One of the biggest transitions from the college game to the NFL is the complex offensive and defensive schemes. Assimilating enough information to fill a phone book and then being able to recall it the split-second before taking a sack is one of the things that separates young quarterbacks from veterans.
In an effort to accelerate Brodie Croyle's development, new Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has simplified the offense, which, theoretically, should allow Croyle to worry less about formations and pass protections, and more about what happens after the snap.
"I really like the offense," Croyle said Thursday after the Chiefs completed their second week of the on-field portion of their offseason program. "I'm very comfortable, surprisingly. The reads are pretty clear right now for us.
"It's a pretty simple offense. It's giving guys the chance to go out and play, not a whole lot of thinking about it, just go out and line up and go."
Midway through Eli Manning's rocky rookie year, the Giants pared down the game plan to a handful of plays and the first-overall pick responded with more consistent, confident performances.
Croyle's entering his third season, but this will be the first time he enters training camp as the starter. He had a chance to win the job last summer, but floundered during training camp. Hopefully, the new streamlined offense will makes things easier. That Gailey plans on emphasizing the run should only help.
When the Chiefs used their second first-round pick on Branden Albert, it was with the understanding that the Virginia guard would eventually make his way to tackle. The only question was how long would it take for him transition one position to his left.
Well, according to new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, the answer is simple: the minute Kansas City drafted Albert he became an NFL left tackle. Last month, Gailey explained how things were going to be.
"He sat me down and told me, 'You're going to play left tackle for us,' " Albert said Wednesday. "He was real stern about it. He said, 'You're going to play. You're going to get it.' "You've got to trust him. You've got to go with it."
Gailey's offense features a power running game and play-action passes; last year, the Chiefs ranked 11th in the NFL in passes attempted, something Gailey would like to get away from. (It's probably worth mentioning that Kansas City didn't set out to wing the ball all over the field, but when you routinely find yourself down early in a game, the offense becomes one-dimensional.)
A power running game is contingent on a cohesive offensive line and a capable running back. With Larry Johnson returning to form and the addition of Jamaal Charles, the running game looks set; the offensive line is currently another matter.
But Gailey aims to remedy that in training camp. Whether it actually happens is another issue, but if nothing else, Gailey has a solid track record as an offensive coordinator, which is something Mike Solari couldn't say. It's not a lot, but after a four-win 2007 season, it'll have to do.
The Chiefs may not have much to show for their efforts in terms of wins and losses, but there is a bright spot: they've had two of their better drafts in recent history, and embattled head coach Herm Edwards had a hand in both.
"I've had the chance to watch the two of them together, and they're very much on the same page," said Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, referring to Edwards and [vice president of player personnel Bill] Kuharich. "It's always important to have your head coach and the guy running your draft on the same page, and I think we've had two very good drafts.
Unfortunately, those guys to this point have been too young to have a tremendous impact. Going into 2008, I would expect that 2006 draft class to have a tremendous impact."
And that's the thing: the Chiefs have had solid drafts recently but it wasn't enough to offset a four-win season in 2007. Hopefully, though, that'll change.
Although the defense is in good shape, it's the offense that raises some concerns. Hopefully, new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will mitigate some of that, but there's only so much he can do. Ultimately, it'll come down to whether Larry Johnson is healthy enough to play, and perhaps more importantly, if Brodie Croyle will be able change his draft grade from "TBD" to "quality NFL starter."
The first step was admitting there was a problem. Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards did that when he dismissed most of the offensive coaching staff. Next, he had to try to fix things, and that came in the form of new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
Now all we can do is sit back and see if the 2008 Chiefs are markedly better than the '07 version. Backup quarterback Damon Huard, who played for Gailey in Miami seven years ago, likes the hire.
"He's not afraid to get after somebody, which is a good thing," said Huard... "If you're not getting your job done, you'll hear it from him. He's very good in front of the group, a good motivator. I'm still very impressed with his leadership skills. He comes across well in the meeting room. He has an ability to get the message across and be passionate about it."
I thought Herm was the motivator? Seriously, this all sounds great, and to Gailey's credit, his resume (as a coordinator, anyway) is sparkling. But ultimately Kansas City's success is going to come down to two things: can the front office fix the offensive line, and is Brodie Croyle the team's future at quarterback.
You can be the world's most aggressive coordinator, but if the line ain't blocking and the quarterback is skittish, well, you saw how that turned out this season. Good news on that last front, however: "Huard says Gailey's system is quarterback-friendly and simple for Croyle to learn."
I guess today is officially the first day of the rest of the Chiefs' offense's lives. Or something. Earlier this month, head coach Herm Edwards had a fire sale on offensive assistants, including coordinator Mike Solari. And this afternoon, the team hired Chan Gailey as the new OC.
Gailey beat out UTEP's Eric Price, former Giants head coach Jim Fassel, and Jaguars quarterback coach Mike Shula. While many NFL teams are turning to young assistants for coordinating gigs, and even head-coaching jobs, there are plenty of old-school guys who are just as qualified. Look no further than the Eagles' Jim Johnson, the Bucs' Monte Kiffin, or the Steelers' Dick LeBeau.
