Whitlock:Haley shows some courage

[Tribal Warfare]

Haley shows some courage
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY

Rookie head coach Todd Haley has a big pair.

You could see that Tuesday afternoon when he opened his news conference with a brief apology to the media for a postgame inconvenience orchestrated by Chiefs general manager Scott Egoli.

“Apologize for after the game, being out there late,” Haley said. “Rookie head coach here, rookie mistake. Unaware of the time limit and how that makes it harder for you guys to do your job after the game.”

And you could really see Haley’s courage when he talked about the play of his quarterbacks, The Sixty Million Dollar Man and Brokie Croyle.

Despite Matt Cassel’s hefty price tag and the stake Egoli has in Cassel’s success, Haley appears quite determined to make Cassel earn untouchable-franchise-QB status.

“You gotta ultimately do what you think gives your team the best chance to win,” Haley responded to a question about his QB philosophy. “If that means another quarterback being in there other than Matt Cassel, then sign me up.”

That was the money quote. Haley set it up by reminding reporters that as an NFL assistant in New York, Dallas and Arizona, he participated in the process of Glenn Foley, Drew Bledsoe and Matt Leinart getting demoted in favor of Vinny Testaverde, Tony Romo and Kurt Warner.

Haley’s Tuesday news conference was absolutely fascinating. It was Bill Parcells-esque, not Bill Belichick-esque.

You understand the difference? In dealing with the media, Parcells is real, honest, straightforward. Belichick is intentionally bland, mysterious and worthless. Haley was groomed by Parcells. Egoli was groomed by Belichick.

Parcells has been successful everywhere he’s coached. Belichick built a dynasty in New England after flopping in Cleveland.

We’re two weeks into the Haley-Egoli regular-season marriage, and I believe we’ve just seen our first public sign these guys might be unequally yoked. There are definite signals they disagree about Egoli’s Sixty Million Dollar Man.

Monday afternoon, I was mesmerized listening to 610 Sports as former Chiefs player and NFL broadcaster Bill Maas explained his opinion that Haley wanted to start Brodie Croyle against the Raiders and that Egoli objected.

I thought Maas was crazy, but he sounded very convincing.

Tuesday, as I listened to Haley discuss his QBs, I had to admit Billy Bob knew something.

Haley was asked if he could envision Cassel not being the starting quarterback this season.

“I wouldn’t speculate on that,” Haley said. “There were a lot of positives in Matt’s performance.”

Haley then added that in a typical football game, there are seven critical plays a quarterback can make that will be the difference between winning and losing.

“There were clearly seven in (the Raiders) game where we’d probably like to do something different,” Haley said.

In case you missed the connection, dude just said Cassel went zero for seven on game-deciding plays. That pretty much answers how Haley feels about the end-of-half debacle, the sack Cassel took on third and 1 at the end of the game and an assortment of other offensive calamities.

As for Croyle, Herm Edwards’ quarterback of the future, Haley had nothing but good things to say about Kansas City’s opening-day starter.

“I’m excited about Brodie’s progress,” Haley said. “I think Brodie getting to play in the first game, got his feet under him a little bit, started to gain some confidence, and I think that was clear in last week’s practices.”

Haley later relived Kansas City’s close loss at Baltimore: “I thought Brodie Croyle went into a very difficult situation, hostile environment, against a very good defense, and he looked like an NFL quarterback. He gave us a legitimate chance to win. He executed the game plan the way he was asked to execute it.”

So what do I think?

Croyle’s too injury-prone to be my starter. And Cassel was way too unproven to be anybody’s Sixty Million Dollar Man. Haley is in a tough position. I’m impressed with the way he’s handling it. He’s attempting to be true to the message he’s delivered to his players — every position is open to competition.

I haven’t made up my mind about Haley. I’ve had only one opportunity to really talk with him, and that sitdown was ruined by Egoli. He talked over the top of Haley the whole night (a three-hour dinner). Seriously, questions were asked directly to Haley, and Egoli drowned out the rookie head coach with fury, arrogance and rants about championship teams being built by playing secrecy games with the local media.

I was embarrassed for Haley and in awe of Pioli’s ego. I’ve covered professional sports for 16 years, wrestled with King Carl Peterson, stood toe to toe with drunken, delusional, hostile millionaire athletes, battled Mike Lupica and irritated billionaire owners.

