Pioli was gone that year whether it was KC or someone else. I even think Cassel emerging and being available was appealing to him as a launching point. He just apparently stalled a little too long to land in Denver and the timing wasn't quite right to land in a more coveted situation and/or he chose KC specifically because it was ripe for overhaul (Tuna's trick) and a little off the beaten path. I think it was a mistake for him to go to a fiscally troubled franchise because it feeds his inner cheapskate. His huge mistake though was in not having a firm plan and understanding with Ferentz or someone else that when I go you come... Then in order to land someone with some (and it was limited) exposure to the system, he chose the tempermental flavor of the month OC whose team had just been to a Superbowl through little fault of his... Haley was just along for the ride there, as he generally has been in his limited career. He was the one coaching assistant that Bill didn't poach after escaping from the swamp. He was also a guy Bill didn't bring to the swamp. And when the swamp let him go Bill still didn't roll out the welcome mat...
I think Scott is in way over his head in KC. I've come to realize he may in fact suffer from a syndrome often displayed on this board, the I'm a cheaper hardliner than Bill syndrome. When Bill in fact is more open than most to trying new and/or seemingly out of character things than most. I think like most of Bill's protogees, Scott got a lot out of simply being exposed to genius, but he didn't grasp some of the thought complexity or subtle nuances that allow Bill to thrive and achieve. Haley wouldn't have lasted a season with Bill. He's an arrogant alienator and an unaccountable finger pointer and he hadn't remotely earned a shot at HCing.
Pioli's big problem in hiring him is Scott professes the belief that a GM's job is to provide the HC with what he needs. Only if it's also your job to hire said HC, you better be pretty sure he knows what he's doing and he isn't going to point the finger back atcha when he falls flat on his face... Haley undercut Cassel from the day he arrived. Then he almost got him killed in an attempt to win out of the gate in a rebuild. Now he's screwed the pooch on his and the entire offense's development with his revolving door OC's. The current one is apparently a puppet and they've devised some insane playcalling sequence that apparently entails calls being relayed through intermediaries... He envisions himself as some sort of WR guru, yet all his retained or selected talent remains inconsistent if not problematic. I only saw snipets of the game this week on RedZone, but the unraveling was well under way before Matt threw his first pick...which hit the WR in the hands...so I assumed it was Bowe...
The only one I feel for now is Matt. He's no Tom Brady, but he earned his shot the hard way and he's a competent starting NFL QB only once again he's being screwed over by coaching decisions beyond his control just like he was at USC...
I believe I read a tweet the other day that Mike Silver claims the relationship between Pioli and Haley is reaching dysfunctional level. Matt is becoming collateral damage, caught in the crossfire.
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