New Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is known to be a fiery guy. The most talked about example of this is Daboll’s berating of then-rookie QB Colt McCoy so much in his helmet that the signal caller had to take it off in the huddle just to call a play.

McCoy’s teammates defended their quarterback in the story, but none hit Daboll as hard as All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas. No, he didn’t slug the coach, but instead knocked him on his butt after an ill-advised chest bump.

Daboll was fired up in the final minutes of an upset victory over the New England Patriots and was celebrating with members of the offense as they came off the field. Things went south when he went to give Thomas a high five/hug, but was instead welcomed with a full chest bump.

Thomas quickly picked Daboll off the ground, but no doubt McCoy smiled a little bit watching the coordinator take the (painful) tumble.

Haley’s father Dick worked for the Steelers as the director of player personnel from 1971-90 and Todd said in a statement it meant a lot to be back in Pittsburgh.

“I am excited about the opportunity to come back home and work for a tremendous organization. It is an honor to work with the Rooney family and Coach Tomlin and continue the success that has become synonymous with the Steelers. My father has so many fond memories both from his playing days and his time in the personnel department with the team, and I look forward to helping bring more championships to Pittsburgh and to being a part of one of the storied franchises in the NFL.”

As we talked about earlier in the week when Haley and the Steelers were linked, this is the perfect match. Other than being a head coach, this is the perfect job for Haley.

Before last season, the Chiefs Super Bowl odds were 40/1 and the first look for the 2012 season have the team as even longer shots. Bovada currently lists Kansas City’s odds as 50/1, 20th in the NFL, tied with four other teams, including division rivals Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.

The San Diego Chargers once again own the best odds within the division at 16/1, good for 9th in the league. Not too shabby for a team that has done nothing but choke the last two seasons and still have Norv Turner running the show.

If you believe a coaching change and better health will be enough for the Chiefs, it might not be a bad idea to throw down a few hundred bucks down on your favorite team.

After flirting with two of his old teams, the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets, former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley’s next job will be with the franchise he grew up with. Haley is expected to be named the next offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, replacing Bruce Arians.

Haley’s father Dick was the Director of Player Personnel in Pittsburgh from 1971-90 and often had his son around the team, including serving as the Steelers ball boy. During his time in Kansas City, Haley often spoke glowingly about the Steelers franchise.

Obviously he would still like to be running his own team with the Chiefs, but if Haley could pick any other team to work for, it would no doubt be Pittsburgh.

Much like his time with the Cardinals, Haley will once again get to work with an elite quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and promising young receiver in Mike Wallace. Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was a year younger than Wallace when Haley got to town and helped build him into one of the league’s most dangerous weapons.

This is the perfect match for Haley and the Steelers. I could easily see him staying with head coach Mike Tomlin — a defensive guy — for years instead of hopping quickly to another head coaching gig. That would allow him to raise his daughters in Pittsburgh the way his father raised him.

It should come as a surprise to no one that Daboll worked for the New England Patriots, first as a defensive assistant, before moving to offense as the wide receivers coach. This is the third time he’s been a “Patriot Way” hire, the first two times as a part of Eric Mangini’s staffs with the New York Jets (quarterbacks coach) and Cleveland Browns (offensive coordinator). I don’t think I have to tell you how both of those situations played out for the respective offenses.

There really isn’t much here for Chiefs fans to get excited about. With Matt Cassel — and some form of comparable competition — needing to deliver more in the passing game, is this the guy that is going to get the job done?

Maybe, but he has yet to do anything noteworthy during his time in the NFL as an assistant coach. Hopefully that changes next season with the Chiefs with the help of the best running back he’s ever had the opportunity to game plan with in Jamaal Charles.

The NFL season is now officially over and all eyes are squarely focused on April’s draft. We will find out shortly if the Kansas City Chiefs are selecting No. 11 or 12 (based on a coin flip) but it’s clear where their biggest holes are no matter where they end up in the first round.

On the top of that list is offensive tackle, where for the third straight week, the folks at SB Nation have projected the Chiefs will opt for help on the line. The name they have come up with for the second time in as many weeks is Mike Adams from Ohio State.

