More Haley Nuggets of Wisdom.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Mark it down: Chiefs buck trend, show yen to lose pounds

Orlin Wagner / Associated PressNew Chiefs Coach Todd Haley stretches as he puts rookies through their paces during a recent workout.

After last season's 2-14 finish, the team has nothing to lose -- except weight. New Coach Todd Haley has put a high priority on conditioning, and he's getting results.
Sam Farmer
June 21, 2009
The Kansas City Chiefs just might be the biggest losers in the NFL.

And that's good news.

To be specific, the Chiefs have lost a combined 340 pounds this year -- and not, say, by cutting some rotund defensive tackle. They lost the weight through hard work, something apparently in short supply when the team went 2-14 last season.

"We were out of shape and not really strong," said new Coach Todd Haley, who has put a premium on his players dropping some pounds. "I talked to our strength coach at Arizona [where Haley was offensive coordinator last season] and he said if you're a highly efficient team that's working, you lose about 120 to 150 pounds in the off-season."

The Chiefs face more than their share of hurdles. With a defense that produced an NFL-record-low 10 sacks last season, and an offense in transition -- and missing All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez -- Kansas City would do well to win six games this season.

But the way Haley sees it, getting in shape was priority No. 1. To that end, he instituted mandatory weigh-ins at the beginning and end of each week, making players who were too heavy on Fridays do extra running. He sat in the weight room every day and watched the workouts, and had his coaches monitor things when he couldn't. (It will be interesting to see how players ultimately react to that, seeing as they often judge coaches by whether they "treat us like men.")

Regardless, Haley identified the problem and set out to fix it. In the process, he shed some serious pounds himself, going from 217 to 192.

"The players understood that to be around, we weren't going to have a fat team," he said in a telephone interview. "And if you were fat, we'd probably just move on at some point as soon as we could."

The approach wasn't always subtle. Take the case of tackle Branden Albert, who was selected 15th in the 2008 draft. He went from chiseled to chunky last season, winding up at least 30 pounds heavier than when the Chiefs drafted him from Virginia.

Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli found Albert's picture from the scouting combine, when the player was a relatively svelte 309 pounds, and taped it to his locker. The inspirational needling did the trick.

"The guy was 303 yesterday," Haley said. "He's on an eating plan and carries his meal around in a Tupperware. He's lifting, and he's so much stronger. He's almost got abs coming through."

Albert, who Haley said "looked like a mess" when he started the program, passed all his rigorous conditioning tests last week.

"It's just a huge transformation," Haley said. "He's put himself into a position to compete and potentially be great."

Anger management

Haley isn't always a hothead. But he plays one on TV.

One of the enduring images from the NFC championship game was of Haley calling a string of excellent plays against Philadelphia while angrily arguing with receiver Anquan Boldin, who pulled off his helmet and was briefly restrained by teammates.

"That changed everything for me," Haley said. "I couldn't go anywhere in Phoenix after that. I used to be able to hide against the wall, but then everybody knew me all of a sudden."

He doesn't mind players thinking he could blow a gasket at any moment, whether it's true or not.

"You'd much rather have that than to be glad-handing and patting somebody on the butt; you don't want that as your reputation," he said. "I'm going to be about pushing you hard and not pulling any punches."

And, hey, Haley made the right calls -- against a Philadelphia defense designed by the outstanding Jim Johnson, no less -- and the Cardinals wound up winning.

"Here I'm trying to call plays to win a championship and I've got somebody yapping behind me," Haley recalled. "It took us to the Super Bowl, and then all of a sudden it became the perception of, 'What's this player doing? Is he an idiot? This coach is trying to call plays.' "

Thank God we got something out of this off season besides a shit draft.

Haley is the "pick" that matters.

[the Talking Can]

gunther was such a great coach that his team quit on him, and admitted it....



if it weren't for DT this clown wouldn't have a job anymore.....no one has milked a legacy more than Gunther...clown, fraud, failure....he has destroyed this franchise as much as anyone...

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by BarrysKOOLAID

I dont keep buying anything he is selling. I just feel he was handcuffed the last two years he was here. Thats all.

He had plenty of blitzes integrated into his defense. They all failed. When he brashly fired the LBs coach, he essentially took accountability for the LBs who all got 100 times worse. Gun claims he was handcuffed by Vermeil and then by Herm. Only so many times you can cry wolf before you realize that the crier is the problem.

See, I just wont talk shit about him now that he is gone. I will wish him well, and hope that people can remember what he DID do for the CHiefs.

I have the same sentiment for Coach Vermeil. But **** Gunther Cunningham. He blamed Vermeil, the front office, Herm Edwards, his defensive assistants, and the talent of his players for his failures. Never once did he blame himself. And on the way out, he took a cheap shot at Herm Edwards, a coach who defended him during his failed era. I'm willing to move on most of the time.

Again, someone making an assumption about me, that is completely FALSE. I never said that Gunther was a hall of fame coach. My point was simple. If he had gotten to use the scheme he wanted to use, not lost his best rusher, and a little more leadership to work with, I think Gun would have done fine. I seem to remember his defense playing pretty good in the playoff game against the Colts in Herms first season. If you dont like that I serve Koolaid, dont drink it. I dont understand know how much more clear I can be on this issue. But yet on the other board, you say you enjoy the debate. Its ****ing half full Milkman. Now leave me alone already, and let me bring back the 12th ****ing man.

And what was his excuse during the Vermeil years when he ran his own scheme? Wasn't he the coach who told Carl Peterson that if they got Sammy Knight, Kendrell Bell, and Patrick Surtain (or Rolle) that he could take the defense to the top? How did they all fare?

Did you not watch the game where TO thrashed the Chiefs and Gun refused to switch McCleon off of him? Did you not watch how our moron LBs continually overpursued plays under his direction? Or how our CBs continued to play 15 yards off the ball?

Gun has NEVER fielded a strong defense without Marty. And yet, Marty brought a great defense to Cleveland, Kansas City, AND San Diego. You say that Herm handcuffed Marty. Isn't it possible that Gun also piggybackd off Marty?

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by RustShack

We aren't running a 4-3 defense... Clancy isn't a 3-4 guy... As for Detroit, well it can't get worse. Also he has a defensive HC holding his hand again.

I am really hoping taht Clancy is a one-year fix. I hate this defense.

I agree with you wholeheartedly--if you want to run a 3-4, bring a 3-4 guy in. None of this hybrid shit. I guarantee that, like Arizona, his scheme is going to be overly confusing and that they'll continue to struggle to bring the right players for his scheme because nobody knows what his scheme really is.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I am really hoping taht Clancy is a one-year fix. I hate this defense.

I agree with you wholeheartedly--if you want to run a 3-4, bring a 3-4 guy in. None of this hybrid shit. I guarantee that, like Arizona, his scheme is going to be overly confusing and that they'll continue to struggle to bring the right players for his scheme because nobody knows what his scheme really is.

Well now that's depressing.

[RustShack]

I think the Chiefs just bybass the hybrid and just go straight 3-4. Pen at least has some experience in that area, and hopefully he unlike Gun can run more than one defense. I don't like his track record so far, but he did do fairly well in the playoffs last year. He could end up doing well for us, he could end up a stop gap for Romeo Crennel... time will tell. Either way I'm glad that fraud Gun is out of the door.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by RustShack

I think the Chiefs just bybass the hybrid and just go straight 3-4. Pen at least has some experience in that area, and hopefully he unlike Gun can run more than one defense. I don't like his track record so far, but he did do fairly well in the playoffs last year. He could end up doing well for us, he could end up a stop gap for Romeo Crennel... time will tell. Either way I'm glad that fraud Gun is out of the door.

Dare to dream...