Coogs
04-18-2009, 02:23 PM
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/04/18/qa_with_todd_haley__418/
Q&A with TODD HALEY - 4/18
Apr 18, 2009, 1:00:02 PM
Q: How did it go today and what did you see today that you didn’t see yesterday?
TODD HALEY: “We were indoors, so today was a whole new deal practicing on the turf. I thought it was a little better than yesterday. Once you get that first day under your belt everyone’s learning a lot about themselves: the equipment guys, the trainers, everybody. I thought it was a little more efficient and that was the reason I wanted to get yesterday’s (practice) out of the way without (media present).”
Q: You had a couple of guys not here. Is that just part of the deal and you just hope everybody shows up?
HALEY: “Again, these are all voluntary deals and to me to have 60 plus players out there is a good sign of guys who want to be here and want to learn how to practice and play and be a good team.”
Q: Do you feel good from what you see of the guys out there as far as desire?
HALEY: “Yeah, like I said, I thought today was a better practice overall. Anytime you get guys who on their own time are choosing to be here I think it’s good.”
Q: What do you see from the veterans you brought in and what they can bring to the table this time of year?
HALEY: “The best example I can give is Zach Thomas who has been out on the street for three months whenever Dallas’ season ended. He was on his own, didn’t know exactly where he was going to be, didn’t know exactly what he was going to be doing. We signed the guy; he chose to fly on Easter in order to get in here the night before to be in the first group of workouts on Monday. He came in here from doing a different program from what he’s been doing. On the third day he was here we had a pretty good run which is a timed run and he ran three different times, won two of them and on the third one he made his time and was up towards the front.
“That’s what a true pro does. He knows how to take care of his body, to be in shape, what it takes and that’s why a guy like that survives in the league as long as he has when nobody thought he would. He was taken in the fifth round. People didn’t think he was big enough or fast enough to get the job done. All he’s done is proven people wrong from the start by the way he prepares. He understands how important this part of the year is. Bobby Engram understands how important this part of the year is.
“Now, those guys need to be able to play and they’re competing for jobs. But, at the same, if some of these young guys can see an example like that of someone who understands what it takes to win in this league and can play at a high level I think it’s a big help to us.”
Q: You’ve talked a lot about what you like about Matt Cassel, but now that you’ve been around him for a while what do you see from him physically?
HALEY: “I saw him up close in December of last year at New England and it wasn’t pretty from my vantage point. He’s big, he’s athletic and he can throw the football. I think with some of the other characteristics that he has it will give him a chance to be a good quarterback.”
Q: Does it seem hard to believe that someone who didn’t start in college and until recently in the pros has been able to maintain his concentration and focus?
HALEY: “I think he probably has some of those characteristics that you’re looking for, some of the same things that have allowed him to succeed in a spot that a lot of guys maybe would have packed it in. Where he didn’t, I think, is just a sign of some of the characteristics he has: that ability to keep working and keep preparing each week as if he were playing and to learn from a pretty good player in front of him and the coaches. I think it’s just a great testament and a little bit of what Scott (Pioli) talked about. The guy’s developed a little differently. He was obviously a good baseball player, so he was pretty developed as an athlete, I’ve got to believe. He just got into a situation where there were probably some pretty good players in front of him.”
Q: And, it was also the fact that he wants to play football…
HALEY: “I think he’s a smart guy who probably could be doing a lot of things. He loves the game, it’s clear to me. You don’t have to watch him for very long out there to realize that.”
Q: Being a quarterback often means being the spokesperson for the team. Do you have any doubts he’s going to do a good job with that?
HALEY: “I hope he does a better job of being a quarterback than a spokesperson. We’ll see, I guess. I’ve never seen him in that position.”
Q&A with TODD HALEY - 4/18
Apr 18, 2009, 1:00:02 PM
Q: How did it go today and what did you see today that you didn’t see yesterday?
TODD HALEY: “We were indoors, so today was a whole new deal practicing on the turf. I thought it was a little better than yesterday. Once you get that first day under your belt everyone’s learning a lot about themselves: the equipment guys, the trainers, everybody. I thought it was a little more efficient and that was the reason I wanted to get yesterday’s (practice) out of the way without (media present).”
Q: You had a couple of guys not here. Is that just part of the deal and you just hope everybody shows up?
HALEY: “Again, these are all voluntary deals and to me to have 60 plus players out there is a good sign of guys who want to be here and want to learn how to practice and play and be a good team.”
Q: Do you feel good from what you see of the guys out there as far as desire?
HALEY: “Yeah, like I said, I thought today was a better practice overall. Anytime you get guys who on their own time are choosing to be here I think it’s good.”
Q: What do you see from the veterans you brought in and what they can bring to the table this time of year?
HALEY: “The best example I can give is Zach Thomas who has been out on the street for three months whenever Dallas’ season ended. He was on his own, didn’t know exactly where he was going to be, didn’t know exactly what he was going to be doing. We signed the guy; he chose to fly on Easter in order to get in here the night before to be in the first group of workouts on Monday. He came in here from doing a different program from what he’s been doing. On the third day he was here we had a pretty good run which is a timed run and he ran three different times, won two of them and on the third one he made his time and was up towards the front.
“That’s what a true pro does. He knows how to take care of his body, to be in shape, what it takes and that’s why a guy like that survives in the league as long as he has when nobody thought he would. He was taken in the fifth round. People didn’t think he was big enough or fast enough to get the job done. All he’s done is proven people wrong from the start by the way he prepares. He understands how important this part of the year is. Bobby Engram understands how important this part of the year is.
“Now, those guys need to be able to play and they’re competing for jobs. But, at the same, if some of these young guys can see an example like that of someone who understands what it takes to win in this league and can play at a high level I think it’s a big help to us.”
Q: You’ve talked a lot about what you like about Matt Cassel, but now that you’ve been around him for a while what do you see from him physically?
HALEY: “I saw him up close in December of last year at New England and it wasn’t pretty from my vantage point. He’s big, he’s athletic and he can throw the football. I think with some of the other characteristics that he has it will give him a chance to be a good quarterback.”
Q: Does it seem hard to believe that someone who didn’t start in college and until recently in the pros has been able to maintain his concentration and focus?
HALEY: “I think he probably has some of those characteristics that you’re looking for, some of the same things that have allowed him to succeed in a spot that a lot of guys maybe would have packed it in. Where he didn’t, I think, is just a sign of some of the characteristics he has: that ability to keep working and keep preparing each week as if he were playing and to learn from a pretty good player in front of him and the coaches. I think it’s just a great testament and a little bit of what Scott (Pioli) talked about. The guy’s developed a little differently. He was obviously a good baseball player, so he was pretty developed as an athlete, I’ve got to believe. He just got into a situation where there were probably some pretty good players in front of him.”
Q: And, it was also the fact that he wants to play football…
HALEY: “I think he’s a smart guy who probably could be doing a lot of things. He loves the game, it’s clear to me. You don’t have to watch him for very long out there to realize that.”
Q: Being a quarterback often means being the spokesperson for the team. Do you have any doubts he’s going to do a good job with that?
HALEY: “I hope he does a better job of being a quarterback than a spokesperson. We’ll see, I guess. I’ve never seen him in that position.”