The Chiefs are searching for a head coach.
And team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt restructured the chain of command where the new coach answers directly to him, not general manager Scott Pioli.
Hunt’s overall vision for a new head coach is specific.
“I want somebody who’s a proven leader, somebody who has been a part of building a successful program, somebody who’s an effective communicator and teacher,” Hunt said during a one-on-one interview with Reid Ferrin of KCChiefs.com. “Somebody who has a high-football IQ and is willing to roll up his sleeves and really work hard, somebody who will hold himself accountable, as well as his coaches and the team and then finally, somebody of high character, somebody with a lot of integrity.”
The man the Chiefs should consider has an overall record of 161 regular season wins against 111 losses (.592 win percentage) between two teams.
While a recent job as team president proved unsuccessful, his stints as a head coach turned around two franchises, including revitalizing “Titletown, USA.”
His coached teams appeared in 24 total playoff games, resulting in 13 wins against 11 losses (.542) and his resume also sports three Super Bowls appearances where he won one. He has a street bearing his name a few blocks from a storied stadium.
The Chiefs are in the market for a quarterback, possibly with the No. 1 pick overall in April’s NFL Draft, and this man knows the position.
As a quarterbacks coach and eventual offensive coordinator from 1986-1991, he worked with two current Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
As a head coach, he’s worked with a quarterback who is virtual lock to get in the Hall of Fame and another who has turned in solid performances over the last decade. One of this coach’s quarterbacks became the first NFL player in league history to be named MVP in three straight years.
Meanwhile, he also has the personality and experience from having served as general manager-coach, before the former position was stripped so he could concentrate on strictly coaching. That move worked, as he led his team to five straight playoff appearances, including four division titles and a trip to Super Bowl XL.
He knows player personnel and has proven he can build a successful franchise.
Hunt desires a communicator, teacher and a coach who will hold others accountable.
This 64-year-old NFL veteran coach comes from an established Bill Walsh tree and his own coaching tree reads like a who’s who among some of recent successful head coaches.
And given the new chain of command structure at One Arrowhead Drive, Mike Holmgren, former head coach of the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, merits a look.
More importantly, Holmgren is willing to listen to interested teams, Ed Werder of ESPN reports.
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