Chiefs Hailing Haley's grill work? Hold on there, Chiefs

FringeNC · 01-21-2009, 03:47 PM

Hailing Haley's grill work? Hold on there, Chiefs

Jan. 21, 2009
By Ray Ratto
CBSSports.com Columnist

The most intriguing story of the early Super Bowl prep is actually a sidebar, which is a weird enough way to start what might be the weirdest Super Bowl ever.

It isn't the Arizona Cardinals overcoming decades of self-applied filth; that one was played out after they beat Carolina.

(From Kurt Warner to T.O., Todd Haley has proven he won't back down to any player.) [Photo caption]

It isn't Anquan Boldin, the Cardinals wide receiver who chose an odd time to pitch a nutty, and is already finding the best way to backtrack.

It is, in fact, the sidebar to the Boldin story -- the fast-developing cult of Todd Haley.

Haley, the Arizona offensive coordinator who snapped back at Boldin on the sidelines during the NFC title game, has become the new prettiest girl at the dance -- the coach who faces down the diva wide receiver by pitching an even more effusive nutty. Indeed, he is the first coach since his mentor, Bill Parcells, to announce loudly and publicly that he is not a "players' coach."

And that is resonating in ways that Haley's work as the offensive coordinator of the pass-happy Cardinals never did. That is resonating so much, in fact, that he is now considered the next coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, which must come as a surprise to Herman Edwards, the current coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Indeed, the diva receiver is already learning the joy of institutional recoil. Terrell Owens is wondering for the first time if Jerry Jones still has his back. Chad Johnson already took a hard scolding from the Cincinnati Bengals. Braylon Edwards, Steve Smith, Randy Moss ... they have all found the limits to their diva-hood, and the largely more conservative customer seems fine with it.

But Haley has become the first assistant coach to actually benefit from striking back, and though it isn't his first time, the fact that he was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to strike back in the most public of venues makes him the new hot flavor.

He and Owens had their issues during his time in Dallas, a fact that is getting him points now for telling truth to power when it wasn't popular. He also gets points for having gotten in Larry Fitzgerald's grill in the offseason and being acknowledged by Fitzgerald for having a considerable role in Fitzgerald's breakout. He has had his loud arguments with Kurt Warner and both have come out ahead for it. Edgerrin James hasn't liked the way he's been used, but he suddenly got the ball more often down the stretch when Arizona decided it actually needed more of a running game than Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington could provide.

And he really gets points for saying, as though he were channeling Parcells himself, that he isn't a players' coach. People like that, and as long as they're not the ones being barked at, they want to see more of it.

The down side, of course, is that Parcells did his best yelling when he had good teams, and Haley hasn't been the first-yeller-in-chief yet. Were he to get the Chiefs job, he would be yelling at a bad roster, which goes only so far before it makes you look like a lunatic rather than a strong man. True, he and Larry Johnson probably wouldn't get on well, but Johnson's time in Kansas City always seems short anyway.

In short, Haley looks great now because he and his employers are talented and on a roll, the best time to look tough. Even though the Cardinals are playing it down as best they can, the cult of Haley is rolling on at the best time for any cult to grow and flourish.

But like Parcells, who had to turn around a bad Giants team to make his rep, we won't know if Todd Haley is the next big deal until he can take a bad team on his own and make it a winner under his name. And we will actually get a hint of that this week and next if he tries to play up his newfound image as though it were a brand. That would be a bad idea, and would expose him as being too manufactured and disingenuous.

No, Haley needs someone in his face to be the caricature. What we'll discover next Sunday is not whether he can yell at Steve Breaston, because he probably can, but whether he can outthink a tougher defense than any he's faced this year.

That goes a lot further than any vein in his neck ever will.

DaWolf · 01-21-2009, 04:04 PM

Good article...

Fritz88 · 01-21-2009, 04:07 PM

not too shabby, not too shabby at all.

KC4EVER · 01-21-2009, 04:09 PM

Not my coach of choice!

Zouk · 01-21-2009, 04:11 PM

This is a good piece. Everyone loves a yeller until there's a losing streak. Then you become like Mangini (who people similarly fawned on) and the team quits on you. Parcelss softened considerably the longer his career went on.

To me Russ Grimm has a better resume. What he did with that line this year was amazing.

FringeNC · 01-21-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zouk

This is a good piece. Everyone loves a yeller until there's a losing streak. Then you become like Mangini (who people similarly fawned on) and the team quits on you. Parcelss softened considerably the longer his career went on.

To me Russ Grimm has a better resume. What he did with that line this year was amazing.

