My [FAKE] Interview with Scott Pioli

My frustration level with the Chiefs is at an all-time high.  I went through the atrocious 2-14 season in 2008 and was at every game.  I haven’t missed a regular season game in 3 years (before that I was out of town at college, so it wasn’t exactly feasible).  My dedication as a fan has never been questioned and I will always bleed red (you see what I did there?).  Even so, my displeasure with this organization has reached a higher point than ever before.  

I believe the Chiefs know what they’re doing on some level.  I believe they can build an organization and do it the right way.  I do NOT believe they are in touch with their fan base, nor do they provide any transparency to fans who desperately crave it.  Such is the problem with this franchise right now.  Chiefs fans are probably more forgiving than many of the fanbases out there.^  The only thing fans of this team require would be information.  Simply explaining moves (or lack thereof) would seemingly go a long way towards smoothing things over with a very discontented group of fans.

^ After all, we did put up with 20 years of Carl Peterson

That being the case, I have decided to take matters into my own hands.  I have reached out to Scott Pioli (I haven’t really) and my request for an interview was granted (no request, and it wasn’t granted).  What follows is how Pioli (didn’t really) answer the questions I had for him.  I would like to thank Mr. Pioli for the time and being much more upfront with me than he has been with Chiefs fans in the past.

The Jeff Report: Mr. Pioli, first I would like to ask you, what is the goal of this organization as it stands moving into the 2012 season?

Scott Pioli: Jeff please, call me Scott.  We have many goals as a team in the coming year.  As an organization we really think we’re in pretty good shape.  When I came here in 2009 this roster didn’t have as much talent as it does now.  We’ve brought in many guys and they are players that we think fit the mold of the “right 53” as we would like to see it.  We have also done a great job of retaining the quality players that were here when I arrived.  

We have identified the men we want to be Chiefs as we move towards being a championship team, and we secured their talents for a long time.  I look around the league and I see other teams that are dealing with salary cap issues and losing players, not because they choose to but because they simply can’t manage to keep them under the current salary cap structure we have in the NFL.  As an organization this is not ever a situation we want to be and for that reason we have chosen to be highly selective and deliberate with our signings.  For players that have made sense we have signed them, for players that haven’t, we have not.

For this coming season we are looking at all players available to us that can make our team better.  Every player will be evaluated and the ones that we deem to be good fits will be pursued.  We do not intend to overpay players as that could damage our ability to compete long-term.  We do, however, plan to make sure that we look at all possible avenues to improve.

It’s important to note here that we also have the draft and some of our needs can be filled there.  When building a championship organization the draft is the most important aspect that allows us to select the players we want who can help this team for many years.  We are still working on turning this into a championship roster.  We believe a lot of the pieces are there, but obviously not all of them.  Through the draft and free agency we are working extremely hard to make sure that we fulfill all of our needs so that we can compete for a division I think we can win in 2012, which is ultimately our first and most important goal as we look to bring a championship back to Kansas City.

TJR: You talked about the “right 53” and by all accounts Brandon Carr is a player that fits that mold.  Yet all indications are that he will not be a Chief next year; can you explain what happened that didn’t allow for a contract to get done with Brandon Carr?

SP: First of all, Brandon is a fantastic young man.  He has been a great player for us and he most certainly has a bright career ahead of him.  We would love to have Brandon remain in Kansas City and that is still not out of the question.  The issue we have to deal with here is fitting Brandon’s future and his value with the current structure of our team.  As talented as Brandon is, he will most certainly make a large amount of money in his future.  As to this point, the figures that have floated out by Brandon and his agent are not something that we have been able to work with.  We have negotiated much in the past 8 months or so and haven’t been able to come to a conclusion.  While we’d love to have Brandon on our team we do not want to put ourselves in a position where we are prevented from making moves that will help our team in future years.

TJR: You spoke about Free Agency, now that the FA period has begun who will the Chiefs target going forward?

SP: As I said, we’re looking at all avenues that will improve our team.  No stone will be left unturned.

TJR: Let’s try a different approach.  I’m going to say a name and I would like you to tell me your thoughts on them as they relate to the Chiefs?

