Chiefs Babb: Haley’s desire to find right players keeps Chiefs on their toes - Page 3

**Tribal Warfare** · 10-24-2009, 10:17 PM

Haley’s desire to find right players keeps Chiefs on their toes
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

Derrick Johnson is pacing in a hallway, trying to find the words. He says he has no idea where he stands with the Chiefs. He didn’t watch television on Tuesday because that was the NFL’s trade deadline. He couldn’t relax on his day off at the same time he was worrying about his future.

Johnson wasn’t traded. It is less than 24 hours after the deadline passed, and emotions are taking hold. Anger and confusion pinch hardest.

“You don’t really know,” he says, barely above a whisper. “I know I’m right for this defense. I’m right for this team. I’m versatile. I can fit in any kind of defense, really. I don’t know, man. I don’t know.”

Johnson doesn’t know because the Chiefs don’t want him to know. He was demoted weeks ago. A few injuries. A few weak practices. Down to third-string at linebacker he went, no explanation provided. The team wants players to do precisely what Johnson is doing: walking around without answers, but determined to uncover them and improve enough that the Chiefs have no choice but to play him.

Johnson says he’d like to think he fits the profile of what the Chiefs are looking for. This season is important, but as important as anything is building a roster that coach Todd Haley says consists of the “right 53” players. Haley says that’s more important to him than having the most talented group. Fitness, belief and work ethic are the equalizers; skill is the separator.

Still, specifics are not provided to players, only the notion that if a man will not or cannot do his job the way Haley and his staff require, then the Chiefs will find those who will and can. The roster already has been through a cleansing process. It’s not finished.

“One day, the right 53 might include you,” tight end Sean Ryan says. “The next day, it might not.”

“No matter how good you are,” wide receiver Dwayne Bowe says, “if you’re doing it right, you might have a chance.”

“You’d better not take your position on this team for granted,” outside linebacker Mike Vrabel says. “We’re all here right now. That could change daily and weekly. These guys, they’re not going to stop.”

As the Chiefs advance into a season that seems equal parts an effort in improvement and a telling social experiment, the pile of casualties is growing. Third-year defensive lineman Tank Tyler was traded to Carolina on Monday. He had potential, but the Chiefs believe upgrades are available.

“There are guys out there,” Haley says, “that are better, we think, than what we have.”

Players who don’t fit Haley’s version of perfection are ridiculed, threatened, issued final chances and then given up on — not always in such an orderly fashion. What remains is an agonizing existence for some players, who watch as their teammates pack their things and depart Chiefs headquarters.

On this day, Johnson leans against a wall in a quiet corridor.

“Coach definitely wants us to be strong-minded,” he says. “Sometimes, to get something done or to be successful, you’ve got to be uncomfortable.”

He exhales.

“It’s uncomfortable,” he says.

• • •

There are things that test Haley’s patience and drive him all the way into a full-fledged rage, but he’d prefer to discuss the things he likes in a player.

The first is that he is willing to put the team above personal glory and achievement. Bowe had to learn that one during training camp. The flexing, dancing, cocky wideout was told to tone down the act — unless he preferred to take that act to the road. Starters must be willing to teach backups and tutor reserves — even if that means increasing the possibility of the teacher someday losing his job to a student.

“Some guys aren’t wired that way,” Haley says, and he’s willing to part ways with those players.

Another is for players to follow instructions, even if they don’t immediately make sense or cater to their skills. Ryan signed with the Chiefs as a veteran blocking tight end. He met with Haley, who had other plans, and now Ryan is known more as a receiving option.

“Whatever kind of tight end it’s going to be,” Ryan remembers thinking, “I’m going to prove to them I can do it all.”

But the tallest challenge for Haley has been establishing a philosophy that injuries, which he says are occasionally unavoidable, are sometimes viewed as a sign of weakness. Free safety Jarrad Page faced doubts after he suggested during the preseason that an injury should keep him out of the Chiefs’ third exhibition game. Johnson has endured several nagging injuries that kept him on the sideline during practices and threatened his job security.

Haley has made it clear that the way players react to injuries might determine their futures in Kansas City. If players nurse their wounds too long or report minor issues as long-lasting problems, Haley takes mental notes.

“Always show that you’re a guy that wants to be here,” Haley says, “who won’t look for ways out of practice but will look for ways in.”

Haley says it’s about toughness. That if players rise above aches and confront even significant injuries, it builds a kind of mental toughness that other teams envy. He says the best teams are made up of players who detest the idea of spending a day on the rehab field. The Chiefs’ training room has been stripped of luxuries, and Haley says it’s designed to make it feel less like a lounge and more like a prison cell. Haley said his vision for progress is a day when the rehab field is empty.

