The One Trick Pony (Larry Fitz on Coach Haley)
 

The One Trick Pony

By Josh Looney

Posted 1 hour ago


Larry Fitzgerald credits Todd Haley for helping him become a complete player

Over the course of his 22 months as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Haley has often crowned Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald “the best in the NFL.” It’s the ultimate compliment from a man who is openly critical of wide receivers.

Haley coached Fitzgerald for two seasons (2007-08) in Arizona and saw the wide receiver tally nearly 200 receptions, gain just under 3,000 yards and notch 22 TDs. Fitzgerald would also earn back-to-back Pro Bowl invitations under Haley, but the future Chiefs coach wasn’t always complimentary of the All-Pro receiver.

“(Haley) used to call me a one trick pony,” Fitzgerald said. “He would just play those little tricks with me every day. He’d say, ‘If you wanted to be a regular player in this league, that’s fine and you’ll be that. But if you want to be great, this is what you are going to have to do. You are going to have to buy into it every day, study film and do all the things that the Jerry Rice’s and the guys like that were doing.’ He motivated me every day.

Haley’s prods and challenges never wore thin on Fitzgerald. In fact, the All-Pro receiver credits Haley’s coaching tactics as a major factor in helping him reach elite status at his position. Fitzgerald was always a talented player, but he says that it took a coach like Haley to turn that talent into a complete package.

“I was a good player when he got here in 2007, but I was far from a complete player,” Fitzgerald said. “I never watched film. I didn’t study my opponent. I mean, (Haley) started at 8:00 AM and I was getting the building at 7:55 AM. When we got done at 3:00 PM, I was out of the building at 3:05 PM. I was just coming to work and doing my job, but that’s about it.

“Todd made me understand that to be a leader to your teammates, to get them to respect you and to be a great player you have to do more,” Fitzgerald continued. “You have to do the extra. I’ve taken that to heart. Even since he’s left I’ve continued to do the things that he taught me.”

Fitzgerald was a guy that needed to be called names. He says that he needed to be pushed harder. He needed a coach like Haley to bring out the best in him.

Some will say that Haley’s coaching style isn’t for everyone. He’s an intense coach and he’s had his fair share of pushback throughout his coaching career. Haley had a very public conflict with Terrell Owens in Dallas, there were words with Anquan Boldin during Arizona’s game-winning drive during the 2008 NFC Championship and, of course, there was last week’s post-game interaction with Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels.

Fitzgerald agrees that Haley is a fiery coach, but he also makes sure to note that there is much more to Haley’s approach than the run-ins highlighted by the media.

“You see the clips like last week of him getting into a confrontation with Josh McDaniels and, over the years, having arguments with players on the sideline,” Fitzgerald said. “But at his core, Haley is an X and O guy that is a very intelligent, cerebral coach. He knows how to push his players, especially his wide receivers.

“He really did so much to help me when I was a young guy,” Fitzgerald continued. “I was a guy that just ran go’s. I would just go and catch deep footballs, pretty much. I couldn’t run routes intermediately. I couldn’t do anything besides run go’s and he was like, ‘You have a gift from God to be able to do that, but to be great you have to do a lot more. Defenses can take you away when you’re just doing one thing. When you’re a complete receiver, there is a lot more to scheme for and to take away.’”

During their time together in Arizona, Haley and Fitzgerald never had any confrontation. Fitzgerald embraced Haley’s message and took his challenges to heart.

“Me personally, I’ve never had a bad moment with Todd,” Fitzgerald said. “He told me what to do. He was my coach and I listened to him. If he told me that I needed to run faster, I tried to run fast. If he told me that I needed to lose weight, I lost weight. I did everything he asked me to do, because he told me that if I did it I could be special. So I bought into it and did everything that he told me to do.”

Witnessing Fitzgerald blossom in the desert no doubt was a factor in Haley riding Kansas City’s crop of wide receivers a little harder last season. Haley’s track record of working with receivers goes much further than the success of Fitzgerald.

In each stop of his coaching career, Haley has gotten results. It’s why Haley has earned a reputation around the league for getting maximum productivity out of his receivers. Marty Booker, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson (twice), Terrell Owens, Anquan Boldin and Fitzgerald all reached personal milestones while playing under Haley.

