Tribal Warfare
09-10-2009, 02:24 PM
Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/10 (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/09/10/qa_with_todd_haley__910/)
Sep 10, 2009, 2:56:24 PM
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Q: How’s Matt Cassel looking today?
TODD HALEY: “Same thing. This is going to be a full week evaluation. I think this is going to be one that will go down to the wire.”
Q: But did he make progress from yesterday?
HALEY: “Again, I won’t comment on that. I think this is something that will go down to the wire with the quarterback. On game day we’ll still be trying to figure it out.”
Q: Do you have any kind of philosophy on injuries. Does a guy have to be 80%, 90% or whatever to start the season?
HALEY: “A guy has to practice to have a chance to play. That’s my main philosophy: you’ve got to practice to play. That’s what I’m going off of and then at that point you evaluate if they’re helping you more or hurting you more.”
Q: Would you consider rolling him out if he’s not 100%, if Matt Cassel at 90% gives you the best chance to win?
HALEY: “I don’t think one of those players is 100% so to talk in percentages you’re just playing mind games. None of these guys is 100%. Our job as coaches is to figure out who gives you the best chance to win on any given Sunday. That’s what we do through the whole week.”
Q: How much does the fact that you have a 16 game schedule matter? How much do you have to keep that in mind?
HALEY: “Again, that’s an every week thing, whether it’s the first week, the seventh week, the ninth week, 15th week and you’re going into the playoffs, whatever it is. Those are tough decisions that you have to make for what you think is best for the team in the big picture.”
Q: Is he going to be listed today as taking limited practice?
HALEY: “Yeah.”
Q: Do you have to change your game plan whether it’s Matt Cassel or Brodie Croyle or Tyler Thigpen?
HALEY: “I don’t think a whole bunch really for any of those guys. It might be a little more gun, a little less gun, or there might be different things you do for different guys. But other than that I think the game is, especially now…it’s Thursday and it’s almost go time.”
Q: Would it be Brodie if Matt can’t go?
HALEY: “We haven’t decided all that yet.”
Q: What does this mean for Larry Johnson? Is he ready to roll?
HALEY: “I hope who ever ends up being the 45 I hope they’re all ready to roll. I hope they’re all ready to roll. This is what the off-season has been about, all that work and lifting and sweating. This is what the OTA’s have been about and what training camp has been about. Now, it’s game one. If you can’t get up for this one you probably have a problem.”
Q: When you look at Baltimore on tape what are some of the unique challenges the Ravens present?
HALEY: “I think I said yesterday: this is a complete team. There is no way around it. The defense is what gets a lot of the accolades but I think the offense now is a legit, high-powered offense. They can run the football, they can throw it; they’ve got a good young quarterback who makes plays. They’ve got good receivers who make plays and they’ve got three running backs who are all potential starters for anybody. Special teams are probably one of the best coached groups you’ll see. It’s the complete package.
Q: Looking back since you’ve been here, did you know it was going to require this much change, a massive overhaul? Did you know this was going to be necessary?
HALEY: “Without rehashing the past too much, I’ve been places and been part of change, pretty dramatic change where teams went from not winning a lot of games to getting things turned around in the right direction. It’s a painful, tumultuous process and I’m grateful I was around those situations and helped be a part of the change in the positive.
“Now, I’m just the head coach in that change. But you knew coming in. The fact that I was getting a head coaching job here, it wasn’t all roses coming in. That wasn’t the way I was thinking.”
Q: With all the progress that has been made, how comfortable do you feel with all that change going into the regular season? How close do you think this team is?
HALEY: “Again, how we measure ourselves is how I’ve said a few times: we’re trying to get better every day. Trying to make progress every day without having one step forward and three steps back, that kind of deal. We’re trying to be a steady team that makes daily progress and weekly progress. That’s the way we’ve got to measure ourselves. We’ve got to see how we do on that front because, again, you said it: it’s a lot of change and a lot of pain and suffering for a lot of people and that’s the truth. Out of that you hope that you start to forge the nucleus of a team you can build on and become a good team and then a great team.”
Q: How do you balance finding the right guys, the right 53, as you’ve said, and/or the right guys that can help you win this season who may not be doing exactly what you want?
HALEY: “You stay consistent in your approach of what you want. That’s what I’ve learned as a coach. You don’t go up and down. You be consistent in what you ask the players for and then you play with those players that are doing it the way you are asking them to do it and doing it well enough.”
Q: How much does the depth chart fluctuate in a week? Do you juggle it in a week?
HALEY: “Sure, these guys are moving around daily and it might be somebody getting nicked up or, all of a sudden, somebody has been practicing hard and he gets an opportunity in practice and then we sit in there tonight and say so-and-so stepped in and did a good job. We then say, hey, maybe that’s who we have to play with. I think it’s a daily evaluation of these guys, every day, and it’s not just on the field. It’s meetings in the morning, meetings in the afternoon - all that’s taken into account. Who’s paying attention, who’s doing extra. It’s a full daily evaluation.”
