Babb: Chiefs' Hali is quietly racking up sacks
 

Chiefs' Hali is quietly racking up sacks
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

Tamba Hali doesn’t say much, but when he does speak, he tends to mean it.

“You know,” he said after the Chiefs’ win Sunday against San Francisco, “Romeo Crennel has come in here and really changed our identity.”

Hali is Kansas City’s best pass rusher, and he took a vow of silence — or mostly silence — during last year’s training camp. He has said privately that he preferred to focus on his job, rather than speak his mind. He renewed that vow this year, and that became one part of Hali’s identity that hasn’t changed.

What Crennel, the team’s first-year defensive coordinator, has done is take Hali and turn him into the Chiefs’ most effective pass-rusher since Jared Allen was traded in 2008. It didn’t take that long, either.

And Crennel did it by changing the defense around Hali. Kansas City’s top priority now is stopping the run, and when that happens, Hali can chase quarterbacks. That’s how he spent Sunday, when he sacked Alex Smith three times. The Chiefs finished with five sacks in their 31-10 win at Arrowhead Stadium. The defense looked like an elite pass-rushing unit, and Hali had one of his best games since becoming an outside linebacker last season.

“All the things we were asking him to do within the scheme of our defense,” coach Todd Haley said, “he did.”

As big as Hali’s sacks were, it was the little things that stuck in his coach’s mind. Haley and Crennel have said that there are many factors that signal a disruptive pass rush, and only the most extreme of those is a sack. If a quarterback is hurried or rattled, or if an offense has to make adjustments that could compromise its objectives, then a defense has done its job.

Haley said Hali was part of a unit that did that Sunday, and Kansas City’s defense kept San Francisco out of the end zone for four full quarters; 49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan scored his team’s only touchdown after time expired.

Haley said that was, defensively, “the most complete game” to date, and it would be hard to argue that it wasn’t the best game Kansas City has played since Haley was hired in 2009. It was shortly after then that Hali was among several defensive players who had to shift to another position to accommodate the 3-4 defensive scheme that Haley hoped to run. Hali could still rush the passer, but he was raw as a linebacker, and few knew whether it would work out.

It took him six weeks to get as many sacks as he had Sunday, and he finished the season with 8 1/2 .

The Chiefs hired Crennel in the offseason, and he puts emphasis on stopping the run. If that happens, then quarterbacks are at an immediate disadvantage.

Sometimes things just go according to plan.

After the San Francisco game, Hali praised the Chiefs’ defensive line for holding the 49ers to 43 rushing yards, and Kansas City’s offense for scoring enough points to force Smith to pass more often — and Crennel for designing a scenario that Hali could succeed in.

That gave Hali his chances, and he delivered.

“Credit those guys for allowing me to rush this week,” he said.

So modest.

Haley has said that Hali, in his fifth year, has a chance to become one of the league’s best pass rushers, and he showed Sunday that he’s capable. Hali had three sacks in a game against Denver last year, and before that, the Chiefs had gone without a three-sack performance since Allen did it against Washington in 2005.

Hali might not say much, but that doesn’t mean he’ll go unnoticed the rest of this season. If Crennel’s scheme keeps working, you can be certain of that. That much showed in one afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.

“That is a really good day,” Haley said, “and that is good for the Chiefs.”

No, he's not.

He has .5 sacks in two games and three sacks on a line that featured two rookie starters.

I'm not attempting to take anything away from Hali and his efforts, but let's see him consistently get sacks before saying that he's "quietly" doing anything.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!

:cuss:

Obligatory Shaun Smith reference. He's racking up sacks, NOT so quietly.

Sacks come in bunches.

I don't really expect Hali to get a sack every game if that's what you mean by "consistently." Even Jared Allen didn't do that.

Channeling Herm there, sheesh.

Come on.

He had eight sacks last year, which equates to .5 per game.

The most he's had in one year is 10.

He's a great dude with a nonstop motor but he is NOT James Harrison or any number of consistent, double digit OLB's.

I'm happy he's a Chief because without him, they'd have NO pass rush.

But let's Be Real here.

I'd say we don't know what he'll do this year. He hasn't played on a good run defense since '06, and he was a rookie then.

He's going to have a lot more opportunities this season.

I like how they are moving him around and puting him on the opposite side too make plays. That's gonna make it much more difficult for the offense to account for him.

Keep it up Hali:thumb: good job.

Wait for Belcher to start wreaking havic along with Hali. Oh wait they both did on sunday **** YEA!!!!


Hoping to see Studebaker join the fun....

I voted for him to have 10-11 sacks in this defense.

IF he had a young pass rushing specialist like Orakpo, Cushing or Matthews opposite, he'd have more.

