Genius Loves Casualties

Genius is revocable. One season, coaches and executives are exalted. Next season, they are excoriated. This is appropriate. Legacies must remain tenuous. Wunderkinds are not immune. When they disappoint, they should suffer.

On December 15, Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson resigned. On Wednesday, New England Patriots President Scott Pioli supplanted him. “The thing we’re trying to build here is not just a team for 2009, not just for 2010,” said Pioli. “The goal is to build a team that consistently competes for championships, that has a long shelf life of being a good football team. The vision for this football team and the direction that we plan to head in is to build a football team. We built a football team in New England, and we’ll build a football team here. My job is not to collect talent. It’s to build a team. Individuals go to Pro Bowls. Teams win championships. That’s our goal here.”

During Peterson’s tenure, the Chiefs drafted Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Johnson, Larry Johnson, and Derrick Thomas. During Pioli’s tenure, the Patriots selected Deion Branch, Laurence Maroney, and Ben Watson.

From 1989-2006, the Chiefs amassed a 170-118-1 record. They scored eight playoff appearances. Peterson was a genius. From 2002-2008, the Patriots amassed an 86-10 record. They scored five playoff appearances. Pioli is a genius…