“He is able to motivate,” Fitzgerald said. “My personality is different than Dwayne Bowe’s personality and Bowe’s personality is different than Brandon Flowers’ personality. Flowers is different from Mike Vrabel. I think that what a coach has to be able to do is know that you can’t coach each person the same way. You might have the same assignment, but you might have to yell at this guy and maybe not the other guy. I think Todd does a fantastic job of knowing what motivates each man.

“A lot of guys are motivated by different things: money, greatness, the fear of failure. I think that he understands what makes each guy tick on his team and he knows how to push their buttons.”

A path to greatness is what motivated Fitzgerald. He just needed some tough love to get it out of him.

“For me, I wanted to be great, but I didn’t want to pay the price for it when I was young,” Fitzgerald admitted. “Haley told me, ‘Fitz, you’re only going to be a mediocre guy. You might be a 10-year vet, but in five years nobody is going to remember your name.’ That stuck with me. I didn’t want to be that guy.”

He’s not that guy and, because of it, Haley isn’t just another assistant coach. The two have moved up their respective career ladders largely in part to one another. They almost reached the top together, but fell just a few plays short in Super Bowl XLIII.

Maybe the day will come where the two push towards the same goal, together, once again. But for now, Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Haley are simply connections of the past that share great memories with one another.

“I would love to go play for Coach Haley,” Fitzgerald said. “I will go play for him in Canada or if he was coaching high school. I would go and do whatever Coach Haley asked me to do, because that is just the respect and admiration I have for him. But I’m in contract in Arizona and have a job to do here. Until something changes that’s where I want be and that’s where my heart is.”

It’s not likely that a reunion will occur. Of course, much crazier things have happened in the NFL. Until that day does or doesn’t come, both Haley and Fitzgerald will pull for one another.

“There’s no question that I root for Todd every week,” Fitzgerald said.

That’s every week except this week, of course.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article...2-6e3e6a38df65

I'm not sure I understand the point of this... 1) He's under contract for the Cardinals for 1 more year. So he isnt a FA until after the 2011 season. 2) The Cardinals arent going to just let him become a FA. They are either going to sign him to an extension or if he wont do that they will trade him. If they trade him Fitz has no choice in the matter and the Chiefs wont be the only team wanting to land him as their #1 WR.

We need to bring that bastard here next year.

Well they won't be able to use the franchise tag based on the language of the contract - if there is even a franchise tag written into the new CBA.

he's the Cards last best player on there. They should expend him and get the most out of him if they want to improve their team down the road. It'll be hard to swallow what that value will be.

It's great to dream, but I bet Arizona will do everything in their power to keep him. WR's like Fitz aren't a dime a dozen. He's basically a franchise player.

I'd give a 1st for him right now.

1st and a 3rd.

Fitz+Bowe+McCluster+Charles+Jones+Moeaki

/drool.

I know, I know...."BUT WHAT ABOUT MATT CASSEL???"

'Lack of a 16-0 team and greatest coach eva hurting Cassel' ^^^ that's a start.


But seriously, tire iron to his knee, and bring in literally anyone else. A hungry JaMarcus... would probably try and eat Waters, NM.But he could throw it deep to Fitz, that's for sure.

"He told me what to do. He was my coach and I listened to him. If he told me that I needed to run faster, I tried to run fast. If he told me that I needed to lose weight, I lost weight. I did everything he asked me to do, because he told me that if I did it I could be special. So I bought into it and did everything that he told me to do.”

So could Haley please tell him this weekend to just stay in KC and sign a contract w/ the chiefs

we need to save our first so we can upgrade the d-line next year.

http://twitter.com/#!/Casseld
****ED

I think the point was it's an article about the coach of the team this board is modeled after and an article referring to a player on said teams next opponent.
But if you'd prefer, there's threads that have funny pictures of poop around here somewhere.
Posted via Mobile Device

No, what you need to do is find a competent starting Quarterback first.

And even if the Quueefs get Fitzgerald, which is highly unlikely considering your owner is cheap as shit, he won't be any threat to the Raiders.

Nnamdi owns Fitz.