SP: OK, let’s proceed.

TJR: Paul Soliai.

SP: We believe Paul Soliai to be a very talented player and at 28 years old he is in his prime and still has room to improve.  The issue with Soliai is the way we play defense in our scheme.  In today’s NFL with so many 3 and 4 receiver sets we constantly need to have a 3^rd cornerback on the field.  In order to do this we have to remove a player from our front seven.  As opposed to moving one of our linebackers, we typically remove a defensive lineman, and usually that’s the nose tackle.  

As NT is traditionally not used for pass rush, we like to put in players who are more adept at getting pressure on the quarterback. This essentially turns the nose tackle into a two down player.  As Paul Soliai only has 2 sacks in his career, he is not a pass rushing threat and therefore would fit the mold of a 2-down defensive lineman.  

With the talent that Mr. Soliai has, his contract will command a high value.  While we will most certainly speak with Mr. Soliai and think he would be a great adition to this roster, we want to make sure he and his contract fit within our current structure and is something we are comfortable with as an organization.  We don’t want to spend too much money on a player that will only be in roughly 2/3 of the time, when that money could be spent adding more value at another position.

TJR: Interesting.  Eric Winston.

SP: Eric Winston is a very intriguing player and a surprise that he is out on the market.  While Mr. Winston isn’t “best in the league” at any one thing, he is consistently in the top tier when it comes to everything.  He is a very well-developed and talented all-around player at tackle.  He is someone who would be able to come to any team and be a starter and rightfully so.  

Without divulging too much information I would say that he would fit in well here in Kansas City.  As with everything, cost is a concern and much of what happens with Mr. Winston will depend on how he chooses to handle his situation in regards to salary.  We have some room to work with on our salary cap but the numbers aren’t as “rosy” as everyone paints them.  We have to make sure that what any free agent wants will work with our cap structure to make sure we are not prevented from making similar moves in the future.

TJR: Peyton Manning.

SP: I think every team in this league, save a few, would be foolish not to look at Manning.  Any time one of the best quarterbacks in league history becomes available you have to take a look.  The important thing here again is salary structure.  Peyton Manning will be paid a large sum of money and he will be worth it, but will need to make sure that the contract is friendly to the situation of the team he signs with.  We would love to have a player like Mr. Manning in Kansas City, but based on what we know from the Manning camp and our cap situation, it would take a very specific scenario to make this happen.  This also has to be a scenario that Mr. Manning deems acceptable.

TJR: You have mentioned the salary cap multiple times.  Throughout the offseason many media outlets have purported the Chiefs to have nearly the most salary cap space.  This includes estimates of nearly $60M+ after the rollover from 2011.  Can you clarify what you mean by “salary cap situation” so that the fans can clearly understand everything that’s at play?

SP: Certainly.  There have been some slight misconceptions going around about the cap space that we have.  The $60M+ number was a number that was incorrectly reported based on taking the cap space we have near the end of last year and basically just adding it on top of itself.  The true number was somewhere in the $30M range, without getting too specific.  What’s also important to note is that that number was true, but did not include restricted free agent tenders, franchise or transition tags, and roster bonuses, all of which affect the cap as of the first day of the league year which was March 13.

So as you can see, the initial picture painted by the media was a little ahead of itself and slightly inaccurate.  We have some cap room but it is quite less than initially thought and we have to make sure that we spend the money we do have as wisely as possible.  We want to make this team better in every way we can, but we don’t want to do that at the expense of future flexibility.

TJR: Building on that, can you explain further how that relates to the spending of the Chiefs in prior seasons and going forward?

SP: Of course.  While we haven’t made lots of splashes in recent years in free agency there is a reason for that.  As an organization we believe strongly that a championship team is built through the draft.  Free agency and player acquisition is a part of it, but only in the supplemental sense.  When there are players that will help this team we go out and get them.  Thomas Jones, Kelly Gregg, Steve Breaston, those are all players who played large roles on this team and were acquired via free agency.

