FEATURE STORIES

July 26, 2006

Class in Session with the New Assistant Coaches

By Kat Krtnick
UW-RF Public Affairs

At the Kansas City Chiefs’ School of Football it is definitely time for a change. Herm Edwards recently took over as the new superintendent and was determined to find the most knowledgeable teachers and distinguished mentors for his students. Resumes were received, reviewed and interviews were conducted. Educators were selected based on their credentials and their willingness to coalesce with Edwards’ lesson plans.

Here’s a brief list of the teachers who were selected and their assignments for the year.

Mike Solari-- Though Mike Solari has been a mainstay for the offensive line for the past nine years, he has finally graduated to the offensive coordinator position, serving as Edwards’ ‘principal’ understudy. Former teammates at San Diego State, Edwards and Solari already know they can work comfortably together. Solari brings 18 years of experience coaching in the NFL. Prior to Kansas City, he had stints with the Dallas Cowboys, the Phoenix Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as with many colleges and the U.S. International Team.

Year after year Solari has been avowed with formulating and executing some of the NFL’s most ingenious blocking schemes. With this trademark of synthesizing new theories and maintaining extraordinary consistency, he will utilize the same basic offensive axioms that have made the Chiefs offense so dynamic. Diligence and talent of this stature could not be overlooked by Edwards: “I just think you give people the opportunity and you’d be surprised what can happen. He was ready for it; he has been a very, very good coach in this league and it’s his turn.”

Some fans and critics have questioned the potency of the offense for the upcoming season with this coaching change, but Solari assures that the offense will be just as lethal as in years past: “I don’t believe you will see a difference in the offense because we are going to do what we do best.”
 
John Matsko-- Replacing Solari as the offensive line coach is Ohio native John Matsko. Matsko practiced very similar offensive philosophies while coaching for the St. Louis Rams during the last seven seasons, so his predilections should fluently transition him into the Chiefs’ strategies and nomenclature. In St. Louis he guided the blocking unit for a very honored and copious offense, but now he will have a chance to mentor one of the most successful offensive lines in NFL history.   

Jon Embree-- Another addition to the offensive staff is Jon Embree, tight ends coach. Embree is in his inaugural season as an NFL coach, but brings tremendous coaching capability and intensity to his position. At UCLA during the past three seasons, he coached tight end Marcedes Lewis who was honored with the 2005 Mackey Award. Prior to UCLA, Embree spent 10 years at his alma mater Colorado at a variety of positions where he tutored many future NFL notables. Superstar Tony Gonzalez, along with Jason Dunn and Kris Wilson will be the focus of his energies this season.  

Dick Curl-- Veteran coach and scout Dick Curl returns to the Chiefs this season as assistant to the head coach/offense where he will work in concordance with Solari to help implement passing game tactics. He functioned as the team’s pro personnel assistant from 2000-02 before leaving to work with Edwards and the Jets. Curl’s experiences come from 30 years of coaching at all levels. Commencing his career as head coach at a high school in 1962, he moved up the ranks to Rutgers, Virginia and Boston College and then became offensive coordinator and head coach of two NFLEL teams, the Barcelona Dragons and the Frankfurt Galaxy.

Michael Ketchum-- With the constant upgrade and enhancement of technology and computers, the Chiefs need an intellect to utilize all these state-of-the-art operating systems to track opponents, calculate statistical tendencies and to fashion efficient diagrams for the offensive playbook. Michael Ketchum, a first-year NFL coach, assumes this crucial role for the Chiefs this season as the offensive assistant/quality control manager. Previous experience with Iowa, Vanderbilt and Cumberland adeptly primed Ketchum for this specialized mission.

Offensive Staff Returnees-- Anchoring the offense with their knowledge of the Chiefs’ systems and personnel are returning wide receiver coach Charlie Joiner, running back trainer James Saxon and quarterback mentor Terry Shea. 

Defensive Staff Returnees-- To function properly, Edwards’ invigorating defensive disposition mandates a balance of time-honored coaching, fire and fresh blood.  Thus, Gunther Cunningham will remain as the defensive coordinator and Darvin Wallis will continue as the defensive assistant/quality control coach, but otherwise a new batch of erudite coaches have been instituted to help augment the team’s defensive drive and attitude.

Don Blackmon-- Don Blackmon, linebacker coach, retains 17 years of NFL coaching experience and a list of accolades as a collegiate and NFL player. Preceding his stint with the Chiefs, Blackmon spent three seasons with Buffalo as the linebacker coach training standouts Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher. Also, he coached for five seasons with Atlanta (four as a linebacker coach and one as the defensive coordinator), four seasons with the Giants and worked with the Cleveland Browns and New England. A player product of the New England Patriots, Blackmon played in 89 games and recorded 541 tackles in his seven-year career.

David Gibbs-- Defensive back coach David Gibbs enters his fifth season as a NFL coach and is well-prepared to revive the defensive component of Chiefs’ football. Last season he served as Auburn’s defensive coordinator/secondary coach, but is no foreigner to the AFC West. A former Denver Broncos defensive backs coach for four seasons, Gibbs is well aware of the competitiveness and rivalry between teams in the division. Before embarking on his NFL coaching journey, he was integral to the defensive metamorphosis at the University of Minnesota, becoming the youngest defensive coordinator in NCAA DI-A. The Gophers were ranked last in defense in the Big Ten before Gibbs revamped the system, helping the Gophers finish fourth.

Tim Krumrie-- Wisconsin is not only the stomping grounds of the Chiefs’ Summer Training Camp, but is home to defensive line coach Tim Krumrie. Krumrie grew up on a dairy farm in Mondovi, Wis., and attended the University of Wisconsin where he was a three-time All-Big Ten defensive tackle for the Badgers. Drafted by the Bengals in 1983, he enjoyed a 12-year career in the program compiling 1,017 tackles, 34.5 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, 11 forced fumbles and 10 passes defensed. He was a two-time Pro Bowler who appeared in 193 career games and was part of the Bengals Super Bowl XXIII squad. Following his playing career, Krumrie went on to be the defensive line coach and defensive assistant for eight seasons for the Bengals, working for legendary defensive prodigy Dick LeBeau. Prior to joining the Chiefs’ staff, he also spent three years as defensive line coach of the Buffalo Bills.

Krumrie’s fiery personality motivates his players with hands-on concepts and with character-building, high-intensity drills. This will be his 12th year coaching in the NFL. Summer Training Camp will be a homecoming of sorts for this Hall-of-Famer.

Mike Priefer-- Another novel accrual for the Chiefs’ staff is special teams coach Mike Priefer. A Naval Academy graduate and helicopter pilot, Priefer knows what it takes to thrive on pressure and realizes the importance of quick decision-making-- especially in producing an efficacious special teams force.

The past three seasons he served as the assistant special teams coach with the N.Y. Giants and then held the same position for Jacksonville in 2002. Beforehand, he coached the defensive tackles and special teams at Northern Illinois, the inside linebackers and special teams at Virginia Military Institute and the tackles, tight ends, and special teams at Youngstown State.

In an online interview for Kansas City Chiefs.com, he revealed his anticipation of this upcoming season: “We have good special teams guys with good attitudes, and I’m excited about the opportunity to coach them.”
 
With a staff of this caliber hired and in place, Edwards’ Kansas City Chiefs School of Football starts class on July 27 in River Falls.