Chiefs

Defense

“I’ve got work to do here,” Edwards said. “I’ve got a plan here. I’ve got to orchestrate my plan. We’re just in the middle of this.” Edwards is rumored to be on UCLA’s candidate list, along with Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. Steve Mariucci and Seahawks DBs coach Jim Mora have also been mentioned.

His interim tag is gone. Although the defensive-minded Crennel went 24-40 from 2005-2008 with the Browns, he earned the job with an impressive finish to this season following Todd Haley’s dismissal. The Chiefs went 2-1 with Crennel in charge, beating the Packers and Broncos while narrowly losing to the Raiders. He’s a favorite among the players, meaning fantasy owners are unlikely to see the questionable motivational and depth chart tactics that marked Haley’s tenure.

According to long-time beat writer Bob Gretz, the talks went “nowhere” and Fisher has no interest in the job. Although the Chiefs are set to interview Packers OC Joe Philbin on Wednesday, the Kansas City Star believes GM Scott Pioli won’t have the patience to wait for Green Bay’s playoff run to end.

Del Rio compiled a 69-73 record over nine years in Jacksonville before becoming the first head-coaching casualty of the season in November. The Chiefs have already interviewed Packers OC Joe Philbin and ex-Titans coach Jeff Fisher, though neither is considered a legit candidate to be hired over interim coach Romeo Crennel.

The “interim” tag will soon be removed from Crennel’s title. The move will be popular with the Chiefs’ players, who played extremely hard for Crennel down the stretch after Todd Haley was fired on December 12. Kansas City stunned the 13-0 Packers with a 19-14 victory during Crennel’s first week on the job, and nearly knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs with a 7-3 win in Week 17. Crennel was unsuccessful at his only previous head coaching stop, however, guiding the Browns to a 24-40 record between 2005-08.

“I get the sense Romeo wants to be the coordinator on defense,” Pioli said in a Friday radio interview. “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.” Crennel has been the team’s coordinator since 2010. Despite losing stud safety Eric Berry to an early-season ACL tear, the Chiefs defense ranked 12th in points against and 11th in yards allowed in 2011.

“After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow’s game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time,” read the statement. The Chiefs will have minimal time to mourn their loss, and Crennel, after witnessing Belcher take his own life on Saturday morning, is now forced to put together a game plan.

Head coach Romeo Crennel has demoted himself. It’s a start for the 1-7 Chiefs, but certainly too little, too late. Along with GM Scott Pioli, neither coach is likely to remain with the team through the offseason. Gibbs is tasked with improving a unit allowing 30 points and 347.5 yards per game. It won’t be easy, but things can’t be as bad as they were under a distracted Crennel.

Harris played for new Chiefs coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia for four seasons. Harris served as a Dolphins coaching intern this past year under former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

Although he’s now based in Houston, Wright is a former Kansas City radio host with a history of breaking Chiefs news. Similar to the situation in San Diego, we’re unlikely to get official word on Crennel and Pioli’s fate until after Week 17, but there’s zero reason to believe either will be retained. Pioli has undermined an otherwise promising roster by failing disastrously in his quest to find a quarterback, while Crennel has proven every bit as overmatched as he was in Cleveland. Retaining Crennel after he guided the Chiefs to a 2-1 finish as interim coach in 2011 could end up as a job-killing decision for Pioli. His reported bizarre behind-the-scenes behavior surely did him no favors with owner Clark Hunt, who will be undergoing his second GM search in five years. For what it’s worth, Wright’s report has been shot down in several quarters, but that’s to be expected.