Chiefs Covitz: Haley thinking about Super Bowl, not speculation concerning Chiefs’ job - Page 5

**Tribal Warfare** · 01-28-2009, 12:53 AM

Haley thinking about Super Bowl, not speculation concerning Chiefs’ job
By RANDY COVITZ | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

TAMPA, Fla. | The situation was clearly awkward for Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

With the biggest game of his life five days away, the timing couldn’t be worse for Haley to address the head coaching vacancy with the Chiefs.

Sitting in the searing heat Tuesday morning at Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl media day, Haley acknowledged his history with new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and wished him well.

Though Haley, who turns 42 next month, never envisioned this opportunity would arise so soon, he conceded the chance to coach in Kansas City might be too difficult to pass up.

“I don’t know if you can say everybody wants to be a head coach,” said Haley, who began his career in the New York Jets’ personnel department. “I didn’t get in this business to be a head coach. As you move further along, and you move up the ladder, it’s something you start to think about.

“ ‘Could I do this job, could I not do this job?’ I have great confidence in my ability, and if the right situation presents itself, I think I’d like to show that.”

Haley is not oblivious to the fact Kansas City could be the right situation.

“That would make me feel good, but that’s pure speculation, and something I’m not thinking about, and that’s coming from my heart,” he said. “We worked too hard to get to this game, and I am truly excited and blessed that the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl, which is a monumental thing.”

Haley, a college golfer and former golf coach at Jacksonville (Fla.) University, began his football career working with Pioli for three years in the New York Jets’ personnel department during 1995-98. Pioli moved on to New England with Bill Belichick in 2000, and Haley remained an admirer of their work as the Patriots won three Super Bowls during 2001-04 and went unbeaten in the 2007 regular season.

“Scott is great at what he does,” Haley said. “What he and coach Belichick have done in New England is awesome. They have the blueprint on how to work together to succeed, so I’m really happy for Scott. He’s been an anonymous, low-key guy who has done a great job in New England … he has a great opportunity, and I’d like to see him succeed.”

•••

Two men have had profound influences on Todd Haley’s career. One is his father, Dick, a former Pittsburgh cornerback who served as the Steelers’ director of player personnel during 1971-90 and helped build the four-time Super Bowl champions of the ’70s.

The other is Bill Parcells, for whom he worked with the Jets in the late 1990s and at Dallas during 2004-06. Parcells is Pioli’s father-in-law, and as executive vice-president/football for the Miami Dolphins, oversees Dick Haley, now a personnel man in the Dolphins’ front office.

Todd Haley spent his summers at the Steelers’ training camp and his Sundays at Three Rivers Stadium as a ball boy, towel boy and whatever was needed.

“Just to be around the Bradshaws and Lamberts and Swanns on a daily basis,” Haley reflected, “I was just a kid enjoying the ride, and I thought Super Bowls came around every year. I have such a great appreciation for where I am now because it’s been 30 years since my father’s last Super Bowl, and he’s worked hard for many, many years.”

Young Todd Haley traveled with his dad to the Senior Bowl and Hula Bowl and watched how Dick Haley evaluated talent and assembled the Pittsburgh teams that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s.

That’s what makes coaching against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday night so special to Haley.

“I had a chance to work for coach (Bill) Cowher four or five years ago,” Haley said, “but chose to go back with coach Parcells in Dallas and proceeded to watch the Steelers blow it up, going 15-1 (in 2004) and when they went to the Super Bowl (in 2005), they started showing all the old highlights.

“I’d watch the years when I was growing up, and you get teary-eyed about it. I thought, ‘I could have been there,’ but it’s all worked out, and the fact it is the Steelers this week is just unbelievable. So many of my close friends are back in Pittsburgh and are huge Steelers fans and are at the tailgates every week.”

Haley’s father moved on to the Jets’ personnel department in 1991, where Todd began learning the family business. But the coaching bug bit, and he took a substantial pay cut and became an entry-level Jets receivers coach for Parcells in 1999. That was followed by a stint with the Chicago Bears during 2001-03 before he joined Parcells’ staff for 2004-06.

“Parcells’ impact was big,” Haley said. “It’s no accident that he’s had success everywhere he goes. I’m so grateful to have been able to spend seven, eight years around him to soak in as much as you can. He’s a master motivator, and whatever he would be doing, he would be highly successful, whether it be football or business.”

In fact, some of Haley’s sideline demeanor, caught on camera in heated discussions with Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Anquan Boldin during the NFC championship game, resembles a young Parcells.

