Burning Question Number 5

Twenty adjectives later, they had Clare's infact and were posting the airport.

Whoever our first day draft picks are, and whether they play on offense or defense, the most important thing will be to get them into training camp on time.  Can you imagine if Bowe had been in all of training camp?  If he didn't beat Kennison for the #1 spot, he surely would've been the #2.  If we draft O-linemen on day one, especially if we get Jake Long, we need to get them into camp so we can build some cohesiveness...

Great points by everyone.  Chan has his work cut out for him no doubt about it.  However, tab this up for tracking next season against this past season: 1) Points in the Red Zone; 2) 3 and out; and 3) first downs.  Bonus points if you can track time of possession.   Improvement in these categories, should translate to a better win-loss record.  Based on opp0nents, we should have an easier schedule next year but I reserve final judgement until the actual schedule comes out.  Finally, I don't expect a lot from the offense until about game 5.  New faces and continuity will play a factor and yes, OTAs, Preseason, etc I am considering..... 

Yeah, talent...that is a big issue IMO.  I was watching some games from last year and honestly, some of the guys out there just don't look like football players...you know what I mean?  I don't know how else to explain it.  I for one will be glad if the roster changes another 15-20% this off-season. The Chiefs need not only "Chiefs" players as Gunther and Herm keeping saying...they also need "Football" players.  I just hope they are the same. 

Paul, I agree that we don't currently have the talent, but the good news is the talent is out there, so its an exciting offseason.  As for Chan running "lame" offenses,  I say your sentence could have just as easily said Chan is most famous for running winning offenses.  I don't think pessimism is really warranted in the NFL with all the worst to firsts that have happened in the past, (excluding being a raiders fan, then pessimism is warranted until Al Davis steps down) its not crazy to think we could be one of them with the fact that all of our needs are exactly where free agency and the draft are the deepest.  I think its a great offseason to be a chiefs fan, and unless they completely blow the draft and FA why not expect good things.  Its a hell of a lot more fun being a chiefs fan if your hoping for the best rather than expecting failure. 

I don't think this offense is talented enough to really have a coordinator bring it to the promised land.  I think that Chan will be an improvement because he's done this before.  I feel that anyone who is an offensive coordinator should have at least been a quarterbacks or wide receivers coach at sometime, which the last O coordinator was not.Chan is most famous for running lame offenses.  When he had Kordell Stewart in Pittsburgh he did some cool things, but they weren't really radical paradigm shifts from what was going on in the league at the time, like what Mike Martz did in St. Louis to force a from worst to first finish in one year.His team in Dallas was very run oriented, and I think he's going to try and do that with KC.  We've had a lot of "run first" coaches there that brought no spice to the passing game.  I've watched them all fail to bring that Super Bowl championship.  I'm surprised you bashed Hackett, because he was the one who got us the closest.  I still think KC would have gone to that Super Bowl if Montana hadn't been knocked out and forced the amazing Dave Kreig to show us how much he sucks.  Hackett at least understood, like Saunders, how to make the running game and the passing game efficient through being able to do either on every single down.

Right, I said that. 

the main problem last year was accumulated from years of keeping aging veterans , and not drafting or bringing in younger o-linemen... thus assuring that the offence wouldnt work no matter who ran it...look back with an o-line and virtually no recievers worth a damn... they made it work... it revolves around the o-line, CHAN will be an improvement... because he will mix it up, and the predictability wont be as flagrant... but it will be a run first off.... and if we think we will see the bombs (weather they are into double and triple teams) is based upon the time the O_LINE will give the team!   as with last year even your new found BOWE cant get open enough when he only has time to run quick slants and stop and go routes. What ever happens will depend on the second wideout who plays next year, and the o-line, as once again this team goes as far as the O-line takes them and no farther!

I think 'conservative' is often misconstrued to mean smash mouth football with no throws downfield.  I don't think Herm or Chan see it that way.  I think they see it more as a way of managing the clock, and helping out the defense.  So basically, don't take stupid chances.  There's a time and a place for deep balls and trick plays.  I would bet the run and pass count will be roughly equal next season, and they will attempt to coach up Brodie to make the best decisions, and that will include deep routes sometimes to keep the D honest, but not thrown into double and triple coverage on a wing and a prayer (something I saw from him too much this year.) I think we will see deep balls because Chan has the weapons to make it work, namely Brodie's arm and Bowe's ability.  They aren't going to be the Patriots but I think they will be a pretty exciting team to watch that wins more than they lose because they don't make the mistakes we've seen for the past year.  This of course all hinges on the O-line, if we don't blow it up and find some talent out there, none of this will happen.  Another quick thought, I see Herm as a lot of things, but I don't see him flat out lying in an interview, and he said straight up that he doesn't interfere with his coordinators when they are calling plays, other than to suggest ideas.  I think Solari's failure had much more to do with a bad O-line and ultra predictability.  I dare say I wish Herm had interfered more. 

