The Chiefs have turned the page, and so have your pals at Red Zone. No more Herm Edwards memorials. He's yesterday's flavor, and already the discussion has started to feel stale.

So we're moving on. We're looking toward the Chiefs' next coach, whomever that be, and whenever Scott Pioli and Clark Hunt's seemingly exhaustive research yields who they think is the best.

Well, we're not the patient type around here, so let's begin by establishing the odds -- as of today, anyway -- of whom we think the Chiefs might hire to replace the last guy ... whatever his name was.

Todd Haley (5-1)
The Arizona offensive coordinator is getting some real credibility as an up-and-coming head coaching prospect. As former Tennessee general manager Floyd Reese told me over the weekend, a young coach -- Haley is 41 -- might be the best fit for a young team. Yes, he'll need a quarterback he can lean on, whether that's Tyler Thigpen or someone else, and having another receiver or two wouldn't hurt, either. Anyway, this choice seems not only to make the most sense, it also seems the most realistic. And these days, that's as important as anything.

Chan Gailey (8-1)
This one might even gain some traction before it's all over. Gailey has been a head coach at various levels, knows the Chiefs' offense and personnel down to the details, and is a former Pittsburgh coordinator, which might strike a chord with Hunt who has made it clear he digs the way the Steelers do things. You know, like go to the Super Bowl every four years.

Kirk Ferentz (10-1)
The Iowa Hawkeyes coach somehow solved my South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl -- yes, that's sarcasm and a rip on my hapless college team -- and he's been an intriguing name in the NFL ranks for years. He's been reluctant to leave Iowa, which has been a smart move as other former college geniuses (Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Pete Carroll) have flamed out in the NFL. Ferentz and Pioli go way back, when both were grunts in the Cleveland Browns organization. But Ferentz's son plays at Iowa and, according to reports, wants to coach him. Besides, I hear that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt would prefer Pioli not gamble his money and his team's future on a college coach. Not exactly a sound investment in today's economic climate.

Mike Shanahan (13-1)
The rumor of Shanahan blossomed, shriveled and died in a good two hours last Friday, which might be a record for quickest lifespan this side of a tsetse fly. We gave reasons last week as to why a Shanahan-Pioli marriage might hit some bumps, which might or might not be smoothed by star power and a union that would attract lots of pressure to win right away. One national Web site said Shanahan to KC was a done deal; another said that suggestion made Shanahan laugh all the way to the 14th green. I don't see this one happening, ladies and germs*.

*This is like one of those flashbacks in movies or Family Guy, when I say something definitive and certain, and a second later it jumps to a scene in which the opposite is playing out. "I don't see this one happening," I say with some level of certainty. Then, zap, next thing you see is footage of Pioli introducing Shanahan with glee.

Paul Pasqualoni (15-1)
There are some reasons to think this makes sense, and the guy can coach defense, which the Chiefs clearly need. But for a 59-year-old who's never held a head-coaching position in the NFL, this might be an odd fit. I wouldn't doubt if Pioli pushed the new coach to go after Pasqualoni as the Chiefs' defensive coordinator.

Jon Gruden (20-1)
I don't get the sense Pioli will want to hire a "name," but if he does, Gruden might be the most doable one out there. Yes, Gruden won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay and damn near won another one in Oakland, of all places, so the guy can coach. But he's rolled up some bad mojo among his former players and even the Tampa community. As the Chiefs try to rebuild their identity, I suspect they want to steer clear of a situation that might backfire and cause dissension in an already guarded locker room.

Winston Moss (20-1)
Moss might be an up-and-coming coach, but I get the feeling Pioli and Hunt want to make a splash and/or hire someone who's a little closer to a sure thing. Moss hasn't been a head coach, which isn't unique among some of his higher-rated contemporaries, but he hasn't even been a coordinator yet.

Leslie Frazier (22-1)
Frazier can coach defense, but he hasn't held a head-coaching job since 1996, when he was coach at Trinity International University in Chicago. Yes, that's a real school, with a football team. I looked it up. Mascot is the Trojans.

Bill Cowher (25-1)
OK, so I'm not saying Hunt won't show up at Cowher's house with a steel suitcase full of money like they carried around in Casino, and Cowher might somehow like the idea of heading on back to Kansas City and making things right. A source told me the other day that it's "not going to happen," and I believe the person would know for sure -- at least as of now. I think it's a pretty serious long shot at this point.

Jason Garrett (30-1)
I mean, the guy has been promised the Dallas Cowboys job, and that's like Notre Dame if you're a college coach or lead fryer down at the Corndog Hut. It's easy street, and the money isn't bad, either. Not that the Chiefs job isn't a good one. But Garrett has all the assurances in the world that he'll succeed the dashing Wade Phillips.

Bill Parcells (50-1)
I'm sure Parcells would love to be near his family, but I get the feeling he's not all that keen on rejoining the coaching ranks. I think it'd take an awful lot of corn dogs to pry him out of South Florida -- or wherever he decides to go next and spend a year or two.