By PFW staff
Jan. 2, 2008

After a forgettable offensive showing that saw the Chiefs finish 31st in both yards gained and points scored, head coach Herm Edwards decided to clean house on Tuesday, firing four assistant coaches from that side of the ball, including offensive coordinator Mike Solari. The others left looking for work are OL coach John Matsko, WR coach Charlie Joiner and RB coach James Saxon.

Solari, Joiner and Saxon were the last three remaining members of former head coach Dick Vermeil’s offensive staff. The only remaining assistants on offense, Jon Embree (tight ends) and Dick Curl (quarterbacks), were hired two years ago when Edwards was hired.

“Herm did what he had to do,” said Solari, who was promoted from his post as OL coach in 2006. “We just didn’t get it done offensively. It just didn’t work out.”

The Chiefs’ 226 points scored were the fewest for a 16-game schedule in franchise history. Kansas City also allowed 55 sacks, the second-most in club history, and rushed for a league-low 1,248 yards. Only in the 1982 strike-shortened season did the Chiefs have less success running the football. Add in the fact the club finished the 2007 season on a nine-game losing streak, and it’s clear why changes were deemed necessary.

The PFW spin

Memories of Vermeil and Al Saunders guiding a balanced and wide-open attack seem like a distant memory for Chiefs fans, who had to endure the last two seasons of ineptitude on offense.

The moves hardly came as a surprise, although Saxon had seen plenty of success with RBs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson up until this season, when a porous offensive line really brought the offense down.

As far as potential replacements for Solari, the name of Buccaneers QB coach Paul Hackett is first out of a lot of people’s mouths. Hackett has served as offensive coordinator with the Chiefs (1993-97) and for the Jets (2001-04) when Edwards was head coach there, sandwiched around a head-coaching job at USC.

Another name that is being mentioned among sources is that of Mike Shula, who was the head coach at Alabama when Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle was there and currently serves as the Jaguars’ QB coach.

Brian Billick is also looking for work after getting canned by the Ravens. Billick rose to NFL prominence while serving as offensive coordinator of an explosive Vikings team from 1992-98, but his offenses generally underachieved in Baltimore.