Late yesterday afternoon, news broke out reporting on the Chiefs’ dismissal of Herm Edwards from his head coaching position. Along with it came a major war of words between Chris Mortensen (ESPN) and Adam Schefter (NFL.com) over who was in line to take the reins in Kansas City.

Mort felt that it was going to be Mike Shanahan (Broncos), whereas Schefter strongly disagreed and claimed the Chiefs were looking to Bill Cowher (CBS Sports) to become their new head coach. The two rumor hounds went back and forth until Mortensen finally relented, and claimed the Chiefs were simply “targeting” Shanahan.

With that battle royale in mind, I wanted to break down the options currently in front of the Chiefs right now, in their search for a new head coach. This isn’t a complete list by any means, but these are the top choices right now in my mind.

Todd Haley (Arizona Cardinals)

• Why he fits… Haley is a solid candidate on a number of levels, but none more so then his reputation as a no nonsense kind of coach. He has no problem letting his players have it when they screw up a play, and calls the game as he sees fit, ruling the field with the proverbial iron fist. Haley has worked with GM Scott Pioli in the past, and comes from the Bill Parcells coaching tree. He also has shown himself to be one of the top offensive minds available, and given the talent that the Chiefs possess on that side of the ball, he could push them back to the top.

• Negative side… Haley has never been a head coach before and given the project that the Chiefs have become, he may want to cut his teeth someplace else. He can be somewhat volatile on the sidelines, which could alienate veterans who are used to doing things differently.

• Bottom line… Can he be effective in KC with the league’s youngest team?

Bill Cowher (CBS Sports)

• Why he fits… Cowher has the experience, talent, and mental makeup to be an excellent coach in KC. He has had close ties with the Hunt family since he left the Chiefs in 1992 to take the top job in Pittsburgh, and would be okay with taking on the final leg of the rebuild in KC to cement his legacy. Cowher understands how to surround himself with the best minds in the game, and isn’t afraid to make changes to his coaching staff if they’re not cutting it. He also has shown himself to be a shrewd evaluator of talent, something the Chiefs cannot live without in the future.

• Negative side… Cowher has stated pretty clearly that he’s not quite ready to jump back into the game, and is waiting for the right opportunity to present itself once his family is settled. He also seems to be fairly comfortable working from the TV studio on Sundays instead of grinding it out on the sidelines.

• Bottom line… Will he step out of the studio and back on the field?

Mike Shanahan (free agent)

• Why he fits… Shanahan clearly enjoys working in the AFC West, having coached in both Oakland and Denver, and he’s capable of easily turning the Chiefs offense around in a hurry, given the talent they already have in place. He loves the grind of coaching and would likely embrace the opportunity to work under a solid GM in Pioli, as he’d be able to focus solely on gameplanning instead of managing the team’s personnel.

• Negative side… Shanahan’s ego is well known, and it could lead to trouble if he doesn’t see eye to eye with Pioli. He may not want to involve himself with a team that’s not ready to win right now, and given the complexity of the Chiefs rebuild, it’s likely that it will take more than a season to get the ship back on course in KC.

• Bottom line… Can he coexist with a GM that demands total control?

Leslie Frazier (Minnesota Vikings)

• Why he fits… Frazier is on the cusp of taking his career to a new level, and given his resume it’s no wonder. He’s yet another defensive coordinator from Minnesota that has proven that he has the ability to become an outstanding head coach, with Tony Dungy (retired) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers) being the two others. Frazier is a minority candidate, so he would take care of the Rooney rule, where teams have to interview at least one minority before they can hire a head coach. He’s also young enough to have the energy it’s going to take to finish the rebuilding project in KC, and he can relate with the team’s young players as well.

• Negative side… The biggest question is whether Frazier is a product of the system or if the system is a product of his coaching. He obviously has the ability to motivate his players and put them in a position to succeed, but can he translate that to the head coaching position where he has a thousand more details to pay attention to?

• Bottom line… Does he have enough talent to hire him over more proven candidates?

Other potential candidates to keep in mind:

• Paul Pasqualoni (Dolphins)

• Brian Schottenheimer (Jets)

• Ron Rivera (Chargers)

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