This is a continuation of a 2-part series regarding what the Chiefs must do next season to fix their woes on offense. Click here to read Part I.Whether you like Herm Edwards or not; whether you like Herm's offensive philosophy or not, we have to recognize that the offense needs to change. Even if Dick Vermeil were still head coach, the Chiefs would still need to undergo a massive facelift. Will Shields and Casey Wiegmann have gone from terrific to average due to age. Jordan Black is certainly no Willie Roaf, and Kevin Sampson and Chris Terry are no John Tait. Ronnie Cruz is no Tony Richardson. And Trent Green... just isn't Trent Green anymore.
The writing should have been on the wall the minute we saw Herm's drafting and roster decisions on offense. The Chiefs went with Jeff Webb in the draft, a tall, big receiver--by all indications, a terrible fit for Saunders' Coryell offense. As the 5th receiver, the Chiefs went with another big guy: Chris Hannon, a 6'3", 205 lb. receiver. Lightning fast receiver Craphonso Thorpe was cut for being a "crappy" fit to Herm's new offense. Vermeil favorite Chris Horn was also not brought back into Kansas City.I don't think the Chiefs are going to run a West Coast Offense; rather, I think they will run an offense that will resemble what we saw when Damon Huard was the quarterback. A lot more short slants, a lot more first down passes, and a generally simplified ofense. I see the Chiefs' offense relying on big wide receivers that can get open within 10 yards. When you look at the Chiefs' offense in 2006, their receivers were lousy for a ball-control offense. Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, and Dante Hall are all receivers who require time to get open. They're small receivers who don't get off bumps very well and Parker is really the only receiver who isn't afraid to catch the ball in traffic. That doesn't help you when your objective is to gain yards in 5-10 yard chunks rather than 20-25 yard strikes.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive that the Chiefs intend to make their offense less predictable by simplifying it, but it makes complete sense. If Herm Edwards can feel comfortable executing short slants and screens, he's more likely to be aggressive in his gameplanning. More importantly, it gives the quarterback greater license to call his own shots. Don't you think that against Indy, Trent Green could have walked up to the line, saw 9 people in the box, then audibled to a pass play? The Coryell offense gives the quarterback no license to do that, because the gameplan is so regimented. Finally, a simplified gameplan allows the Chiefs to immediately integrate rookies into the system. Rumors are flying around that the Chiefs will go to Brodie Croyle sooner rather than later. Herm also made direct reference to wanting to get Jeff Webb more involved with this offense.
You wonder if this new direction offense is going to have the Chiefs phase Eddie Kennison and Samie Parker out of the offense. I think Dante Hall's job as the Chiefs' slot receiver is over. I think it's quite possible that the Chiefs don't even bring Samie Parker back. And Eddie Kennison could fall to being the Chiefs' slot receiver, a position I believe he would excel at.
This approach just makes sense. It will be extraordinarily difficult to build a terrific offensive line that we once had. The talent in the free agent market just isn't there, and the draft is a bit of a crapshoot. The best way to counter a poor offensive line is to have a quicker-strike offense that can get receivers open while you allow your QB to get rid of the ball quicker. I am actually excited about the new-look offense. It is clearly a step in the right direction. I'm giving Herm Edwards a short leash, but I think he at least deserves an opportunity to run the team his way, instead of Vermeil's. Don't you think?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-22-2007 @ 9:44PM
Josh said...
"A generally simplified offense."
As a long suffering Jets fan I can assure you that a Herman Edwards coached team is only capable of running a generally simplified offense. Give him as much leash as you like but you aren't going to like the results.
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1-22-2007 @ 9:58PM
Jon Yoon said...
Josh, I can understand your point, but a few things....
I never really understood why Jets fans are bitter toward Herm Edwards, given that he brought the Jets to the playoffs in over half of his seasons as head coach, and even brought them two postseason victories. When Herm had Pennington as a starting quarterback, the Jets were also very postseason competitive.
Secondly, I don't think that Edwards is overly different from the two guys coaching in the Super Bowl right now. Tampa's offense was as bad if not worse than the Jets'. And Lovie Smith's offense in Chicago when he first started had to rank among the league's worst. The difference is, these coaches were given a chance to build their teams and they made the necessary adjustments.
Like I've said, the Chiefs simplified their offense big time when Huard was in the game, and it worked terrific. I'd love to see that same gameplan with better receivers and better linemen.
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1-23-2007 @ 1:02AM
randy gonzales said...
parcells is the best coach the cowboys have had since Landry.Your owner cannot be the pres.andcoach
Jerry let the coach do what needs to be done to get the boys to the superbowl,or just continue being satisfied with almost getting there
A cowboys fan.
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1-23-2007 @ 8:45AM
David Wurzbach said...
I think you make good points.
I have't decided if Herm is a good coach or not but i find his press conferences entertaining, he has the gravitas of Stone Philips. I think Campbell soups should hire him and get away from the team mom thing. "Why do we eat: we eat to be full" That's advertising!
I don't think highly of Trent Green, he's a trooper but Huard is the future for the Chiefs. The offensive line is the big problem and it was obvious against Indy wildcard weekend. They got no push for the running game, and pocket protection was no show. Herm needed to make adjustments, many of them in fact but didn't/ couldn't.
