There are always True Fans calling for LTs at the top of the draft.

This whole exchange is laughable, and I'm done debating the merits of a shitty HC. Teflon Todd with the tastiest rod in town.

zilla that is such bullshit you fling all that shit and then make shit up about "everyone" wanting to move Alber to guard. That's crap.

My theory on this has been articulated before. I liked Haley. I liked his attitude and I liked his commitment to winning. It's a damn shame that he was paired with a certified asswipe like Dr. Evil whom I firmly believe actively undermined his efforts to turn this team into a successful franchise.

I never fully understood why people made so much of his "antics" on the sideline. NFL HCs are always going off for one reason or another and are rarely called out for it. Yet, when Haley showed some emotion (which I prefer to Roleo's or Herm's narcoleptic zombie demeanor) people went nuts ... never got that.

He was also a guy who studied the game. It interesting that the "new NFL math" is gaining traction when it comes to fourth down attempts, fakes, etc. Haley was trashed for his creativity and understanding of the percentages. If given another opportunity, I think he will eventually be a very successful head coach in this league. Meanwhile, we'll probably still be trying to figure out how to rebuild one more time.

FAX

Team quit on him. Says it all right there.

The problem is that Haley didn't understand the percentages. Inconsistency was his consistency, as he'd go for it deep in his own territory, yet punt on the opponent's side in a manageable fourth-down situation.

One man's inconsistency is another man's surprise attack, Mr. DeezNutz.

Nevertheless, you may be right. Those decisions are situational, though. In order to agree with you, my brain would have to absorb the game circumstances associated with each call.

There's another variable, as well ... who was actually making the call? For example, was it Weis or Methuselah or Haley himself who make the call to run Thomas Jones around right end on 4th and 2 (or whatever it was)? So far as we know, it was Weis. Of course, Weis (a proven megalomaniac in his own right) would probably deny that.

Oh ... and as for "the team quit on him", Mr. PGM ... think about it ... when your GM is proactively busting your balls behind your back on a daily basis, it's a little difficult to lead. I challenge any HC in the entire league to retain his respected leadership status under those circumstances. It's impossible. Cannot be done. No way. No how.

FAX

Mr. FAX, it's the NFL win or GTFO

No shit. What a piece of garbage this article is.

Ferentz/Pioli?

LMAO

Garbage.

Fine, not everyone wanted to move him to guard. But lots of people gave up on him as a left tackle or regarded him as a swinging gate. The idea that he was widely conSidered a top notch left tackle years ago is complete baloney.

So we should fire every coach who's team shows up uninspired for one week? Even after it was sheer motivation that almost had us beating Pittsburgh and beating even a hapless Chicago team behind palko? Because we didn't compete in those games because of our passing or running game.

FWIW, I agree with you. I thought Todd Haley brought discipline to a very undisciplined team, came with a plan chalk full of fresh ideas, and brought an identity to a team that lacked one since Marty Schottenheimer left. Obviously, Todd Haley made his mistakes. He wanted full control of the offense, but was never willing to say it. He ran off multiple OC's, and was obviously tough to work with/for. In the end, I believe the positives of Haley outweighed the negatives.

Romeo didn't come in with a plan. He came in with the approach of "status-quo." What worked for a short time last year will work this year. However, players reverted back to old practice habits, Bowe held out, Tamba got suspended, multiple players suffered nagging injuries IMO because they weren't expected to be in top shape as Haley demanded. The status-quo plan snowballed into a 2-13 team.

This team needs a disciplinarian with a clear direction. They need a GM that will back that disciplinarian up when times get tough, and allow him to grow in the role...knowing it is for the greater good. Haley was one piece of the puzzle. (A QB would go a long way as well...)

His game management needed to improve. I've never denied that. I do think the gambles tended to take place when the team was a little more desperate for lucky breaks. But still... It's a valid criticism. As milkman has said many times, these are things he deserved a little more time to prove he can change his ways.

Great post. No Haley defender is saying he was a great coach. We all believe he was a flawed coach, but that the positives outweighed the negatives, and many of the negatives were the product of a tyrannical boss or could be changed by growing up as a coach. We only would have like to have seen how he would have done with a semi reasonable GM and with at least a semi average qb. Maybe he would have still imploded. For my money, if he started a season with jamaal Charles and Kyle orton, those two changes in itself would have turned Haley's team into a legit playoff contender.

He didn't HAVE to play 4 games with Palko.

Mr. Offensive Geni(0)us chose to...

One thing I have never understood about the Haley bashing crowd was this...

Almost every single time the camera's focused in on Haley, he was not berating anyone. I saw him in discussions with players a couple of times while he was here, but really not that many for a man with a reputation as a hot head.

Nor was he seen talking into his headset, yet it is widely accepted that he overrode the playcalling of nearly all of his OC's. How exactly was that possible without conversation?