KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Scott Pioli spoke quietly and carefully, not at all like his reputation might suggest. He had just fired coach Todd Haley after a miserable 5-8 start, leaving the Chiefs general manager to explain the organizations failures. Pioli pointed his finger right at himself. "We have a locker-room that has talent. We also have a good makeup of character in that locker room," Pioli said, "but its abundantly clear that were not in a spot we need to be with our record where it is and our team in a position it is. I need to do a better job." Kansas City has lost five of its last six games to fall from a tie for first in the AFC West to the brink of another losing season. After winning the division title last year, devastating injuries and discouraging losses have quickly turned the environment surrounding the team toxic. The Chiefs 37-10 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday culminated in the decision to fire Haley, once a rising star in the NFL, and the appointment of defensive co-ordinator Romeo Crennel as interim coach for the final three games of the regular season. The Chiefs host the unbeaten Green Bay Packers on Sunday. There was no shortage of blame to heap on Haley, from an unorthodox approach to training camp that left the team woefully unprepared to the decision to stick with journeyman Tyler Palko as his quarterback once Matt Cassel went down with a season-ending injury. But there has been just as much reason to blame Pioli for the shortcomings, something he was quick to acknowledge. "I do believe in the players we have here," Pioli said. "We need to continue to improve this roster and improve the depth of this football team." Depth may be the biggest reason the Chiefs have struggled. Palko has led the offence to two touchdowns in four games. Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones have been unable to fill in for Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL. The tight end position has been virtually non-existent since Tony Moeaki sustained the same injury, and Pro Bowl safety Eric Berrys torn ACL has left an enormous void in the secondary. The fact that the cupboard was bare was particularly discouraging given the reputation Pioli cultivated during his time in the front office of the New England Patriots. After the NFL lockout wiped away much of the off-season and forced teams to scramble to sign free agents, it was thought that Pioli would be able to shine. Hes considered among the best in the game at finding players who may have slipped under the radar, one of the reasons hes been honoured several times as the leagues executive of the year. Instead, Pioli brought in just a handful of players and hardly took a bite out of the salary cap, leaving the Chiefs with more money available than nearly every other franchise in the league. "I do have a lot of confidence in Scott and I do believe hes going to help us be successful over the long run," said Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, who likewise has received plenty of fan criticism for the appearance that hed rather make money than field a winning team. Piolis inability to land talent on the open market hasnt been his only shortfall. There have been 24 draft picks in his three seasons running the team, only a handful of which have given Kansas City meaningful downs this season. Among the most glaring misses are Tyson Jackson, the third overall pick in 2009, and third-round pick Alex Magee, who isnt even on the team. The Chiefs best players -- Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Derrick Johnson -- were holdovers from the previous regime. "Weve made some progress the last couple years and were at the point where some of that progress has slowed down," Pioli said. "I do think we have a good, strong core of players here, but clearly I need to get to work, too, because if were going to be a good football team and continue to get better and consistently compete for championships, we need to have a good roster." That goes for whoever is chosen as the next head coach. Crennel has said he wants a shot at the permanent job, and there are several other experienced coaches who have ties to Pioli. The decision to fire Haley with three games remaining gives him a chance to start surveying the candidates and whittling down the list. Pioli said he understands the importance of getting this hire right. He was the one who picked Haley as his first head coach, and he saw firsthand how things unravelled this season. Now that hes missed on one head coach, he knows another failure may cost him his own job. 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"I showed them, didnt I?" he said before cracking a smile and laughing. Once again, a team intentionally walked Mark Teixeira to pitch to A-Rod. Nail Yakupov Oilers Jersey . JOHNS, N. Brayden Schenn Flyers Jersey .ca! Kerry, In Thursdays game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens, P.K. Subban had broken his stick in the attacking zone on the power play and returned to the bench to get a new one.HAMILTON - The Toronto Argonauts will have starter Ricky Ray back when they meet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday but must ground the CFLs top aerial attack minus one of their top defenders. Watch the game on TSN starting at 4pm et/1pm pt and listen on TSN 1050 in Toronto. You can also follow along with TSN.cas GameTracker. Cornerback Pat Watkins, whose five interceptions leaves him tied for the CFL lead, and