Chiefs Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/9 - Page 12

C-Mac · 09-09-2009, 05:49 PM

Features
Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/9
Sep 09, 2009, 3:04:04 PM

TODD HALEY: “Good afternoon everybody. We got to our real Wednesday (practice) after our bonus Wednesday on Monday. I think there’s a chance of some weather there (Baltimore) this weekend so I was kind of actually happy we got some rain because it always forces the guys to concentrate.

“Overall, I thought it was a practice that as the day went on started to get better. This is the first official first-time through as a Wednesday so there was a bit of a feeling-out process but I thought overall it was a productive day.”

Q: Matt Cassel was out there again. Did he come back okay after his work on Monday and his day off?

HALEY: “Again, he was out there which was good. That’s better than not being out there and he was able to get through some. That’s going to be the situation that we’re going to evaluate as the week goes on and don’t know that we’ll have an answer right up to until we play.”

Q: Are you pleased with what the offense is doing?

HALEY: “We’re asking them to do a lot here. We’re putting the pressure on them to catch up, so to speak, but overall the guys going back (and up to) the last week of the pre-season have responded. They’re into it; they’re studying; they’re preparing, they’re doing the things that will give them a chance to know what’s going on. I’m glad we got a couple more days of practice. There’s no doubt about that. But I think they’ve shown a good response.”

Q: You’ve got some fairly new faces on the offensive line, so how do you see those guys doing now that you’re in the regular groove?

HALEY: “That’s going to be a fact of life at one position or another where guys are going to be coming in. That’s the way we’re going to operate. We had Ryan (O’Callaghan) in there for a second practice really but it’s going to be a case of the guys helping assimilate those (new) guys into what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it.

“Again, when you get a guy who comes from New England or Miami that’s generally an advantage because I think there are a lot of similarities how we do things.”

Q: Are you excited about this first week of the regular season?

HALEY: “You know that it’s real now and we’ve got to be ready to go. Everything counts. Every minute counts. Every meeting counts. Everything you do obviously will help to determine whether you win or lose.”

Q: Do you feel better because you’ve got your hands on the offense and you’re out there doing what you wanted to do as opposed to being a step away?

HALEY: “I don’t know if better is the term. I’m comfortable doing that; I’ve done it the last few years. It’s something I understand and obviously enjoy. But I don’t know if better is the term. I felt that the offense needed support right now and that’s what I’m doing. Again, I’m still the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and I cannot forget that whether it’s in practice, meetings or whatever I’m doing.”

Q: How much have you changed your offense?

HALEY: “None, exactly what we ran in the third pre-season game is what you’ll see.”

Q: As far as the injury report, how will Matt be listed?

HALEY: “Questionable I think. This is new to me but a guy who participates some but not all.”

Q: Tamba Hali was impressive to (Baltimore) coach Harbaugh from what he’s seen on film. Where is he in your thoughts?

HALEY: “I think Tamba has been a bright spot without a doubt. He was a guy five months ago that a lot of people were kind of wondering what would happen to Tamba and how he would respond. But once (Kansas City Star reporter) Adam (Teicher) got it out there officially how we were going to play defense there was going to be some adjustment period for him. I think he’s done a very good job to this point of adjusting to this new role. Again, it’s a work in progress. We can’t put him in the Hall of Fame yet but I think he’s made progress in a tough situation.”

Q: Was he one of those guys you weren’t really sure how he was going to respond?

HALEY: “I go by what I see, Kent, and that’s why I didn’t want to speculate on any of that early on. That’s the way I coach: I go by what I see. So, if a guy knows what to do and he’s doing it at a high level then I’ve got no problem.”

Q: What is Baltimore’s strength in your view?

HALEY: “The whole team is a strength. I think they are obviously one of the great defenses over the last decade. Year-in and year-out even though they’ve had to plug different players into different roles each year they’ve come in and played defense. “It’s easy to talk about defense when you talk about Baltimore but I think what’s changed with Baltimore is now the offense is an offense that gives you something to deal with. They’ve got a very good quarterback; they’ve got three tremendous runners; they’ve got one of the top tight ends in the league and they’ve got three receivers that are very good receivers. They probably would be ones on most teams. They have a very physical offensive line. It’s easy to talk about the defense but the offense is now here without a doubt.

