Chiefs A message of Positivity, from Mr. Jason Whitlock - Page 13

chiefzilla1501 · 11-22-2009, 11:22 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...y/1587222.html
The victory was just icing. The progress could be seen long before Matt Cassel shook off a critical fumble and began the process of rehabilitating his image.

The progress started with Kansas City’s rookie head coach, Todd Haley, who may have finally figured out what to do with his game-day emotions.

Rather than castigate his players, F-bomb his assistants and bicker with the refs, Haley spent his most productive Sunday as an NFL head coach fueling his players with positive energy. They responded with their most promising performance in two years.

Kansas City 27, Pittsburgh 24 in OT!

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of five of their last 30 games, knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions at Arrowhead Stadium.

It wasn’t a fluke. The Steelers tried to win the game. They didn’t stumble into Arrowhead hung over from a night of being denied entrance into P&L nightclubs. The Chiefs played a good football game and took advantage of the Steelers’ errors.

Jamaal Charles returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Tamba Hali led a Kansas City pass rush that harassed Big Ben Roethlisberger and eventually sidelined him with a knee to the head. Brandon Flowers manufactured the first of four Pittsburgh turnovers, poking the ball out of the arm of receiver Mike Wallace. KC safeties Mike Brown and Jon McGraw accepted the challenge of being physical against Pittsburgh’s running game. Linebacker Andy Studebaker intercepted Big Ben twice, returning one 94 yards, setting up a Kansas City field goal.

And, most important, the Chiefs’ $63 million acquisition, Cassel, showed some real courage down the stretch. I thought he was going to fold after his inexcusable 360-spin, I’m-afraid-of-a-pass-rush fumble that basically handed the Steelers a 24-17 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Cassel had been dreadful to that point, completing eight of 18 passes for 95 yards through a little more than three quarters of play.

“He was really down when he turned the ball over, but he bounced back and made some great plays,” Haley said of his quarterback.

Cassel may have saved his Kansas City career. He certainly bought himself some time.

On KC’s next possession, facing third and 9 from the Chiefs’ 10, Cassel laced a strike down the middle of the Pittsburgh defense to Lance Long for 30 yards. Cassel followed it up with a 47-yard bomb to Chris Chambers. Cassel drove the Chiefs 91 yards in eight plays, hitting Charles with a 2-yard TD pass.

In overtime, Cassel set up the Chiefs’ game-winning field goal with a 61-yard, third-and-5 connection to Chambers.

If you would like, you can crawl into the statistics — which were dominated by the Steelers — and craft an argument that the Chiefs got lucky.

Nope. This was Kansas City-created good fortune. No doubt the Steelers are the better team and would likely beat the Chiefs eight out of 10 games. But Haley’s Chiefs followed a proven blueprint on how to beat a superior football team: 1. win the turnover battle; 2. score on special teams; 3. get after the opposing quarterback; 4. make big plays that dramatically change field position.

Did Haley mismanage the clock at the end of both halves? Yes, he was too conservative before halftime. But that’s nitpicking.

Haley coached an excellent football game. He concentrated on play-calling and encouraging his players. He left the refs alone. He didn’t overreact to the mistakes made by his players.

Had the Chiefs lost the game, I would be writing the exact same thing. Haley is learning how to be a head coach. His players are noticing and appreciative of his change in demeanor.

“I’m a rookie head coach and am passionate about what I do,” Haley said. “I live and die every day on how it goes with this team — not just game day. When you care about something, there is going to be some emotion. It’s easy to be positive when good things are happening.”

Good things happen when you expect positive results, when you put your mind in a positive place, when you treat the people fighting with you like they have as much invested in the outcome as you do.

Haley’s transformation from coaching mad man to competent leader has been going on for several weeks. Sunday, he finally struck the right balance. His team reflected his new spirit. The players wanted to shock the Steelers as much as their coach, whose father played and worked for the Steelers.

Are things perfect between Haley and his players? No. But there’s been a lot of progress.

To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.

stevieray · 11-24-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raised On Riots

Excellent. I've been meaning to update my counter. Thanks!

blablahblah

**Dartgod** · 11-24-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnowMo2724

The Steelers made mistakes that were do to mental errors more than anything KC did. Mike Wallace's fumble, the kick return TD, Roethlisburger throwing INT's right to your team. Those are mistakes the Steelers don't make. The Chiefs played horrible and had to get lucky to win. End of story.

Actually, they do make mistakes on kick coverage. Quite frequently as a matter of fact.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 11-24-2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

blablahblah

Taking philosophy class from Hootie and Buster I see. Is that accredited?

Bunit · 11-24-2009, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by penchief

Whitlock is laying the groundwork for a graceful retreat from his character attacks against Haley. After being exposed for behaving petty and unprofessional he can't allow himself to be boxed in. That said, I applaud his attempt to be more objective, although he's more likely trying to give himself future wiggle room rather than acknowledge that his personal attacks were over the top and vindictive.

It struck me how those players standing next to Haley on the sidelines when the final whistle blew were giving him a lot of love. It doesn't appear to me that he's lost this team or that his players hate him. I think that reality is beginning to sink in with Whitlock forcing him to reevaluate his media campaign against Haley's character.

