With Herm Edwards at the Helm, the Kansas City Chiefs Won't Win

Herman Edwards once said in a news conference that, “We play to win the game.” Maybe it’s time Herm started listening to his own advice.

Besides the fact that the Chiefs' overall scheme and play calling is conservative and predictable, my main problem is with the way he deals with his quarterback situation.

Herman Edwards has made some questionable quarterback decisions in his time as the Chiefs' head coach. In 2006, After Trent Green was knocked out with a concussion in the Chiefs' first game, the team went 5-3 with Damon Huard as the starting quarterback. 

That season, Huard had a quarterback rating of 98.0 (second in the NFL) with 11 touchdowns and one interception in 10 games.

However, when Green came back from his concussion, Herman Edwards decided to put Huard back on the bench. Green went 4-4 in his eight starts and had a mediocre quarterback rating of 74.1.

It was obvious who the better QB was to the public, but Herman Edwards apparently thought he knew better. The Chief’s magically made the playoffs at 9-7, and Trent Green and the Chiefs played the Colts in the first round

Trent Green had a quarterback rating of 48.4 in that game, as the Chiefs lost 23-8. Green played poorly and everybody, including the commentators, thought Herman Edwards should have put Huard in at halftime.

However, he stubbornly didn’t. After that season, I knew the Chiefs were always going to be in trouble as long as Herm was the coach.

Besides the fact that he doesn't have an eye for talent, he won’t bench a starter and go against his initial decision. He obviously doesn’t care about actually winning, like he says he does, and he only cares about being loyal and right.

Herm has something against Huard. Maybe he just refuses to believe a career backup like Huard, who doesn’t have a laser rocket arm, could actually be a good quarterback.

The next preseason, Huard had to battle Brody Croyle for the starting job. It was clear that the Chiefs were rooting for Brodie Croyle to be the starter since he was already anointed the quarterback of the future by Edwards.

However, the only reason Huard was named starter was because Croyle had such a bad preseason that the job was given to him by default.  

From the very beginning of the season, it was well known that Huard was on a tight leash, and if he had a horrible game, the Chiefs were going to put Croyle in.

After the Chiefs went 4-5, Edwards benched Huard in favor of Croyle. Although Huard statistically did not have that great of a year, statistics don’t tell the whole story.

Besides the fact that the Chiefs play calling was predictable, the Chiefs had a terrible offensive line last year and a non-existent running game.

The Chiefs led the league in sacks allowed (55), and their two main running backs both averaged 3.6 YPC. Even though last year Croyle had a 69.9 quarterback rating and Huard had a rating of 76.8, I’m not going to use that as my main argument for why Herm shouldn’t have benched Huard for Croyle.

My main argument is that when Huard was benched for Croyle, the Chiefs had a record of 4-5. A quarterback shouldn’t be benched for leading a team that had virtually no offensive line, to a 4-5 record.

After Croyle became the starting quarterback, the Chiefs would go on to win zero games. Although there was a good chance the Chiefs wouldn’t have made the playoffs last year after Huard led them to a 4-5 record, there was still a chance.

Herm basically gave up on the season by putting Croyle in. Last year’s quarterback situation is very similar to Ken Whisenhunt's, the coach of the Cardinals, situation this year.

Whisenhunt anointed Leinart as the quarterback of the future and gave him every possible chance to beat Warner out this preseason. However, just like in 2007 with the Chiefs, the job was given to the veteran, by default, because of the supposed “quarterback of the future's” bad play.

Now, it’s obvious the Cardinals have a better chance of winning with Warner, just as obvious as it is that the Chiefs have a better chance of winning with Huard.

From what I’ve heard Whisenhunt say, it seems as though Warner is going to be on a tight leash this season, just like Huard was last year.

If Warner leads the team to a 4-5 record like Huard last year, Whisenhunt better not give up on the season and put Leinart in. If he does, then next year he’ll be in the same hot seat Herman Edwards is in right now.

Edwards seems to think that Croyle’s going to be the next great quarterback. However, from watching Croyle play, it’s pretty obvious to me that he isn’t going to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.