defensive back Demetrice Morley, who started in Torontos 33-19 home loss to Hamilton last weekend, both wont play for personal reasons. Argos head coach Scott Milanovich wouldnt offer specifics but said he knew last week neither would suit up. "They have some personal issues to take care of," Milanovich said. "Nobody is in any trouble. "I wouldnt read too much into anything. Theyre excused." Watkins, 30, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., also missed training camp due to unspecified personal issues. He rejoined the defending Grey Cup champions in time for the start of the regular season. The loss of Watkins, a team captain, is big. The six-foot-five, 205-pound cornerback was a league all-star last year and is not only the Argos top pass defender but also a threat to blitz off the edge. Rookie Neiko Thorpe will make his first CFL start at cornerback and be one of five Argos in new defensive positions Monday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont. Jamie Robinson replaces the injured Matt Black at safety, Ricardo Colclough moves from linebacker to halfback with Major Culbert taking Colcloughs spot and rookie Auston English starting at defensive end. Toronto running back Chad Kackert (shoulder) also wont play while receiver John Chiles (hamstring) is a game-time decision. Milanovich expects Hamilton will test Thorpe but said Argos defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones will make it tough for the Ticats to single Thorpe out. "The hard thing with our defence is Chris will match guys up so youre not maybe ever sure where a guy is going to be," Milanovich said. "Im not sure, sometimes, where guys are going to be. "Im sure, definitely, theyd like to go after the new guys but theyll have to find them first." A fact not lost upon veteran Ticats quarterback Henry Burris, who anchors an offence averaging a league-best 315 yards passing per game. By comparison, Toronto is ranked last in pass defence, allowing 294.5 yards per contest. "Well see who the new guy is and how he plays in that area and who theyre going to match up against because we know Chris likes to match up guys on certain guys in man-to-man coverage," Burris said. "But (Watkins) is one of the best DBs in the league, thats definitely a loss for anybody. "We wont change what our gameplan is but it does open up some things that werent as clearly there (last week)." Toronto and Hamilton have cemented playoff berths but Mondays game is big for both. For starters, the winner clinches the season series and earns the first tie-breaker should they finished tied in the East Division standings.dddddddddddd Toronto (9-5) can earn a home playoff game with a victory and move closer to cementing top spot in the East Division. Hamilton (7-7) must win to not only remain in the hunt for first but also stay ahead of third-place Montreal (6-8), which plays Winnipeg (2-12) on Monday. "This is our opportunity to really send a true blow," Burris said. "They are the Grey Cup champions, theyre still the king of the hill here in the East so were expecting their best. "If we want to get a mental edge on them with the playoffs still ahead — and youll have to beat Toronto to get to the Grey Cup — we need this game for that mental psyche as well." Ray will play his first game since suffering a shoulder injury in a 35-14 home loss to Calgary on Aug. 23. Toronto went 4-2 under sophomore Zach Collaros but Milanovich said the Argos are buoyed by the return of offensive leader. "We built this offence around him and to suit him and put in the pieces of the puzzle that we thought would complement him best," Milanovich said. "Having him back certainly gives us a lot of confidence and a little bit of a comfort level just that we can kind of go back to how we built this offence. "Having Ricky back will be big." When Ray was injured, he was the CFLs hottest passer, having completed 148-of-189 passes (78.3 per cent) with 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. If Ray can maintain that completion percentage, hed break Dave Dickensons single-season mark of 73.98 per cent set in 05. "It (shoulder) is feeling pretty good," Ray said. "Most of the rust was just getting back into it, seeing things a little bit faster and getting back into the flow. "Really, I didnt have any issues with my arm." Its fitting Rays return comes in a game involving Burris. The two were longtime West Division rivals when Burris was with Calgary and Ray played in Edmonton before becoming East Division foes last year when Ray was dealt to Toronto. "Hes a great decision-maker, thats why he hasnt thrown any interceptions this year," Burris said of Ray. "Ricky has been given the keys to that Ferrari and hes doing a great job of managing it. "With the playmakers he has, hes doing a great job of just taking what the defences give him." Burris, 38, has thrown for a league-high 4,173 yards with 22 touchdowns but has also surrendered a CFL-leading 16 interceptions. But Ray said during his time in Edmonton he often watched helplessly from the sidelines as Burris rallied Calgary to late victories. "Hes a tough quarterback to play against because hes going to go out and put up points," Ray said. "The other thing to is when it has come down to the last few minutes and youre on the sidelines, he has led game-winning drives and come back to haunt you. "Offensively you have to be away of that and know you have to go out there and put up points against them." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '