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How Much Does Chan Gailey Remember About The Kansas City Chiefs?

The Bills are coming to town and that means former Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, now the coach of the Bills, is coming to town.

Shanahan: I couldn't handle the pressure in the AFC West. I love the NFC East. Such high expectations and no one expects you to really follow through on it! (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Shanahan: I couldn't handle the pressure in the AFC West. I love the NFC East. Such high expectations and no one expects you to really follow through on it! (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey will come into Kansas City with some familiarity of the Chiefs as he worked here in 2008 and the offseason heading into 2009 before being "relieved of his duties" in Kansas City just a couple weeks before the start of the 2009 season.

Gailey says his return won't be about exacting revenge on Haley or the Chiefs. He says the fact that he was replaced upon Haley's hire isn't unusual. What is unusual, he says, is the timing of the decision -- just a couple of weeks before the season. That doesn't make sense from a competitive standpoint and it doesn't make sense for Gailey, who couldn't have a job in 2009.

Gailey was the OC and Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has already installed his own offensive system and the same change goes for the defense so Gailey doesn't really have any "inside information" on the Chiefs. Haley says there's too much change to get too wrapped up in that.

So much changes on a year-to-year basis but even on a week-to-week basis and teams are adjusting and figuring out what their guys do best and how they do things and what works best for them. I think a great deal of that is overrated.

There aren't many Chiefs that spent a lot of time with Gailey. Jamaal Charles was there. Dwayne Bowe, too. Only a few of the offensive linemen. Other than that...the offense has changed. Most importantly Gailey doesn't know the quarterback that well. The Chiefs traded for Matt Cassel basically on March 1 and Gailey was out the door five months later so they didn't spend an entire season together.

He should remember a little more about the defense. The Chiefs haven't changed much there since his arrival. Other than the Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis additions, he should remember the defense. Unfortunately (for the Bills) it's a new defense and a new coordinator since Gailey was last there.

Haley says teams, like the Bills, do a better job of protecting themselves by changing things on offense when it comes to what's on tape.

"People self-scout, they do a great deal of self-scouting on a quarterly basis, week-to-week basis, whatever everybody decides to do and the reason for the self-scout is for that, to make sure that there is no major tendency. The Bills obviously do a bunch of that and you see enough change, especially as they find out what kind of team they’re going to be."

The Chiefs have put their players in pretty good positions this year so I imagine the Chiefs coaching staff watches their fair share of film and is able to draw all kinds of things from it. If anything this year's Chiefs team seems more prepared, likely because of reasons just like that.