I’m not void of reservations, however. In three games as head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, Romeo Crennel’s offense averaged 13 points a game. That was par for the course for the 2011 Chiefs, who averaged 13.3 points a game during Todd Haley’s tenure. Those numbers are unacceptable. Wanna win games? You need to consistently score double that figure.

The flip side of that equation is that your defense needs to hold the opponent under 20 points a game. At 21.2 (good for 12th place), the Chiefs came dangerously close. That number, however, factors in the first two weeks of September. The Chiefs didn’t even aim to be competitive those two weeks. I’m usually not a fan of dropping a team’s worst showing when evaluating their performance, but those two games were in no way a reflection of the roster. Factor those two out, and the figure drops to 17.8 (that would slot them at 5th place). Factor out the other eleven games during which Romeo wasn’t in charge, and it drops all the way to 11.0 (1st by a considerable margin).

Just to clear things up, I’m not asserting that I believe Romeo can maintain 11.0 points allowed per game. For starters, he can’t play Tim Tebow every third week. Given the talent he has, however, 17.8 might not be unrealistic. With a healthy Eric Berry and a more favorable schedule, this has the potential to be a top five defense.

Therein is why it was paramount that Crennel be the guy. I don’t buy the defense-wins-championships mantra as a rule of thumb, but given Scott Pioli’s seeming commitment to Matt Cassel, I’d rather see the team hedge its bets with a proven winner in the hopes that his linebackers can drag a lame quarterback across the finish line than start over altogether with a new regime on both sides of the ball.

Okay, that wasn’t much of a game review, but there wasn’t much of a game to review anyway. Romeo got his gig. Kyle Orton got his vindication (insofar as a quarterback can be vindicated after only gaining 180 yards). Dexter McCluster got utilized correctly for a change. Justin Houston and Wallace Gilberry got their hands on the quarterback. It was probably the best time I’ve ever had watching paint dry. I would have rather watched the Broncos get crushed, but on the other hand, maybe it’s better this way. There will be zero discussion over the offseason regarding the viability of Orton as a permanent fixture.

In the meantime, I’ve picked my pony for the remainder of the playoffs, and that pony is the New England Patriots. Why? First and foremost, I want to see Brian Waters and Wes Welker retire with rings. They deserve that honor both on the merits of their play and the merits of their personas. Second, with Pittsburgh out of contention, there isn’t another team in the AFC that would be even remotely competitive with the Packers or Saints. Finally, it will do my heart good to see Tim Tebow lose again, and to see the almost guaranteed subsequent John Elway meltdown. I like watching the Denver Broncos implode, and if two of my favorite players not wearing red and gold can help bring that about, I’m totally cool with that.