Parcells evidently loves the guy, and that's why he has a good chance of getting the job, I think.

Screaming at players was Gunther Cunningham's entire shtick, by the way, and everyone in town loved him for it.

Mecca · 01-21-2009, 04:23 PM

Hiring an Oline coach to be a head coach just doesn't seem like a good idea to me and as far as Haley goes I would have issues hiring a coach that players don't even seem to respect.

**Skip Towne** · 01-21-2009, 04:27 PM

This guy might be OK. Let's see if he can move the ball on the Steelers.

Thig Lyfe · 01-21-2009, 04:37 PM

I like the idea of Haley as head coach. The Chiefs have sucked under "player's coaches." Vermeil and especially Herm coddle their shitty rosters. Guys become complacent and know that they aren't at risk of losing their jobs no matter how brutally they suck, because "it's okaaaay."

I think Haley would lay down the law, help Bowe break out, give LJ (who looks like he'll be back) a role that suits him, and improve the way the O-line functions. He's the kind of tough, hard-nosed coach that is representative of the players Pioli wants. He'd be a perfect fit for the new regime.

BigChiefFan · 01-21-2009, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

Hiring an Oline coach to be a head coach just doesn't seem like a good idea to me and as far as Haley goes I would have issues hiring a coach that players don't even seem to respect.

He calls the offensive PLAYS. He's not just the O-line coach.

All that respect for Herm got us 6 wins in the past two seasons and it's not like Boldin hasn't been being a sucktit the entire season there. I want a coach who tells the players you work for ME, not the other way around. These prima donna athletes need to get a grip AND the fans that support said behavior.

Chiefs Pantalones · 01-21-2009, 04:40 PM

They are talking about him as possibly being the Chiefs coach on Around the Horn and PTI. Have we not heard something they have?

talastan · 01-21-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SportsRacer

I like the idea of Haley as head coach. The Chiefs have sucked under "player's coaches." Vermeil and especially Herm coddle their shitty rosters. Guys become complacent and know that they aren't at risk of losing their jobs no matter how brutally they suck, because "it's okaaaay."

I think Haley would lay down the law, help Bowe break out, give LJ (who looks like he'll be back) a role that suits him, and improve the way the O-line functions. He's the kind of tough, hard-nosed coach that is representative of the players Pioli wants. He'd be a perfect fit for the new regime.

I agree with what you said but there is one thing that is important not to leave out IMO. He has to be able to coach up these young guys. Teaching this young team effectively is going to be the most important job this next regime is going to face. Marty was effective when he came in because he could teach players well. Hopefully Haley can do the same while still holding the players accountable for their actions on and off the field.

Frosty · 01-21-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChiefFan

He calls the offensive PLAYS. He's not just the O-line coach.

I think that was in response to the Russ Grimm comment that Zouk made.

Micjones · 01-21-2009, 04:42 PM

I'll take Haley, Grimm, and Pendergast.
Thanks.

BigChiefFan · 01-21-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arc

I think that was in response to the Russ Grimm comment that Zouk made.

If so, my bad.

