ESPN NFL

Had Todd Haley remained the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, the selection of Dontari Poe may not have worked.

But the Chiefs are now Romeo Crennel’s team, and that’s why taking Poe at No. 11 in the NFL draft on Thursday might be a shrewd move for a team that has missed by taking defensive lineman high in the draft in the past decade.

Poe is a classic example of the long NFL draft process. He wasn’t considered a top pick when the massive Memphis defensive tackle entered the NFL draft. However, after he stole headlines at the NFL combine in February, he became a projected top-five pick. That happens when a 6-foot-3, 345-pound man runs a 4.98 40-yard dash and bench presses 225 pounds 44 times. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Poe is the only player over 330 pounds to run a sub-five second time since 2006.

However, after Poe put himself in the spotlight, teams closely dissected him and saw a player with immense ability that didn’t always show on the field against marginal competition. It was alarming and it still is.

“I’m still waiting for Poe to unleash the fury,” ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said moments after the Chiefs made him the pick.

This is what ESPN analyst Todd McShay had about Poe last week:

“I see the workout numbers, and I found myself wanting and waiting and wishing and hoping is what I keep saying. Every single play I watched from Memphis just hoping that he would make a big play. He will disrupt and he'll be involved in some plays, but for a guy that you're talking about potential top 10, top 12 pick, I just didn't see the production, and I just didn't see a guy who understands and has a great feel for the game, and that's not to say he won't develop, and he very well may, and one day he may be a junior Haloti Ngata. But Haloti Ngata coming out was a much better football player than Dontari Poe is right now, and that scares me, and that's why I've dropped him to where he is as the third best defensive tackle, somewhere in kind of the middle range … I've got him at 19 overall in the class.”

In the days leading up to the draft, there was talk that Poe’s lack of consistent game film would override his off-the-charts ability, and he’d be picked in the 20-25 range. However, the Chiefs took another swipe at a defensive lineman early in the draft. Bypassing a safe pick such as Stanford guard David DeCastro, the Chiefs went boom or bust with Poe.

The decision to take Poe is understandable. The Chiefs, who had an outstanding free-agency period, do not have many holes. If Poe fills the nose tackle position as the team hopes he does, the Chiefs will be one of the most talented teams in the NFL and a real playoff threat. According to ESPN Stats and Information, last season Kansas City had one sack, two batted passes and three tackles for loss by its nose tackle -- and that was from the aging Kelly Gregg, a free agent.

The Chiefs hope to get better production out of Poe than they have from other defensive linemen they've taken in the first round of recent years. The team took Ryan Sims at No. 6 in the 2002 draft and he was a terrible bust. In 2008, they took defensive end Glenn Dorsey at No. 5 and in 2009 they took Tyson Jackson at No. 3. Both Dorsey and Jackson remain in Kansas City, but they have not been impact players.

Yet, they have improved in the past two years under Crennel, who became the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 2010 before taking over for Haley. I think Crennel is a key to the Poe pick.

Crennel is known as one of the best defensive line coaches in NFL history and he is known for getting questionable motors to start.

Poe may have a new best friend in Crennel. He is nurturer and he believes in his players. We saw the impact Crennel had on the entire Kansas City roster. The players loved the difference between the impatient and often caustic Haley and the calm, encouraging Crennel.

If think Crennel will motivate and teach Poe. Haley would have berated him and goaded him. I have a feeling Poe may respond more positively to Crennel’s approach. Crennel will teach him to become an NFL player and use his natural ability. Remember, this kid started high school as a drummer in the band. He is still raw.

Crennel has the patience and expertise to make Poe a good player and get the most out of this pick. If not, it will go down as another swing and miss on the defensive line in Kansas City.

Here’s a list of some of the most compelling 2012 NFL games involving AFC West teams:

Sept. 9

Atlanta at Kansas City

Tony Gonzalez comes back to Kansas City.

Pittsburgh at Denver

The Steelers lost to Tim Tebow in their last game; they return to Denver to help the Broncos usher in the Peyton Manning era.

Sept. 10

San Diego at Oakland

I just love these season-opening Monday nighters.

Oct. 7

Denver at New England

Manning-Tom Brady has a new look. Still a classic.

San Diego at New Orleans

Philip Rivers-Drew Brees isn’t too shabby, either.

Oct. 15

Denver at San Diego

Early-season statement game on a Monday night.

Oct. 28

New Orleans at Denver

Manning faces the team that kept a Super Bowl ring from him.