He's a gamer and a worker. It's too bad his motor and football knowledge are greater than his physical attributes.

Why haven't we seen Demarrio and Studebaker getting to the QB. They looked good in preseason.

We should be proud of you, I guess. I mean, in the 2009 offseason, Hali didn't have the talent to be a 3-4 OLB. Now, you are at least happy to have him.

Sacks come in bunches. Jared Allen currently has 1 sack through three games. I guess he is finished?

Sacks are a combination of having talent around you and often getting a lead. Hali has had very little of that anytime recently.

I think he will finish with double digit sacks for the first time in his career. And, if the Chiefs can continue to get leads, he could push that number up to 15.

I'm just happy to see productivity coming from another one of the many, many, many defensive draft picks we've spent the money on.

and Smith is loudly racking sacks....[/rim shot]

I can't help but feel the same way. He's gonna have to show me more before I'm not going to want a premier pass rusher.

He went from being called one of the worst LB's in the entire NFL to a less than elite pass rusher/CP.

Not bad in < 1.3 years.

He could have 20 sacks, I would still want a premier pass rusher to start opposite of him.

Even if he continues this pace we still need another OPR opposite him...

Yep. He's the "Smith", we still need the "DT".

What a nasty thing to say.

That man has done nothing to you...:shake:

LMAO Damnit, Goober; you know what I mean.

At the risk of being blasted: we have a DT type impact player in DJ...he's just not being used that way.

Hali is a Beast. I think this year is going to be his break out year.

I have to agree with Dane here. Hali is pretty good and I'm glad that he's on our team, but he's not really a sack superstar or future hall of famer or anything like that.

fyp, qft.

I want him to see a urologist if he has 20 sacks.

He's a very good player and with the improvement in the team and run defense, he'll have a ton more pass rushing opportunities. It's hard to rack up the sacks when the team is giving up eleventy billion rushing yards and being behind every week like has happened the last several years.

Prior to that, the 49ers line gave up 2 sacks all year.

He slapped around Joe Staley too, who's in his 4th year.

I think having a coordinator who can effectively use him, and improved position coaches really can make a difference for Tamba.

I am trying to figure out where in the OP it even remotely refers to anything of that nature.

Shaun Smith is a sack superstar.

ROFL QFT

ROFL he's already got 2 sacks that I can think of.ROFL

Hali is a solid player and has played for awhile.

Hali's issue has always been finishing. Tons of QB pressures but relatively few sacks. As an OLB, he's playing at a lighter weight, which should help him finish off plays.

I expect, given this is his 2nd year at OLB, him to have a 12-14 sack year.

What'll help Hali, or any other OLB, the most is a front 3 that demand double teams. Hali had pressures but not as many sacks as possible last year because opposing QB's could move up, back or to the side and not have any other pressure.

This.

Plus, sacks ALWAYS come in bunches.

The best pass rusher KC has ever seen, DT, would get shut out for 2 weeks and then explode with 3 or 4 the next week.

Just look at Oakland and Seattle alone. He beat those mother****ers like they promised to pay his child support...

Not to mention that there were some CP members that wanted Staley, IIRC.

I've said it all along, Hali could have 14 sacks this season and dipshits like Dane will still rag on him. All the while having their lips fastened to Jared Allen's pubic bone, who is Casper in big games.

He's done a good job of proving people wrong showing he can actually play standing..I still think his best spot is as the complimentary rusher and not the main rusher though.

I could be mis-remembering, but the only person I remember wanting Staley was findthedr.

The rest of us saw him for what he is.

A 2nd or 3rd round talent.

I think Frankie wanted Staley...but it was generally the handful of OL backers that it usually is.

That's possible.

Point being, I don't recall many people pining for Staley.

IIRC, most were looking at Okoye, Bowe and Meachem.

Were did I "rag" on him?

You need to work on your reading comprehension, reerunian.

I love what Hali has done, and he has exceeded my expectations but I agree, and think his best work has come at the expense of RTs. A premier pass rusher at ROLB would turn Hali, and our defense in general in a monster IMHO.

the only thing i remember about staley is people laughing at the trade made to acquire him...

no idea where then notion comes from that people wanted him

8.5 sacks over his last 8 games. He's starting to get the hang of this standing up thing :clap:

Same here.

Hali hustles and brings it on every down. He causes a lot of holds as well. The Chargers were holding him on virtually every play they ran on offense and never got flagged once.

You could call holding on every play in the NFL.

Let's not act like it only happens to Tamba.

Nice. Didn't realize that. He actually seems to be a better OLB than DE. He was absolutely swallowed by LTs at DE

His knock coming out of college was that he was maxed out physically. It seems that sizing down and playing OLB in the 3-4 has opened up a whole new place for him to grow.

