ToddHaley to get punched by one of his players?

[vailpass]

Here is an article from today's local Phoenix paper about Haley with KC. The writer is one of the better sports guys here in town...

Bickley: Haley could shake up NFL
Dan Bickley - Apr. 23, 2009 06:47 PM
The Arizona Republic
Profile: Todd Haley

There's an ongoing wager inside the Cardinals training facility. One side of the money says Todd Haley will get slugged by a Chiefs player before the start of the regular season.

So far, there have been no punches and no payoff. But it's early.
"There are times, and I hate to admit it, when I get out of control a little bit," said Haley, new head coach of the Chiefs. "And as a head coach, you have to keep control. That's something I'll have to work on."

There are many great stories in the NFL 2009. The Cardinals are reigning NFC champions. The Bears finally have a franchise quarterback. And in Kansas City, the wonderfully volatile Haley brings his combative intensity to a team that was 2-14 one season ago.

Is the former Cardinals offensive coordinator ready to be a head coach? Are the Chiefs ready for him?

Haley just turned 42. He never played the game. But he's the son of a football legend, a protege of Bill Parcells and a man unafraid to challenge his players. In Arizona, his constant badgering made Kurt Warner better, and it turned Larry Fitzgerald into the best receiver in football.

"I coach guys hard," he said.

It's football as it should be. But can a brusque, demanding throwback such as Haley succeed as a head coach in the 21st century, in an era when Tom Coughlin had to soften up to save his job?

It's a good question, and one of many that have Haley scratching his head.

"The people I go to for advice and the people that mean a lot to me all say the same thing: 'Be yourself,' " Haley said. "We'll give it a try, and if I have to dial it back a little, I will."

Haley just concluded his first minicamp in Kansas City, and of the 67 players on the roster, 64 showed up. Haley stressed to his players that practice was a big deal, and it had to be done his way, at high speeds. He also made everyone wear red helmets without the famous arrowhead logo. It was a reminder that they were all starting from scratch.

It hasn't been an easy transition. When he first got the job, he met offensive lineman Brian Waters in the hallway, and told the veteran player that he could get 22 players off the street and win two games. Waters was so offended by the "arrogance" of his new coach that he promptly demanded a trade. Meanwhile, the Chiefs finally traded disgruntled tight end Tony Gonzalez on Thursday, and surely, there will be more bruised feelings along the way.

It's also been difficult flushing the Super Bowl loss. Haley and three assistant coaches he imported from Arizona (Clancy Pendergast, Maurice Carthon, Dedric Ward) recently were fitted for their NFC Championship rings, and it reminded them of the pit in their stomach.

Then during one of the team's practices, a Chiefs quarterback threw an interception near the goal line. Only a few of the offensive players hustled to tackle the interceptor. It struck a chord with Haley, who still visualizes James Harrison rumbling down the sidelines for a touchdown after intercepting Warner in the Super Bowl.

He put the play on tape and showed it to his team.

"That one was near and dear," Haley said. "We may not do a lot of things well, but we're going to chase and tackle on interceptions, that's for sure."

Haley is smart, well-trained and highly competitive. He became a household name during the NFC Championship Game. He was verbally assaulted by Anquan Boldin on the sidelines during the game-winning drive, yet never lost his focus. Then in the postgame glow, Fitzgerald thanked him publicly for the tough love, crediting Haley for his mind-boggling improvement.

That put him over the top, effectively landing him in Kansas City, where he might be the next big thing. Or he might rub the wrong guy the wrong way.

"Obviously, I can't say this is a dream come true for me because I never dreamed I'd be a head coach in the NFL," Haley said. "It's unbelievable to me that I have a chance to impact this league."

Here's hoping he shakes things up really well.


www.arizonarepublic.com

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I think you might have misread me. I think the Chiefs did the right thing by thoroughly going through the process, as opposed to teams like the Lions that threw an offer at the next in line or other teams who got the first guy they could get.

But realize that because Pioli was hired so late, he was way behind on the personnel process. This offseason, he has worked with scouts who have no idea how to recruit for his system--they know how to recruit for 4-3 guys that Herm used to prefer. Not to mention a lot of these personnel guys probably knew Pioli would fire him after the draft, so were they really working as hard as they normally would? And because Pioli was two months late into the process, he didn't have nearly the same amount of time to prep for free agency and the draft as GMs who started doing this work in November and December.

I admit that some of these moves make me a bit uneasy, but I think it's way too soon to judge.

I'll buy that.