Johnson says now that players have learned to hide their injuries. For better or worse, they downplay minor health concerns because of how the opposite reaction might be interpreted. When Johnson hurt his groin this month, he remembers pedaling on a stationary bike and coming to a startling realization.

“Damn,” he says, “I’m the only one. Nobody’s limping out there.”

Whether it’s because of improved conditioning, good luck or fear of Haley’s wrath, the Chiefs’ injury report the last month has looked bare. When the final report was released before the Chiefs’ game against the New York Giants, the Giants listed 12 injured players compared with the Chiefs’ two. A week later, Dallas listed nine injured players to the Chiefs’ three. Last week, Washington listed seven players and the Chiefs listed three.

“You’ve got to practice to play, and that’s the way it is,” Haley says. “We’ve made it clear to them that it’s not going to be tolerated.”

This past Friday, players gathered for a morning practice. They stretched and ran sprints at the team’s indoor facility. A few dozen yards away, the team’s trainer, Cedric Smith, folded his arms. The stationary bikes were still. The heavy equipment stayed put.

Just as Haley had imagined it, the conditioning field was empty.

• • •

Talent doesn’t trump everything. Haley says the best teams aren’t those with the best players but rather with the best mix of players.

It’s because of that, he says, that some of the Chiefs’ more talented players have been banished. Haley says that Tyler and former quarterback Tyler Thigpen were traded because neither could help the team quickly enough or in the right way. Both were traded for fifth-round picks in next year’s NFL draft.

“He probably could’ve developed and been somebody,” Haley says of Thigpen. “But when you start weighing: Where’s he at right now? What can he be? What can we get; what can we turn that pick into?

“And the same with Tank. Tank is a guy that has a lot of potential that we all liked and thought could be a good player. But how high, where could he get — what’s the ceiling? What could we get? What can we turn that player into? It’s constant.”

Haley says the constant evaluating keeps coaches abreast of the Chiefs’ long-term prospects and the free-agent landscape. It also keeps players on edge, which Haley says keeps them sharp.

“They want guys who are willing to do whatever they can to help this team win,” Vrabel says. “Guys who aren’t willing to do that, then they shouldn’t ask questions when they’re released or traded.”

Vrabel says he’s used to this kind of approach. He spent eight seasons with the New England Patriots, who he says holds players to similar standards. It’s not new to Vrabel. It is new to others.

Johnson walks toward a meeting room and stops. He is a former first-round pick who hasn’t reached his potential. Now he is Demorrio Williams’ backup, and Williams has played so well that he hasn’t allowed Johnson a chance to reclaim his spot. Still, Johnson wonders why he was benched in the first place. Was it his effort? Work ethic? Training habits? He says he doesn’t know.

But Johnson says that he’ll just have to keep trying to improve in all areas to try to win back his starting job. He says he’s determined to make it right. That’s why — although Johnson hasn’t been told this — the Chiefs like him and see him in their future. That’s why they didn’t trade him last week. Regardless, they’d prefer that Johnson remained uncomfortable.

“Football teaches you you’ve got to have a strong mind, man,” Johnson says. “Just putting the pieces to the puzzle together. Just making a team.

“It’s going to make us better.”

• • •

Haley lifts himself from a rolling chair and straightens himself. His back has been giving him problems this week, and he’s not sure why. Still …

“Got to be tough,” he says with a smile.

Haley says part of his job is to be the bad guy, to make certain that players understand what is expected of them — and cut ties with them if they don’t meet those expectations. Neither assignment is easy, and Haley insists he had no delusions that his job would be simple.

Haley heads toward the door. As he steps into a hallway, he’s greeted by general manager Scott Pioli. The team just worked out another player. Haley says that when there’s a new face in the building, the Chiefs’ players stay at attention. They’re aware of what it might mean. Adding a player would mean that someone else is out. There’s no such thing as the right 54.

“Their ears are up,” Haley says. “They’re aware of it, and I think that them understanding that that’s the culture, and that’s the way it’s going to be — I tell them all the time: ‘It’s always going to be like that.’

“It’s a work in progress, obviously, and it’ll stay a work in progress forever.”

**HemiEd** · 10-25-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micjones

If we're comparing their play this season... He's already outplayed Williams.
What big plays has Demo made?

Maybe because Williams is playing as he is instructed to play, staying home when he is supposed to, etc.
My take is that DJ doesn't follow his instructions, when the ball gets snapped.

**alanm** · 10-25-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micjones

If we're comparing their play this season... He's already outplayed Williams.
What big plays has Demo made?

He blocked a punt last week.

Marcellus · 10-25-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micjones

If we're comparing their play this season... He's already outplayed Williams.
What big plays has Demo made?

I have to disagree. I don't even know how you can say that considering DJ has barely been on the field.

Outside of the INT and the 1 sack he hasn't done a damn thing.

DJ has 8 tackles, Williams is second on the team with 37. 30 of them solo.

Not saying I know what DJ's stats would be if he were starting but you cant say he has outplayed Williams when there is no visible proof to back that up.

If you want to argue he would have played better than Williams go ahead but you are going to get a lot of argument against that as well. Again there is no reason to believe that either and there are several years of on the field history that go against DJ.

Sadly if anything they are comparable players.

10-24-2009, 10:17 PM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $342813	Babb: Haley’s desire to find right players keeps Chiefs on their toes Haley’s desire to find right players keeps Chiefs on their toes By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star Derrick Johnson is pacing in a hallway, trying to find the words. He says he has no idea where he stands with the Chiefs. He didn’t watch television on Tuesday because that was the NFL’s trade deadline. He couldn’t relax on his day off at the same time he was worrying about his future. Johnson wasn’t traded. It is less than 24 hours after the deadline passed, and emotions are taking hold. Anger and confusion pinch hardest. “You don’t really know,” he says, barely above a whisper. “I know I’m right for this defense. I’m right for this team. I’m versatile. I can fit in any kind of defense, really. I don’t know, man. I don’t know.” Johnson doesn’t know because the Chiefs don’t want him to know. He was demoted weeks ago. A few injuries. A few weak practices. Down to third-string at linebacker he went, no explanation provided. The team wants players to do precisely what Johnson is doing: walking around without answers, but determined to uncover them and improve enough that the Chiefs have no choice but to play him. Johnson says he’d like to think he fits the profile of what the Chiefs are looking for. This season is important, but as important as anything is building a roster that coach Todd Haley says consists of the “right 53” players. Haley says that’s more important to him than having the most talented group. Fitness, belief and work ethic are the equalizers; skill is the separator. Still, specifics are not provided to players, only the notion that if a man will not or cannot do his job the way Haley and his staff require, then the Chiefs will find those who will and can. The roster already has been through a cleansing process. It’s not finished. “One day, the right 53 might include you,” tight end Sean Ryan says. “The next day, it might not.” “No matter how good you are,” wide receiver Dwayne Bowe says, “if you’re doing it right, you might have a chance.” “You’d better not take your position on this team for granted,” outside linebacker Mike Vrabel says. “We’re all here right now. That could change daily and weekly. These guys, they’re not going to stop.” As the Chiefs advance into a season that seems equal parts an effort in improvement and a telling social experiment, the pile of casualties is growing. Third-year defensive lineman Tank Tyler was traded to Carolina on Monday. He had potential, but the Chiefs believe upgrades are available. “There are guys out there,” Haley says, “that are better, we think, than what we have.” Players who don’t fit Haley’s version of perfection are ridiculed, threatened, issued final chances and then given up on — not always in such an orderly fashion. What remains is an agonizing existence for some players, who watch as their teammates pack their things and depart Chiefs headquarters. On this day, Johnson leans against a wall in a quiet corridor. “Coach definitely wants us to be strong-minded,” he says. “Sometimes, to get something done or to be successful, you’ve got to be uncomfortable.” He exhales. “It’s uncomfortable,” he says. • • • There are things that test Haley’s patience and drive him all the way into a full-fledged rage, but he’d prefer to discuss the things he likes in a player. The first is that he is willing to put the team above personal glory and achievement. Bowe had to learn that one during training camp. The flexing, dancing, cocky wideout was told to tone down the act — unless he preferred to take that act to the road. Starters must be willing to teach backups and tutor reserves — even if that means increasing the possibility of the teacher someday losing his job to a student. “Some guys aren’t wired that way,” Haley says, and he’s willing to part ways with those players. Another is for players to follow instructions, even if they don’t immediately make sense or cater to their skills. Ryan signed with the Chiefs as a veteran blocking tight end. He met with Haley, who had other plans, and now Ryan is known more as a receiving option. “Whatever kind of tight end it’s going to be,” Ryan remembers thinking, “I’m going to prove to them I can do it all.” But the tallest challenge for Haley has been establishing a philosophy that injuries, which he says are occasionally unavoidable, are sometimes viewed as a sign of weakness. Free safety Jarrad Page faced doubts after he suggested during the preseason that an injury should keep him out of the Chiefs’ third exhibition game. Johnson has endured several nagging injuries that kept him on the sideline during practices and threatened his job security. Haley