You need to find a competent starting QB as well. This division is SD's until the convicts and Chiefs do that. The Donkeys need to get a running game and upgrade severely on D.

I thought I heard somewhere that he has the option to back out of his contract after this season if he's not happy with the direction the Cards are moving in. If that's the case and the Chiefs have a legit shot at getting him, then I just wet myself.

Unlike the Chiefs, the Raiders are talented enough to compete with the Chargers even without a franchise caliber Quarterback.

The Chiefs? Not so much.

So is this possible. What draft picks do we give for him

wow just go away, your a dumbass

Everything I have said on this website has proven to be true.

So, no, I am not a dumbass. I am actually quite smart, and I enjoy schooling you Chief fans.

Enjoy watching your boys get their shit pushed in Pittsburgh.

You're a ****ing troll. Go lick the smegma off your daddys junk.

Sorry, nevermind. Saw that he definitely won't be void until after 2011.

But the logic is that if the Cards don't feel confident they can sign Fitzgerald after 2011, they might want to consider moving him. Unfortunately, I think that this is a move you probably make midway through 2011, rather than before it.

Well at least the Raiders will be playing a meaningful game this weekend. Win or lose, we're still better than the Chiefs as we proved two weeks ago.

The Chiefs and the Cardinals is a battle between two third place teams. Enjoy that, while I'm watching my Raiders fight for playoff seeds.

3rd? Practice math, much?

Don't kid yourself, inbred.

The Chiefs won't be finishing ahead of the Raiders or Chargers in the AFC West.

Hell, you might still finish last. Denver is clearly better than you as they proved last week.

Raiders will be lucky to finish 8-8.

Lol, keep telling yourself that.

Raiders are the hottest team in the NFL. Top ten in offense, defense and we make big plays on special teams.

We are a serious super bowl contender, whether you want to admit it or not.

ROFL

You do know that we already beat the Chargers, right?

You are sooo smart.

improving team? yes, super bowl contenders? you lost me there buddy. lol

That's ridiculous.

KnowMo has a brother in Oakland!!!

Please.

That was the most flukiest win ever. First game of the season and the Chargers usually start off slow, on the road at a renovated arrowhead Stadium, late starting time.

I picked the Quuefs to win that game. And it took amazing special teams play to win the game. Your QB passed for under 70 yards and you still won the game. That should tell you how much of a fluke that game was.

You play the Chargers today, and you get smashed. You know this, though.

We are going to piss pound you into 2011 the next time we play.

You play the Steelers on Sunday. You get smashed. I'm sure you don't want to know that.

What does late starting time have to do with it? You do realize that there such things as different time zones.....right?

9 pm in KC was actually 7 pm in San Diego.

THE CHARGERS WERE TIRED AND HAD JET LAG!1!1!!!!!!!

ROFL

Sorry, but our last game was the best chance you had to beat the Raiders this season.

We were missing several key players, we sucked on offense for the entire first half, piled up penalty after penalty, the refs screwed us on several calls and yet you still couldn't beat us.

I have no doubt the Raiders will go into Arrowhead and take care of business. That is if our starters are even allowed to play in that game. We could very well have a bye week secured by that point.

HMOG

Justify that fluke win all you want to, but you know as well as I know that if the Chargers and Chiefs played today, the Chiefs would get smashed.

Phillip Rivers would skull**** your entire secondary to pieces.

The Raiders are the only team in the AFC West that can stop them. You guys should be cheering for us.

Are you serious, fool? A Super Bowl contender? Watch the outcome of the Steelers game this weekend...that will show what the Raiders are made of!

I wouldn't talk too much trash about beating the Chiefs. If you watched the game, the Raiders really should not have won the game. We are at least smart enough to know that we are not championship caliber, something you obviously have not figured out yet. Go waste your time with the other dilusional Raider fans!

Isnt this how you beat SD?

The Raiders match up perfectly with the Steelers. You saw how our dline handled your offensive line, which was supposedly one of "the best olines in the league" or at least that was what Quuefs fans were telling me before the game.

Roethlisberger will be running for his life. We will make him feel like he is at a Women's right convention. That's how unconformable Big Ben will be in the pocket on Sunday.