“It’s my personality,” said Haley, who joined the Cardinals as coordinator in 2007. “I’m more to the confrontational side. I can’t hold things in. It’s something you’ve got to balance as a coach all the time. You can’t do whatever you want and say whatever you want. You have to keep some semblance of control. I try to use it to my advantage as best I can, and the guys know how I am and how I go about it, so it’s not a surprise to anybody.”

Having coached divas such as Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson as well as Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald has prepared Haley for anything.

“I’m grateful I coached receivers as long as I did,” Haley said. “They’re a unique group generally, a little high-profile for the most part. If you can handle that group, and over time I have proven to have pretty successful groups, it (says) a lot about my development as a coach.”

•••

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt says Haley is ready to become a head coach. So do others, such as Warner and Fitzgerald.

Haley would be following Whisenhunt’s path. Whisenhunt went from offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh to head coach in Arizona, where in two years he has led the longtime laughingstock of the NFL into the Super Bowl. Haley has been part of that, running the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense.

“With the success a lot of young coaches have had in the league right now, there’s not any question,” Whisenhunt said of Haley’s readiness for the job. “Todd’s done a great job as a play-caller and coordinator, and a lot of those things he has learned in that role are the very same things I learned in my role at Pittsburgh.

“A lot of the things we’ve done and have had success with will serve Todd very well in the future.”

Warner, about to play in his third Super Bowl, said Haley brought “a competitiveness that maybe we didn’t have to that degree before. He brought an accountability to our offense, no matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished. He’s put the players in the best positions to win. That’s a huge part of success for a coach.”

Fitzgerald, the dominant offensive star of the NFL playoffs this season, said Haley pushed him harder than any coach he’s had.

“No matter what you do, it’s never good enough,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s not because he’s being hard on you, it’s because he wants you to be the best. He told me when he first got here, he wanted me to be the best receiver in the NFL, and he’s going to push me and drive me to that point. He’s still pushing to get the best out of me, and I’m willing to keep working for it because that’s what I want as well.”

Haley said he has avoided talking about the Kansas City situation with his players.

“To me, it’s about the game,” Haley said. “I’ve been preaching to these players every day about staying in your routine, doing the things that got us here. I have to follow that, too. So I’ve really blocked everything out.

“This is what I’ve sacrificed my life for and sacrificed so much time with my wife and five kids to get to this game. It’s a lifelong dream, and I’m enjoying and getting the most out of every minute.”

@ Go to KansasCity.com - to find updates on the Red Zone blog and sound off in our Chiefs forum.

bowener · 01-28-2009, 12:16 PM

Wow. Pretty rare that a guy comes right out and talks about the possibility of leaving the team after the Super Bowl, and that he would like to have that chance, meaning it hasnt been offered (officially) yet. If that is the case, I think that was a big nod in the direction of Pioli to come sniffing, but I would have to imagine that he already did all his homework on Haley years ago and continues to update it.

bowener · 01-28-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_Chief_Fan

Just saw on ESPN that Oakland is sending feelers to Haley to see if he has intersest in interviewing for the head coach of Raiders.

LULZ!11!!

Let's see, executive of the year 3 times, or Al-****ing-Davis??? That seems like a tough decision... of course Al will over pay and then fire him next year.....

chiefzilla1501 · 01-28-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Grimm is loyal to Wisenhut. He's staying in Arizona.

Pendergast is also staying. No way the Cardinals let him leave for a lateral move.

I've also heard several Steelers fans say they love Grimm, but he doesn't have a lot between the ears. It says a lot when an offensive line coach is promoted to offensive coordinator for neither the team that likes him a lot (Steelers) and the coach who he followed to a different city (Arizona).

Great coach. But any move he would have to make would probably be a lateral move, as I don't think anyone's knocking on the door for him to be promoted.

PhillyChiefFan · 01-28-2009, 12:36 PM

I would love it if Haley became HC.

I am already the most excited I have been to be a Chiefs fan in YEAAARRRS and this would be the icing on the cake for the long starved fans.

