FanHouse Mike Solari

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards will be back in 2008, but his coaching staff can't survive this year's 4-12 record intact.

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star reports that Edwards has fired all of the offensive assistants left over from the Dick Vermeil era. Those coaches are offensive coordinator Mike Solari, offensive line coach John Matsko, wide receivers coach Charlie Joiner and running backs coach James Saxon.

The Chiefs' offense was bad this year, so it's no surprise that the offensive coaches are getting the boot, but there are questions about what kind of offensive coordinator will want to work for the Chiefs. Edwards is known for demanding conservative play calling, and the Chiefs' most talented offensive player, Larry Johnson, is coming off a foot injury.

The most likely candidate to replace Solari is Paul Hackett, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach and former USC and University of Pittsburgh head coach. Hackett spent four seasons as Edwards' offensive coordinator with the Jets, and although that wasn't exactly the most successful of unions, there's a good chance that they'll be reunited.

Yesterday, I wrote that Herm Edwards bungled a late-game 3rd and 1 when he called for a Damon Huard pass. Predictably, the pass was intercepted, the Chiefs lost, and the finger-pointing commenced.

But as was pointed out in the comments, the head coach, generally, doesn't call the plays. That chore falls to the offensive coordinator. I understand that, but just like with Andy Reid, the buck stops with Edwards. Since, you know, he's the head coach.

Blame whoever you want -- in today's Kansas City Star, Jason King writes that Mike Solari, the Chief's offensive coordinator, is catching more hell than a little bit over Sunday's play-calling performance. In particular, the 3rd and 1 debacle described above. Edwards doesn't seem much fazed by Solari's struggles, even though the team is 2-0 and the offense, as it's currently constituted, is a joke:

"It's not as easy as people (think) ... It's always easy (to criticize) after the game: 'You should've called this or called that.' But if we would've run the ball and not made it, people would've said: 'Why did you do that? You should've thrown a pass.' That's ball, and that's fans being disappointed. But it's part of a process."

The Chiefs' offensive players were inept, as I mentioned in part II of this series. However, there's a lot of reason to also blame the Chiefs' unimaginative offensive playcalling for the Chiefs' offensive struggles.

Even a 2-year-old can predict the Chiefs' offensive strategy:
-Run
-Run
-Pass
And it goes on like this....

One can't help but wonder how much more effective the Chiefs' offense would have been if they had spread the Colts' defense out with a few surprise first or second down passes. It is very difficult to run plays effectively when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do.

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.

I deliberately left out the Chiefs' offensive coaches, namely Mike Solari, from my last post listing the goats of the game. I actually was not sure if they deserved goat status. It was hard to tell how effective their gameplan was because the players did not execute. Further, there is always the train of thought that you don't give up on your strengths or attacking your opponent's weaknesses just because the first few times things don't go your way.

However, after pondering it over a while, I have decided that they deserve to be on the list. Yes, the Chiefs had a couple of well-designed and well-called plays in the first half that would have resulted in first downs if the receivers had caught the ball. However, the Chiefs also knew that their offensive line was getting no push whatsoever, and that Dwight Freeney was destroying Jordan Black. Yet, they stuck to the same runs inside, made few attempts any kind of counter plays or something to sell the defenders, and did not adjust to what was obviously a rabid pass rush.

Seriously, there was no excuse for failing to call more quick strike plays in the second and third quarters. The Chiefs do not have the personnel to wait for receivers to get open downfield, so the fourth quarter was a lost cause when they had Green taking long drops. Green almost never got to finish those drops, because the pocket collapsed, and his receivers rarely got open. Of course, Green then forced some passes, got flustered with Colts' jersies surrounding him, and had a fourth quarter he would love to forget.

Larry Johnson, meanwhile, had an entire game he would like to forget. I know he likes to run over defenders, but that was no excuse for Solari making no attempt to get at least one or two defenders to stay out of the box. It was clear that Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, and Will Shields were not dominating the defensive line like they usually do. Nothing creative was done to allow Johnson to improvise and try to cutback into a lane. They simply gave him the ball and told him to run straight ahead. Sure, that's worked for other teams in the regular season, but when you are about to go an entire half without making a first down, you do something to try and give a jolt to your team. Instead, Solari stuck straight to the script, and for that reason, he joins the goat herd.

On another note, in my original post I neglected to praise the Colts' defense in the midst of my diatribe. The Kansas City offense certainly stunk up the joint, but that in no way minimizes the stellar play of the Indianapolis defense. They played with extreme energy, stayed within their assignments, and tackled extraordinarily well. It was truly the kind of play that you would expect out of a Tony Dungy defense.

The Chiefs are playing miserable right now. They've lost two games in a row, including a very winnable game against Cleveland two weeks ago. Unfortunately, the brunt of that blame goes to the men in charge: Herm Edwards, Trent Green, and Carl Peterson. Though they certainly deserve a bit of the blame for the Chiefs' struggles, I think there are better targets:

1) Offensive line: The Chiefs' offensive line was solid against Cleveland. Then again, it was Kyle Turley's blown block that led to a game-changing fumble. Against Baltimore, the blocking was atrocious. That wasn't just limited to the right tackle. It also included blown blocks from all areas, including our pro bowl core of interior guards. I get the feeling that Trent Green is a quarterback that could excel with Peyton Manning's offensive line; I'm beginning to question whether he can get the job done with the Chiefs' offensive line. Though, there are other variables to consider. Let's proceed.

