In the last several days, the coaching carousel has spun several revolutions moving one coordinator after another to new locales. Some moves seem impressive, while others have surprised. Now that the dust is finally settling on most staffs to some degree, the Chiefs remain without an offensive coordinator.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this isn't that the Chiefs are still searching. After all, the announcement of Head Coach Todd Haley came late in the off-season since his Arizona Cardinals were too busy prepping for the Super Bowl to worry about future employment opportunities at the time. Instead, it's the waffling from Haley that he may or may not take the reins himself that's been the most questionable aspect of it all. That's because you shouldn't buy it.
From the moment the Chiefs handed Scott Pioli the keys to the kingdom, every move has been exquisitely calculated -- at least as much as it can be in the fluid world of the National Football League. Every coaching hire, every draft pick is backed by enough forethought and homework to know that, whether or not it will work out, the Chiefs believe it is the best move to make at the point of making it.
If the signs were there all along, as some have said, that Weis was out the door after one year, you'd better believe Pioli had a back-up plan from the outset. Chances are, he had one anyway. Even if the move caught the team a bit by surprise, Pioli certainly remains educated enough on the availability of future coaching candidates that he wasn't lost and wondering what to do next.
Even if Haley insists the Chiefs aren't absolutely certain of their next move (and his own role), I still don't believe it. Instead, the track record insists the Chiefs know exactly what is coming and they've known for some time. If time is being taken, then there's a reason for it -- most likely, the guy they want (and will get) is not yet available. And in the end, when the chips fall, they will reveal the Chiefs knew how they'd play that hand all along -- even if they have to make reticent comments in the interim period.