A couple of good FA pick ups, Pioli, Haley, Bowles and Gailey has GM, HC, DC and OC combined with a good draft this year...ah...that would make my decade.

bowener · 01-28-2009, 12:44 PM

I think if we get Haley he will be the HC and acting OC. We may keep somebody on board like Gailey to help him organize information, or relay information, but I think Haley will hate the idea of giving up his play calling duties right away. I guess that could change though when he realizes he has a ton of work to do as HC, though.

blueballs · 01-28-2009, 12:51 PM

Herm and Gunther are the two biggest HC failures in recent Chiefs history
and they seemed to share an interesting quality -other than lacking coacing prowess
and that is the need to run the show single handed

Talk was Gun didn't trust to delegate authority -I have to do it myself
and Herm tried to run the front office -Carl vs Herm rumors
This is my worry about Hailey and his sideline flareups

PhillyChiefFan · 01-28-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueballs

Herm and Gunther are the two biggest HC failures in recent Chiefs history
and they seemed to share an interesting quality -other than lacking coacing prowess
and that is the need to run the show single handed

Talk was Gun didn't trust to delegate authority -I have to do it myself
and Herm tried to run the front office -Carl vs Herm rumors
This is my worry about Hailey and his sideline flareups

Yea I was kind of worried about his flareups, but maybe that would be a good thing too. Instead of coddling his players, like Herm basically did, he expects and demands more from them.

At least that is how I'm trying to see it, Bill Parcels flares up too at times. So maybe it would be a good thing?

blueballs · 01-28-2009, 01:17 PM

Parcels strikes me as a control freak also
just a somewhat successful control freak

PhillyChiefFan · 01-28-2009, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueballs

Parcels strikes me as a control freak also
just a somewhat successful control freak

Yea, I would say he probably would be. But he sure as hell turned Miami around.

I am glad we have Pioli as the wheelman for the Chiefs though, he's young and bright. He has control over the org and I think he will prove to be a great GM.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 01-28-2009, 01:43 PM

I am SO on board with this.

This guy is a developer to the 100th-power. I know everybody here is well aware of Fitz by now, but having watched a ton of his earlier games prior to 2008, and even the 2008 preseason, he really IS a whole different beast.

Scott said the patience of Clark would be rewarded, and if we snag Haley we're that much closer to the overall vision.

FringeNC · 01-28-2009, 03:49 PM

At this point Haley has to be considered the favorite, because they are no other names being thrown around as much. But still, is Haley even 50/50 to be the guy?

Sweet Daddy Hate · 01-28-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FringeNC

At this point Haley has to be considered the favorite, because they are no other names being thrown around as much. But still, is Haley even 50/50 to be the guy?

In terms of mulling it over and taking the job, I couldn't say.

In terms of would I feel confident in Haley? Yes. It's the player testimonials that are beginning to truly seal the deal for me personally.

That thing Haley's doing in terms of motivating his players and getting them to elevate their game is a story I've heard many times before. It's that balance between the "let me be your friend" coach like Herm, and the spewing volcano-trip that Krummy and Gun used to do.

Flowers went through it at VT. He
"thought Coach Beamer hated me my entire first year".
It's just a good timing and balancing act/skill that if executed properly can make outstanding players.

milkman · 01-28-2009, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FringeNC

At this point Haley has to be considered the favorite, because they are no other names being thrown around as much. But still, is Haley even 50/50 to be the guy?

It's gonna be Maurice Carthon.

**SAUTO** · 01-28-2009, 04:18 PM

its gonna be jimmy raye sr.

RustShack · 01-28-2009, 04:19 PM

He had Owens and Keyshawn in Dallas, Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizonz, hes going to want Crabtree with Bowe here. Warner has said he will test the free agent market, he could love Haley that much and Haley could want Warner to start for a year or two to help him groom our QB of the future.

I want a QB with the first pick for the record, but I could see it playing out that way and I am in no way saying that is what I want.