None of them can touch Scott Egoli.

I like the fact Kansas City has a football coach with a pair big enough to try.

[DaWolf]

This is 100% Whitlock stirring the pot. Pioli has never struck me as egotistical or arrogant, just confident. If Whitlock wants to call that arrogance, then so be it. But if dude was egotistical, he'd be all over the media getting his name out there and making sure he eclipsed his head coach in every manner. That's what Carl did, every time he had an issue he'd go straight to one of his cronies in the press and lob some verbal salvos back.

I'm pretty sure that Whitlock is referring to the three hour dinner that many front offices do prior to the season with the media in order to meet and greet all the reporters, and that it wasn't a one on two dinner. I'm also not going to put much stock in a guy basing his opinion of a GM and coach based on one sitdown dinner convo and one Brian Waters story. I mean up to now he was calling Haley an idiot and arrogant, and now he's praising him for having a pair? Give me a break...

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

"journalistic integrity" has nothing to do with whitlock's articles...

he's too lazy to even talk to mass....he just listened to the damn radio and wrote a column for the sole reason of using the phrase "egoli" a dozen more times....

a high school newspaper would be embarrassed to print it

No argument that the 610 Sports bit reads terribly weak. Not interviewing BM for the column is a huge error.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DaWolf

This is 100% Whitlock stirring the pot. Pioli has never struck me as egotistical or arrogant, just confident. If Whitlock wants to call that arrogance, then so be it. But if dude was egotistical, he'd be all over the media getting his name out there and making sure he eclipsed his head coach in every manner. That's what Carl did, every time he had an issue he'd go straight to one of his cronies in the press and lob some verbal salvos back.
.

There's more than one kind of arrogance. He's insinuating that Pioli finds the media to be beneath him, but also that they are basically a bunch of scum sucking underlings whose only purpose is to undermine his master plan, and should be treated as such.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by DaWolf

This is 100% Whitlock stirring the pot. Pioli has never struck me as egotistical or arrogant, just confident. If Whitlock wants to call that arrogance, then so be it. But if dude was egotistical, he'd be all over the media getting his name out there and making sure he eclipsed his head coach in every manner. That's what Carl did, every time he had an issue he'd go straight to one of his cronies in the press and lob some verbal salvos back.

I'm pretty sure that Whitlock is referring to the three hour dinner that many front offices do prior to the season with the media in order to meet and greet all the reporters, and that it wasn't a one on two dinner. I'm also not going to put much stock in a guy basing his opinion of a GM and coach based on one sitdown dinner convo and one Brian Waters story. I mean up to now he was calling Haley an idiot and arrogant, and now he's praising him for having a pair? Give me a break...

Basically everyone that has come out of New England is viewed as arrogant.

[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

There's more than one kind of arrogance. He's insinuating that Pioli finds the media to be beneath him, but also that they are basically a bunch of scum sucking underlings whose only purpose is to undermine his master plan, and should be treated as such.

Well?



(Only half kidding.)

[MMXcalibur]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

This article helps explain the underlying cause of Whitlock's dislike for Pioli.

I'm not sure what to think of Maas' report that Haley wanted to go with Croyle. That bothers me.

If people can put aside their hatred for Whitlock and stop making fat jokes for a minute, the article does an interesting analysis of Haley's press conference.

Yeah, it's interesting and I'll give him that. However, it's entirely overshadowed by his personal dislike of Pioli. I honestly don't give two shits about Whitlock's "lack of access".

Egoli drowned out the rookie head coach with fury, arrogance and rants about championship teams being built by playing secrecy games with the local media.

Fury? Arrogance? Right...that doesn't sound a wee bit exaggerated.

Pioli's helped take a team to the top of the mountain....multiple times! As for playing secrecy games with the media, that's just too ****in' bad. If he says every Kansas City Chief employee needs to wear monkey suits on Thursdays prior to gameday and THAT'S the key to winning Super Bowls, then every goddamn employee better follow suit. If winning a Super Bowl means less access, then so be it.

Hell, Whitlock could be right about all of this. Pioli's truly could be acting like a douche and we could be 0-32 in our next two seasons despite the lack of press involvement, but Whitlock's going about this in such a bitchy fashion it makes it very VERY hard to take his word on any of this.

