Chiefs Between the coach speak TH Q&A

LaChapelle · 09-30-2009, 05:24 PM

TODD HALEY: “Wednesday practice that went pretty well for us. It was a rough couple of days soul-searching. We had a lot of activity on and off the roster yesterday. Obviously, the biggest one was trading Tyler Thigpen to the Miami Dolphins.

"Again, we made it pretty clear whenever we have the opportunity to make this team better either now or in the future we’re going to do it. It was a situation where we have four quarterbacks and Miami has an injury and they expressed some interest. We thought it was the best thing for us and I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler. He’s down there with a lot of people that I know personally – most specifically the coordinator who I think is a great teacher of quarterbacks. I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler and I’m happy for him in that way.”

hmmmmmmmmm

All of Q & A

Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/30
Sep 30, 2009, 3:30:50 PM

TODD HALEY: “Wednesday practice that went pretty well for us. It was a rough couple of days soul-searching. We had a lot of activity on and off the roster yesterday. Obviously, the biggest one was trading Tyler Thigpen to the Miami Dolphins.

“Again, we made it pretty clear whenever we have the opportunity to make this team better either now or in the future we’re going to do it. It was a situation where we have four quarterbacks and Miami has an injury and they expressed some interest. We thought it was the best thing for us and I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler. He’s down there with a lot of people that I know personally – most specifically the coordinator who I think is a great teacher of quarterbacks. I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler and I’m happy for him in that way.”

Q: You have a new right tackle; I mean as a starter?

HALEY: “We practiced O’Callaghan first today. You can’t hold me to what we’re going to do on Sunday. It’s going to be determined on how we practice and how the guys practice.”

Q: You made it clear if one guy isn’t getting the job done, but on the offensive line are you better served at this point to just find five guys and let them work together?

HALEY: “Some people could say that and I think that’s an easy way out. I think we’re in the process of shaping this team and I think it’s critical that we understand and all the players understand, everybody understands that this is the beginning stages of the process. One thing that’s going to be clear to the players is there are going to be changes here as we try to improve each week. They can’t let it affect them in any way, shape or form other than to push them to be better. We’ve been pretty clear with the guys about that.”

Q: How much of the decision to move up O’Callaghan had to do with Ndukwe’s penalties last Sunday?

HALEY: “Again, this is how we practiced today. We’re going to look at the tape and see how everybody did. We were not good enough on Sunday at a lot of positions. There were not a lot of guys when we went through the grades that we said, ‘he gave us a chance to win.’ I’m in no way singling out anybody. But if we feel that there is somebody practicing well and can do a job better than anybody then we’re going to at least try it out in practice and see what it looks like.”

Q: You have some experience with Leonard Pope. What did you like about him out in Arizona?

HALEY: “Leonard’s a big guy who’s real tough, fast, can really stretch the field. I think he’s a great individual – one of my favorites there from Arizona who will give you a full day’s work and your money’s worth every single day. He likes to play and he likes to practice. He’s my kind of guy. When we got the opportunity to bring somebody in we were happy to get Leonard.”

Q: Will he be ready to play Sunday?

HALEY: “He’s practicing to play. It’s a huge advantage that he’s coming into a situation where he knows a lot of the (play) stuff that’s going on and that will obviously help him.”

Q: How much of these in-season roster moves are a reaction to the outcome of the game last Sunday?

HALEY: “I don’t think anything was grab-bagged. These are all guys we had worked out weeks ago – each one of these guys we had seen at a time prior so we had them on our list. It was not a knee jerk reaction; it was guys we had talked about and wanted to figure out ways to get on our teams. At the same time, as I said the other day, it’s not going to stay the same. I think that will serve us well as we go forward and as we improve and continue finding the types of guys we need to go forward with.”

Q: What did Monty Beisel not do?

HALEY: “Monty was a guy that I had familiarity with. It just didn’t work out. I love everything about Monty and how he works and prepares and what he brings to the team. It was a numbers thing, number one. Number two, a depth thing where he probably would have liked to have been playing a lot more and had kind of been relegated to special teams.”

Q: What are your thoughts on Brandon Flowers? He seems to have been very steady for a while now?

HALEY: “He missed the first game and he’s been battling back from the injury that he had in the pre-season. I think overall he’s been one of our better defensive players right now. But I expect Brandon to be one of our better players. I expect him to be one of the better players in the league at his position. So, my expectations are real high for Brandon. I think his expectations are pretty high, too.”