Nov. 1

Kansas City at San Diego

Second half of the season starts on a Thursday night.

Nov. 12

Kansas City at Pittsburgh

Chiefs face Todd Haley, their former coach turned Steelers offensive coordinator, on a Monday Night. Should be fun.

Nov. 25

Oakland at Cincinnati

Carson Palmer goes back to Cincy to see Hue Jackson, the man who brought him to Oakland.

Dec. 6

Denver at Oakland

Rivalry gets a Thursday-night taste.

Dec. 23

San Diego at New York Jets

The AFC West’s lone crack at Tebow gets prime-time slot.

Dec. 30

Kansas City at Denver, Oakland at San Diego

If this division is as tight in 2012 as it was in 2011, this day will be crucial.

Breakdown: Tony Gonzalez is coming back to Kansas City in Week 1. In his first meeting against his former team, the superstar tight end will try to ruin the opening game of the permanent Romeo Crennel era.

The Chiefs have an interesting stretch after their Oct. 21 bye. They host Oakland on Oct. 28 and then play in a prime-time game at San Diego four games later on Nov. 1. After a long layoff, the Chiefs are back in prime time in their lone Monday night game -- in Pittsburgh on Nov. 12. The Chiefs face former head coach Todd Haley, who is now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.

Then, the Chiefs have three straight home games -- against Cincinnati, Denver and Carolina -- before playing three of their final four on the road.

Complaint department: The Chiefs’ schedule has two trouble spots. Playing back-to-back prime-time roadies at San Diego and Pittsburgh is not ideal. Having one home game in the final quarter of the season is challenging as well. The Chiefs must enter the final stretch in good shape.

Berry-Johnson meeting: There will be some juice involved in the Chiefs’ Week 2 trip to Buffalo. Kansas City star safety Eric Berrysuffered a torn ACL when he was hit by Stevie Johnson in Week 1 last season. Berry has openly questioned the hit. Johnson has denied that it was dirty. Expect emotions to be high.

Chiefs Regular-Season Schedule (All times Eastern)
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 16, at Buffalo, 1:00 PM
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 23, at New Orleans, 1:00 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, San Diego, 1:00 PM
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, Baltimore, 1:00 PM
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 14, at Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, Oakland, 4:05 PM
Week 9: Thursday, Nov. 1, at San Diego, 8:20 PM
Week 10: Monday, Nov. 12, at Pittsburgh, 8:30 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 18, Cincinnati, 1:00 PM
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 25, Denver, 1:00 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, Carolina, 1:00 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, at Cleveland, 1:00 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, at Oakland, 4:15 PM
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, Indianapolis, 1:00 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, at Denver, 4:15 PM

I took last week off. It was not an overly busy week, but some things did occur, so let’s review the game film of some of the events of the week:

Denver

The Broncos signed defensive tackle Justin Bannan.

My take: Bannan, who also was a Bronco in 2010, is a solid player who will help in the rotation. Denver still needs a young defensive tackle, but this is a good addition.

The Broncos cut cornerback Andre Goodman.

My take: This has been coming since the Broncos signed Tracy Porter to replace Goodman. This is not a shock at all. I wonder if Oakland coach and former Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will look at Goodman. He will turn 34 this year and he is in decline, but Goodman has strong experience, which could interest Oakland.

Receiver Demaryius Thomas made some critical comments about former quarterback Tim Tebow and expressed happiness with the Peyton Manning signing.

My take: Is anyone surprised by this? Thomas is a receiver. Playing with an erratic passer had to get frustrating for all Denver receivers. A Manning-Tebow swap is a receiver’s dream.

Kansas City

Tight end Leonard Pope signed with Pittsburgh.

My take: He wasn’t in the Chiefs' plans. Pope is a favorite of former Kansas City coach Todd Haley, who will now coach Pope for a third NFL organization. They were in Arizona together before Kansas City.

Oakland

The Raiders signed college basketball player Andre Hardy in hopes of making him a tight end.

My take: Why not? Former college hoopsters turned tight ends have hit it big. So it’s a low-risk endeavor. Don’t expect much from Hardy soon, though. He is probably a practice-squad prospect. This signing does not affect Oakland’s need for another tight end in 2012.

San Diego

The Chargers re-signed fullback Jacob Hester.

My take: He will back up Le'Ron McClain and will play special teams. Hester is a solid role player.

The Chargers signed former Oakland starting offensive lineman Mario Henderson.

My take: This is a depth move. Having a former starter as a backup is never a bad thing.