11. Kansas City Chiefs, Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

At some point this team is going to have to find a quarterback. Maybe next year. For now, they need to replace Barry Richardson at right tackle. Adams has the most upside of any tackle beyond Kalil or Reiff, and he’s naturally suited to slide right in on the right side for the Chiefs.

It still remains to be seen if Chiefs GM Scott Pioli will finally be willing to draft an offensive tackle. So far he has avoided it and in return Kansas City has been terrible on the right side.

Adams would be able to play right away and finally push Richardson out the door, making this pick a winner immediately. However, if the team feels they can fall back in the first round and still grab a starting right tackle later, while picking up more assets along the way, that would be a perfect situation.

Just two weeks after he kicked the game-winning field goal for the New York Giants over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, the stage was set for former Kansas City Chiefs kicker Lawrence Tynes to be the hero again.

With time winding down and the Giants were ready to run out the clock near the goal line and let Tynes kick a game-winning field goal as time expired. But then the Patriots opened up a gaping hole to allow RB Ahmad Bradshaw to score, a hole so big the running back was too shocked to even properly kneel at the one. As he fell into the end zone and the Giants went for two, Tynes’ role in the final minute changed dramatically.

“I thought Ahmad was gonna take the knee,” Tynes said after the game. “That would have been pretty sweet if he kneed it … It was like he wanted to and then he just fell forward.”

The former Chief said he was prepared to kick a potential game-winner for the Giants like it was no big deal.

“I’m just sticking to my routine and you know what, it was at the end of the game, I was approaching it just like I was the two kicks in the third quarter.”

It still amazes me how far Tynes has come since his time with the Chiefs. If you’ll remember, his only chance in the playoffs with Kansas City was a choke job against the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. With the team down 6-0 early, Tynes banged a 27-yarder off the upright and Kansas City went on to lose 23-8.

Former Kansas City Chiefs guard Brian Waters finally won a playoff game, but he’s still without a Super Bowl ring after his New England Patriots came up short against the New York Giants.

After the game, Waters told The Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young he will take 2-3 weeks to decide if he wants to retire or give it one more go. After being cut loose by the Chiefs after the lockout ended, Waters inked a two-year deal with the Patriots.

Considered washed up by Scott Pioli, Waters helped to lead a New England line that protected QB Tom Brady throughout a 10-game winning streak and nearly to a Super Bowl victory. With the Patriots Super Bowl window still very much open, I’d be surprised if he decided to walk away now.

Another full season of free NFL picks is coming to an end when the New England Patriots and New York Giants face off in Super Bowl XLVI. Just like the players lining up on the field, it’s the last chance for us to get a taste of NFL action for a while.

While funky prop bets will allow you to put money on everything from the length of the National Anthem to the amount of times Peyton Manning will be shown on TV during the game, we’ll focus on the only real thing that matters at the end of the day: the game.

The line opened with the Patriots as 3.5 point favorites and has come down upwards of a point depending on where you look.

All signs point to the smart money being on the Giants. They bring the same type of pass rush that stopped the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and an explosive passing attack that rivals anyone in the league, including the one led by Tom Brady and the Patriots.

But what about the five championship teams Bill Belichick has been a part of, including the three in New England? Can the future Hall of Fame coach do what he wasn’t able to do the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl and keep Brady upright?

Here’s hoping we can cap off our best season of picks by nailing the Super Bowl.

Last Week: 1-1
Season: 138-117-11

New York at New England (-3) – Patriots

Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Willie Roaf has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Roaf is among five modern day players in the six-man 2012 HOF class.

Roaf was first eligible for the hall of fame last season, but somehow was unable to make it from the Top 10 to the Top 5. This time around there was no keeping out one of the best tackles most of us have ever seen play the game, a man that was just as good, if not better, than first-ballot Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Munoz.

During his time with the New Orleans Saints and Chiefs, Roaf was an 11-time Pro Bowler, first-team All-Pro six times and a member of two All-Decade teams.

A well deserved honor for Roaf, a man that never should have to wait but will finally get his moment in the spotlight!

The rest of the class is Jack Butler, Curtis Martin, Cortez Kennedy, Chris Doleman and Dermontti Dawson.

Snubbed this time around were first timers head coach Bill Parcells and former Chief Will Shields.