Q: His play doesn’t seem to be up and down.

HALEY: “I think he’s steady. If you can say something about him he’s steady. He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities but when he gets opportunities I’d like to see him make plays. But he’s one of our better defensive players and has battled through an injury that a lot of guys wouldn’t be practicing or playing with. I got a lot of positive about Brandon. I want him to be great.”

Q: You said a month ago you expected there to be a lot of movement on the roster’s lower end. Is it fair to say that when you got here maybe you discovered there was more to do than you had in mind?

HALEY: “There’s a reason why Scott Pioli got the job he got and there’s a reason why I did. Generally that means things aren’t really in a good state. I had an understanding it was going to be a big job. Scott and I with the familiarity we have with each other and from the past and how we like to operate, this is what I’ve known and what I’m comfortable with as far as in-season.

“Some teams don’t have activity, other teams consistently do at the back end of the roster. I’ve always believed that’s the way you get good and stay good even when you’re winning games – by continuingly bringing guys in to get that back end better. In our case it may be a little more middle to front end at times. I think that we understood what we were getting into.”

Q: So, you’re saying even if you were 3-0 the same stuff would be going on?

HALEY: “Yeah, that’s what I’m used to, comfortable with and believe. I won’t speak for Scott but philosophically you watch the history of teams he’s been on and some of the teams I’ve been on that’s the way you get good and that’s the way you stay good.”

Q: What did you like about Herron, the new linebacker?

HALEY: “I like for number one that he’s fast. He’s got very good speed, a run-and-hit guy and what I know of him he’s got a chance to be a good special teamer first. Any chance we’ve got to improve our team speed I think we need to do it.

“Mike Richardson, the Notre Dame corner, he’s another fast guy. I think, again, if we can improve our team speed on either side we need to do it.”

Q: Especially after last Sunday?

HALEY: “Again, these were all guys that we had talked about, had been on the radar. It was things we talked about and had looked for an opportunity. There’s some feel involved of when the right time to do any of this is. You want to make sure you’re right. You don’t want to release somebody that you were wrong on. That’s the big thing. There are going to be times that you’re wrong. There are going to be times when a guy isn’t going to fit with your team but he’s going to go somewhere else and he’s productive. I hope that for all the guys, I really do. You gotta take as much time as necessary without missing an opportunity.”

Q: You said you wanted Flowers to be great. What does he have to do?

HALEY: “The number one thing is what he’s already done: fight through injury. Don’t be a space shuttle, I mean one tiny tile falls off and it sits for a month. He has proven he’s not. He has fought through a significant injury and practiced quicker than we probably expected and he played quicker than we expected him to play. That’s the first step because great players find a way to get on the field regardless.”

Q: Last week with all the penalties and 19 in the last two games, are you taking any special steps this week to address that?

HALEY: “Yeah, we’re going back to training camp mode as far as any kind of flinches or things – some of the stuff you saw in training camp like going to the fence and any little reminders that it’s not all right. In-season it’s easy to get out of that mode because you’ve got very few reps to get a guy ready because you disrupt practice. But we’re going to disrupt practice.”

Q: How’s Dwayne Bowe today?

HALEY: “He’s going to be listed at out-of-practice today and, hopefully, tomorrow he’ll be out there and moving around.”

Q: How did Tyler Thigpen take news of the trade?

HALEY: “I don’t want to speak for Tyler. Tyler’s a great kid that I was really excited about and was making progress here, especially the last week or so and I think he saw that progress. But for myself, I think this is a great opportunity for him also. I know a bunch of those guys down there and I know how they’re going to coach him.”

Q: What do the Giants do well?

HALEY: “That they’re excellent on the road, that’s the big thing. They consistently for the last couple of years have been a team that has won on the road and if you’re able to do that you are generally a pretty good team.

“They run the ball well, they’ve got a fast defense and some excellent pass rushers and some guys that can cover and a quarterback who understands the game – a firm grasp of what’s going on there play-in and play-out. They’ve got an offensive line that’s worked together and is well-coached by a former colleague of mine. They’re well coached all the way around. They’re not too flashy or have a lot of bells and whistles.”

Q: You said you got back to training camp mode for penalties. Is that a major move?

HALEY: “We have to be a disciplined team. That’s what penalties are: discipline. I thought we were headed in that direction. Obviously what’s been put out there the last two weeks indicates not. But we’re going to work out butts off at being disciplined.”

