Getting to Know the Chiefs New Director of College Scouting

by Joel Thorman on May 2, 2009 12:10 PM CDT in 2009 Offseason Comment 15 comments

Last week Pro Football Weekly broke the news that the Kansas City Chiefs had hired former Atlanta Falcons director of college scouting Phil Emery. He replaces Chuck Cook who held the position for 12 of his 25 years with the Chiefs organization.

It's hard to say if Emery is more qualified or ready than Cook. Emery's hire isn't meant to be a knock on him. General manager Scott Pioli wanted someone he has known and trusted for 18 years.

Let's take a quick look at Emery's history with drafting at the various stops in his career.

Chicago Bears area scout 1998-2004

Emery was responsible for "final grading, statistical evaluation and chart design and point system creation for all athletic testing items" on all Bears draft prospects. From 2001-2004 he did the cross-check evaluation of all offensive tackles and tight ends.

Bernard Robertson is an OT drafted in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. He's not on the bears roster anymore. Mike Gandy, drafted in the third round of the 2002 draft, has started for six seasons at offensive tackle for three teams. Marc Columbo was drafted as a left tackle in round one. He started seven games for the Bears in three seasons before heading to Dallas where he's manned the right side for two consecutive seasons.

Tight end Bryan Fletcher was drafted in the sixth round and never made the Bears roster.

From 1998-2001, he was responsible for wide receivers. The Bears drafted one wide receiver in that time. 2001 first round pick David Terrell was a major bust in Chicago.

Atlanta Falcons director of college scouting 2004-2009

Emery was hired on May 18th, 2004 to head the college scouting department with the Falcons. We're going to take a look at the 2005 and 2006 drafts in Atlanta to see how his work fares.

He was hired in May of 2004 so he wasn't responsible for the 2004 draft. We will look at the 2005 and 2006 drafts because the rule of thumb is that you can't accurately judge a draft class until three years out.

The Falcons have had three players turn into regular starters from 2005-2006 (Go here to see the complete drafts).

LB Michael Boley
DE Jonathan Babineaux
WR Roddy White

Not exactly awe-inspiring. Though neither were the Chiefs' drafts during that time. The Falcons drafts from 2005-2009 were better, but not great. They've yielded ten players who have started at least one season for the team.

Ultimately the decisions were made by GM Rich McKay but those decisions were largely based off the input of Emery's department.

Here is a complete list of his coaching stops throughout his career.

1981-82 Central Michigan - graduate assistant

1982-84 Western New Mexico - strength and conditioning, offensive line coach

1884-1985 Georgetown College - defensive line

1985-87 Saginaw Valley State - strength and conditioning, defensive line

1987-1991 University of Tennessee - assistant strength and conditioning

1991-1998 U.S. Naval Academy - director of strength and conditioning services and an associate professo

1998-2004 Chicago Bears - area scout

2004-2009 Atlanta Falcons - director of college scouting

2009-present Kansas City Chiefs - director of college scouting

Experience on both sides of the line and strength and conditioning are experience traits that would seem to resonate with Scott Pioli and his mantra of big, fast, physical football players.

***

In related director of college scouting news, the Broncos hired Matt Russell formerly of the Patriots. Russell is credited with being the one that "found" Matt Cassel when others weren't even looking at a back up QB.

Per Peter King's Twitter:

Russell's the guy who 'found' Matt Cassel as USC when a lot of scouts wouldn't look at a backup QB who never played. Matt saw something...

Then Scott Pioli looked at Cassel, liked what he saw, and the rest is history. Russell lives in Boulder. It's a good sign for Broncos.

It's about time some good fortune happened to the Broncos (Actually, no, no it's not).

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I joined AP on draft day

and have to admit I’ve been really impressed with the fan interaction. It sure as heck beats the Star forums!

Furthermore, I’ve been following AP for roughly two years (sorry it took me so long to sign up) and have never been let down. The material is fresh and engaging. From a former high school staff writer’s standpoint, AP should be on every Chief fan’s favorites.

I will try to get more people to sign up.

by SupremeChief on May 2, 2009 2:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So your saying that Emery's record is about as BAD as Cook's?

Not exactly awe-inspiring. Though neither were the Chiefs’ drafts during that time.

So basically we replaced one lump of turd with another lump, because Pioli was more comfortable with having his own familiar one?

Meh……

Opinions are like A--holes, everyones got one.

by aPacificChief on May 2, 2009 3:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not at all -- this is an awful analysis

Par for the course, sadly, but this one is particularly embarrassing.

Trying to judge Embry (or anyone else) on decisions that were ultimately made above his head is completely absurd. Chuck Cook, for example, never drafted a single player for the Chiefs. To say “those decisions were largely based off the input of his department” demonstrates a total lack of knowledge and insight as to how these matters work.