Yeah, I noticed that too and was pleasantly surprised how the players interacted with Haley after the final whistle blew. A couple of them were jumping on him and shit. I was like wtf, Whitlock said the players hate him (where's the sarcasm font). But Whitlock flipped his take completely from the last couple weeks to this one.

**The Bad Guy** · 11-24-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dartgod

Actually, they do make mistakes on kick coverage. Quite frequently as a matter of fact.

The Steelers have given up 8 return TDs this year.

Yeah, these sure aren't mistakes the Steelers make, right KnowMo

Hootie · 11-24-2009, 02:49 PM

Wow...

Looking at those yards right now...

If I were Vegas I'd set the odds like this:

Matt Cassel -360
Mark Sanchez +295

Anyone want to take bets?

LaChapelle · 11-24-2009, 05:05 PM

I think Haley wanted to beat the Steelers so bad after losing to them in the SB. He would have blown the right and wrong 53 and their fathers

11-22-2009, 11:22 PM
chiefzilla1501 In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $-1705503	A message of Positivity, from Mr. Jason Whitlock http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...y/1587222.html The victory was just icing. The progress could be seen long before Matt Cassel shook off a critical fumble and began the process of rehabilitating his image. The progress started with Kansas City’s rookie head coach, Todd Haley, who may have finally figured out what to do with his game-day emotions. Rather than castigate his players, F-bomb his assistants and bicker with the refs, Haley spent his most productive Sunday as an NFL head coach fueling his players with positive energy. They responded with their most promising performance in two years. Kansas City 27, Pittsburgh 24 in OT! Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of five of their last 30 games, knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions at Arrowhead Stadium. It wasn’t a fluke. The Steelers tried to win the game. They didn’t stumble into Arrowhead hung over from a night of being denied entrance into P&L nightclubs. The Chiefs played a good football game and took advantage of the Steelers’ errors. Jamaal Charles returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Tamba Hali led a Kansas City pass rush that harassed Big Ben Roethlisberger and eventually sidelined him with a knee to the head. Brandon Flowers manufactured the first of four Pittsburgh turnovers, poking the ball out of the arm of receiver Mike Wallace. KC safeties Mike Brown and Jon McGraw accepted the challenge of being physical against Pittsburgh’s running game. Linebacker Andy Studebaker intercepted Big Ben twice, returning one 94 yards, setting up a Kansas City field goal. And, most important, the Chiefs’ $63 million acquisition, Cassel, showed some real courage down the stretch. I thought he was going to fold after his inexcusable 360-spin, I’m-afraid-of-a-pass-rush fumble that basically handed the Steelers a 24-17 advantage in the fourth quarter. Cassel had been dreadful to that point, completing eight of 18 passes for 95 yards through a little more than three quarters of play. “He was really down when he turned the ball over, but he bounced back and made some great plays,” Haley said of his quarterback. Cassel may have saved his Kansas City career. He certainly bought himself some time. On KC’s next possession, facing third and 9 from the Chiefs’ 10, Cassel laced a strike down the middle of the Pittsburgh defense to Lance Long for 30 yards. Cassel followed it up with a 47-yard bomb to Chris Chambers. Cassel drove the Chiefs 91 yards in eight plays, hitting Charles with a 2-yard TD pass. In overtime, Cassel set up the Chiefs’ game-winning field goal with a 61-yard, third-and-5 connection to Chambers. If you would like, you can crawl into the statistics — which were dominated by the Steelers — and craft an argument that the Chiefs got lucky. Nope. This was Kansas City-created good fortune. No doubt the Steelers are the better team and would likely beat the Chiefs eight out of 10 games. But Haley’s Chiefs followed a proven blueprint on how to beat a superior football team: 1. win the turnover battle; 2. score on special teams; 3. get after the opposing quarterback; 4. make big plays that dramatically change field position. Did Haley mismanage the clock at the end of both halves? Yes, he was too conservative before halftime. But that’s nitpicking. Haley coached an excellent football game. He concentrated on play-calling and encouraging his players. He left the refs alone. He didn’t overreact to the mistakes made by his players. Had the Chiefs lost the game, I would be writing the exact same thing. Haley is learning how to be a head coach. His players are noticing and appreciative of his change in demeanor. “I’m a rookie head coach and am passionate about what I do,” Haley said. “I live and die every day on how it goes with this team — not just game day. When you care about something, there is going to be some emotion. It’s easy to be positive when good things are happening.” Good things happen when you expect positive results, when you put your mind in a positive place, when you treat the people fighting with you like they have as much invested in the outcome as you do. Haley’s transformation from coaching mad man to competent leader has been going on for several weeks. Sunday, he finally struck the right balance. His team reflected his new spirit. The players wanted to shock the Steelers as much as their coach, whose father played and worked for the Steelers. Are things perfect between Haley and his players? No. But there’s been a lot of progress. To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
Posts: 51,629

11-24-2009, 02:49 PM	#186
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	Wow... Looking at those yards right now... If I were Vegas I'd set the odds like this: Matt Cassel -360 Mark Sanchez +295 Anyone want to take bets?
Posts: 56,356

11-24-2009, 05:05 PM	#187
LaChapelle Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $10004900	I think Haley wanted to beat the Steelers so bad after losing to them in the SB. He would have blown the right and wrong 53 and their fathers
Posts: 8,588