09-30-2009, 05:24 PM	Topic Starter
LaChapelle Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $10004900	Between the coach speak TH Q&A TODD HALEY: “Wednesday practice that went pretty well for us. It was a rough couple of days soul-searching. We had a lot of activity on and off the roster yesterday. Obviously, the biggest one was trading Tyler Thigpen to the Miami Dolphins. "Again, we made it pretty clear whenever we have the opportunity to make this team better either now or in the future we’re going to do it. It was a situation where we have four quarterbacks and Miami has an injury and they expressed some interest. We thought it was the best thing for us and I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler. He’s down there with a lot of people that I know personally – most specifically the coordinator who I think is a great teacher of quarterbacks. I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler and I’m happy for him in that way.” hmmmmmmmmm All of Q & A Q&A with TODD HALEY - 9/30 Sep 30, 2009, 3:30:50 PM TODD HALEY: “Wednesday practice that went pretty well for us. It was a rough couple of days soul-searching. We had a lot of activity on and off the roster yesterday. Obviously, the biggest one was trading Tyler Thigpen to the Miami Dolphins. “Again, we made it pretty clear whenever we have the opportunity to make this team better either now or in the future we’re going to do it. It was a situation where we have four quarterbacks and Miami has an injury and they expressed some interest. We thought it was the best thing for us and I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler. He’s down there with a lot of people that I know personally – most specifically the coordinator who I think is a great teacher of quarterbacks. I think it’s a great opportunity for Tyler and I’m happy for him in that way.” Q: You have a new right tackle; I mean as a starter? HALEY: “We practiced O’Callaghan first today. You can’t hold me to what we’re going to do on Sunday. It’s going to be determined on how we practice and how the guys practice.” Q: You made it clear if one guy isn’t getting the job done, but on the offensive line are you better served at this point to just find five guys and let them work together? HALEY: “Some people could say that and I think that’s an easy way out. I think we’re in the process of shaping this team and I think it’s critical that we understand and all the players understand, everybody understands that this is the beginning stages of the process. One thing that’s going to be clear to the players is there are going to be changes here as we try to improve each week. They can’t let it affect them in any way, shape or form other than to push them to be better. We’ve been pretty clear with the guys about that.” Q: How much of the decision to move up O’Callaghan had to do with Ndukwe’s penalties last Sunday? HALEY: “Again, this is how we practiced today. We’re going to look at the tape and see how everybody did. We were not good enough on Sunday at a lot of positions. There were not a lot of guys when we went through the grades that we said, ‘he gave us a chance to win.’ I’m in no way singling out anybody. But if we feel that there is somebody practicing well and can do a job better than anybody then we’re going to at least try it out in practice and see what it looks like.” Q: You have some experience with Leonard Pope. What did you like about him out in Arizona? HALEY: “Leonard’s a big guy who’s real tough, fast, can really stretch the field. I think he’s a great individual – one of my favorites there from Arizona who will give you a full day’s work and your money’s worth every single day. He likes to play and he likes to practice. He’s my kind of guy. When we got the opportunity to bring somebody in we were happy to get Leonard.” Q: Will he be ready to play Sunday? HALEY: “He’s practicing to play. It’s a huge advantage that he’s coming into a situation where he knows a lot of the (play) stuff that’s going on and that will obviously help him.” Q: How much of these in-season roster moves are a reaction to the outcome of the game last Sunday? HALEY: “I don’t think anything was grab-bagged. These are all guys we had worked out weeks ago – each one of these guys we had seen at a time prior so we had them on our list. It was not a knee jerk reaction; it was guys we had talked about and wanted to figure out ways to get on our teams. At the same time, as I said the other day, it’s not going to stay the same. I think that will serve us well as we go forward and as we improve and continue finding the types of guys we need to go forward with.” Q: What did Monty Beisel not do? HALEY: “Monty was a guy that I had familiarity with. It just didn’t work out. I love everything about Monty and how he works and prepares and what he brings to the team. It was a numbers thing, number one. Number two, a depth thing where he probably would have liked to have been playing a lot more and had kind of been relegated to special teams.” Q: What are your thoughts on Brandon Flowers? He seems to have been very steady for a while now? HALEY: “He missed the first game and he’s been battling back from the injury that he had in the pre-season. I think overall he’s been one of our better defensive players right now. But I expect Brandon to be one of our better players. I expect him to be one of the better players in the league at his position. So, my expectations are real high for