Q: How is Derrick Johnson doing?
HALEY: “Derrick to me is working hard. He’s working hard from what I’ve seen. He’s having to do some show team, having to do some starting team and special teams. We’re asking him to do a lot and it appears to me that Derrick is working hard.”
Q: Speaking of the depth chart, we’ve seen a lot of Jarrad Page the last couple of years and we’ve seen Jon McGraw. I can only speak for myself but I believed that Jarrad Page was the better player and better safety in this league. But he’s behind McGraw on the depth chart. Is there something with him attitude-wise or work-ethic wise that’s been a problem or he just getting out-performed?
HALEY: “Again, I would say that there are a lot of things that go into the evaluation. I would never get into anything off-the-field anyway. It’s what we as a staff at the time, on that particular day, gives us the best chance to perform on a high level. Again, we’re looking for dependable guys who do it the way we want to do it. I won’t even speculate on that (question) because there are things that I wouldn’t talk about up here, and they’re not necessarily negative things. I’m not saying that in any way.”
Q: Do you think Jarrad has bought into what you want to do?
HALEY: “Yeah, I think that Jarrad is a guy that comes to work every day and gives it everything he has. No doubt about that and I think he has ability to be a big-time safety potentially.”
Q: Have you got the pre-game speech and all the things that head coaches have to do going into their first game along with all the other duties you’ve got going on?
HALEY: “I’ve got to be ready. That’s my job. I’ve got to do my preparation when I can and I understand there is a game Sunday, when the meetings will be and when I have to talk to the team. I sort that out in my mind as the week goes on, no different than I did as a coordinator knowing I had to give certain talks at certain times.”
Q: In preparing for their defense did you pick up enough in the pre-season tapes to see what kind of stamp their defensive coordinator has put on the Ravens.?
HALEY: “This is the toughest game of the year and when you have change like they did it makes it more difficult because you’re watching some games from last year, you’re watching some games from this year. You just don’t know. It’s a lot of ‘here’s what we think, but we’ve got to be ready for this, this and this.’ The first game of the year is always the toughest as far as preparation. Make a coaching change or significant players change it makes it even tougher.”
Q: Do you even go so far as have people on the staff go back at look at Florida State or Notre Dame where he was?
HALEY: “Those are things that coaches have fun talking about: who knows him and I think it sometimes it’s a little more pertinent than others. I think it’s something definitely that’s been discussed.”
Sep 10, 2009, 2:56:24 PM
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Q: How’s Matt Cassel looking today?
TODD HALEY: “Same thing. This is going to be a full week evaluation. I think this is going to be one that will go down to the wire.”
Q: But did he make progress from yesterday?
HALEY: “Again, I won’t comment on that. I think this is something that will go down to the wire with the quarterback. On game day we’ll still be trying to figure it out.”
Q: Do you have any kind of philosophy on injuries. Does a guy have to be 80%, 90% or whatever to start the season?
HALEY: “A guy has to practice to have a chance to play. That’s my main philosophy: you’ve got to practice to play. That’s what I’m going off of and then at that point you evaluate if they’re helping you more or hurting you more.”
Q: Would you consider rolling him out if he’s not 100%, if Matt Cassel at 90% gives you the best chance to win?
HALEY: “I don’t think one of those players is 100% so to talk in percentages you’re just playing mind games. None of these guys is 100%. Our job as coaches is to figure out who gives you the best chance to win on any given Sunday. That’s what we do through the whole week.”
Q: How much does the fact that you have a 16 game schedule matter? How much do you have to keep that in mind?
HALEY: “Again, that’s an every week thing, whether it’s the first week, the seventh week, the ninth week, 15th week and you’re going into the playoffs, whatever it is. Those are tough decisions that you have to make for what you think is best for the team in the big picture.”
Q: Is he going to be listed today as taking limited practice?
HALEY: “Yeah.”
Q: Do you have to change your game plan whether it’s Matt Cassel or Brodie Croyle or Tyler Thigpen?
HALEY: “I don’t think a whole bunch really for any of those guys. It might be a little more gun, a little less gun, or there might be different things you do for different guys. But other than that I think the game is, especially now…it’s Thursday and it’s almost go time.”
Q: Would it be Brodie if Matt can’t go?
HALEY: “We haven’t decided all that yet.”
Q: What does this mean for Larry Johnson? Is he ready to roll?
HALEY: “I hope who ever ends up being the 45 I hope they’re all ready to roll. I hope they’re all ready to roll. This is what the off-season has been about, all that work and lifting and sweating. This is what the OTA’s have been about and what training camp has been about. Now, it’s game one. If you can’t get up for this one you probably have a problem.”
Q: When you look at Baltimore on tape what are some of the unique challenges the Ravens present?
