Chiefs News: Which Chan Gailey Will KC Get?

Early returns on the hiring of Chan Gailey as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator have been mixed. The most common reaction seems to be that Gailey was a decent but uninspiring hire, perhaps the best choice of a fairly underwhelming group of candidates.

Because Chiefs coach Herm Edwards didn't appear interested in more lauded offensive minds like Cam Cameron or the recently fired Norm Chow, Gailey's background as a successful NFL play-caller appears to have made the difference.

Rumored front-runner Mike Shula had little success as a coordinator with Tampa Bay, and while Eric Price has led a strong offense at UTEP the last few seasons, he has no experience calling plays at the NFL level.

With Edwards' future in Kansas City possibly hinging on how well the offense rebounds from its miserable 2007 outing, it's understandable why he chose a coach with a proven track record. Some criticism has been leveled at Edwards for not taking a chance with a fresh, young offensive mind, but after his gamble on first-time coordinator Mike Solari didn't pan out, it's easy to see why Edwards might be hesitant to bring in another inexperienced coach.

Now that Gailey is officially the man in charge of rebuilding Kansas City's offense, fans are wondering just what kind of offense they'll see. Certainly, Gailey's history shows that he likes to run the ball. His offense in Pittsburgh finished second in rushing during his first year with the team, and he made it the best rushing attack in the league a season later. But what about his overall offensive philosophy?

Asking that question to fans of Georgia Tech, where Gailey spent the last six years as head coach, would likely bring on comparisons to Edwards. "Conservative," "likes to keep the score close," and "plays not to lose" are the complaints Yellow Jacket fans had about their coach's offense.

But looking farther back reveals a different Gailey, one who was known around the league as an innovative offensive mind. When he took over the Cowboys in 1998, a column from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram featured owner Jerry Jones praising his new coach's unpredictability and creativity on offense.

"Enter Gailey and his array of end arounds, shotgun formations and five-wide sets," the article wrote. "Gailey's offense is based on the run as well, but uses zone blocking on running plays, multiple formations, the shotgun, four- and five-receiver sets and an audible system."

Quarterback bootlegs and rollouts, snapping the ball to the running backs, and screen passes to wide receivers are more elements of the offensive style Gailey was said to prefer. In a 2000 column in the Sporting News, it was written that Steelers owner Dan Rooney initially second-guessed his hiring of Gailey to run the team's offense because he worried his new coordinator would pass the ball too much.

Just one season later, though, when Gailey's offense finished sixth in the league, seventh in scoring, and helped the Steelers to the AFC championship, Rooney must have been relieved that he didn't change his mind.

But the question remains: Which version of Gailey will the Chiefs be getting? The creative offensive coordinator or the conservative head coach? It's possible that the coach credited for his unpredictability no longer exists, that the job of head coach taught him lessons about not gambling and putting his defense in a tough spot. Or it could be that the pressures of head coaching jobs, which include being responsible for the entire team, made him go into a shell rather than take the risks he would have preferred.

Whatever the case may be, Gailey has his work cut out for him in fixing Kansas City's offense. If his offensive innovation is what led to his past success, the Chiefs—and Edwards in particular—would be best served by doing everything they can to bring it out of him.