[smittysbar]

Originally Posted by DaWolf

This is 100% Whitlock stirring the pot. Pioli has never struck me as egotistical or arrogant, just confident. If Whitlock wants to call that arrogance, then so be it. But if dude was egotistical, he'd be all over the media getting his name out there and making sure he eclipsed his head coach in every manner. That's what Carl did, every time he had an issue he'd go straight to one of his cronies in the press and lob some verbal salvos back.

I'm pretty sure that Whitlock is referring to the three hour dinner that many front offices do prior to the season with the media in order to meet and greet all the reporters, and that it wasn't a one on two dinner. I'm also not going to put much stock in a guy basing his opinion of a GM and coach based on one sitdown dinner convo and one Brian Waters story. I mean up to now he was calling Haley an idiot and arrogant, and now he's praising him for having a pair? Give me a break...

IMO when I was around him for a bit in River Falls he came off to me to be very egotistical or arrogant. I for one don't give two shits either way. I want him to build a great team, not be my best friend.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

No argument that the 610 Sports bit reads terribly weak. Not interviewing BM for the column is a huge error.

...he did no research, contacted no one, checked no sources, characterized a dinner with two other people without giving them an opportunity to respond, and listened to the radio and decided it "sounded convincing"...and repeated the same childish name calling against pioli....


it's something a 9 yr old would write, and something a 9 yr old would like....

[Mecca]

I do wonder how this perception that the media is evil and should be treated like they will ruin your plan came from with GM's, seems weird to me.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I do wonder how this perception that the media is evil and should be treated like they will ruin your plan came from with GM's, seems weird to me.

Uh...

[FAX]

I don't buy this limp, skinny, "division" argument Whittles is trying to flop out on the table.

I'm convinced that Pioli and Haley are on the same page. It's one of the reasons we're bringing in poor, lost wideouts like a receivers orphanage. This is not a Carl/Herm debacle in the making ... both those guys are too smart for that. As for Pioli "talking over" Haley at dinner, my guess would be that Haley was speechless in the presence of a giant, ego-maniacal, fatass hack with manboobs the size of truck tires.

Another double serving of meritless speculation with extra fries.

FAX

[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I do wonder how this perception that the media is evil and should be treated like they will ruin your plan came from with GM's, seems weird to me.

I think the point is, that if they get the job done, what the media says right now is irrelevant. Whitlock can stir up all the shit he wants, and if Pioli and Haley do their job... in the end it won't mean a thing.

It's not that they look down on the media, its just that they have more important things to worry about.

Whitlock obviously has vastly overrated his and "the media" in general's importance. He's resorted to throwing bitch fits wayyyy before he's got any sort of track record to justify them.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

...he did no research, contacted no one, checked no sources, characterized a dinner with two other people without giving them an opportunity to respond, and listened to the radio and decided it "sounded convincing"...and repeated the same childish name calling against pioli....


it's something a 9 yr old would write, and something a 9 yr old would like....

In fairness, the dinner was their opportunity to respond and it was an interview. Whitlock can react to it in any fashion, and the fact that he spent that much time with Haley and Pioli constitutes research.

You're letting your dislike for Whitlock cloud your reaction to this piece.

The name calling, by Whitlock, has grown tiresome, though.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

I think the point is, that if they get the job done, what the media says right now is irrelevant. Whitlock can stir up all the shit he wants, and if Pioli and Haley do their job... in the end it won't mean a thing.

It's not that they look down on the media, its just that they have more important things to worry about.

Whitlock obviously has vastly overrated his and "the media" in general's importance. He's resorted to throwing bitch fits wayyyy before he's got any sort of track record to justify them.

What if he wrote columns about not liking the moves they make and such because if I was writing them they'd look like that..

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by FAX

I don't buy this limp, skinny, "division" argument Whittles is trying to flop out on the table.

I'm convinced that Pioli and Haley are on the same page. It's one of the reasons we're bringing in poor, lost wideouts like a receivers orphanage. This is not a Carl/Herm debacle in the making ... both those guys are too smart for that. As for Pioli "talking over" Haley at dinner, my guess would be that Haley was speechless in the presence of a giant, ego-maniacal, fatass hack with manboobs the size of truck tires.

Another double serving of meritless speculation with extra fries.

FAX

I agree, Mr. FAX, that there is scant evidence to support the division theory, and thus Whitlock's overall argument is weak as hell.