HALEY: “I think I said yesterday: this is a complete team. There is no way around it. The defense is what gets a lot of the accolades but I think the offense now is a legit, high-powered offense. They can run the football, they can throw it; they’ve got a good young quarterback who makes plays. They’ve got good receivers who make plays and they’ve got three running backs who are all potential starters for anybody. Special teams are probably one of the best coached groups you’ll see. It’s the complete package.
Q: Looking back since you’ve been here, did you know it was going to require this much change, a massive overhaul? Did you know this was going to be necessary?
HALEY: “Without rehashing the past too much, I’ve been places and been part of change, pretty dramatic change where teams went from not winning a lot of games to getting things turned around in the right direction. It’s a painful, tumultuous process and I’m grateful I was around those situations and helped be a part of the change in the positive.
“Now, I’m just the head coach in that change. But you knew coming in. The fact that I was getting a head coaching job here, it wasn’t all roses coming in. That wasn’t the way I was thinking.”
Q: With all the progress that has been made, how comfortable do you feel with all that change going into the regular season? How close do you think this team is?
HALEY: “Again, how we measure ourselves is how I’ve said a few times: we’re trying to get better every day. Trying to make progress every day without having one step forward and three steps back, that kind of deal. We’re trying to be a steady team that makes daily progress and weekly progress. That’s the way we’ve got to measure ourselves. We’ve got to see how we do on that front because, again, you said it: it’s a lot of change and a lot of pain and suffering for a lot of people and that’s the truth. Out of that you hope that you start to forge the nucleus of a team you can build on and become a good team and then a great team.”
Q: How do you balance finding the right guys, the right 53, as you’ve said, and/or the right guys that can help you win this season who may not be doing exactly what you want?
HALEY: “You stay consistent in your approach of what you want. That’s what I’ve learned as a coach. You don’t go up and down. You be consistent in what you ask the players for and then you play with those players that are doing it the way you are asking them to do it and doing it well enough.”
Q: How much does the depth chart fluctuate in a week? Do you juggle it in a week?
HALEY: “Sure, these guys are moving around daily and it might be somebody getting nicked up or, all of a sudden, somebody has been practicing hard and he gets an opportunity in practice and then we sit in there tonight and say so-and-so stepped in and did a good job. We then say, hey, maybe that’s who we have to play with. I think it’s a daily evaluation of these guys, every day, and it’s not just on the field. It’s meetings in the morning, meetings in the afternoon - all that’s taken into account. Who’s paying attention, who’s doing extra. It’s a full daily evaluation.”
Q: How is Derrick Johnson doing?
HALEY: “Derrick to me is working hard. He’s working hard from what I’ve seen. He’s having to do some show team, having to do some starting team and special teams. We’re asking him to do a lot and it appears to me that Derrick is working hard.”
Q: Speaking of the depth chart, we’ve seen a lot of Jarrad Page the last couple of years and we’ve seen Jon McGraw. I can only speak for myself but I believed that Jarrad Page was the better player and better safety in this league. But he’s behind McGraw on the depth chart. Is there something with him attitude-wise or work-ethic wise that’s been a problem or he just getting out-performed?
HALEY: “Again, I would say that there are a lot of things that go into the evaluation. I would never get into anything off-the-field anyway. It’s what we as a staff at the time, on that particular day, gives us the best chance to perform on a high level. Again, we’re looking for dependable guys who do it the way we want to do it. I won’t even speculate on that (question) because there are things that I wouldn’t talk about up here, and they’re not necessarily negative things. I’m not saying that in any way.”
Q: Do you think Jarrad has bought into what you want to do?
HALEY: “Yeah, I think that Jarrad is a guy that comes to work every day and gives it everything he has. No doubt about that and I think he has ability to be a big-time safety potentially.”
Q: Have you got the pre-game speech and all the things that head coaches have to do going into their first game along with all the other duties you’ve got going on?
HALEY: “I’ve got to be ready. That’s my job. I’ve got to do my preparation when I can and I understand there is a game Sunday, when the meetings will be and when I have to talk to the team. I sort that out in my mind as the week goes on, no different than I did as a coordinator knowing I had to give certain talks at certain times.”
Q: In preparing for their defense did you pick up enough in the pre-season tapes to see what kind of stamp their defensive coordinator has put on the Ravens.?
HALEY: “This is the toughest game of the year and when you have change like they did it makes it more difficult because you’re watching some games from last year, you’re watching some games from this year. You just don’t know. It’s a lot of ‘here’s what we think, but we’ve got to be ready for this, this and this.’ The first game of the year is always the toughest as far as preparation. Make a coaching change or significant players change it makes it even tougher.”
Q: Do you even go so far as have people on the staff go back at look at Florida State or Notre Dame where he was?
HALEY: “Those are things that coaches have fun talking about: who knows him and I think it sometimes it’s a little more pertinent than others. I think it’s something definitely that’s been discussed.”