Yeah, you're right. It's not really a win I can brag about, considering the Chiefs are garbage. I mean, really? 49 points to the Donks? Lmao!



The Raiders really shouldn't have won that game due to all our injuries we had, but yet we still found a way to win. That's what Championship teams do. Find ways to win. Losing teams like the Chiefs find ways to lose.

Sorry, dude. You are going to get your asses kicked, badly.

Dude, your freaking crazy. I have two good friends that are die hard Raider fans and they know they are making progress but no contenda. If you want to think that, more power to ya my friend. Not gonna waste my time debating something so obvious. Super Bowl contender...you must be a very young man who has never seen a Raider season where they didn't have double digit loses. A .500 record and all of a sudden you see Championship! ROFL

There are no elite teams this year. Anybody who can get into the playoffs is a legitimate super bowl contender, especially if you get home games in the playoffs.

Remember, the Raiders are one missed chip shot FG away from having the second best record in the NFL.

We are a good team.

funny how the Raiders have like 9 years in a row of double digit losses and now that they have 5 wins, they are all "championship"

haha

Bowe catchs that last pass or Flowers knocks down a pass instead of trying to intercept it and the Raiders lose again, for the 9th time in a row at home.

Yet this dumpster diver/liquor store robber comes here talking as if his team owned us or something and as if his team is the only one in the NFL that has beaten the Chargers.

go **** a chicken

You guys are a decent team, as we are. But the AFC and NFC West is not gonna produce any Super Bowl contenders. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the Ravens, Jets, Patriots, Colts are all better teams. I hate to say it, but I feel the Chargers will emerge again. Too bad we are not in the NFC, seems a lot weaker to me!

All we need now, on this board, is a blind homer Chargers fan and we have all our divisional opponents covered.

Actually it was 7 seasons of double digit losses. Wanna guess where we were before the losses started piling up? The Superbowl.

Wanna know the last time the Chiefs were in the Superbowl? Ask Moses. I think his dad may know. That's how long it's been.

Bowe didn't have what it took to catch that last pass. He is incapable of making a tough, clutch, game sealing catch like that. You have a bunch of players on your team that have the unclutch mentality to them, it's why you will never finish ahead of the Raiders because we have the opposite type of players.

Oh, and Brandon Flowers got the ball RIPPED away from him. He didn't have the opportunity to bat it down or intercept it, it was ripped away from him like a bitch.

ROFL The raiders win vs the Chargers was legit, kid. Yours wasn't, it was a fluke. Anybody who watched the game could see the Chiefs were the inferior team playing over their heads that needed fluke special teams plays to win.

This whole post is so dumb that I cant believe a human typed it...hold on, I forgot, Raider fan.

carry on, KnowMos brother.

p.s. I think its funny that you took the time to capitalize Chargers and Chiefs, but out of two mentions, you only capitalized raiders once.

go get some beak

In other words, you waved the white flag because you couldn't prove what I said to be wrong.

:clap: At least you know where to take your L's!:loser:

Dude, seriously. How old are you?

haha

you are funny...dumb as hell, but funny. Even if you arent trying to be.

1) you made sure to correct me in that your team ONLY had 7 years in a row of DOUBLE DIGIT LOSSES ...you really showed me on that one...

2) "You will never finish ahead of the Raiders because..." who cares to try and dispute a opinion with another opinion? Definition of waste of time.

3) Bowe does have that problem so far. No doubt, NOTHING your team did made that play though, we beat ourselves... but he is also the NFL leader in TD receptions. So he also has that going for him, so yeah...

4) Flowers got the damn ball "ripped from him" because he tried to intercept it...if he decided to knock it down, there was no chance for anyone else to catch it. Again, we beat ourselves.


5) The Chargers outgained your team 506 yards to 279 in total offense, you dumb****. They lost 3 fumbles. 2 blocked punts, both for scores.

That is the definition of a FLUKE VICTORY.

Idiot

“I would love to go play for Coach Haley,” Fitzgerald said. “I will go play for him in Canada or if he was coaching high school. I would go and do whatever Coach Haley asked me to do, because that is just the respect and admiration I have for him. But I’m in contract in Arizona and have a job to do here. Until something changes that’s where I want be and that’s where my heart is.”