The Kansas City Chiefs have finalized their coaching staff.

Many of the new additions have already been announced. Here are the new additions to Romeo Crennel’s staff: Jack Bicknell Jr. (offensive line), Jim Bob Cooter (offensive quality control), Brian Daboll (offensive coordinator), Tom McMahon (special teams coach) and Derius Swinton (special teams quality control).

Offensive quality control coach Nick Sirianni was promoted to wide receivers coach. Here are the other coaches who were retained from Todd Haley’s staff: Maurice Carthon (assistant head coach), Mike Clark (strength & conditioning), Gary Gibbs (linebackers), Bernie Parmalee (tight ends), Anthony Pleasant (defensive line), Brent Salazar (assistant strength & conditioning), Otis Smith (defensive quality control), Emmitt Thomas (defensive backs), Adam Zimmer (defensive assistant/assistant linebackers) and Jim Zorn (quarterbacks).

“We were able to add a handful of strong additions to an already talented group of coaches, and I am excited to get started,” Crennel said in a statement. “I am looking forward to sitting down as a staff, evaluating what we have, what we need and moving forward towards the 2012 season.”

This announcement formally means Crennel will serve as his own defensive coordinator. He had said he was leaning toward it. Crennel was the defensive coordinator in Kansas City the past two years and the unit was playing at a high level at the end of last season.

The key moves here are the hiring of Daboll and the fact that Carthon and Zorn were retained. The Chiefs’ defense is in good coaching shape, but Crennel needs to rely on his offensive coaches. Daboll has a history with Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel and Carthon and Zorn know the team well. I think there is a nice mix on this staff.

The word is Oakland may be closing in on hiring Johnny Holland as linebackers coach. He was fired last year as the linebackers coach in Houston. He worked with Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie in Green Bay and he played at Texas A&M prior to new Oakland coach Dennis Allen playing there.

Former Kansas City defensive line coach Tim Krumrie is a candidate for the same job in Oakland.

UPDATE: The Raiders announced the hiring of Holland and announced former Ole Miss secondary coach Keith Burns will be the assistant special teams coach.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin spoke glowingly of Todd Haley when he introduced him as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator Thursday. There had been speculation Tomlin was forced by ownership to hire Haley.

Haley grew up in Pittsburgh and he is the son of legendary former Pittsburgh personnel man Dick Haley. The Chiefs fired Haley as their head coach in December.

Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs' brass said quarterback Matt Cassel will have competition for the starting job.

However, the team’s new offensive coordinator made it clear Tuesday that Cassel has a strong chance of remaining the starter. Cassel played for new Kansas City offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for his first two years of his career in New England.

"A have a lot of confidence in Matt Cassel. I've watched him on tape and I know the player,” said Daboll according to the team’s website.

These comments backup what I have thought. There may be some competition, but unless there is an unforeseen addition, Cassel is the player the Chiefs expected to be their starting quarterback in 2012.

Meanwhile, Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel said he wants quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn to stay on the staff. Zorn was bypassed for the offensive coordinator job when Crennel hired Daboll.

Meanwhile, the Steelers formally announced the hiring of Todd Haley as offensive coordinator. He was fired as Kansas City’s head coach in December.

There has been plenty of movement in the front office and on coaching staffs in the AFC West in the past several weeks. Two of the seven coaching staffs that changed in the NFL occurred in the AFC West this year.

There are some more additions as staffs round out throughout the division, but the major hirings and firings have been completed. Let’s review:

Denver Broncos

Recap: After going through a lot of change in recent seasons, Denver was pretty calm this year. It hired former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio to be the defensive coordinator after Dennis Allen went to Oakland as head coach.

Comment: Del Rio is Denver's seventh defensive coordinator in seven years. However, he has coached for coach John Fox before, so there shouldn’t be too much flux.

Kansas City Chiefs

Recap: Interim coach Romeo Crennel, who replaced Todd Haley with three games remaining in the season, was made the permanent head coach. He hired Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator and Crennel will likely oversee the defense himself.

Comment: The key here is Daboll. Crennel has the defense going in the right direction and he is well-respected by the entire team. Daboll needs to take this potentially strong offense to the next level.

Oakland Raiders

Recap: The Raiders underwent the most change in the division this offseason. The change began sadly when owner Al Davis died in October. After the season, former Raiders’ linebacker and former Green Bay executive Reggie McKenzie was hired as general manager. He quickly fired coach Hue Jackson and replaced him with Allen. He hired Greg Knapp (a former Oakland offensive coordinator) to run the offense and Stanford co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver to head the defense.

