The abrupt dismissal of Carl Peterson signaled that Clark Hunt has a plan he&#8217;s ready to execute.</p><p>Hunt did not dynamite Peterson strictly for our edification, enjoyment and entertainment. There was a dual purpose.</p><p>In my estimation, the logical conclusion to reach based on Hunt&#8217;s action is that he has identified two targets to be Kansas City&#8217;s next general manager and wanted to alert them that he&#8217;s coming to woo and be wooed by them.</p><p>There&#8217;s going to be fierce competition for general managers this offseason. The Detroit Lions dumped Matt Millen early in the season and have had a head start on the Chiefs. The Cleveland Browns might make a move on Phil Savage and be in the market for a GM.</p><p>Hunt would be foolish to wait to join the race for a personnel difference-maker.</p><p>There are two no-brainer options:</p><p>1. New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli.</p><p>2. An experienced front-office executive with strong ties to and the ability to deliver former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.</p><p>If Hunt wants to instantly revitalize the Chiefs&#8217; organization, restore faith and credibility among his fan base, those are his two options. Something else might very well work in the long run, but we&#8217;d have to take a wait-and-see approach.</p><p>I think Hunt is zeroed in on landing Pioli or someone who can land Cowher.</p><p>I sat with Hunt in his new office Monday evening for 20 to 30 minutes. He&#8217;s confident. He&#8217;s determined. He&#8217;s motivated by the pride he takes in the organization his father constructed. He&#8217;s given this scenario a lot of thought. He knows this decision will define his early legacy.</p><p>He wants to hit his first pitch out of the park.</p><p>Pioli or a FOB &#8212; friend of Bill&#8217;s &#8212; would be a grand slam.</p><p>I&#8217;ll start with Pioli because I have no legitimate insight into who might be a personnel man with the relationship and persuasion skills to lure Cowher off television and back onto the sidelines.</p><p>Pioli, of course, is Bill Belichick&#8217;s right hand. That&#8217;s one of the best jobs in football if you&#8217;re 65 and have no ego. But if you want to create your own legacy, nine years is plenty of time operating in Belichick&#8217;s shadow.</p><p>Put the right deal on the table and I think Pioli would bounce from New England. He&#8217;s 43, a year younger than Clark Hunt. They could form the perfect football power couple.</p><p>Pioli has a flawless resum&#233;. The Patriots mastered the art of winning big while managing owner Robert Kraft&#8217;s money conservatively. Unlike Peterson, the Pats routinely cut ties with expensive veterans right before they fall off a cliff production-wise.</p><p>Pioli could walk into an ideal situation for a first-time general manager. The Chiefs are in the process of rebuilding with a head coach the owner respects but is not tied to. That means Pioli could arrive in Kansas City and spend an entire season evaluating while the league figures out where it&#8217;s headed in terms of a new collective-bargaining agreement.</p><p>The NFL is preparing for major upheaval. NFL Players Association president Gene Upshaw passed away. The owners opted out of the final years of the current CBA. We&#8217;re probably headed for a new rookie pay structure and other adjustments.</p><p>Coming to Kansas City, Pioli wouldn&#8217;t have to rush into any decision. Hunt is relatively supportive of Herm Edwards. After canning Peterson, Hunt can survive the political fallout of bringing back Edwards.</p><p>Hunt also wouldn&#8217;t have any objection to Pioli firing the entire coaching staff five minutes into the job. It&#8217;s a perfect setup.