Here's another big reason why the Chiefs should re-sign Tamba Hali

[malachi47000]

Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali asked me not to repeat it. Not yet, anyway.

It was early December, and I was interviewing Hali for a Sunday story about his background, contract situation and ability to stay quiet through adverse conditions. Toward the end of the conversation, he mentioned that he had been injured all season.

How badly?

He pointed to his right shoulder, which he said had a tear in it. Then to his left shoulder, which he said had a partial tear in it, too. Then to a foot, which also had a torn muscle in it.

Hali led the AFC with 14 1/2 sacks with two torn shoulders and a tear in a foot. He was named to his first Pro Bowl last night and will replace one of two Pittsburgh linebackers. On that Friday afternoon, he asked me to withhold the specifics of his injuries so that opponents wouldn't target those body parts during games.

But that says an awful lot about Hali, the Chiefs' only legitimate pass-rusher and a player who has been a model citizen in the organization since Scott Pioli and Todd Haley took over. Hali doesn't complain or question coaches; he does his work mostly in silence and in a way that tends to inspire his teammates.

Now, it's also clear that was playing through several severe injuries because he realized his value to the team.

“People are pointing their fingers to me,” he said that day. “ 'You're the rusher. You're the rusher.' ”

Hali's contract, which he signed after being a first-round pick in 2006, expired after the 2010 season. He is, in effect a free agent, and as of recently, the team and Hali's agent weren't close to a new deal. That can, of course, change quickly, but Hali's side wouldn't be surprised if he is tagged as Kansas City's franchise player, assuming that survives a new collective bargaining agreement. That would essentially extend Hali for one year and pay him the average of the league's top-five salaries at his position. It would be a short-term fix, but players aren't typically satisfied with being franchised.

Hali said that day in December that he wants to remain in Kansas City; that he likes the defense, enjoys his teammates, and respects Haley.

The Chiefs might draft another pass rusher in April's draft, but the team has to realize that today's NFL teams need at least two players who can pressure the quarterback, and perhaps more than that, this team needs players who are willing to do things the Chiefs' way, won't question authority, and will play through pain. Even severe pain.

It's doubtful the Chiefs will let him get away, but the longer this negotiation plays out, the future becomes murkier for a player that seems to exemplify precisely what this team is looking for.

http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/1652