Head coach Romeo Crennel of the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new look on his coaching staff in 2012. The team's official website announced Jan. 30 that Tom McMahon will serve as the special teams coach of the Chiefs next season. He comes to Kansas City after three years down I-70 with the St. Louis Rams. In 2010, the Rams had the third-best punting average. They also led the league with 12 punt returns of 20 yards are more from 2009 and 2010 combined.

McMahon has also served as assistant special teams coaches with the Atlanta Falcons. Before that, he was coaching with the University of Louisville and Utah State. McMahon replaces Steve Hoffman who was not retained by the team after Todd Haley was fired. Two other coaches, both on the offensive side of the ball, were also let go.

Special teams, although not horrible in 2011, need improvement. The kick return game was stagnant in 2011 as there were no special teams touchdowns scored whatsoever. Two field goals were blocked in a game Dec. 24 against the Oakland Raiders, an overtime loss that haunted the team. Had the Chiefs won that game, they would have made the playoffs.

Placekicker Ryan Succop was a bright spot on special teams. ESPN reports he tied Pete Stoyanovich's franchise record of 22 makes in a row. As such, the team signed him to a five-year, $14 million contract for his hard work.

There is still no word on a new offensive coordinator.

Whoever gets hired to run the offense will have an interesting job in 2012. Key players will be back from injuries. The defense, run by Crennel in 2011, came up big and bailed out the offense several times. The offense was sorely lacking in scoring. The Chiefs' red zone offense was horrible. They would move the ball just fine until the team got down inside the five with a first a goal situation. Succop had eight field goals from less than 29 yards, meaning the ball was spotted at the 12-yard-line or closer to the end zone.

The Chiefs will likely draft an offensive lineman high in the draft as they need players to replace aging veterans that can open up holes for running backs and who can protect quarterback Matt Cassel.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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