Comment: It’s an exciting time in Oakland with lots of great potential. But there is no question that much of the new leadership is inexperienced in their new roles.

San Diego Chargers

Recap: The big news in San Diego is what didn’t happen. After the Chargers finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs for the second straight season, coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith were expected to be shown the door. But owner Dean Spanos made the surprising move to keep them both. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky was fired and linebackers coach John Pagano replaced him.

Comment: The pressure is on everyone in San Diego. If the Chargers don’t make the playoffs in 2012, we’ll likely see the type of wholesale changes that occurred in Oakland.

Sans getting another head-coaching job, former Kansas City Chiefs’ coach Todd Haley couldn’t have bounced back any better than he has.

With it looking like he might sit out the 2012 season, Haley -- who was fired by Kansas City with three games left in the 2011 season -- was been hired to be the offensive coordinator by the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen confirmed the story.

Haley was a Steelers’ ball boy while growing up in Pittsburgh. His father, Dick Haley, is a legendary former Steelers’ personnel man. It has been reported that the Chiefs are not honoring the final year of Haley’s contract because they fired Haley with cause. The team has not commented on the report.

So, getting this job might not only help Haley financially, it gives him a chance to revive his career in his hometown.

The Steelers’ job was considered a prime job. Haley, who was Arizona’s offensive coordinator prior to being hired by the Chiefs in 2009, can potentially become a head-coaching candidate again if the Pittsburgh offense flourishes.

Haley is considered a strong quarterbacks coach, and he will have a good student in the form of Ben Roethlisberger. Haley has been known for yelling at players during games, so it will be interesting to see how an established quarterback like Roethlisberger will handle it if the situation arises.

The Chiefs play at Pittsburgh in 2012, which has a chance to be one of the more interesting weeks of the Chiefs’ season.

By the way, of the seven head coaches to be fired during or after the 2011 season, former Oakland coach Hue Jackson is the only one not to get a job elsewhere in the league as an assistant coach so far. NFL.com reported the Steelers talked to Jackson before offering the job to Haley.

The Steelers’ website reports that the team interviewed former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley for the offensive coordinator job. He was fired by the Chiefs last month. It has been reported that the team fired Haley for cause and is refusing to pay him the final year of his contract. The team declined comment on the report last week.

Haley has also talked to the Jets and Cardinals about a position. Haley would likely prefer the Steelers’ job. He is from Pittsburgh, and his father, Dick, was a legendary personnel man for the Steelers.

In other Kansas City news, the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Chiefs denied the Bears permission to talk to quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn about the same position. That is an indication Zorn will remain on the Chiefs’ staff.

In other AFC West news: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers discussed being a finalist for the NFL Man of the Year. It will be awarded Saturday.

The nice play is over in the AFC West. It didn’t last long.

When Dennis Allen was hired to be the Oakland Raiders’ head coach last week, his former boss John Fox wished Allen well. And, now, Allen is on his own.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos have denied the Raiders permission to speak to linebackers coach Richard Smith for the Oakland defensive job.

Previously, Kansas City defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas and New Orleans defensive line coach Bill Johnson were dropped off as candidates. It’s not a surprise Fox denied Allen permission. He wants to keep as much stability on his defensive coaching staff as possible. It seems more and more teams are denying permission these days and it’s no shock this intra-division hard stance was made.

Potential coordinator candidates may now include former San Diego defensive coordinator Greg Manusky and San Francisco defensive backs coach Ed Donatell.

UPDATE: CSN Bay Area reports Oakland special teams coach John Fassel has reported to St. Louis. The Raiders have had one of the best special teams in the NFL in recent years. Fassel was a strong coach, but the talent remains for Oakland in this area.

Meanwhile, NFL.com is reporting that Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin is considering pursuing former Kansas City coach Todd Haley as offensive coordinator.

That would be an interesting pairing. Haley is known for being high strung and vocal in his coaching. Tomlin is intense, but he’s not much of a screamer and a yeller. Also, Haley is known for getting on his players often during games. It would be interesting to see an established quarterback such as Ben Roethlisberger adjust to playing for Haley.

I’m sure Haley would love the job. He is from Pittsburgh and his father, Dick, is a former legendary Steelers’ personnel man.

Are the Kansas City Chiefs taking a page out of the Oakland Raiders’ playbook when it comes to former coach Todd Haley?