When we identify players that can help, a key component is how far into the future that player can help our team.  If we believe they fill a need in the short term then we will pursue a one-year contract with them.  If we believe they can help us for longer than that, we pursue a longer deal such as we did with Steve [Breaston – 5 year contract] and Thomas [Jones – 2 year contract].

We have to make sure as an organization we don’t get caught up in thinking the firestorm of free agency and lock ourselves into a situation that will be detrimental to our future.  You see other teams having to use the franchise tag on their quarterbacks or top draft picks from the past just to make sure not to lose them.  Salary cap issues have contributed to those situations and we try very hard to ensure that the moves we make help the team as much as possible, but also won’t result in similar situations in the future.

TJR: The organization has previously stated they want to bring in competition at QB.  What are the plans for Matt Cassel and the QB situation going into 2012?

SP:  First, I will start by saying that we still believe Matt Cassel to be a capable quarterback in the NFL.  Just two years ago he had 27 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions, went to a pro bowl and led this team to the playoffs.  While he didn’t get the job done in the postseason it was still a great year.  Last year we had some struggles and he did not perform at that same level.  Matt’s performance on the field has to get better and more consistent.  This is a quarterback driven league and the QB has to perform.

Bringing in competition is not about just quarterback, we like to bring in competition for each and every position.  What happens going in to 2012 depends on who we bring in and how Matt performs.  We are exploring many options including free agency and the draft.  We know that the play from the quarterback position has to get better.  We are exploring all our options in order to ensure the performance is better in that area in 2012.  If Matt can’t get it done, it’s our job to find someone who can.  We believe Matt is capable, but his performance must improve and become more consistent.

TJR: What do you see as the biggest needs of this team this offseason?

SP: Personally, I subscribe to the theory that you generally always have needs at nearly every position.  You can never have too much depth or too many quality players.  I’d like to think that we have positions where we’re stronger than others such as wide receiver, outside linebacker, cornerback, and safety.  That said, we could still add depth at all those positions and bring in others that could contribute to this team right away.

When I came here in 2009, there was a lot of work to be done.  We had some pieces but there were a lot more missing.  I know that we are in a much better position than we were then.  From 2008-2009 this organization won 6 games.  In the last two years we have won 17, which is quite an improvement.  Even so, we’re not close to done.  It’s my job to make sure this team never stands still and that’s what I intend to do.

Unfortunately, with the salary cap rules, limitations of draft picks, and other factors it’s impossible to build a championship organization in only one year, let alone three.  We’re much better than we were before I arrived here, but there’s still a long way to go.  We have to make sure that everything we do is for the best of the team, both this year and long-term. 

In the media it has been questioned on our desire to win and put a solid product on the field.  I would like to take this opportunity to assure the fans that we have done as much as we can to ensure we have the best product possible.  There is a lot of work to build a championship team and it is a long process.  We continue to do everything we can and there is evidence to support that, such as the signing of players like Jamaal Charles, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, and Brandon Flowers.  We are close and Chiefs fans’ patience will be paid off in the future.

TJR: Scott, I believe that’s all the time we have, thank you very much for taking time out of this busy day and talking to us.  Good luck this offseason.  

SP: You’re welcome Jeff, thanks for the interview.

Was that so hard?  I don’t think so.  While the answers provided here were vague enough not to give too much away, they also provided quite a bit more info and transparency than what he’s said before.  With situations like this the fanbase would be much more receptive to how Pioli is trying to build this team.  

When Dayton Moore took over for the Royals in 2006 he repeated his mantra of “trust the process.”  While that became a joke after a while, Moore stood strong.  We are starting to see the fruits of the “process” with the excitement surrounding the Royals this year.  Moore has stated his reasons on why he has brought in the free agents he did, he has responded to criticism, and he has been specific.

Scott Pioli has done none of these things and if he were to handle an interview like above the fans would be much more appreciative.  It takes a lot to get fans to turn their backs on an organization and the Chiefs are nearing that point.  What doesn’t take a lot is to go a little further, step outside the comfort zone a bit, and be clear to the fans what path this organization is on.  This would go a long way to making fans like me much less frustrated.