Numerous times over the years, Cook could have said “Hey, look at this guy, he’s pretty good”, but the GM and the coach and the VP of Player Personnel and all such people are going to watch the tape themselves and form their own opinions.

Cook could have suggested numerous busts over the years, but if the Chiefs actually drafted them, it’s the fault of the people making the final decisions. They had to agree with Cook’s assessment, they aren’t just taking his word for it. Likewise, Cook could have suggested numerous Pro Bowlers over the years, but the guys making the final decisions might have gone in another direction.

This idea of “The GMs were just working from the info based on their department” is like absolving Carl Peterson off all blame. “Hey, he was just working off the info he got, it’s not his fault most of the Chiefs’ drafts sucked.” Yeah, it is, actually.

Nobody sitting at his computer can evaluate how these guys have fared at their jobs. We don’t know how good Cook was because we never saw any of his recommendations. But I have no problem at all with him being replaced, because this organization needs to be flushed clean from all of Carl’s cronies.

The exact same thing holds true with Emery. Nobody has any idea how good or bad he is at what he does because you can’t point to the draft results and act like he made those decisions. It’s a complete fallacy.

And this idea that Pioli is “familiar” with Emery is the icing on the cake. The big connection Emery has to Pioli is that he’s spent the last year and a half in Atlanta working with Thomas Dimitroff, who used to work with Pioli in New England. Whoopdie-woo. And that’s merely a coincidence because Emery was already working there in Atlanta when Dimitroff was hired.

Pioli and Emery have never worked together at any stop in the NFL. Their stops in college don’t match up. And even if there WAS some other connection between them, trying to write this move off as a “buddy-hire” is a major stretch considering Pioli had this entire decade to bring his “buddy” Emery to New England with him. Yet it never happened.

by SlipperyPete on May 2, 2009 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I see your point

And it’s a good one. Call it some conversation for the offseason but ultimately he was involved in the scouting for these drafts – he didn’t make the decisions (like I said), but you don’t care if the department he worked in was successful or not? I guess I disagree.

This idea of "The GMs were just working from the info based on their department" is like absolving Carl Peterson off all blame. "Hey, he was just working off the info he got, it’s not his fault most of the Chiefs’ drafts sucked." Yeah, it is, actually.

Not sure what that means or where you’re going with that. I thought I said ultimately all the decisions are made by the GM. This line would be an argument against me saying it’s not the GM’s fault (which I didn’t say).

by Joel Thorman on May 2, 2009 9:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

If you want to call this a stretch, then what about you saying Boldin would never come to KC because you saw him and Haley yell at each other one time on TV (at which point they both said it was no big deal and we’ve never heard of that again)?

by Joel Thorman on May 2, 2009 9:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think that theory can fly....

Your right that the Director of college scouting does not make the selections so cannot be held completely accountable.

But the Director does help put the boards together prioritizing which prospect would be better than the other. So if he prioritizes wrongly then that is when he must be held accountable.

but the GM and the coach and the VP of Player Personnel and all such people are going to watch the tape themselves and form their own opinions.

That sounds a bit foolish to form your own opinions if the scouting department tells you otherwise. These scouts are paid to look at college prospects full time, and to just disregard the scouts opinions over your own is quite absurd. Why hire them in the first place if you don’t trust their scouting?

Both Directors Cook and Emery’s history’s are not impressive, because there draft classes have not be consistent in providing talent.

Opinions are like A--holes, everyones got one.

by aPacificChief on May 3, 2009 12:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ummmm...

“General manager Scott Pioli wanted someone he has known and trusted for 18 years.”

Where exactly have Pioli and Emery’s paths crossed before?

by SlipperyPete on May 2, 2009 3:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

KC Star

Said he’s known him since ’91.

by Joel Thorman on May 2, 2009 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whoops

’94. 15 years.

by Joel Thorman on May 2, 2009 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That was an unforgivable mistake, prime.

You and your analysis suck. I hate you. Get off of your own blog. Yeah. :)

I don't have religion. I have Baduizm...and Billie Holiday...and Janet. Actually, just Janet.

by DThomasReigns on May 2, 2009 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The group of departed scouts – Bill Kuharich, Chuck Cook, Bruce Lemmerman, Cornell Gowdy, Mike Hagen, Matt Littlefield and Greg Olejack – had a combined 129 years of experience on the pro football level (NFL or Canadian Football League) when it came to evaluating talent.

Was MARCUS EDWARDS retained? Yup….you guessed it the son of our Mr. Herm Edwards himself.

Opinions are like A--holes, everyones got one.

by aPacificChief on May 3, 2009 2:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs