The common thread for the Kansas City Chiefs

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl was on January 11, 1970.

Since then, the franchise has gone through 42 years of losing with only three playoff victories mixed in. In fact, since winning Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings, the Chiefs have been to the postseason 12 times and compiled a 3-12 record along the way.

In all of that futility runs two common themes: Kansas City can't find a long-term coach or quarterback.

The only time the Chiefs have had a head coach who's been able to do anything for a period of time was Marty Schottenheimer from 1989-1998. In that period, Kansas City went to the playoffs seven times and even advanced to the AFC Championship Game in 1993.

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If Schottenheimer is taken out of the equation, the Chiefs haven't won a single postseason game since winning the Super Bowl.

The list of names who have coached this team since Hank Stram was fired in 1974 is as follows: Paul Wiggin, Tom Bettis, Marv Levy, John Mackovic, Frank Gansz, Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham, Dick Vermeil, Herm Edwards, Todd Haley and now Romeo Crennel.

How can anybody expect this franchise to win with a group like that? Vermeil may have been a good coach, but he was in the twilight of his career and never would have been able to build a program for years a la Bill Belichick or Mike Tomlin.

Outside of Vermeil and Schottenheimer (and maybe Haley depending on your point of view), everybody has been a complete waste of time.

Which brings us to the second common thread: the quarterbacks.

Since Len Dawson retired in 1975, Kansas City has been incredibly successful at doing absolutely nothing to fill the spot with a good young player.

Consider the list: Mike Livingston, Steve Fuller, Bill Kenney, Todd Blackledge, Steve DeBerg, Dave Krieg, Joe Montana, Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green, Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and Matt Cassel.

Sure there are some good ones in there, but not a single one save Blackledge was drafted by this organization in a top round. Even worse, most were brought in from other teams in the hopes of getting a few decent years out of them. That logic is fatally flawed.

Out of the 46 teams that have won Super Bowls, only eight quarterbacks weren't drafted by that franchise including Mr. Dawson (Theismann wasn't technically drafted, but I didn't include him). Getting to the promised land takes dedication, not a free-agent coup or back-door trade.

Regardless of how this season plays out, it's time to get a real head coach in here and draft a quarterback in the first round. It doesn't matter if they need to move up in order to get a top prospect.

Everyone always opines about the value of picks and how important it is to keep your fourth and fifth round selections, but without a legitimate quarterback everything else means nothing.

If that means trading away a future first rounder and some mid-to-late round picks, then so be it. Winners are winners because they go for the brass ring, not because they pray for a miracle.

The Chiefs will never win anything with Crennel and Matt Cassel. The rest of this group is very talented, but this team is hopeless without direction from the two most important posts.

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Without a good coach in this league, you're sunk. Games are won and lost in the NFL in many cases with good game-planning and smart in-the-moment decisions. Crennel shows zero ability to do either of those things.

Cassel just can't play the position. While I've definitely defended him at times, he's run his course with Kansas City. At 30 years old, Cassel just hasn't shown improvement. In fact, he's regressed.

If the Chiefs are serious about being a real organization they'll do whatever it takes to bring in a top head coach and highly-touted rookie quarterback. Forget about the growing pains, I don't think anybody in Washington, Carolina or Indianapolis is too upset about them.

Winning needs to become a mandate in Kansas City, not some far-flung thought. For years the Chiefs have brought in re-treads, hoping for lightning in a bottle.

It needs to stop, now.