Price: Poaching Pioli no guarantee
Even though the Patriots missed the postseason for the first time since 2002, they still remain a sought-after brand throughout the National Football League — the latest rumor has Scott Pioli on his way out the door. Since the Patriots’ season ended, New England’s de facto GM has been courted by the Browns, and yesterday, he reportedly met the Chiefs, a place where he would be celebrated as a football savior — the football fans of Kansas City are so in a lather about his possible arrival they were holding signs at the Chiefs home finale that read, “We Want Pioli.”
But if professional sports has shown us anything, the hiring of Pioli alone doesn’t necessarily guarantee a championship parade. The truly great franchises of the 21st century — the Patriots and San Antonio Spurs — have been able to achieve success not because they’ve found a great personnel man, a top flight coach a deep-pocketed owner or a superstar. The key is finding the balance between the four. Sounds simple, but it’s something that every major professional sports team has been chasing since the dawn of free agency.
Creating a successful organization is a slow and painstaking process. First, you have to identify the right people for those jobs, and then, convince them to join your organization. But if one of the four decides to overstep their bounds (if the players openly disregard the coach, or the owner decides to mess with personnel decisions), no matter how talented the on-field product may be the whole thing comes crashing down. (I’m looking in your direction, Dallas Cowboys…)
In Foxborough, Bob Kraft, Pioli, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are all clearly on the same page, all working together for a singular goal. They all know exactly what they need to do to in order for the franchise to achieve success. Look around professional sports, and the only other team that can consistently boast of the same kind of harmonious balance is the NBA’s Spurs. Small wonder that the team of Tim Duncan, coach Gregg Popovich, GM R.C. Buford and owner Peter Holt has been every bit as successful as the Patriots — both teams have won three titles in the 21st century.
Optimists can point to the success that Thomas Dimitroff — former Patriots scouting director — achieved this year in Atlanta. After Dimitroff was named GM of the Falcons, he turned around the franchise this year because he had a clear vision for success, as well as minimal intrusion from owner Arthur Blank. He was also on the same page as coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, two individuals who were beholden to Dimitroff because they were delivered to Atlanta by the new GM.
Can Pioli achieve that same sort of success? The first step would be getting that hands-off guarantee from Cleveland’s Randy Lerner or the Hunt Family in Kansas City. If so, that’s the first step in replicating the Patriots success. If not, Pioli might want to wait for the next job — which, knowing his rep around the league, will come sooner rather than later.
We’re not suggesting that the whole thing in Foxborough goes skittering off the rails if Pioli walks out the door. And it’s not to suggest that the Chiefs or Browns might want to look elsewhere. But it’s important to remember that simply poaching from the Patriots front office isn’t a guarantee of future success.
Christopher Price is the sports editor of Metro Boston and the author of “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” published by St. Martin’s. He can be reached at christopher.price@metro.us.
