ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick last night said that the Chiefs have "not contacted him" about their now-vacant GM job, "shooting down a report from" NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, according to Terez Paylor of the K.C. STAR. Prior to joining ESPN, Riddick "spent five years" in the Eagles' front office alongside now-Chiefs coach Andy Reid, starting out as a scout in '08 "before being promoted" to Dir of Pro Personnel in '10, a position he held until '13. Riddick was "also a candidate" for the 49ers GM opening this offseason (K.C. STAR, 6/26). Paylor cited "nearly a dozen NFL front-office executives" in believing the Chiefs GM opening is "not only a good job, it might even be an ideal one." The positive consensus from the executives was "overwhelming" (K.C. STAR, 6/25).
CLASH OF STYLES? Paylor also notes the Chiefs' front office "did not always run smoothly under" GM John Dorsey, who was fired last week. Sources said that Chair & CEO Clark Hunt's decision to part ways with Dorsey was "fueled, in part, by concerns about his internal communication and management styles." A source said in reference to Dorsey once removing two front-office execs with little explanation, "John does stuff and doesn’t tell people why.” Another source said that Dorsey’s management style “could wear on people.” Sources also critiqued how Dorsey was "often friendly and jovial." However, the "same tongue-in-cheek manner he used to win over most people" eventually "wore on others." But Dorsey "still has fans inside the Chiefs organization" who "cited his passion for the game, constant availability and eye for talent as respected strengths" (K.C. STAR, 6/26). ESPN’s Dianna Russini said coaches in the AFC West were "surprised" by the Chiefs' front-office move. Russini: “Most considered Dorsey to be a top-five GM in the NFL." Russini noted new Colts GM Chris Ballard, who was previously in the Chiefs front office, was "somebody that John Dorsey was grooming." Russini: "Now they’re left looking for the next guy" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/26).
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT: ESPN’s Adam Teicher said of the front office move, "The Chiefs and John Dorsey were talking at one point during the off-season about a contract extension, so this caught a lot of people off-guard when a general manager is fired about a month before the start of training camp. That's never the plan and that's certainly the case here. I can tell you, I was talking to some people in the Chiefs organization earlier in the week and they were talking about plans for training camp, plans for the regular season as if nothing big was going to happen and John Dorsey was part of those discussions in that 'he's working on this, he's working on that.' So this was a complete surprise." Teicher said whether the move had anything to do with coach Andy Reid, “I'm told it's not. These were separate issues here between Reid and Dorsey and Chiefs Owner Clark Hunt. But as much power as Andy Reid has in the organization, I'm sure he was consulted and he was asked about his opinion on this. So while Reid wasn't necessarily involved in the move itself, I know that when the Chiefs signed him to a contract extension, they're going give him the power to approve or disapprove of the move with John Dorsey" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 6/23).
