There haven't been any new names thrown into the ring for the Kansas City Chiefs head coaching job which has led us to believe the Chiefs are likely to simply remove the interim tag from Romeo Crennel. That may happen, and it may not, but we can add a new name to the discussion -- Bill O'Brien, offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. (Known to many as the guy who get in the sideline yelling match with Tom Brady a few weeks ago.)
Jason La Canfora reports that O'Brien's contract is expiring, which means he could potentially make a lateral move, like the offensive coordinator job with the Chiefs. La Canfora calls KC "one job that could intrigue O'Brien".
Frankly, I can't figure out why exactly someone would pick KC over New England right now in a lateral move. The Chiefs don't even have a head coach and the offense has been miserable. New England, meanwhile, is a perennial Super Bowl contender with one of the best offenses in the league and a guy (Tom Brady) who has made a lot of people rich. Other than money, I can't think of a reason a lateral move to KC would make sense, unless this "coach in waiting" theory that's been floated around has some merit.
From the outside looking in, O'Brien is similar to McDaniels. Both come from New England, both have worked with Matt Cassel and both are familiar to GM Scott Pioli. From that standpoint, I can see where this would make sense.
The track record of coordinators and assistant coaches leaving New England to become head coaches is well-documented (and it's not pretty). But the track record of coordinators and assistant coaches leaving for similar positions is a little less murky. There's potential for it to work (and for it to fail).
It seems that the most likely Chiefs coaching plan right now is: A.) Romeo Crennel gets the permanent head coaching job and B.) an offensive coordinator is hired (like McDaniels or O'Brien).