01-21-2009, 03:47 PM
FringeNC MVP Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: NC Casino cash: $-1743986	Hailing Haley's grill work? Hold on there, Chiefs Hailing Haley's grill work? Hold on there, Chiefs Jan. 21, 2009 By Ray Ratto CBSSports.com Columnist The most intriguing story of the early Super Bowl prep is actually a sidebar, which is a weird enough way to start what might be the weirdest Super Bowl ever. It isn't the Arizona Cardinals overcoming decades of self-applied filth; that one was played out after they beat Carolina. (From Kurt Warner to T.O., Todd Haley has proven he won't back down to any player.) [Photo caption] It isn't Anquan Boldin, the Cardinals wide receiver who chose an odd time to pitch a nutty, and is already finding the best way to backtrack. It is, in fact, the sidebar to the Boldin story -- the fast-developing cult of Todd Haley. Haley, the Arizona offensive coordinator who snapped back at Boldin on the sidelines during the NFC title game, has become the new prettiest girl at the dance -- the coach who faces down the diva wide receiver by pitching an even more effusive nutty. Indeed, he is the first coach since his mentor, Bill Parcells, to announce loudly and publicly that he is not a "players' coach." And that is resonating in ways that Haley's work as the offensive coordinator of the pass-happy Cardinals never did. That is resonating so much, in fact, that he is now considered the next coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, which must come as a surprise to Herman Edwards, the current coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Indeed, the diva receiver is already learning the joy of institutional recoil. Terrell Owens is wondering for the first time if Jerry Jones still has his back. Chad Johnson already took a hard scolding from the Cincinnati Bengals. Braylon Edwards, Steve Smith, Randy Moss ... they have all found the limits to their diva-hood, and the largely more conservative customer seems fine with it. But Haley has become the first assistant coach to actually benefit from striking back, and though it isn't his first time, the fact that he was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to strike back in the most public of venues makes him the new hot flavor. He and Owens had their issues during his time in Dallas, a fact that is getting him points now for telling truth to power when it wasn't popular. He also gets points for having gotten in Larry Fitzgerald's grill in the offseason and being acknowledged by Fitzgerald for having a considerable role in Fitzgerald's breakout. He has had his loud arguments with Kurt Warner and both have come out ahead for it. Edgerrin James hasn't liked the way he's been used, but he suddenly got the ball more often down the stretch when Arizona decided it actually needed more of a running game than Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington could provide. And he really gets points for saying, as though he were channeling Parcells himself, that he isn't a players' coach. People like that, and as long as they're not the ones being barked at, they want to see more of it. The down side, of course, is that Parcells did his best yelling when he had good teams, and Haley hasn't been the first-yeller-in-chief yet. Were he to get the Chiefs job, he would be yelling at a bad roster, which goes only so far before it makes you look like a lunatic rather than a strong man. True, he and Larry Johnson probably wouldn't get on well, but Johnson's time in Kansas City always seems short anyway. In short, Haley looks great now because he and his employers are talented and on a roll, the best time to look tough. Even though the Cardinals are playing it down as best they can, the cult of Haley is rolling on at the best time for any cult to grow and flourish. But like Parcells, who had to turn around a bad Giants team to make his rep, we won't know if Todd Haley is the next big deal until he can take a bad team on his own and make it a winner under his name. And we will actually get a hint of that this week and next if he tries to play up his newfound image as though it were a brand. That would be a bad idea, and would expose him as being too manufactured and disingenuous. No, Haley needs someone in his face to be the caricature. What we'll discover next Sunday is not whether he can yell at Steve Breaston, because he probably can, but whether he can outthink a tougher defense than any he's faced this year. That goes a lot further than any vein in his neck ever will.
Posts: 10,234

01-21-2009, 04:04 PM	#2
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	Good article...
Posts: 6,798

01-21-2009, 04:07 PM	#3
Fritz88 Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $8505943	not too shabby, not too shabby at all.
Posts: 12,706

01-21-2009, 04:09 PM	#4
KC4EVER It's Been Too Long! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Missouri Casino cash: $10004900	Not my coach of choice!
Posts: 124

01-21-2009, 04:11 PM	#5
Zouk Veteran Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: DC Casino cash: $10004900	This is a good piece. Everyone loves a yeller until there's a losing streak. Then you become like Mangini (who people similarly fawned on) and the team quits on you. Parcelss softened considerably the longer his career went on. To me Russ Grimm has a better resume. What he did with that line this year was amazing.
Posts: 1,454

01-21-2009, 04:23 PM	#7
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-662950	Hiring an Oline coach to be a head coach just doesn't seem like a good idea to me and as far as Haley goes I would have issues hiring a coach that players don't even seem to respect.
Posts: 115,346

01-21-2009, 04:27 PM	#8
Skip Towne Supporter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: T-Town Casino cash: $10004900	This guy might be OK. Let's see if he can move the ball on the Steelers.
Posts: 69,689

01-21-2009, 04:37 PM	#9
Thig Lyfe Banned Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Thigpen's America Casino cash: $10004900	I like the idea of Haley as head coach. The Chiefs have sucked under "player's coaches." Vermeil and especially Herm coddle their shitty rosters. Guys become complacent and know that they aren't at risk of losing their jobs no matter how brutally they suck, because "it's okaaaay." I think Haley would lay down the law, help Bowe break out, give LJ (who looks like he'll be back) a role that suits him, and improve the way the O-line functions. He's the kind of tough, hard-nosed coach that is representative of the players Pioli wants. He'd be a perfect fit for the new regime.
Posts: 25,680

01-21-2009, 04:40 PM	#11
Chiefs Pantalones GO CHIEFS!!!!!! Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $6868717	They are talking about him as possibly being the Chiefs coach on Around the Horn and PTI. Have we not heard something they have? __________________ Don't be fooled by my username, I'm white.
Posts: 26,653

01-21-2009, 04:42 PM	#14
Micjones Whose house? Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $10005180	I'll take Haley, Grimm, and Pendergast. Thanks. __________________ It's like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I could been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong.
Posts: 15,344