Kansas City, Mo ? It’s an oversimplification, but still rings with truth — Coaches don’t win games; players do.

That’s what Dick Vermeil always used to say. But he seemed to veer way off course when Greg Robinson tearfully resigned Tuesday as the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, and Vermeil, in even greater emotional upheaval, followed his failed friend to the podium.

Throughout an extraordinary give-and-take with the media Tuesday afternoon, Vermeil flashed anger at the media for running Robinson out of town.

Finally asked directly if the media were at fault, Vermeil said no. But he also said the media criticism after three failed seasons had risen to such a deafening roar that Robinson would be judged a failure no matter what happened.

Well, was it the media that missed all those tackles? No. And neither was it Greg Robinson.

The media didn’t let Jamal Lewis rush for 115 yards, Clinton Portis for 141, Ahman Green for 139, Travis Henry for 124, Rudi Johnson for 165, LaDainian Tomlinson for 106, Portis again for 218, Shawn Bryson (who?) for 105, and Onterrio Smith for 146.

By the time “Perfect” Peyton Manning and his explosive Indianapolis offense arrived last weekend, the defensive deficiencies were known to all.

When Manning salted away a 38-31 victory, it was obvious something must be done.

Vermeil is right, of course, that Robinson had lost all credibility. He’s been fired now as defensive coordinator by the Broncos and the Chiefs. He will have difficulty getting a similar job at the NFL level.

No doubt, Robinson was part of the problem.

At the same time, however, it’s interesting that offensive coordinator Al Saunders stands with the giants of his craft. Nebraska offered him its head coaching job. Other NFL teams wanted to talk to the man who has directed one of the league’s greatest offenses for two years in a row.

But Saunders has one of the greatest offensive lines in the NFL. Two of his blockers, Will Shields and Willie Roaf, are headed for the Pro Bowl. So is quarterback Trent Green. So is running back Priest Holmes, who returned from a season-ending hip injury to set two NFL records by rushing for 27 touchdowns this season. So is tight end Tony Gonzalez, considered the among the best in the game.

Would Robinson had been such a failure if he’d had two Pro Bowlers on his defensive line? Would Robinson still be employed if he’d had a Pro Bowl safety and a Pro Bowl inside linebacker and a Pro Bowl cornerback who set a record for interceptions?

Robinson and his players share the blame for what happened.

And if Vermeil doesn’t get it fixed this offseason, the Chiefs run the risk of letting the greatest offensive period in team history go to waste.