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DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PICKS
January 15th – 2:18 PM

As another workweek closes, another jam-packed weekend of the NFL Playoffs awaits us. Here are my picks, with scores. Analysis can be found in this week’s “Break It Down” video to be posted shortly.

Arizona 31, New Orleans 27
Indianapolis 24, Baltimore 20
Minnesota 20, Dallas 17
San Diego 21, N.Y. Jets 10

DEVELOPING THE SEYMOUR’S
January 15th – 10:49 AM

Tough jobs require tough men. New Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel inherits a defense which hasn’t finished in the league’s top 10 (in total defense) since 1998 (303.4 yards per game, which ranked ninth). That’s a tough job.

For Crennel to achieve success with the 3-4 as his primary front in Kansas City, he’ll likely focus his efforts on the defensive front - another tough job.

“You got to remember those guys haven’t had a full off-season,” Haley said back in November regarding his rookie defensive linemen Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee. “They were behind coming in and playing a tough position and going against a lot of different guys than what you’re used to going against. You’ll see more once they get through a second off-season and a second training camp and know their way around a little bit.“

Crennel is the man in charge of developing these youngsters to be a very vital part of the Chiefs defensive future. Currently the Chiefs do not have a permanent defensive line coach and it isn’t clear whether or not Crennel will take over those responsibilities in addition to serving his role as defensive coordinator. Even if the Chiefs hire a new d-line coach, Crennel will still have a major impact in developing the future - Crennel has over a decade of NFL experience as a defensive line coach.

It’s no secret that in the 3-4 defense, everything starts up front. How players on the second level align, attack and fit into gaps depends on the men up front. The play of the defensive line works its way into the linebacking core and then into the secondary. Consistency up front translates into consistency at multiple levels of the defense.

The two-gap technique of the 3-4 is one of the most difficult techniques to master. While in New England, Crennel found a defensive lineman named Richard Seymour that helped the Pats execute the technique up front nearly flawlessly. Seymour earned three Pro Bowl selections under Crennel and was also able to notch 21.5 sacks over four seasons learning the fundamentals from Crennel. Those numbers aren’t too bad for a position normally regulated to swallowing offensive linemen and clogging rushing lanes. As we saw in Kansas City this year, defensive ends are primarily lined up as run stoppers except for third-and-long situations.

Crennel also has other history of developing Pro Bowl talent on the edge (DE Willie McGinest in 1996) and in the middle during his early days in the league (DT Erik Howard, 1990 NYG).

Whether the Chiefs decide to go with heavy fronts, light fronts or multiple fronts, Crennel will be one of the primary men responsible for teaching tough men a very tough job.

UNDERSTANDING ROMEO
January 15th – 6:07 AM

The 3-4 defense didn’t exactly arrive in Kansas City with glitz and glamour in 2009. The sight of three linemen and a pair of outside backers manning the defensive front wasn’t just a new sight for Chiefs fans, but it was a major adjustment to Chiefs players as well.

The 4-3 defensive scheme had become a mainstay in Kansas City for the better part of two decades under coordinators Gunther Cunningham, Gregg Robinson, Kurt Schottenheimer and Dave Adolph. Players were drafted to play in a 4-3, signed to play in a 4-3 and trained to play in a 4-3.

In fact, prior to 2009, the last full season that the Chiefs installed and implemented a 3-4 defensive scheme was in 1991 under the direction of a defensive coordinator by the name of Bill Cowher. Heard of him?

If you can’t remember Cowher, maybe you can remember his defensive front that featured the likes of Neil Smith, Dan Saleamua and Bill Maas? That was an effective front-three and the Chiefs will need to develop a pair of top-five picks on the edge and find a dominating force in the middle if the team expects to match the effectiveness of that trio under Romeo Crennel.

The Chiefs two young defensive ends aren’t there yet, but the good news is that they won’t have to start all over again. The addition of Crennel will allow the two from Baton Rouge to continue their development with familiarity.

“We’re going to be based in a 3-4, but we will not be limited to the 3-4,” Crennel explained. “We can do some other things, which we will. We will mix things up as we need to. Each game plan is different and you have to look at your opponent to see what their strong points are and then what you think you need to do to take away their strengths and then try to take advantage of them that way.”

When Crennel says that the Chiefs will “do some other things,” he likely means utilizing a multiple-front defense and adjusting second-level coverages. To understand Crennel’s defensive coaching philosophy, you have to understand his background.

Obviously the roots trace back to Bill Parcells, as we’ve discussed throughout the week and at many times this season involving other Chiefs coaches. But being associated with Parcells doesn’t always mean Crennel has been rooted in 3-4 schemes.

Crennel, along with Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini, orchestrated New England’s move from the 4-3 to the 3-4 at the beginning of the 2003 season (the Patriots would win back-to-back Super Bowls after missing the playoffs running the 4-3 in 2002). Crennel has been running the 3-4 defense for nearly a decade of his three decades of coaching, but his development as an assistant prior to that switch in 2003 might yield some clues to Chiefs fans in understanding Crennel’s defensive teachings.

The core of New England defense under Belichick’s reign has always been to attack opponent offensive strengths and take those away, rather than aim to exploit weaknesses. That takes talent and a certain mindset, which is where the whole mentally tough and physically strong attributes come into play.

The other part of that philosophy is adapting defensive technique to attack the opponents’ strength. Crennel is a 3-4 specialist that specializes in keeping things original.

“We are going to base out of the 3-4 but I have been in games where we have gone in and played 70 percent zone,” Crennel explained. “I have been in games where we have gone in and played 70 percent man, so it just depends on what the game plan is for that particular opponent.

When push comes to shove, the Chiefs will be running a 3-4 defense under Crennel. But from week-to-week, expect Crennel to adapt. With 32 years of coaching experience overseeing multiple defensive fronts, the Chiefs may just mix in a bit of everything in 2010.

“Basically it is going to be a combination of zone and man going in,” Crennel continued. “Now how much we pressure or how much we don’t pressure is going to depend on the game plan primarily.”

v “There are some teams that are not game-plan teams and there are some teams that are,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. “I would say that it is one thing that has been unique to this system on both sides of the ball that we are a game-plan team that is going to do whatever is necessary to win on both sides of the ball.”

The common theme is utilizing multiple sets lays in perfecting fundamental technique. Crennel will build his players’ base with fundamental teachings, which will then allow flexibility within defensive scheming from week to week. Just how much flexibility in defensive scheming that Crennel will have comes from the versatility that Crennel’s defenders possess.

Crennel’s first duty as Chiefs defensive coordinator will be the evaluation of in-house talent. From there, it’s all about putting together the pieces to make his defensive philosophies fit in Kansas City.

“I’ve been meeting with the defensive personnel all morning and we will go back this afternoon and talk about the defensive players and their strong points, their weak points and what their prospects are for the future so I can get a better feel for the guys,” Crennel said yesterday. “Then, we as a staff can begin to plan for future acquisitions.”