“Special teams, they’re one of the better special teams groups in the league. It’s obvious with coach Harbaugh it is his area of expertise and it shows with this team.

“I think (Baltimore’s) a three-headed monster as far as I’m concerned.”

Q: Coach Harbaugh told us that as a first year head coach last year there was a slight advantage for a whole new regime coming in. Do you feel there is a little element of surprise for you?

HALEY: “I can’t speculate on what people think. Again, we’re just trying to get better every single day. We’re still trying to find an identity as a team and that’s going to be a work in progress. That’s really where we’re at.”
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/09...odd_haley__99/

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-10-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rad

C'mon man, give it a rest. Some people have more patience, that's all.

You're right.

No reason to beat a dead horse.

Chiefnj2 · 09-10-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

They cut him, too.

I guess he wasn't all that.

Don't tell me that he was signed to be anything OTHER than a special teams guy.

Because that would be just plain false.

He was brought in because he was familiar with the Pats 34 defense. He wasn't brought in because he was familiar with the Pats special teams.

keg in kc · 09-10-2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You're right.

No reason to beat a dead horse.

I'm not going to stop masturbating, no matter what you say.

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-10-2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

He was brought in because he was familiar with the Pats 34 defense. He wasn't brought in because he was familiar with the Pats special teams.

Au Contraire

http://uponfurtherreview.kansascity.com/?q=node/727

The Newest Chief: LB Corey Mays and some words on financial flexibility

The Chiefs haven't made any splashes on the free-agent market this offseason, but instead have focused their efforts at improving play on special teams. To that end, KC inked linebacker/special teamer Corey Mays on Friday. Mays, a Notre Dame product, has 38 special-team tackles in three NFL seasons with New England and Cincinnati.

Kansas City's special teams ranked 31st overall in 2008 according to FootballOutsiders.com. Other than Dustin Colquitt, who rated as just above average on net punting, the Chiefs were poor across the board on special teams. However, the most glaring wart was the performance on kickoffs, where the Chiefs ranked last -- by a mile -- in net kickoffs. In other words, in the battle for field position, the Chiefs offense finished with the poorest average starting field position as compared to that of their opponents than any other team in the league.

Even though the Chiefs have money to spend (about $36 million under the cap), it looks like Scott Pioli is bargain shopping. With so many holes to fill, financial flexibility is a good thing for a team to have. It might not be sexy, but the approach is rational. The signings this week of Mays and Travis Daniels aren't going to make any headlines, but shoring up a glaring area of weakness can make a tremendous per-dollar impact on the bottom line.

Next month, the Chiefs will get an infusion of talent from the draft. Plus, remaining free agents will have to start lowering their expectations and Pioli should be able to find some cost-efficient solutions for other roster spots. While other teams might be throwing big contracts at the likes of Albert Haynesworth and even elders like Orlando Pace, the Chiefs are staying conservative. For a rebuilding team, the strategy is sound.