Besides the fact that he is fragile and injury prone, he just doesn’t seem as though he has the game smarts or will to win. What upsets me is that I feel as though people give him a free pass because he’s young.

This is his third year in the NFL. He’s not rookie who is still mentally adapting to being in the NFL anymore. This year is Aaron Rodgers' fourth year, and he has one start under his belt, compared to Croyle’s eight.

However, unlike Croyle, Rodgers' 2008 opening-day debut went very well. If Rodgers doesn’t play well and win games, he's not going to be getting a free pass by the Green Bay Packers' fans; so the Chief’s fans shouldn’t give Croyle one either.

This past preseason, Herm Edwards hasn’t show Huard respect at all. He didn’t get many reps in practice and was put behind second-year player Tyler Thigpen on the depth chart.

Some news reports said that Huard might have been released before the season if Thigpen didn’t play so poorly in the last preseason game. 

When the Chiefs opened up their season this past Sunday against the Patriots, Croyle’s offense looked sluggish, as the team only scored three points in almost three quarters. Croyle ended up leaving the game with a separated shoulder in the third quarter.

After Croyle’s injury, Edwards made his one smart decision of the day by putting Huard in the game. On Huard’s first drive, the Chief’s offense looked in rhythm, as he threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe.

From the moment Huard came in the game, it was noticeable how much better the offense looked. With the Chiefs down by seven with a 1:09 remaining in the game, Huard would find Devan Darling for a 68-yard reception to the five-yard line.

Huard and the Chiefs would have four tries to tie the game up. However, Dwayne Bowe would drop an open catch on first down, and the game ended when Huard's fourth-down pass to Bowe was incomplete.

If not for Dwayne Bowe, Huard would have tied the game up. The Chiefs are obviously a better team with Huard as the quarterback. If the Chiefs want to compete at all this year, Huard needs to stay as the starter. With Croyle out for a few weeks, Huard will be the starter this week against Oakland.

However, news reports are claiming that Edwards is hinting at a two quarterback system with Huard and Tyler Thigpen playing. When talking about Thigpen Edwards said, "He'll get to play. Whether he starts, we'll determine that," Edwards said. "But he is going to play. You don't have to worry about that."

If Edwards uses a two quarterback system with an inexperienced player such as Thigpen, he is once again giving up on the season. From these latest reports, I have no reason but to think that Edwards just doesn't believe in Huard at all.

When asked after the game whether Huard gave the team a better chance to win, Head Coach Herm Edwards said, "I don't know that. We lost the game with Damon playing half the game. We have to score more points, I know that. We have to have the ability to score points and get some drives going."

Well Herm, actually Huard only played around one quarter and three minutes. What scares me about Edwards is that even if he lets Huard play and he wins games, he will still put his “quarterback of the future” back as the starter.

Herman Edwards, a disciple of Marty Schottenheimer, has the same, “He’s our quarterback of the future,” mindset that Marty had.

I remember when Marty Schottenheimer benched Rich Gannon for a divisional playoff game in 1997, even though he had just gone 6-1 as the Chiefs' starter.

The Chiefs were on a roll, and Gannon had already beaten the Broncos in the regular season. However, Schottenheimer decided that Elvis Grbac was the quarterback of the future and played him against the Broncos.

Well, the Chiefs lost that game 14-10 and the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl. I think we all know how Gannon’s career turned out.

After that loss, Schottenheimer only coached two more seasons for the Chiefs, and Grbac only played three more for the Chiefs (five in the NFL), leading them to the playoffs zero times.  

Herm, just like Schottenheimer is always thinking about the future. The problem is that coaches nowadays in the NFL don’t have the luxury of playing for the future.

If Schottenheimer had started Rich Gannon, the Chiefs may have won a Super Bowl, and who knows how Schottenheimer’s career might have turned out.

However, at least Schottenheimer was a consistent winner in the regular season. If Edwards doesn’t have a good season this year, there is a very good chance he won’t be a coach next year.

Herm had better realize that Huard is a better quarterback than Croyle and Thigpen, because unlike Schottenheimer, he probably won’t get another chance as a head coach.