On the solidification/cohesiveness question I expect Gailey to be huge improvement over Solari for a couple of reasons.  First of all, Solari seemed unable to keep people in set positions, starting them one week and sitting them the next - that is, there never seemed to be any continuity on the line. It looked to me like Solari was always in experimental mode instead of deciding on one set of guys and then letting them develop together as a unit.  Now I understand that part of the reason for that was because of what he inherited.  Notwithstanding, I lost just about respect for him as a coach when he didn't take full responsibility for the offense's lack of performance and even started naming names when he was on the hot seat - NOT COOL.  For that reason alone, not only did he no longer deserve to be OC, he just needed to go away completely - no keeping him on as a line coach, nothing - he was poison.  So, forgive my little rant but compared to Solari, I have to believe Gailey wins hands down in the "character" department and that that will spill over to his players and the level of commitment they put into their jobs.   

Agreed Adam,Plus, like I was complaining about all the time last year, pass and run out of unconventional formations.  Everytime Jason Dunn made his way onto the field, it was a given where the Chiefs were running the ball.  Run out of 3 WR sets some.  I think Gailey will do that, and a whole lot more. 

Even if we are conservative for most of the 60 minutes for the first four or five Sundays, I'd like to see us come out and take a shot or two downfield in our first or second series of each game. That could not only open up the running game, but it could also give Brodie confidence and get D-Bo and Co. rolling. That mindest also goes for reverses and other trick plays. Doing one early sets other stuff up, and gives the defense more to think about. We did a terrible job of keeping 'em honest last year. Gotta keep them from putting nine in the box.

You all make good points.  Jeremy, I don't know if Herm doesn't know "didly squat" about offense, but the fact that he might recognize he needs someone in there who is all about offense is definitely a good thing.  Solari was kept on because the team was relatively in tact from the DV days.  Herm thought (now obviously wrong) that keeping Solari was the best thing to do for that team.  Now it is apparent that Solari needs to stick to the OLine.  I for one was happy as all get out when Solari was promoted.  I thought it was a great move.  I too was wrong. 

Double D makes a good point.  Gailey usually is a conservative type of guy.  At GT he did open it up more.  That tells me he can fit an offense with the personnel that he has.  At GT he had Calvin Johnson.  It would be breaking the law if you didn't bomb it on half the plays.  And I agree with Jeremy.   It was obvious that Herm was baby sitting Solari, and it spelled disaster.  Now Herm can coach the young DB's and motivate.  Let Gunther and Chan do their thing.

The Chan Gailey hire tells me one thing:  Herm Edwards doesn't know didly squat about offense and does not want the responsibility of it.  That is why Gailey was hired over everyone else.  This is a good thing.  It allows someone with experience to run our offense.  We will be a run first offense with a few gadget plays a la Pittsburgh/Slash.  I look forward to the new offense.  I am positive that we won't be last in offense again.  I am glad Herm will have little to no say in the offense.  Go Gailey!  I am excited about the new year, especially with all the cuts coming up...Wesley/Law/Bell/Kennision/Dunn etc.

I think it boils down to whether Herm has enough confidence in Gailey to let him run the show on offense.  He definitely did not do that with Solari.  I personally believe the reason Gailey is here is because Herm recognized that he needed somebody that he wouldn't have to babysit.  That's a good thing.  On the other hand, it remains to be what style of offense Chan will put on the field.  History suggests it will be conservative and clock-control oriented although his tenure at G Tech suggests he might be willing to open things up a bit more than what he previously did in the NFL.  My guess would be we'll probably see more running plays than anything else, particularly late in the game. 

I dont think other than , not working together we will see much diff. between styles of play, effectivness... will be seen, sooner or later... the real question is can the two coordinators works together? and can the CHIEFS continue to sign players who fit the system they wish to run... as stated previously by multiple others... take bell for instance... 34 players in a 43 scheme... and drafting high schoolers to play o-line...