01-28-2009, 12:53 AM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2777187	Covitz: Haley thinking about Super Bowl, not speculation concerning Chiefs’ job Haley thinking about Super Bowl, not speculation concerning Chiefs’ job By RANDY COVITZ \| THE KANSAS CITY STAR TAMPA, Fla. \| The situation was clearly awkward for Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley. With the biggest game of his life five days away, the timing couldn’t be worse for Haley to address the head coaching vacancy with the Chiefs. Sitting in the searing heat Tuesday morning at Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl media day, Haley acknowledged his history with new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and wished him well. Though Haley, who turns 42 next month, never envisioned this opportunity would arise so soon, he conceded the chance to coach in Kansas City might be too difficult to pass up. “I don’t know if you can say everybody wants to be a head coach,” said Haley, who began his career in the New York Jets’ personnel department. “I didn’t get in this business to be a head coach. As you move further along, and you move up the ladder, it’s something you start to think about. “ ‘Could I do this job, could I not do this job?’ I have great confidence in my ability, and if the right situation presents itself, I think I’d like to show that.” Haley is not oblivious to the fact Kansas City could be the right situation. “That would make me feel good, but that’s pure speculation, and something I’m not thinking about, and that’s coming from my heart,” he said. “We worked too hard to get to this game, and I am truly excited and blessed that the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl, which is a monumental thing.” Haley, a college golfer and former golf coach at Jacksonville (Fla.) University, began his football career working with Pioli for three years in the New York Jets’ personnel department during 1995-98. Pioli moved on to New England with Bill Belichick in 2000, and Haley remained an admirer of their work as the Patriots won three Super Bowls during 2001-04 and went unbeaten in the 2007 regular season. “Scott is great at what he does,” Haley said. “What he and coach Belichick have done in New England is awesome. They have the blueprint on how to work together to succeed, so I’m really happy for Scott. He’s been an anonymous, low-key guy who has done a great job in New England … he has a great opportunity, and I’d like to see him succeed.” ••• Two men have had profound influences on Todd Haley’s career. One is his father, Dick, a former Pittsburgh cornerback who served as the Steelers’ director of player personnel during 1971-90 and helped build the four-time Super Bowl champions of the ’70s. The other is Bill Parcells, for whom he worked with the Jets in the late 1990s and at Dallas during 2004-06. Parcells is Pioli’s father-in-law, and as executive vice-president/football for the Miami Dolphins, oversees Dick Haley, now a personnel man in the Dolphins’ front office. Todd Haley spent his summers at the Steelers’ training camp and his Sundays at Three Rivers Stadium as a ball boy, towel boy and whatever was needed. “Just to be around the Bradshaws and Lamberts and Swanns on a daily basis,” Haley reflected, “I was just a kid enjoying the ride, and I thought Super Bowls came around every year. I have such a great appreciation for where I am now because it’s been 30 years since my father’s last Super Bowl, and he’s worked hard for many, many years.” Young Todd Haley traveled with his dad to the Senior Bowl and Hula Bowl and watched how Dick Haley evaluated talent and assembled the Pittsburgh teams that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. That’s what makes coaching against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday night so special to Haley. “I had a chance to work for coach (Bill) Cowher four or five years ago,” Haley said, “but chose to go back with coach Parcells in Dallas and proceeded to watch the Steelers blow it up, going 15-1 (in 2004) and when they went to the Super Bowl (in 2005), they started showing all the old highlights. “I’d watch the years when I was growing up, and you get teary-eyed about it. I thought, ‘I could have been there,’ but it’s all worked out, and the fact it is the Steelers this week is just unbelievable. So many of my close friends are back in Pittsburgh and are huge Steelers fans and are at the tailgates every week.” Haley’s father moved on to the Jets’ personnel department in 1991, where Todd began learning the family business. But the coaching bug bit, and he took a substantial pay cut and became an entry-level Jets receivers coach for Parcells in 1999. That was followed by a stint with the Chicago Bears during 2001-03 before he joined Parcells’ staff for 2004-06. “Parcells’ impact was big,” Haley said. “It’s no accident that he’s had success everywhere he goes. I’m so grateful to have been able to spend seven, eight years around him to soak in as much as you can. He’s a master motivator, and whatever he would be doing, he would be highly successful, whether it be football or business.” In fact, some of Haley’s sideline demeanor, caught on camera in heated discussions with Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Anquan Boldin during the NFC championship game, resembles a young Parcells. “It’s my personality,” said Haley, who joined the Cardinals as coordinator in 2007. “I’m more to the confrontational side. I can’t hold things in. It’s something you’ve got to balance as a coach all the time. You can’t do whatever you want and say whatever you want. You have to keep some semblance of control. I try to use it to my advantage as best I can, and the guys know how I am and how I go about it, so it’s not a surprise to anybody.” Having coached divas such as Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson as well as Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald has prepared Haley for anything. “I’m grateful I coached receivers as long as I did,” Haley said. “They’re a unique group generally, a little high-profile for the most part. If you can handle that group, and over time I have proven to have pretty successful groups, it (says) a lot about my development as a coach.” ••• Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt says Haley is ready to become a head coach. So do others, such as Warner and Fitzgerald. Haley would be following Whisenhunt’s path. Whisenhunt went from offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh to head coach in Arizona, where in two years he has led the longtime laughingstock of the NFL into the Super Bowl. Haley has been part of that, running the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense. “With the success a lot of young coaches have had in the league right now, there’s not any question,” Whisenhunt said of Haley’s readiness for the job. “Todd’s done a great job as a play-caller and coordinator, and a lot of those things he has learned in that role are the very same things I learned in my role at Pittsburgh. “A lot of the things we’ve done and have had success with will serve Todd very well in the future.” Warner, about to play in his third Super Bowl, said Haley brought “a competitiveness that maybe we didn’t have to that degree before. He brought an accountability to our offense, no matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished. He’s put the players in the best positions to win. That’s a huge part of success for a coach.” Fitzgerald, the dominant offensive star of the NFL playoffs this season, said Haley pushed him harder than any coach he’s had. “No matter what you do, it’s never good enough,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s not because he’s being hard on you, it’s because he wants you to be the best. He told me when he first got here, he wanted me to be the best receiver in the NFL, and he’s going to push me and drive me to that point. He’s still pushing to get the best out of me, and I’m willing to keep working for it because that’s what I want as well.” Haley said he has avoided talking about the Kansas City situation with his players. “To me, it’s about the game,” Haley said. “I’ve been preaching to these players every day about staying in your routine, doing the things that got us here. I have to follow that, too. So I’ve really blocked everything out. “This is what I’ve sacrificed my life for and sacrificed so much time with my wife and five kids to get to this game. It’s a lifelong dream, and I’m enjoying and getting the most out of every minute.” @ Go to KansasCity.com - to find updates on the Red Zone blog and sound off in our Chiefs forum.
Posts: 43,419

