Chiefs Babb: Tyler insists he’s not a 'nice' guy - Page 2

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-29-2009, 06:21 AM

Tyler insists he’s not a 'nice' guy
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

It sounded like a fine compliment. Here was a third-year nose tackle, admittedly with work to do, and Chiefs coach Todd Haley said something that at least sounded nice about Tank Tyler.

“Seems like a nice guy,” Haley said.

So why was Tyler so put off by Haley’s observation? Tyler stood in front of his locker Thursday, and the idea that Haley called him “nice” confused and intrigued Tyler in the same way as if he’d been challenged to wrestle an alligator.

“I don’t have to look like I’m a crazy-type guy to show I’m ready to kill somebody on Sunday,” Tyler said. “I’ve been known to be a pretty tough guy, a pretty mean guy.

“I mean, you’ve almost got to be a gladiator. You’ve got a car crash every down. It’s not easy to go through a car wreck and just line up against this guy and say, ‘I’m going to kill him,’ every snap. You’ve got to have some kind of meanness in your heart, a little cold blood.”

Tyler talked for a long time, trying to dispel that nasty rumor that he’s nice. Tyler is a soft-spoken and complicated man, a football player and a songwriter, a lineman and the founder of the music label Tyler Boy Records. And, yes, he is known as one of the Chiefs’ more personable players.

But here’s the problem: Haley doesn’t want nice.

He didn’t mean his compliment in a good way, and Tyler could sense that. Locker-room smiles and downtown humor are fine, but when Tyler is on Haley’s football field, Haley wants to see a maniac. And, so far, Tyler hasn’t been as maniacal as Haley would prefer.

That’s what has held back Tyler from securing the starting job as Kansas City’s nose tackle and kept him and veteran Ron Edwards in perhaps the preseason’s closest competition.

Haley said Tyler and Edwards are in a dead heat, with Derek Lokey making things more interesting than perhaps Haley would like. Haley said this week that the thing holding Tyler back is what Haley remembers from Tyler’s days at North Carolina State.

“Just the nastiness that he played with,” Haley said. “He was a bad dude, and you didn’t want to mess around with him. So, I’m waiting to see a little more of that.

“That’s a man’s position, now. … When you’re the nose and you’re in there, a lot of that is just want-to. You’re fighting, scratching, clawing — and it’s not for everyone.”

Tyler said it’s possible for him to be untamed. He said he thought he was playing with the enthusiasm and meanness that the job called for. Tyler bristled after hearing that Haley had implied that Tyler’s intentions weren’t impure enough for Haley’s standards. That might be precisely what Haley was going for.

Haley has high expectations, and he’s proved he’s not above mind games when it comes to motivating his more talented players. Haley works on a star system, but instead of benefits for promising players, his sightline is an uncomfortable place for a player. If he’s good enough to get Haley’s attention, then that player had better be willing to absorb the abuse that comes with trying to meet Haley’s standards.

Haley said Tyler was nice? Well …

“I do have another level,” Tyler said. “I can always turn it up.”

While Tyler settles into character, the veteran Edwards is quietly stealing the starting job. Edwards is a reliable 30-year-old with the girth to plug the middle and the quickness and smarts to be a solid stopgap as the Chiefs adjust to the 3-4 defensive front.

Last year, Edwards was a reserve defensive tackle, but the move to the new scheme has fit Edwards’ body, skills and temperament.

“I feel like I can adjust to pretty much anything,” said Edwards, who’s listed on the team’s depth chart as the starting nose tackle. “I’ve been around a while. I can figure out the steps to take to get to where I need to be.”

That’s the experience talking. Edwards has that advantage over Tyler, and unless Tyler drops this “nice” act, then Edwards might have the attitude advantage, too.

A few minutes after Tyler was told that Haley said such a thing, he was still trying to shed the idea that he’s more teddy bear than crazed badger. He said that the rumor just isn’t true. Nice? Who would say such a thing?

Tyler didn’t see it, but Haley smiled after making his remark about Tyler. Haley knew it would get back to him, and he knew Tyler would squirm. Mission accomplished.

“You’ve got to have a killer instinct every time you’re on the field,” Tyler said. “I don’t see any other way to play this game.”

SEAHAWKS AT CHIEFS
•WHEN/WHERE: 7 tonight at Arrowhead

KC Jones · 08-29-2009, 05:59 PM

Yeah, Haley is definitely from the Tuna's coaching tree. Do you guys remember JoPo's piece on Gonzalez at the pro bowl under Belichick?

Unfortunately I can't find the original article, but here's a blog entry that discusses it:

Quote:

You want an idea of how important winning is to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick? The Kansas City Star's Joe Posnanski tells a great story about the Pro Bowl, Belichick and Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez.

The Pro Bowl, by its very nature, is a game populated by the league's best players. It's not a surprise then that there aren't a lot of guys familiar with the coverage and return teams. Which means that special teams is something of a spectator sport, even for the participants; nobody wants to get hurt covering kicks in Hawaii.

This explains why at last year's game, Gonzalez watched a kickoff sail over his head and proceeded to ... not block anybody. No biggie, right? I mean, it's the freaking Pro Bowl.

Uh, wrong. As Gonzalez made his way off the field, Belichick offered this frank assessment: "Why don't you (bleeping) block somebody, Gonzalez."

It was beyond imagination. Belichick had cursed at Tony Gonzalez, the best tight end in football, for missing a block. In a Pro Bowl game. On the kickoff return team. This would be like, what, your boss coming up to you at your Sales Person of the Year party and swearing at you because your shoes aren't right for the occasion.