Brandon. I think his expectations are pretty high, too.” Q: His play doesn’t seem to be up and down. HALEY: “I think he’s steady. If you can say something about him he’s steady. He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities but when he gets opportunities I’d like to see him make plays. But he’s one of our better defensive players and has battled through an injury that a lot of guys wouldn’t be practicing or playing with. I got a lot of positive about Brandon. I want him to be great.” Q: You said a month ago you expected there to be a lot of movement on the roster’s lower end. Is it fair to say that when you got here maybe you discovered there was more to do than you had in mind? HALEY: “There’s a reason why Scott Pioli got the job he got and there’s a reason why I did. Generally that means things aren’t really in a good state. I had an understanding it was going to be a big job. Scott and I with the familiarity we have with each other and from the past and how we like to operate, this is what I’ve known and what I’m comfortable with as far as in-season. “Some teams don’t have activity, other teams consistently do at the back end of the roster. I’ve always believed that’s the way you get good and stay good even when you’re winning games – by continuingly bringing guys in to get that back end better. In our case it may be a little more middle to front end at times. I think that we understood what we were getting into.” Q: So, you’re saying even if you were 3-0 the same stuff would be going on? HALEY: “Yeah, that’s what I’m used to, comfortable with and believe. I won’t speak for Scott but philosophically you watch the history of teams he’s been on and some of the teams I’ve been on that’s the way you get good and that’s the way you stay good.” Q: What did you like about Herron, the new linebacker? HALEY: “I like for number one that he’s fast. He’s got very good speed, a run-and-hit guy and what I know of him he’s got a chance to be a good special teamer first. Any chance we’ve got to improve our team speed I think we need to do it. “Mike Richardson, the Notre Dame corner, he’s another fast guy. I think, again, if we can improve our team speed on either side we need to do it.” Q: Especially after last Sunday? HALEY: “Again, these were all guys that we had talked about, had been on the radar. It was things we talked about and had looked for an opportunity. There’s some feel involved of when the right time to do any of this is. You want to make sure you’re right. You don’t want to release somebody that you were wrong on. That’s the big thing. There are going to be times that you’re wrong. There are going to be times when a guy isn’t going to fit with your team but he’s going to go somewhere else and he’s productive. I hope that for all the guys, I really do. You gotta take as much time as necessary without missing an opportunity.” Q: You said you wanted Flowers to be great. What does he have to do? HALEY: “The number one thing is what he’s already done: fight through injury. Don’t be a space shuttle, I mean one tiny tile falls off and it sits for a month. He has proven he’s not. He has fought through a significant injury and practiced quicker than we probably expected and he played quicker than we expected him to play. That’s the first step because great players find a way to get on the field regardless.” Q: Last week with all the penalties and 19 in the last two games, are you taking any special steps this week to address that? HALEY: “Yeah, we’re going back to training camp mode as far as any kind of flinches or things – some of the stuff you saw in training camp like going to the fence and any little reminders that it’s not all right. In-season it’s easy to get out of that mode because you’ve got very few reps to get a guy ready because you disrupt practice. But we’re going to disrupt practice.” Q: How’s Dwayne Bowe today? HALEY: “He’s going to be listed at out-of-practice today and, hopefully, tomorrow he’ll be out there and moving around.” Q: How did Tyler Thigpen take news of the trade? HALEY: “I don’t want to speak for Tyler. Tyler’s a great kid that I was really excited about and was making progress here, especially the last week or so and I think he saw that progress. But for myself, I think this is a great opportunity for him also. I know a bunch of those guys down there and I know how they’re going to coach him.” Q: What do the Giants do well? HALEY: “That they’re excellent on the road, that’s the big thing. They consistently for the last couple of years have been a team that has won on the road and if you’re able to do that you are generally a pretty good team. “They run the ball well, they’ve got a fast defense and some excellent pass rushers and some guys that can cover and a quarterback who understands the game – a firm grasp of what’s going on there play-in and play-out. They’ve got an offensive line that’s worked together and is well-coached by a former colleague of mine. They’re well coached all the way around. They’re not too flashy or have a lot of bells and whistles.” Q: You said you got back to training camp mode for penalties. Is that a major move? HALEY: “We have to be a disciplined team. That’s what penalties are: discipline. I thought we were headed in that direction. Obviously what’s been put out there the last two weeks indicates not. But we’re going to work out butts off at being disciplined.”
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