I Read on Chief Planet that we should have never forced the 3-4 on our defensive players because they were more suited for the 4-3:)


PhilFree:arrow:

Did you even watch the game? This wasn't ticky tack holding that you can just trivialize. Tamba was literally being put in a chokehold on every offensive play SD ran.

Certainly doesn't happen to Vrabel as much.

that's because Vrabel is slower than dogshit.

Ok, Petegz28.

Hali gets held a lot, as he gets more press i imagine the holding penalties will start to rise.

Yes, prior to acquiring more personnel this year suited for the 3-4, 2009 Chiefs Defense was a RAGING success!!!!!

except for that was the very freaking 1st year of the changeover

except the player changes on defense were minimal

except for some people have be complaining about "forcing a 3-4" this year.

don't worry, i figure the Chiefs will lose quite a few games now against the better teams coming up, so you guys can go back to complaining. patience.

Who?

I can't believe they acquired more personnel this year. Don't they ever learn. Good teams never do that.

Who?

Shaun Smith? That's it?

Stupid mother ****ers here are STILL saying that Dorsey is out of position, even though he himself has said this defense and this position is more similar to what he did in college.

Who is it that we got this offseason that made the transition so much easier?

We inserted two inside guys at linebacker that were already here. The defensive line hasn't changed except for adding Smith.

Do you ever know WTF you're talking about?

Eric Berry, Javier Arenas and Kendrick Lewis disagree (as does Cameron Sheffield but he's on IR).

Oh dear God STFU.

This. I said it at the time, and I continued to get blasted for it. If you put him at DE, OT's can get their hands on him and limit his effectiveness. You let him get the a step before he takes on the OT, and he can use his athleticism to beat his guy. Lighten him up by 20lbs or so, and he is even more quick.

This isn't a very solid point. The front seven is pretty much intact from last year. And, if TJ hadn't gotten hurt, Smith wouldn't even be starting.

The guys are just growing in this defense and the DC is MUCH improved.

The front seven is pretty much the same. If TJ weren't injured, Smith wouldn't be starting.

Bullshit.

DJ wasn't a full time starter, neither was Belcher. Tyson Jackson has been outplayed by a former undrafted free agent in Shaun Smith. Additionally, Arenas has been far more effective in the nickel and our safety play isn't even close.

The Chiefs entered the season with Turk McBride at linebacker and Tank Tyler at nose tackle, along with Corey Mays and Demorrio Williams as the starting linebackers (and Leggett at nickle and sometimes at CB).

Your point is invalid.

As usual.

Bullshit

DJ and Belcher were here. Smith has outplayed TJ from last year, but not this year. All but Smith in the front seven were here last year.

And, Dorsey and Hali are two of the Chiefs best players on defense, and I believe you said neither could play in this defense.

So, yeah, adding in ONE free agent just magically changed the entire front seven. I guess whatever you need to tell yourself to avoid the fact that you are a dumbass.

Who did we acquire? Shaun Smith and who else? Smith is doing great but our front 7 is comprised of players who were here last year save Smith. Jackson was the seasons starter though.

The 2009 Chiefs D sucked but making the change to the 3-4 last year was the thing to do. It's benifited Hali and Dorsey tremendously. Our D wouldn't be where it is now if the change hadn't been made last year. Out ILBs are much better for it too.

Our front 7 has been playing well. Much improved from last year!

PhilFree:arrow:

You're full of shit. DJ and Belcher were not consistent starters, whether they were "here" or not. TJ looked to be improved against SD but he's still not on the same level as smith.

More ****ing bullshit.

BullshitChiefsfan. That's your new screen name.

You're a ****ing reerun.

Three things:

1. Another year in the system and three new starters in the front seven.
2. Far better play from the safety position (which is HUGE).
3. Competent defensive line coach and defensive coordinator.

Derrick Johnson is probably already approaching the amount of snaps he played for the entire last season.

I guess Arenas is a 3-tech, right?

I agree. And it's in the 2nd year of our 3-4 not the 1st.


PhilFree:arrow:

I would like to see one quote from someone last year that mentioned our Safeties when bitching about switching to the 3-4. It was all about Hali, Dorsey, and lack of a true NT.

More bullshit.

Do a search on DaneMcCloud and Mike Brown, then shut the **** up.

Go back to the DC, Dummy

Getting Corey Mays off the ****ing field has helped this defense way more than anyone is giving credit for.

Just so I'm clear, your contention was that the Chiefs, when determining what style of defense they were going to play as they rebuilt their team from the ground up, should have considered which system best fit Mike Brown's skill set? It sounds like a pretty smart thing to say, but you're a pretty smart guy.