Unsurprisingly, Gonzalez fumed until the next kickoff when -- you guessed -- he blocked his ass off. Which led to this exchange:

Then, Gonzalez was sure to walk by Belichick. Yeah, what do you have to say now, Mr. Genius? Again Belichick did not even look Gonzalez's way. Stared straight at the field. That's right. Tony walked, and Belichick did not say a word. And then, with Gonzalez almost out of range, Belichick barely whispered: "Nice block."

When Posnanski asked Gonzalez how he felt after Belichick's meek praise, the future Hall of Famer replied, "I felt really good." That, people, puts the whole maniacal coaching thing in perspective. Of course, Belichick probably made similar remarks back when he was running the Browns' into the ground in the mid-'90s, but nobody remembers those days when you win three Super Bowls in eight season

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/12/22/b...e-of-blocking/

**CrazyPhuD** · 08-29-2009, 06:03 PM

Well I think most necrophiliacs aren't nice guys either.

**RealSNR** · 08-29-2009, 08:25 PM

Awesome, Kent. Way to do your own homework

Jackass.

08-29-2009, 06:21 AM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2967187	Babb: Tyler insists he’s not a 'nice' guy Tyler insists he’s not a 'nice' guy By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star It sounded like a fine compliment. Here was a third-year nose tackle, admittedly with work to do, and Chiefs coach Todd Haley said something that at least sounded nice about Tank Tyler. “Seems like a nice guy,” Haley said. So why was Tyler so put off by Haley’s observation? Tyler stood in front of his locker Thursday, and the idea that Haley called him “nice” confused and intrigued Tyler in the same way as if he’d been challenged to wrestle an alligator. “I don’t have to look like I’m a crazy-type guy to show I’m ready to kill somebody on Sunday,” Tyler said. “I’ve been known to be a pretty tough guy, a pretty mean guy. “I mean, you’ve almost got to be a gladiator. You’ve got a car crash every down. It’s not easy to go through a car wreck and just line up against this guy and say, ‘I’m going to kill him,’ every snap. You’ve got to have some kind of meanness in your heart, a little cold blood.” Tyler talked for a long time, trying to dispel that nasty rumor that he’s nice. Tyler is a soft-spoken and complicated man, a football player and a songwriter, a lineman and the founder of the music label Tyler Boy Records. And, yes, he is known as one of the Chiefs’ more personable players. But here’s the problem: Haley doesn’t want nice. He didn’t mean his compliment in a good way, and Tyler could sense that. Locker-room smiles and downtown humor are fine, but when Tyler is on Haley’s football field, Haley wants to see a maniac. And, so far, Tyler hasn’t been as maniacal as Haley would prefer. That’s what has held back Tyler from securing the starting job as Kansas City’s nose tackle and kept him and veteran Ron Edwards in perhaps the preseason’s closest competition. Haley said Tyler and Edwards are in a dead heat, with Derek Lokey making things more interesting than perhaps Haley would like. Haley said this week that the thing holding Tyler back is what Haley remembers from Tyler’s days at North Carolina State. “Just the nastiness that he played with,” Haley said. “He was a bad dude, and you didn’t want to mess around with him. So, I’m waiting to see a little more of that. “That’s a man’s position, now. … When you’re the nose and you’re in there, a lot of that is just want-to. You’re fighting, scratching, clawing — and it’s not for everyone.” Tyler said it’s possible for him to be untamed. He said he thought he was playing with the enthusiasm and meanness that the job called for. Tyler bristled after hearing that Haley had implied that Tyler’s intentions weren’t impure enough for Haley’s standards. That might be precisely what Haley was going for. Haley has high expectations, and he’s proved he’s not above mind games when it comes to motivating his more talented players. Haley works on a star system, but instead of benefits for promising players, his sightline is an uncomfortable place for a player. If he’s good enough to get Haley’s attention, then that player had better be willing to absorb the abuse that comes with trying to meet Haley’s standards. Haley said Tyler was nice? Well … “I do have another level,” Tyler said. “I can always turn it up.” While Tyler settles into character, the veteran Edwards is quietly stealing the starting job. Edwards is a reliable 30-year-old with the girth to plug the middle and the quickness and smarts to be a solid stopgap as the Chiefs adjust to the 3-4 defensive front. Last year, Edwards was a reserve defensive tackle, but the move to the new scheme has fit Edwards’ body, skills and temperament. “I feel like I can adjust to pretty much anything,” said Edwards, who’s listed on the team’s depth chart as the starting nose tackle. “I’ve been around a while. I can figure out the steps to take to get to where I need to be.” That’s the experience talking. Edwards has that advantage over Tyler, and unless Tyler drops this “nice” act, then Edwards might have the attitude advantage, too. A few minutes after Tyler was told that Haley said such a thing, he was still trying to shed the idea that he’s more teddy bear than crazed badger. He said that the rumor just isn’t true. Nice? Who would say such a thing? Tyler didn’t see it, but Haley smiled after making his remark about Tyler. Haley knew it would get back to him, and he knew Tyler would squirm. Mission accomplished. “You’ve got to have a killer instinct every time you’re on the field,” Tyler said. “I don’t see any other way to play this game.” SEAHAWKS AT CHIEFS •WHEN/WHERE: 7 tonight at Arrowhead
Posts: 43,452

08-29-2009, 06:03 PM	#17
CrazyPhuD Meow Join Date: Jun 2005 Casino cash: $10005050	Well I think most necrophiliacs aren't nice guys either. __________________ "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t*rd by the clean end"
Posts: 8,523

08-29-2009, 08:25 PM	#18
RealSNR Special Teams ACE!!! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $-1504792	Awesome, Kent. Way to do your own homework Jackass.
Posts: 93,416