Chiefs hire new GM, coaching decision expected soon

Scott Pioli, who helped turn the New England Patriots from a laughing stock into a dynasty, was introduced on Wednesday as the new General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.  According to a spokesman for team chairman Clark Hunt Pioli will have complete control over all football operations and report only to Hunt.

As the Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel, he worked directly with coach Bill Belichick in some capacity for another for the past nine years.  Pats owner Robert Kraft was effusive in his praise of Pioli, even as he packed up his office to go to work for another team:

"Scott is a great evaluator of talent. He is thorough in his evaluations, extremely organized and has done a tremendous job mining all possible resources to help coach Belichick and his staff field the players needed to win consistently. He has played an important role in building a championship tradition with players that I am proud to call Patriots.  He is an integral part of the many championships the New England Patriots have celebrated this decade.”

Pioli, who is the son-in-law of NFL legend Bill Parcells, also received praise from Belichick himself:

"To sum up in words everything Scott Pioli has meant to this organization and to me personally would be difficult, if not impossible. From the day I met him, he has demonstrated a passion for football and respect for the game that is second to none."

When the hiring of Pioli was first reported a couple of days ago, most pundits suggested that this meant that Chiefs coach Herm Edwards’ days at the helm were numbered.   In the press conference announcing his hiring, Pioli stressed that no decision had been made and that Edwards would receive due consideration as part of the process of hiring a new head coach:

"I have a lot of respect for Herm. I had a chance to visit with Herm today.  I've got a lot of respect for Herm on a professional level and a personal level. This entire thing is going to be a process. Contrary to reports that were out there, we're going to spend some time talking about Herm. I'm actually looking forward to it."

Working against Edwards, however, is an ugly 2-23 record in his past 25 games as Chiefs’ coach.  The cynical view of Pioli’s insistence that Edwards is under consideration is that by doing so it eliminates the need for the team to interview another minority candidate under NFL guidelines.  Furthermore, Piloli’s first two choices for the job--Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz—are now out of the picture.  McDaniels was hired as new coach of the Denver Broncos last week, and Ferentz is all but certainly going to stay at Iowa.