it’s actually “official.”

NFL media coverage, post-Super Bowl, becomes speculation, gossip and fill. There is a lot of open time on the tube once football season ends and what better way that to fuel a football-starved audience with good ‘ole fashion rumors and gossip? A source here, a source there…a source everywhere.

So, are the Chiefs interested in acquiring Julius Peppers?