Good morning everyone. I'm handling Arrowheadlines duties today and there are a lot of stories about your Kansas City Chiefs beating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Enjoy today's Chiefs news.
The descriptions of Crennel are a general sketch of what owner Clark Hunt and general manager Scott Pioli say they want in a head coach.
Crennel treats everyone with respect. He is obsessed with details, with fundamentals, with the kind of preparation that means the Chiefs know their opponents better than the other way around.
Crennel makes his own decisions (Orton found out he was starting Sunday's game before Pioli did) without being insubordinate. He gives credit to his players first, his assistants second and himself never.
The Packers' 19-14 loss to the Chiefs was the perfect storm of things that could go wrong. Though the game plan of Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel will be closely studied, the Packers' loss can be attributed to two things -- the inability to beat man-to-man press coverage and poor pass protection as a result of injuries.
"Kansas City had a great game plan and got it done," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "The Chiefs pressed us from the time we got off the bus."
Often times rushing with only four or five, the Chiefs committed to playing coverage. They shaded their safeties to help cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers on the perimeter. When they left the middle of the field open, tight end Jermichael Finley couldn't make them pay often enough. Rodgers threw his way 10 times, but Finley caught only three of them. He had 83 yards after getting shut out against the Raiders, and his 41-yard catch in the third quarter helped set up the Packers' first touchdown, but his day could've been much better.
Chiefs DBs disrupt Packers offense | Green Bay Press Gazette
Winning is fun, especially when it interrupts a potentially historic run toward perfection. But in this case, it's not that simple. Now what should the Chiefs do? Bring back Orton, who will be a free agent after this season? Pay Matt Cassel another chunk of a $63 million contract for a fourth season with the Chiefs? Or maybe draft or sign a newcomer, looking toward the future instead of the present?
This is a tough one. But Crennel said Sunday afternoon that there's a way the quarterback matter could be resolved quickly, too.
Orton impresses as Chiefs contemplate future at QB | KC Star
"I didn't see a bunch of guys running around talking about 16-0. That was my sense of it," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We knew what type of game we were coming into today. This was no surprise. It wasn't just talk. We answered the questions all week.
"We knew we were coming into a juggernaut and we didn't overcome it."
Green Bay, playing without leading receiver Greg Jennings and top rusher James Starks because of injuries, can wrap up the No. 1 seed in their final two games against Chicago and Detroit. But the Packers no longer have the pressure of becoming the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with a perfect record, or extending the second-longest winning streak in league history.
"I think our goal ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. The next step is getting that No. 1 seed in the playoffs,'' Rodgers said.
They followed Crennel's plan almost perfectly, they ran the ball effectively to keep the clock moving and the ball away from the high-scoring Green Bay offense and they pressured quarterback Aaron Rodgers most of the afternoon to keep him out of his comfort zone.
The Chiefs also didn't commit a turnover for the first time since an early October win over Minnesota. The quarterback Crennel installed this week as a starter, Kyle Orton, simply played a near-flawless game.
But the Packers, who were three games from matching the 2007 Patriots as the only team in NFL history to go 16-0 in the regular season, were quick to shrug off the defeat's significance.
"Really, what is disappointing to me is that we didn't clinch home-field advantage," said Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, a Baker alum. "That was always the goal. I personally always viewed the undefeated season as really just gravy."
Packers disappointed to lose but still focused on Super Bowl | KC Star
Now Succop, a third-year kicker from South Carolina who made all four of his attempts Sunday, has converted 21 straight.
In fact, he hasn't missed a kick since pushing a 38-yard try wide right in a 20-17 loss Sept. 25 at San Diego and is one short of the franchise record of 22, set by Pete Stoyanovich in the 1997-98 seasons.
Chiefs Buzz | Players had faith beating Packers was possible | KC Star
The Chiefs will want to make certain that Sunday's performance wasn't a fluke and that the team continues showing progress under Crennel. It might not even matter if the Chiefs win one or both of their final two games; improvement will be the primary barometer. As long as Crennel's team isn't blown out against Oakland or Denver, though, he'll remain the frontrunner.
Could you have scripted this win any better as the new head coach? "As it turned out it was a great script. Wins are always good in the NFL. I don't care how you get them. If you can win that's a positive and we feel good about the win."
Did you have an advantage having faced this team already this season? "It is always better to be able to see a team twice. Having said that they beat me the first time. That's a good football team. They have a great chance to win the Super Bowl. We are happy we played together as a team. Our coaches coached great and we got a big win."
On giving Romeo Crennel his first win as head coach for the Chiefs: "We want to play hard for this guy. We've been through up and downs as a defense, but he's a great guy. He always stays positive. He's a guy we want to play hard for. With him being a head coach, the offense felt the same way. We just want to keep winning for him."
"Change is good, but at the end of the day you got to give credit to the players," Johnson said. "Coach Romeo Crennel went out and told us that nobody's going to believe that you can go out and win this game, but we believed in this room. That's all that matters and it shows today ... our mindset changed.
"Of course Kyle Orton did a great job and was a big part of the win. I'm happy he's on our team.
By all accounts, Orton's leadership style went over well in the Chiefs offensive huddle.
"How do you think it went," G
Ryan Lilja asked jokingly. "I'm looking up at the video boards during breaks and he's Mr. Fantasy Football. He was just lighting it up." Orton takes control of huddle in first start with Chiefs | KCChiefs.com
First, Romeo Crennel received the traditional Gatorade bath. Up next came the hugs - lots of them. Once Crennel reached the Chiefs locker room, the chants broke out.
"Romeo...Romeo...Romeo."