They might very well be, according to a tweet from Arizona radio reporter Mike Jurecki. He tweets that he is hearing the Chiefs are refusing to pay the final year of Haley’s contract for cause. This has not been confirmed. If that is the case, it means the Chiefs are saying they fired Haley for a specific reason that was problematic to the team, and that they don’t feel like they should have to abide by the contract. Former Oakland owner Al Davis had similar interactions with some coaches he fired.

Haley was fired last month. If the Chiefs are refusing to pay the final year of Haley’s contract for cause, Haley and the Chiefs will likely engage in a grievance. This month, the Kansas City Star ran a story saying Haley thought the Chiefs tampered with a personal cell phone.

Whether the Chiefs are trying get out of paying Haley or not, there is no doubt there were serious issues between Haley and the Chiefs.

UPDATE: The Cheifs had no comment on the matter.

In other AFC West news:

Denver coach John Fox said he is not in a rush to hire a defensive coordinator to replace Dennis Allen, who became the Raiders’ head coach this week.

San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson said he has not heard from the Chargers about a new deal, but hopes he does. Jackson is to be a free agent.

As expected, it appears Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel will act as his own defensive coordinator. He was the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Crennel will hire an offensive coordinator.

Kansas City director of college scouting Phil Emery is to interview with the Bears for their general manager job Friday for a second time. He is reportedly one of two finalists.

Oakland linebacker Rolando McClain is to stand trial May 17 for assault charges stemming from an incident that occurred in his hometown of Decatur, Ala., during this past season.

Is Arizona a refuge for former AFC West coaches?

NFL.com reported that former Kansas City coach Todd Haley is talking to the Cardinals about joining the staff. Haley talked to Arizona earlier this month, but there were reports he likely wouldn’t go there. Monday, former Oakland coach Hue Jackson reportedly also interviewed with Cardinals about their quarterback-coaching job.

It is feasible that Haley and Jackson could both end up on the Cardinals’ staff, but I’d be surprised to see that happen. I would think Haley and Jackson would both like to be in a situation where they can stick out. Incidentally, Jackson was not thrilled with Haley after the Chiefs won at Oakland last season.

In other AFC West news:

The Chargers promoted special teams coach Rich Bisaccia to assistant head coach. He received interest from the University of Tennessee. Bisaccia was hired last year and he helped turn around the NFL’s worst special teams in 2010.

“Rich was a great addition to our staff a year ago and made a real impact on our team last season,” San Diego coach Norv Turner said in a release. “He has a lot to offer our team and I’ll be leaning on his years of experience in all areas of our football team.”

As expected, the Chargers announced former Carolina defensive backs coach Ron Meeks took the same job in San Diego. He replaces Steve Wilks, who, coincidently, is the new secondary coach in Carolina. The Chargers are still looking for a linebackers coach.

Don’t expect any timing problems for the AFC Pro Bowl team in the kicking game.

This group will have plenty of chemistry.

The Raiders announced that long snapper Jon Condo made the AFC Pro Bowl team. The game will be played in Hawaii on Jan. 29.

Condo was added as a “need” player. Condo will be joined by Oakland punter Shane Lechler and Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski. This is Janikowski's first Pro Bowl and Condo’s second. Condo is very reliable, and Lechler’s and Janikowski’s success is in part sparked by Condo. Condo is a fitting addition to the roster, and it shows what a special group of specialists Oakland has. Congratulations to all of them. They will be joined in Hawaii by Oakland defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

In other AFC West news:

The Arizona Republic is reporting that former Kansas City coach Todd Haley likely will not join the Cardinals’ staff. He has also talked to the Jets this offseason, but he is not expected to join the New York staff, either.

An Insider piece says AFC West receiver Jonathan Baldwin and Jacoby Ford could be in for good things in 2012.

Either Ryan Mathews or Vincent Jackson will be guaranteed a Pro Bowl spot based on the results of the AFC title game.

ESPNChicago reports the Raiders won’t interview new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice until Tuesday. That is an indication that the Raiders are not in a hurry to make a hire. There have been six reported conducted or planned interviews and more could be added to the search.

More than 34 million viewers watched the Patriots’ 45-10 win over Denver on Saturday night. It was the highest-rated late Saturday night divisional game of all time.

San Diego owner Dean Spanos had a chat with Chargers fans Tuesday. He expressed how important fans are to the team in the conference call.

The New York Daily News is reporting former Chiefs coach Todd Haley is not expected to join the Jets staff. He was talking to the Jets and also talked to the Cardinals.