2) Wide receivers: The Samie Parker project is definitely over. He's a bust. He'd be a nice receiver in the slot, but he has to be one of the worst #2 receivers in the game. I think Eddie Kennison is starting to decline a bit too, though I think he'd do fine as a #2 receiver.

As Jon mentioned earlier, today's game against the Browns is the very definition of a trap game. The biggest trap for the Chiefs may come on offense, however. Although the Chiefs are on a roll, the offense has not been particularly impressive. Ever since looking unstoppable against St. Louis on November 4th, the Chiefs have scored 10, 17, and 19 points. Herm Edwards may like this style of play, because the Chiefs have at least been running the ball very effectively, but Chiefs' fans sure don't like being so nervous throughout the game.

Look for Tony Gonzalez to be the key today. His shoulder appears to be healthy, and Trent Green needs to get back on the same page as Gonzalez as the Chiefs make their playoff push.

When the Chiefs run the ball

I will fess up to something. Last night, I had a dream that the Chiefs struggled in the first half, trailing 13-3. Throughout the half, they tried to establish the passing game and get Michael Bennett more involved. Knowing that they could not lose this game, the Chiefs turned back to Larry Johnson, who ended up carrying the ball 42 times, and they won 37-13.

The Chiefs would like to avoid doing that, because Johnson has carried the ball far more than any running back this year. Still, the temptation may be too great to avoid another 30-carry day. Cleveland has not been adept at stopping the run (132.5 ypg, 4.5 ypc), and with Cleveland possessing a relatively strong pass defense, Edwards and Mike Solari may feel that they have no choice but to keep the unstoppable train moving. The Browns' defensive line is beat up (Orpheus Roye is doubtful with a knee injury) and the linebackers have not provided great support in the run. I have been saying this every week, and so has Herm Edwards, but we may actually see Michael Bennett get more carries today. Do not be surprised if Johnson has 30 carries and Bennett has 10.

The Arrowhead Award for this week was not an easy decision. There were a lot of worthy candidates. Damon Huard would deserve it just for his toughness alone, but his performance was more than the Chiefs could ask for even from a healthy Huard. Patrick Surtain finally had a game worthy of the hoopla surrounding his acquisition. Tony Gonzalez was unstoppable again. Brian Waters punished any defender who wandered his way.

And, of course, there was Larry Johnson, who ran so hard and so effectively, the Chiefs just couldn't stop giving him the ball. Literally. He earned a season's worth of Arrowhead Awards just for carrying the ball that many times.

In the end, though, I decided to give the Arrowhead Award to two people who truly stepped up. First, Mike Solari has taken a lot of heat from this blog, but his playcalling this past week was nothing short of exemplary. I have no problem with calling mostly running plays on 1st down, but for a long while, all Solari would call on 1st downs were runs up the middle. Against the Seahawks, while relying heavily on Larry Johnson, Solari also called several run plays to the edges and a few playactions as well. Solari kept the Seahawks' defense off-balance, and the offense executed the plan nearly to perfection.

Eddie Kennison also gets the nod because of his golden hands and rejuvenated legs. We saw a Kennison that I can't ever remember seeing. He made tough catch after tough catch, and he burned past defensive backs as if he patented a human rocket pack. His 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty and was probably the most important play of the game. Kennison had been relatively quiet for much of the season, but last Sunday's game showed that he has got a lot left in those hands and legs.

As Ryan Wilson notes below, Trent Green has been cleared to practice. Green's doctors, the Chiefs, and Green himself have taken slow and steady steps toward his recovery, and rightfully so. After all, it does no good, either to Green or the Chiefs, for Green to rush back while still in a groggy state. And as we have seen in quarterbacks of the past, such as Steve Young and Troy Aikman, concussions are not easy to get over, nor are they all that preventable.

Assuming Green will be healthy, though, one must always posit the question: How soon do the Chiefs need Green? Ryan says perhaps not so quickly. I'll digress.

On paper, Huard is doing a fine job. He is doing exactly what the coaches are asking of him, which consists of short and quick passes, three- or five-step dropbacks, and generally a very conservative offense consisting of run plays on almost every first down. That, however, is precisely why the Chiefs need Green to come back. It is evident at this point that the playbook will never open for Huard. Green, meanwhile, knows this offense better than any Chief, including, in all probability, Mike Solari. That's no knock on Solari, but while he has been focusing mostly on running plays and pass protection these last several years, Green has been actively involved in almost every facet of the offense.

But now, the question is, will they open the playbook for Green? There's reason to doubt whether they will. Last year, when Willie Roaf was out, Green struggled with the conservative offense implemented by Al Saunders. It was only upon Roaf's return that Saunders turned the passing game loose and Green caught fire.

The lesson here is that the Chiefs need to have faith. They need to have faith in their linemen and in Trent Green. Chiefs' fans can live with a three-and-out here and there, as long as points are scored. Fans would far prefer that scenario over gaining 30 yards and punting every time at midfield.

This is my second edition of Chief Ponderings, where I get to stand on my soapbox and talk about the ridiculous:

• Kendrell Bell would probably make a lousy fisherman. He'll never catch a single fish because he doesn't know how to get to a tackle
• Was that Martin Grammatica playing quarterback late in the game for the Chiefs? I think Croyle might become the only quarterback in the league to fall to a wind-aided sack.
• The Chiefs lost yet another blocker this week in Ronnie Cruz. Mr. Whitlock still remains on the waiver wire.
• Tamba Hali has 27 tackles. Jared Allen isn't doing so bad himself with 25. Kendrell Bell has 45 tackles over 2 seasons. Pretty sad when your defensive ends combine for more tackles in one season than your highly paid linebacker has with a full season headstart.