Gailey previously served as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh ('96-'97; the offense ranked 12th and eighth, respectively) and Miami ('00-'01; 15th and 21st), and was the Cowboys' head coach for two seasons. He also was in the running for the Steelers' job last off-season. He'll join the Chiefs after a six-year run as Georgia Tech's head coach.
Ultimately, it'll come down to how healthy Larry Johnson will be by training camp, whether Brodie Croyle can emerge as a legit NFL starting quarterback, and if the team can fix an aged offensive line. Gailey's a solid pick, but it won't matter if he doesn't have players.
After interviewing former Dallas Cowboys and Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey for his vacant offensive-coordinator position, 49ers coach Mike Nolan (met) today with ex-Rams coach Mike Martz. Martz was fired last week as Detroit's offensive coordinator.
There's no guarantee that Martz will get the job -- or is even being seriously considered -- but if you ask me Martz would be an absolutely terrible choice for the job. Despite successfully grooming Trent Green and Marc Bulger, then sorta leading to Jon Kitna being good, Martz's reputation is overblown. Though his offenses typically put up gaudy numbers, they're hollow stats, not to mention the turnovers and inability to carry their teams to any legitimate success since the turn of the century.
Contrary to previous reports that Mike Martz could be headed to San Francisco as the 49ers' next offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that Chan Gailey is actually the favorite to become the offensive coordinator in San Francisco.
Gailey was fired as Georgia Tech head coach after the 2007 season. He was the Dallas Cowboys' head coach in 1998 and 1999.
Schefter notes that 49ers head coach Mike Nolan spent five seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s working with Gailey when both were assistants for the Denver Broncos.
According to Schefter, the 49ers' ownership was never particularly interested in Martz.
Georgia Tech lost to Boston College Saturday night in part because they only managed to score 10 points. However, Demaryius Thomas was not part of the problem. The redshirt fresham did his part catching five passes for 68 yards. In addition to making plays, Thomas thinks he has the solution to the Yellow Jackets' problems. According to Thomas,
As you can imagine, Thomas' armchair quarterbacking and not so subtle dig at new Georgia Tech offensive coordinator John Bond did not go over well with Yelllow Jackets head coach Chan Gailey. He reprimanded Thomas to the press and defended the play calling. But beyond brow beating the precocious Thomas, what else can Gailey do? Tech needs to rebound from the BC loss and is headed to UVA, where the Jackets haven't won since 1990. Gailey needs Thomas to step up...and shut up.
Was it something I said? It was the four years of starting a midget who couldn't throw? Oh. Yeah, I guess I get that.
Well, that didn't take long. We have the 2007 the first transfer of the 2007 recruiting class, which you may note isn't even supposed to be on campus yet. Early-enrolling Michigan quarterback Steven Threet, however, is outta heeeeerrre. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the shamelessly homer spin for you:
The quality and quantity of recent recruiting has been such that one newcomer may have helped push out another Jacket, as freshman Steven Threet has left the program as the second Tech quarterback to transfer in recent months.
Mmmmm, that's good unbiased reporting. Georgia Tech is the program that was so flush with quarterbacks it started Reggie Ball for four years. More likely is that Threet was looking for something grander than Chan Gailey Equilibrium, which states that everything coached by Chan Gailey ends up 7-5. Georgia Tech? 7-5. The 1927 Yankees? 7-5. Jeff Gordon? 7-5. Also a potential reason: a desire to get laid at least once in college.
Anyway, this is a potential downside to the recent trend of players enrolling the January before their class hits campus. Threet took a test drive at Georgia Tech, decided he didn't like it, and is now essentially a free agent with no penalty aside from an enforced redshirt wherever he transfers to. A good bet would be Michigan State, which took top 100 instater Keith Nichol over Threet, then lost him to Oklahoma when they fired John L Smith.
It seems strange that there's a possibility Cameron would turn down a head coaching job, although it's possible he thinks he's in line to be Marty Schottenheimer's successor in San Diego. More likely, Cameron is just working out the last details of the contract, and he will, in fact, become the Dolphins' next coach.
That means Chan Gailey will stay at Georgia Tech. Gailey had been reported to be a candidate in both Miami and Pittsburgh, but he seems to have dropped off the Steelers' radar.
One of the biggest transitions from the college game to the NFL is the complex offensive and defensive schemes. Assimilating enough information to fill a phone book and then being able to recall it the split-second before taking a sack is one of the things that separates young quarterbacks from veterans. 
When the Chiefs used their second first-round pick on 
The Chiefs may not have much to show for their efforts in terms of wins and losses, but there is a bright spot: they've had two of their better drafts in recent history, and embattled head coach 
I guess today is officially the first day of the rest of the Chiefs' offense's lives. Or something. Earlier this month, head coach 
Call it a red herring, or just the 49ers keeping the league on their toes (they failed to do it on the field). First there were rumors of 
Contrary to previous reports that 
Georgia Tech lost to Boston College Saturday night in part because they only managed to score 10 points. However, Demaryius Thomas was not part of the problem. The redshirt fresham did his part catching five passes for 68 yards. In addition to making plays, Thomas thinks he has the solution to the Yellow Jackets' problems. According to Thomas, 
ESPN is reporting that 