01-28-2009, 12:16 PM	#61
bowener BAMF! Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $9549897	Wow. Pretty rare that a guy comes right out and talks about the possibility of leaving the team after the Super Bowl, and that he would like to have that chance, meaning it hasnt been offered (officially) yet. If that is the case, I think that was a big nod in the direction of Pioli to come sniffing, but I would have to imagine that he already did all his homework on Haley years ago and continues to update it. __________________ Main Entry: bowe·ner Pronunciation: \ˈbō-nər\ Function: noun Date: circa 2007
Posts: 8,358

01-28-2009, 12:36 PM	#64
PhillyChiefFan Veteran Join Date: May 2007 Location: Harrisburg, PA Casino cash: $3221139	I would love it if Haley became HC. I am already the most excited I have been to be a Chiefs fan in YEAAARRRS and this would be the icing on the cake for the long starved fans. A couple of good FA pick ups, Pioli, Haley, Bowles and Gailey has GM, HC, DC and OC combined with a good draft this year...ah...that would make my decade.
Posts: 3,407

01-28-2009, 12:44 PM	#65
bowener BAMF! Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $9549897	I think if we get Haley he will be the HC and acting OC. We may keep somebody on board like Gailey to help him organize information, or relay information, but I think Haley will hate the idea of giving up his play calling duties right away. I guess that could change though when he realizes he has a ton of work to do as HC, though. __________________ Main Entry: bowe·ner Pronunciation: \ˈbō-nər\ Function: noun Date: circa 2007
Posts: 8,358

01-28-2009, 12:51 PM	#66
blueballs Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	Herm and Gunther are the two biggest HC failures in recent Chiefs history and they seemed to share an interesting quality -other than lacking coacing prowess and that is the need to run the show single handed Talk was Gun didn't trust to delegate authority -I have to do it myself and Herm tried to run the front office -Carl vs Herm rumors This is my worry about Hailey and his sideline flareups
Posts: 14,233

01-28-2009, 01:17 PM	#68
blueballs Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	Parcels strikes me as a control freak also just a somewhat successful control freak
Posts: 14,233

01-28-2009, 01:43 PM	#70
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	I am SO on board with this. This guy is a developer to the 100th-power. I know everybody here is well aware of Fitz by now, but having watched a ton of his earlier games prior to 2008, and even the 2008 preseason, he really IS a whole different beast. Scott said the patience of Clark would be rewarded, and if we snag Haley we're that much closer to the overall vision. __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
Posts: 77,135

01-28-2009, 03:49 PM	#71
FringeNC MVP Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: NC Casino cash: $-1593986	At this point Haley has to be considered the favorite, because they are no other names being thrown around as much. But still, is Haley even 50/50 to be the guy?
Posts: 10,234

01-28-2009, 04:18 PM	#74
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	its gonna be jimmy raye sr.
Posts: 55,715

01-28-2009, 04:19 PM	#75
RustShack **** That Noise Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Jack Trice Casino cash: $3136954	He had Owens and Keyshawn in Dallas, Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizonz, hes going to want Crabtree with Bowe here. Warner has said he will test the free agent market, he could love Haley that much and Haley could want Warner to start for a year or two to help him groom our QB of the future. I want a QB with the first pick for the record, but I could see it playing out that way and I am in no way saying that is what I want. __________________
Posts: 15,119