Tribal Warfare
10-19-2009, 10:52 PM
Chiefs get to see how they can handle victory (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1517937.html)
By ADAM TEICHER | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
This is uncharted territory for the Chiefs, at least for the time they’ve been coached by Todd Haley.
The Chiefs won their first game under Haley on Sunday, beating Washington 14-6. Given that Haley has turned everything about the Chiefs upside down during his brief time in Kansas City, nobody was quite certain how to react.
On the first day afterward, they handled it as if they’ve been there before — even if they haven’t been there before.
“I was kind of surprised,” said safety Jon McGraw, who started in place of the injured Jarrad Page. “In the locker room, guys were excited, but on the plane ride home, there wasn’t a lot of chaos. There were a lot more smiles, but nothing crazy. I thought that was a good sign.”
Of more importance is how the Chiefs handle this taste of success over the longer term, beginning with Sunday’s game against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium. Their recent history suggests it will be some time before the Chiefs win another one.
Their three previous victories were followed by losing streaks of 12, seven and nine games. The Chiefs haven’t won back-to-back games since victories over Cincinnati and Oakland in October 2007.
“That’s a great question,” said McGraw, when asked how the Chiefs will respond to their first win in almost 11 months. “I really don’t know. We really haven’t had much (success). Hopefully, the guys handle it well and understand that there’s a time to enjoy it and a time to forget about it and move on.”
Except for the five losses this season, the rest of that history predates Haley, who has his own brand of motivational techniques. Plane flights home from the season’s first two road games, both losses, were somber, with the players taking their cue from Haley.
Players wondered in the locker room in Washington whether they would be allowed to relax on this flight home.
“Coach Haley gave us permission to enjoy it, which was nice,” McGraw said. “We did that, and we’re excited about building on it.
“This team really needed to see the fruits of our labor. It was a really good thing for us.”
Haley said: “I told them after the game to enjoy it on the way home. The last couple of road trips coming home have been quiet and kind of like a morgue on that plane, which is how I think it should be after a loss. There shouldn’t be a lot of happy faces.
“(Sunday night), anybody on that plane could sense a little different atmosphere, which is good. It’s hard to win, and everybody needs to enjoy it when you do win, at least for a period of time.”
Haley apparently decided Monday that period of time had come to an end. He showed no signs of backing off. There was no day off for players the day after a victory, as was the custom when the Chiefs would win — however rarely — under Herm Edwards.
The regularly scheduled meetings went off as planned.
“(After a victory), guys are a little less sensitive to the videotape,” Haley said. “When there are things you can correct, it’s a little easier for them to stomach it and swallow it. So we pushed them pretty hard in the meeting rooms going over the tape.”
While the Chiefs might eventually look back at the win over Washington as the one that started them on the long road back to being competitive, they were still troubled by some of the game’s developments.
Quarterback Matt Cassel continues to take a physical pounding. He was sacked five times in Washington, raising the season total for Chiefs quarterbacks to 22, tied for second in the league behind Green Bay.
The Chiefs also couldn’t score a touchdown for the first time this season. They had to settle for four Ryan Succop field goals and a late safety.
Still, the Chiefs were able to do something they hadn’t before, which was exploit an opponent’s weaknesses. That could be a sign the Chiefs have matured.
Like Washington, San Diego has some flaws. Going into Monday night’s game against Denver, the Chargers were last in the NFL in rushing yardage and average yards per carry. Their once-mighty defense ranked near the bottom in almost every significant statistical category.
The issue is whether the Chiefs can take advantage.
“It’s a big test for us,” Haley said. “It’s the next step in the development of this team. That’s a problem for some teams and not for others.”
By ADAM TEICHER | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
This is uncharted territory for the Chiefs, at least for the time they’ve been coached by Todd Haley.
The Chiefs won their first game under Haley on Sunday, beating Washington 14-6. Given that Haley has turned everything about the Chiefs upside down during his brief time in Kansas City, nobody was quite certain how to react.
On the first day afterward, they handled it as if they’ve been there before — even if they haven’t been there before.
“I was kind of surprised,” said safety Jon McGraw, who started in place of the injured Jarrad Page. “In the locker room, guys were excited, but on the plane ride home, there wasn’t a lot of chaos. There were a lot more smiles, but nothing crazy. I thought that was a good sign.”
Of more importance is how the Chiefs handle this taste of success over the longer term, beginning with Sunday’s game against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium. Their recent history suggests it will be some time before the Chiefs win another one.
Their three previous victories were followed by losing streaks of 12, seven and nine games. The Chiefs haven’t won back-to-back games since victories over Cincinnati and Oakland in October 2007.
“That’s a great question,” said McGraw, when asked how the Chiefs will respond to their first win in almost 11 months. “I really don’t know. We really haven’t had much (success). Hopefully, the guys handle it well and understand that there’s a time to enjoy it and a time to forget about it and move on.”
Except for the five losses this season, the rest of that history predates Haley, who has his own brand of motivational techniques. Plane flights home from the season’s first two road games, both losses, were somber, with the players taking their cue from Haley.
Players wondered in the locker room in Washington whether they would be allowed to relax on this flight home.
“Coach Haley gave us permission to enjoy it, which was nice,” McGraw said. “We did that, and we’re excited about building on it.
“This team really needed to see the fruits of our labor. It was a really good thing for us.”
Haley said: “I told them after the game to enjoy it on the way home. The last couple of road trips coming home have been quiet and kind of like a morgue on that plane, which is how I think it should be after a loss. There shouldn’t be a lot of happy faces.
“(Sunday night), anybody on that plane could sense a little different atmosphere, which is good. It’s hard to win, and everybody needs to enjoy it when you do win, at least for a period of time.”
Haley apparently decided Monday that period of time had come to an end. He showed no signs of backing off. There was no day off for players the day after a victory, as was the custom when the Chiefs would win — however rarely — under Herm Edwards.
The regularly scheduled meetings went off as planned.
“(After a victory), guys are a little less sensitive to the videotape,” Haley said. “When there are things you can correct, it’s a little easier for them to stomach it and swallow it. So we pushed them pretty hard in the meeting rooms going over the tape.”
While the Chiefs might eventually look back at the win over Washington as the one that started them on the long road back to being competitive, they were still troubled by some of the game’s developments.
Quarterback Matt Cassel continues to take a physical pounding. He was sacked five times in Washington, raising the season total for Chiefs quarterbacks to 22, tied for second in the league behind Green Bay.
The Chiefs also couldn’t score a touchdown for the first time this season. They had to settle for four Ryan Succop field goals and a late safety.
Still, the Chiefs were able to do something they hadn’t before, which was exploit an opponent’s weaknesses. That could be a sign the Chiefs have matured.
Like Washington, San Diego has some flaws. Going into Monday night’s game against Denver, the Chargers were last in the NFL in rushing yardage and average yards per carry. Their once-mighty defense ranked near the bottom in almost every significant statistical category.
The issue is whether the Chiefs can take advantage.
“It’s a big test for us,” Haley said. “It’s the next step in the development of this team. That’s a problem for some teams and not for others.”