FanHouse TerryShea

I have been one of Herm Edwards' biggest supporters. This has been no secret. Here's the main reason why: I don't approve of Herm's offensive gameplanning. I also agree that he is too stubborn at time. I also believe that he inherited a limping team and he took them far deeper than expected. Folks, I know we want to compare the Chiefs' offense to the explosive aerial offense that Vermeil and Saunders featured. We have to face facts that this ship has sailed. Joe Posnanski wrote an article in the Kansas City Star that speaks to this same issue. If you haven't read it, I implore you to read it now. I sat in my chair nodding my head at every single point Posnanski made in this article.

The reason I have been so defensive of Herm Edwards is that he was forced to run an offense last year that he was not comfortable with. The media and the fans are largely to blame for that. There were so many people that insisted that Herm not change the offense. Herm Edwards has never been comfortable with a vertical passing game. He wants to feature a ball-control offense, and you can't accomplish that if you're gaining 20 yards on first down or your quarterback gets sacked on first down forcing a 2nd down and 20. Before we accuse Herm Edwards of being a doofus on offense, let's give him a chance to get his own players and his own offensive scheme first, shall we? I don't support Herm's offensive gameplan, but I'm willing to wait one more season to see what he can do when he's given license to run his own offense with his own scheme with his own coaches and players.

More importantly, Vermeil and Saunders' offense revolved around the offensive line. News flash: those dominant years are over. Willie Roaf: gone. Will Shields: rapid decline. Casey Wiegmann: declining. Whoever is at right tackle: ineffective. The Chiefs can't go vertical because their offensive line isn't good enough to protect that long. Even Dick Vermeil couldn't have gotten much effectiveness out of this unit.

I generally don't like to post rumors, but this one may be worth discussing (though keep in mind that these are very unconfirmed rumors). According to some folks over at ChiefsPlanet, Terry Shea, the Chiefs' QB coach, might be on the hot seat. A name that has been bandied about as his replacement? The recently-fired-for-Nick-Saban Alabama coach Mike Shula.

The theory is that Shula coached Brodie Croyle, so he would help facilitate Croyle's transition to starting quarterback of the Chiefs. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I like Croyle as the QB of the future, but I still think it's too soon for him to take over the reins. I also like Terry Shea, and think that his firing would only mean he was the targeted scapegoat for the Chiefs' abysmal performance in the playoffs. After all, it isn't his fault the wide receivers forgot how to catch and the offensive line forgot how to protect. Nor is it his fault that Trent Green had such a severe concussion and probably hadn't fully recovered. Shea also did a nice job in getting Damon Huard established as a starting quarterback.

Shula, meanwhile, has a bit of a spotty history. I suppose, in some sense, the marriage between Shula and Herm Edwards would work out, because they were successful in Tampa Bay together under Tony Dungy. Shula also facilitated a quicker-than-expected turnaround of the Crimson Tide. However, that turnaround was short-lived. Furthermore, the Chiefs suffered from a lack of offensive creativity, something that Shula does not seem ideal for countering.

Of course, this all depends on whether Shea gets fired or not. I'd like to know how much input Shea had on the playcalling this year before deciding whether he deserves his walking papers. Earlier this year, I liked the possibility of Mike Solari and Shea working together. My impression is that Shea didn't have much input, which would very much make him a scapegoat if he is fired. If he did have input, though, then maybe Edwards really is better off having coaches with whom he has an established working relationship.

Within this Kansas City Star report (login required), we find an important point that has perhaps been glossed over by everyone, including yours truly- that Mike Solari, the offensive coordinator, is a rookie. And by rookie, I mean pure rookie. As in, he has not called plays as an offensive coordinator for 20 years, when he was at the University of Pittsburgh.

Everyone has glossed over or ignored this tidbit for several reasons. First, the Chiefs have had several more glaring concerns coming into camp, mostly having to do with personnel. Second, Solari is an almost deified figure for what he has done with the offensive line over the years. Third, the playbook was going to stay largely the same, and Solari's familiarity with both the players and the playbook pointed to a smooth transition.

However, as the Kansas City Star's report indicated, Solari still has to prove he knows how and when to call plays. This, in fact, was one of Al Saunders' biggest weaknesses; while incredibly innovative, he often made baffling play calls at inopportune times. Saunders could get away with it because of his creativity, but Solari does not (yet) have that luxury.

In a sense, there is some irony in that Herm Edwards was often criticized in New York for his handling of games in important situations. Edwards did not do a stellar job of directing Paul Hackett, his offensive coordinator (and well known, not in a good way, to Chiefs' fans), so perhaps Edwards is wary of that and decided to show early in his Kansas City tenure that he intends to make sure the game is managed right.

But if Edwards wants to do that, he will have to act like the head coach during the games. When the Chiefs have already tried a deep pass in field goal territory, Edwards needs to tell Solari to call the low risk play on 3rd down. When the Chiefs are looking to run down the clock, he needs to tell Solari to call only run plays. Edwards has another tool at his disposal-- Terry Shea, who can not only help in pass plays, but also make recommendations to better guide the inexperienced Solari.

Everyone is rooting for Solari to do well, but that doesn't mean they have to let him take the reigns by himself. You don't put a first-time rider on a horse and say, "OK, give it a whirl." Hopefully, Edwards and Shea will be next to the horse they call the playbook to give Solari some support.