I Think moving to a short pass plays will work better for KC in every way. Its easier on QB and receivers, keeping the chains moving will help the defense and it will improve the running game. Short passes make defensive line and linebackers play the pass differently. 'I gotta collapse the pocket and get my hands up- no chance of a sack'. 'I gotta stay home and cover the receiver here, no pursuing the sack or dropping back for coverage, the play is here, i have to make the play, just like the run'. This will tire out defenders just as much as stopping the run does and prevents putting nine in the box, because the play happens at the rear of the box- too many players chasing after.
I agree with whats happening but in the NFL its all about executing. And the Chiefs defense can still break your heart.
Go Eagles in 2007.
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1-23-2007 @ 2:40PM
rd555 said...
Jon. You bring up some good points, but I would feel more comfortable if your caption read "Chiefs to run new offense!" rater than question mark.
I'm certainly no GM, but with the cap considerations that have to be taken into account, I doubt that we will see a rapid improvement anytime soon. However if that wasn't an issue, then here are some changes I'd like to see made.
Offense: O-linemen, full back, dump Hall, Parker and Turly. Add a wideout. Give Webb a chance to start. Hurad #1 QB, Croyle #2 (although I'm not sold on him). Trade Trent Green to some place that desperately needs a starter for some draft picks. I.E. Washington.
Defense: 2 nose tackles with Wilkerson either as a starter or backup. Dump Sims. Quality DE to spell Allen and Hali. Dump Hicks. Pollard and Page as starters. Wesely as backup. Possibly dump Knight. Another LB. Dump Bell. A good young CB to eventually replace our aging ones.
Special teams: Give Webb and perhaps another player a chance to return kicks. Bring in Vanderjack during training camp to give Tynes some competition.
These are just a few suggestions, although I'm sure there are many others that could be made.
Personally I didn't care for the Edwards signing, but at the time I said that I would give him the benefit of the doubt. But after the playoff performance, which was one worst in the history in the NFL, I returned to my original way of thinking. However if the Chiefs were to incorporate your ideas, I would be very happy. I'm now willing to give him some more time, and I would love for Edwards to make a believer/sucker out of me. But we'll see...
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1-23-2007 @ 5:37PM
Mo\\\' Mike said...
Jon:
I agree with the points you have listed above and felt we needed to expand on one specific area - the short passing game: 2 years ago the Chiefs had their best offensive game plan when they used the short passing game - but it really didn't involve the wide receivers as much as it did the tight end (Tony G.) and the running back (Priest Holmes). We have Tony back in the fold and if he plays with the intensity he showed from week 12 thru 16 then we are set there. The problem we have at running back is that LJ is no Priest Holmes. LJ doesn't catch the ball out of the backfield nor does he have a blocking back in the scheme that was used this year. If I were "King for a day," I would see if Michael Bennett could fill the spot that is vacated by Priest - similiar size, very good speed needed for that outside burst to get around the corner and seems to follow blockers well. The problem with Bennett is keeping him healthy.
We need to reduce the number of carries for LJ
We need to find a blocking back
We need to utilize the swing and/or screen pass to Bennett
We need to better utilize the tightend position
We need the big wide receivers that were drafted last
year to step up this Spring (simplified game plan for these guys!)
We need to say good bye to Sammie Parker and limit Dante Hall to returning kicks.
All of these ingredients are available to the Chiefs
with the exception of blocking back. Boomer is an interesting option. If the Chiefs can become comfortable with these elements they can then focus their free agent and draft attention to the offensive line.
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1-24-2007 @ 11:57AM
Steve said...
Need I remind you that at least 3 of the last 4 standing AFC teams run extremely complicated offenses? Dumbing down the Chiefs offense in this environment for whatever reason, Herm's discomfort, or his overweening desire to start the Human Chandelier, Brodie Croyle, is not well taken in this environment.
I have to chuckle at your line about the draft being a crapshoot. Well, for the Chiefs under the Peterson era, it certainly is.
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1-24-2007 @ 2:58PM
drum said...
Come on jon you're smarter than that the colts offense is the most awesome offense in the nfl and even the bears have a better recieving corps than the chiefs
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1-24-2007 @ 2:58PM
drum said...
Speaking of the cap how does Indy keep all of those good recievers and all their hihg salaries and stay under the cap at the same time????
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1-24-2007 @ 3:23PM
Jon Yoon said...
KC is just as effective at managing the cap as Indy is. In fact, they might be one of the better teams, since they almost never have cap problems.
The problem is, they invest too much money and signing bonus money into players that just don’t work out. Greg Wesley, Kendrell Bell, Shawn Barber—these are just a few names that the Chiefs signed to long-term deals that didn’t work out.
What’s the lesson here? The Colts keep those receivers because they drafted them then retained them. If the Chiefs can learn to be successful in the draft, they should be able to do the same. On the bright side, the Chiefs seem to be getting increasingly better with the draft. On the down side, it’ll still be 1 or 2 years until we can finally unleash the burden of keeping deadweight and cap money tied into ineffective players like Bell and Wesley.
You know what I mean? I mean, when Wesley is cut, you’ll see the Chiefs’ cap space heave a huge collective sigh.
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1-26-2007 @ 1:54PM
Steve said...
assuming of course, they haven't created more dead weight with bad signings in the meantime
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