I have said that I wouldnt want to trade for a receiver while we still have Cassel because I think QBs make WRs...not the other way around...but Fitz would DEFINITELY be the exception.

Question is...how much would you give up for him?

I think a couple seconds would be well worth it, and if we are picking after 22nd that would be worth it...but remember that the guy is gonna be 27 years old and will have already played 7 years.

Amen Brother! LOL

Wasn't this thread about fitz posibbly coming to KC? This -Chumpionshit- guy needs to get a clue and stay on topic , instead of talking about the stupid ****ing raiders every chance he gets.

Did you hear about thigpen starting in Mia? Raiders
did you see the broncos cut moss? Raiders
You see the Haley diss to mcdaniels? Raiders
Christmas present to myself? Raiders

JFC you trolling piece of shit get back to your ****ing delusional fantasy land of a raiders forum and don't come back

Are you cereal? :spock:

Can someone please ban this ****ing idiot? Or at least give me the address to his house so I can break his ****ing hands so badly that he can never type again?

ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL

He would then type with his nose similar to a woodpecker, so be sure to break that while your at it

We'll see how much of a SB contender the Raiders are these weekend. They are definitely getting better much like the Chiefs but neither team is anywhere near the elite status, on either side of the ball, thats required to make a deep playoff run. Besides, in order to be a SB contender you have to be a division contender and right now the schedules favor the Chiefs and Chargers with the Chargers winning it, imo.

ROFL :rolleyes: ROFL :rolleyes: ROFL :rolleyes:

A young team one the rise (could you get much lower)....yes. A Superbowl contender.... You've been smoking some good shit.

Lmao, dude that is flat out wrong.

The Raiders have an elite offense, defense and special teams. Don't believe me? Check the damn stats. We are 5th in the NFL in scoring, 2nd in the NFL in sacks. We are allowing QBs to only complete 50% of their passes against us.

We have the best DT in the NFL in Richard Seymour. The Best cornerback by far in Nnamdi. The best runningback in the NFL this year in Darren McFadden. The list goes on and on.

The Raiders have always had elite talent, always. Now we are finally starting to play up to our talent level, and you Chief fans are understandably scared.

I don't blame you. If I were an AFC West Rival, I'd be scared as shit at the thought of the Raiders being back to their old dominate, super bowl winning ways.

5 wins... 4 losses... SO DOMINANT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM2sK6EyHlI Sadly, these analysts seem to agree with you.

ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL

we have a live one here folks

KnowMos mom screwed a gangsta while vacationing in Oakland and hid a pregnancy before giving it up for adoption years ago.

You two should exchange PMs about your childhoods.

Don't kid yourself, Bucko.

A premiere player like Fitz would never want to go to a place like Kansas City. That's the last place a guy like Fitz would want to go. He is in the prime of his career. He wants to win championships, and go to a team that is on the verge of a superbowl. A team that already has an established Quarterback, not to mention a sane Head Coach.

The Chiefs don't fit any of those requirements, sorry. Minnesota, Tennessee, Oakland, Pittsburgh, New England all fit those categories.

Bolded for hilarity.

Edit: I immediately went to the Raiders for the bold without bolding the Vikings and Titans. Only 2 out of 5 of your "qualified" superbowl contenders would make a good fit by your own definition. The Vikings are missing a "sane" headcoach. The Titans are missing the "established" QB. And the Raiders are missing both.

COME AT ME BRO!!!

ROFLROFL

you are dumb enough to not even read the quoted post, that includes a quote form the player himself.

Also, I dont find it surprising that you failed to comment on that last quote I OWNED you on.

go piss on an electric fence till you smell smoke

just go away you ****ing toolbag. . . If you really think Jokeland has an established QB your reeruned. And you do know favre is retiring after this season, so t.jackson in your mind is established. Proves how much you know.

I would trade my dick for Larry Fitzgerald.

Oh God, Championship is back. The fairy ass Raiders homer troll.

Just don't respond to him. Everything he says is ****ing moronic and hilarious. And he knows he's spewing a bunch of bullshit.

I can't wait to see what he has to say after we stomp those ****ers in Arrowhead.