Re: Herm Edwards has 'Dreadful' Opener <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Herm has dreadful openerBy JASON WHITLOCKThe Kansas City StarLet the record show that Chiefs fans booed coach Herm Edwards on Kansas City’s second offensive possession of the 2006 season.On third and 5 at the Cincinnati 11, Edwards’ offensive unit slammed running back Larry Johnson into the heart of the Bengals’ defense for the <u>fifth straight time.</u> Bengals middle linebacker Brian Simmons stoned Johnson at the line of scrimmage, forcing the Chiefs to settle for a field goal.A massive flock of boo birds took flight inside Arrowhead Stadium, spelling out just how short Edwards’ honeymoon period will be in Kansas City.Edwards didn’t even get to unpack his bags.The conservative, play-for-three-points reputation he built in New York has Chiefs fans ready to pounce. The punchless offensive attack that contributed to the Chiefs’ disappointing 23-10 loss to the Bengals will certainly have Kansas City football fans openly questioning Edwards’ competence.We haven’t seen a debut this bad since the maker of the Titanic shouted, “full steam ahead.”Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers might go down as the iceberg that sank the 2006 Chiefs. His illegal-but-unpenalized, third-quarter hit on Trent Green could ruin Kansas City’s football season.But they don’t make movies about icebergs. Hollywood loves to tell the stories behind the stories. And Edwards was the story on Sunday — not Green’s concussion or whether Geathers was pushed into his flying collision with a hook-sliding Green.For a day, at least, Edwards stripped KC’s offense of the attacking nature that made the unit celebrated, decorated and overcompensated for five years under Dick Vermeil. <u>The Chiefs scored 10 points against one of the league’s mediocre defenses.</u>You could see the poor performance coming when the Chiefs turned ultraconservative in the red zone on their second possession. The third-and-5 call foreshadowed a miserable day.“Missed communication on the call,” Edwards said when I asked about the play call. “I’ll leave it at that.”So I asked Tony Gonzalez what the “missed communication” was.“Mike Solari came in at halftime and said he messed up,” Gonzalez said. <u>“He thought it was third and 2.”Another member of the Chiefs said Solari thought it was second down.</u>Wow. Solari, Kansas City’s first-year, first-time offensive coordinator, thought the Chiefs needed just 2 yards or he thought it was second down. Was anybody else confused? I wasn’t.That’s really bad coaching. And it reflects poorly on Edwards. He’s known as a bad game manager, a poor clock manager. He needed to call a timeout in that situation. Edwards needs to create an environment in which his veteran QB feels comfortable enough to call a timeout when a play call that bad gets signaled into his helmet.Solari’s mistake wasn’t the lone Kansas City coaching error.Gunther Cunningham’s defensive unit looked terrific until Cincy flipped to a no-huddle offense. Using a variety of disguised coverages and exotic blitzes, the Chiefs shut out the Bengals in the first quarter. Quarterback Carson Palmer and receiver Chad Johnson were out of rhythm. In the first quarter, Palmer shouted at Johnson for not making the proper route adjustment to man coverage.In the second quarter, the Bengals switched to their no-huddle offense. KC’s defense turned vanilla — a lot more Cover 2 and a lot more predictable. By changing the pace of their offense, the Bengals dictated KC’s scheme and personnel and forced the Chiefs’ defensive linemen to start sucking air.Cincinnati scored 17 points in the second quarter and took control of the game. You have to tip your hat to Marvin Lewis and his coaching staff. They miraculously managed to keep track of down and distance and use a little imagination.You could argue that Chiefs fans booed for the wrong reason. You could also argue that they were right for booing.</div>http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15488713.htm