has made it clear that the way players react to injuries might determine their futures in Kansas City. If players nurse their wounds too long or report minor issues as long-lasting problems, Haley takes mental notes. “Always show that you’re a guy that wants to be here,” Haley says, “who won’t look for ways out of practice but will look for ways in.” Haley says it’s about toughness. That if players rise above aches and confront even significant injuries, it builds a kind of mental toughness that other teams envy. He says the best teams are made up of players who detest the idea of spending a day on the rehab field. The Chiefs’ training room has been stripped of luxuries, and Haley says it’s designed to make it feel less like a lounge and more like a prison cell. Haley said his vision for progress is a day when the rehab field is empty. Johnson says now that players have learned to hide their injuries. For better or worse, they downplay minor health concerns because of how the opposite reaction might be interpreted. When Johnson hurt his groin this month, he remembers pedaling on a stationary bike and coming to a startling realization. “Damn,” he says, “I’m the only one. Nobody’s limping out there.” Whether it’s because of improved conditioning, good luck or fear of Haley’s wrath, the Chiefs’ injury report the last month has looked bare. When the final report was released before the Chiefs’ game against the New York Giants, the Giants listed 12 injured players compared with the Chiefs’ two. A week later, Dallas listed nine injured players to the Chiefs’ three. Last week, Washington listed seven players and the Chiefs listed three. “You’ve got to practice to play, and that’s the way it is,” Haley says. “We’ve made it clear to them that it’s not going to be tolerated.” This past Friday, players gathered for a morning practice. They stretched and ran sprints at the team’s indoor facility. A few dozen yards away, the team’s trainer, Cedric Smith, folded his arms. The stationary bikes were still. The heavy equipment stayed put. Just as Haley had imagined it, the conditioning field was empty. • • • Talent doesn’t trump everything. Haley says the best teams aren’t those with the best players but rather with the best mix of players. It’s because of that, he says, that some of the Chiefs’ more talented players have been banished. Haley says that Tyler and former quarterback Tyler Thigpen were traded because neither could help the team quickly enough or in the right way. Both were traded for fifth-round picks in next year’s NFL draft. “He probably could’ve developed and been somebody,” Haley says of Thigpen. “But when you start weighing: Where’s he at right now? What can he be? What can we get; what can we turn that pick into? “And the same with Tank. Tank is a guy that has a lot of potential that we all liked and thought could be a good player. But how high, where could he get — what’s the ceiling? What could we get? What can we turn that player into? It’s constant.” Haley says the constant evaluating keeps coaches abreast of the Chiefs’ long-term prospects and the free-agent landscape. It also keeps players on edge, which Haley says keeps them sharp. “They want guys who are willing to do whatever they can to help this team win,” Vrabel says. “Guys who aren’t willing to do that, then they shouldn’t ask questions when they’re released or traded.” Vrabel says he’s used to this kind of approach. He spent eight seasons with the New England Patriots, who he says holds players to similar standards. It’s not new to Vrabel. It is new to others. Johnson walks toward a meeting room and stops. He is a former first-round pick who hasn’t reached his potential. Now he is Demorrio Williams’ backup, and Williams has played so well that he hasn’t allowed Johnson a chance to reclaim his spot. Still, Johnson wonders why he was benched in the first place. Was it his effort? Work ethic? Training habits? He says he doesn’t know. But Johnson says that he’ll just have to keep trying to improve in all areas to try to win back his starting job. He says he’s determined to make it right. That’s why — although Johnson hasn’t been told this — the Chiefs like him and see him in their future. That’s why they didn’t trade him last week. Regardless, they’d prefer that Johnson remained uncomfortable. “Football teaches you you’ve got to have a strong mind, man,” Johnson says. “Just putting the pieces to the puzzle together. Just making a team. “It’s going to make us better.” • • • Haley lifts himself from a rolling chair and straightens himself. His back has been giving him problems this week, and he’s not sure why. Still … “Got to be tough,” he says with a smile. Haley says part of his job is to be the bad guy, to make certain that players understand what is expected of them — and cut ties with them if they don’t meet those expectations. Neither assignment is easy, and Haley insists he had no delusions that his job would be simple. Haley heads toward the door. As he steps into a hallway, he’s greeted by general manager Scott Pioli. The team just worked out another player. Haley says that when there’s a new face in the building, the Chiefs’ players stay at attention. They’re aware of what it might mean. Adding a player would mean that someone else is out. There’s no such thing as the right 54. “Their ears are up,” Haley says. “They’re aware of it, and I think that them understanding that that’s the culture, and that’s the way it’s going to be — I tell them all the time: ‘It’s always going to be like that.’ “It’s a work in progress, obviously, and it’ll stay a work in progress forever.”
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