09-09-2009, 05:49 PM
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $-1116301	Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/9 Features Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/9 Sep 09, 2009, 3:04:04 PM TODD HALEY: “Good afternoon everybody. We got to our real Wednesday (practice) after our bonus Wednesday on Monday. I think there’s a chance of some weather there (Baltimore) this weekend so I was kind of actually happy we got some rain because it always forces the guys to concentrate. “Overall, I thought it was a practice that as the day went on started to get better. This is the first official first-time through as a Wednesday so there was a bit of a feeling-out process but I thought overall it was a productive day.” Q: Matt Cassel was out there again. Did he come back okay after his work on Monday and his day off? HALEY: “Again, he was out there which was good. That’s better than not being out there and he was able to get through some. That’s going to be the situation that we’re going to evaluate as the week goes on and don’t know that we’ll have an answer right up to until we play.” Q: Are you pleased with what the offense is doing? HALEY: “We’re asking them to do a lot here. We’re putting the pressure on them to catch up, so to speak, but overall the guys going back (and up to) the last week of the pre-season have responded. They’re into it; they’re studying; they’re preparing, they’re doing the things that will give them a chance to know what’s going on. I’m glad we got a couple more days of practice. There’s no doubt about that. But I think they’ve shown a good response.” Q: You’ve got some fairly new faces on the offensive line, so how do you see those guys doing now that you’re in the regular groove? HALEY: “That’s going to be a fact of life at one position or another where guys are going to be coming in. That’s the way we’re going to operate. We had Ryan (O’Callaghan) in there for a second practice really but it’s going to be a case of the guys helping assimilate those (new) guys into what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it. “Again, when you get a guy who comes from New England or Miami that’s generally an advantage because I think there are a lot of similarities how we do things.” Q: Are you excited about this first week of the regular season? HALEY: “You know that it’s real now and we’ve got to be ready to go. Everything counts. Every minute counts. Every meeting counts. Everything you do obviously will help to determine whether you win or lose.” Q: Do you feel better because you’ve got your hands on the offense and you’re out there doing what you wanted to do as opposed to being a step away? HALEY: “I don’t know if better is the term. I’m comfortable doing that; I’ve done it the last few years. It’s something I understand and obviously enjoy. But I don’t know if better is the term. I felt that the offense needed support right now and that’s what I’m doing. Again, I’m still the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and I cannot forget that whether it’s in practice, meetings or whatever I’m doing.” Q: How much have you changed your offense? HALEY: “None, exactly what we ran in the third pre-season game is what you’ll see.” Q: As far as the injury report, how will Matt be listed? HALEY: “Questionable I think. This is new to me but a guy who participates some but not all.” Q: Tamba Hali was impressive to (Baltimore) coach Harbaugh from what he’s seen on film. Where is he in your thoughts? HALEY: “I think Tamba has been a bright spot without a doubt. He was a guy five months ago that a lot of people were kind of wondering what would happen to Tamba and how he would respond. But once (Kansas City Star reporter) Adam (Teicher) got it out there officially how we were going to play defense there was going to be some adjustment period for him. I think he’s done a very good job to this point of adjusting to this new role. Again, it’s a work in progress. We can’t put him in the Hall of Fame yet but I think he’s made progress in a tough situation.” Q: Was he one of those guys you weren’t really sure how he was going to respond? HALEY: “I go by what I see, Kent, and that’s why I didn’t want to speculate on any of that early on. That’s the way I coach: I go by what I see. So, if a guy knows what to do and he’s doing it at a high level then I’ve got no problem.” Q: What is Baltimore’s strength in your view? HALEY: “The whole team is a strength. I think they are obviously one of the great defenses over the last decade. Year-in and year-out even though they’ve had to plug different players into different roles each year they’ve come in and played defense. “It’s easy to talk about defense when you talk about Baltimore but I think what’s changed with Baltimore is now the offense is an offense that gives you something to deal with. They’ve got a very good quarterback; they’ve got three tremendous runners; they’ve got one of the top tight ends in the league and they’ve got three receivers that are very good receivers. They probably would be ones on most teams. They have a very physical offensive line. It’s easy to talk about the defense but the offense is now here without a doubt. “Special teams, they’re one of the better special teams groups in the league. It’s obvious with coach Harbaugh it is his area of expertise and it shows with this team. “I think (Baltimore’s) a three-headed monster as far as I’m concerned.” Q: Coach Harbaugh told us that as a first year head coach last year there was a slight advantage for a whole new regime coming in. Do you feel there is a little element of surprise for you? HALEY: “I can’t speculate on what people think. Again, we’re just trying to get better every single day. We’re still trying to find an identity as a team and that’s going to be a work in progress. That’s really where we’re at.” http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/09...odd_haley__99/
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