Looks like the rumors were true, or at least half true. Terry Shea has been fired as the QB coach for the Chiefs, according to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com.As I indicated before, the firing is a bit of a surprise to me, because if there is a goat to scape, Shea seems to be an odd choice given his good work with Damon Huard this year. There is no indication yet as to who the new QB coach will be (as ChiefsPlanet speculated earlier, Mike Shula may be in the mix, but those rumors have died down a bit), but Pasquarelli suggests that Edwards is looking for a coach to help implement a vertical passing game and shift away from the Coryell offense.
Of course, the Chiefs thrived with the Coryell offense the last several years, so some fans may cringe at the thought of moving away from that philosophy. However, that offense not only depended upon, but actually required a stellar offensive line. Average, which was what the Chiefs' line was this year, does not suffice. Edwards and Mike Solari seem to recognize this fact, and because there is no guarantee that they will have an elite line next year, they are not only going to call plays around Larry Johnson, they are going to design plays around him.
Overall, Shea has a bit of an inconsistent resume, but I think his overall status in Chiefs' history is a positive one. He helped Trent Green become one of the top QBs in the league despite a lack of wide receivers. He helped Damon Huard achieve extraordinary success despite Huard's not starting a game for several years. I don't think you will see Shea in the unemployment line for very long.
