How much wackier can the AFC West get? The Kansas City Chiefs named Romeo Crennel as their new head coach, as he officially replaces Todd Haley. I don't think any Browns fans expected Crennel to get a head coaching job so soon, but how can you not give it to the guy? During his three-week reign, his team played inspired football as they handed Aaron Rodgers and the Packers their only loss of the season, followed up by a tough overtime loss to the Chargers, and closing out with shutdown defense on the one and only Tim Tebow. The players love him. It only got him one winning season in Cleveland, but the Chiefs aren't coming off of a several-season stretch of mediocrity. Fortunately for Crennel, his first big decision next season will involve something he specialized at here in Cleveland: picking a starting quarterback.
On Tuesday, the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Hue Jackson after one 8-8 season (see, it can happen to a first-year head coach...just only if your owner passes away and your son brings in a general manager to run the show). From Al Davis' passing during the season, to the stunning trade involving quarterback Carson Palmer, the firing of Jackson definitely brought mixed reviews from the fans over at Silver and Black Pride. Carousing through a few of the polls on their site, out of the fans who weren't neutral, there was about an even 50-50 split on fans who thought he should've stayed versus those who thought he deserved to be canned. Tough crowd.
The Chargers, meanwhile, despite being Super Bowl contenders for about the billionth year in a row, had another disappointing season, this time keeping them out of the playoffs despite a late run in December. Norv Turner kept his job as head coach.
And then, you have the Denver Broncos: a team that was 1-4 to start the season, then switched to Tim Tebow to see their record improve to 8-5 late in the season. The Broncos lost their final three games, allowing golden opportunities for the Chargers, Raiders, or Chiefs to catch up and win the division. It didn't shake out that way. Denver won the division at 8-8 by default...and then torched the Pittsburgh Steelers top-ranked defense in the first round of the playoffs, allowing them to advance to New England next week.
It's certainly hard to wrap your head around this division; fortunately, the Browns face all four teams next season.