Chiefs Babb: Hali a player opponents notice - Page 2

**Tribal Warfare** · 10-14-2009, 10:08 PM

Hali a player opponents notice
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

They know the stranger by number and not always by name, but they have learned to remember the new outside linebacker for the Chiefs.

Weeks pass. Opposing players who study the Chiefs always leave with the same impression.

“The guy we’ve been looking for is 91,” Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said before his team’s regular-season opener against Kansas City.

He’s not the only quarterback who noticed Tamba Hali, whose jersey number is 91, while studying film.

“Ninety-one,” Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said last week, “is a good player.”

Coaches, too.

“Ninety-one is as good a player as you’re going to see,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He just goes and goes and goes so hard.”

Months ago, the Chiefs weren’t sure about Hali. They didn’t know how he’d react to the change. Hali was a defensive end for his first three seasons, and he had once played that position well enough to be the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2006. He was terrific alongside Jared Allen his first two seasons; Hali never minded taking advantage of an opportunity when teams double-teamed Allen, the Chiefs’ former right defensive end.

Then Allen was gone — traded in an infamous deal before the NFL draft in 2008. That shifted the attention toward Hali last season, and he slid to the right side to take Allen’s spot. Without the help and stuck in a defense that accumulated 10 sacks, the lowest number in NFL history for a team playing a 16-game regular season, Hali set career lows in tackles and sacks.

Was Hali like the others? Another first-round defensive lineman, another bust? The questions followed him, and they wouldn’t let up.

The Chiefs needed a change. Hali did, too. But first-year coach Todd Haley was talking about something drastic. Haley wanted to shift the Chiefs’ defense to the 3-4 scheme, and that meant Hali and other linemen would move to outside linebacker.

“Not easy,” said Andy Studebaker, another longtime end who moved to linebacker to accommodate the new defense. “Not everybody is going to make it.”

Pass rushing had never been Hali’s problem. He was quick, determined and skilled. But now the Chiefs were asking him to cover receivers, something that looked peculiar considering his proximity to 300 pounds and that Hali had been a lineman for years.

Hali, 25, kept working, but he stopped talking. He had always been so affable and chatty, and then he went silent. Hali told reporters during training camp that he wouldn’t speak publicly until the team returned to Kansas City. Then, after an outstanding preseason, he declared that he was extending his vow of silence through the regular season, too.

The questions were back. Was he uncomfortable in his new position? Angry for being moved? Unhappy with all the changes the Chiefs had made, some of which were, in effect, putting his career at risk?

“I just want to do my job,” Hali told The Star on Wednesday, during a rare but revealing discussion.

He wouldn’t agree to be interviewed, but he said there were two reasons for the quiet. He said he hates to discuss losing, which the Chiefs have done plenty of in his time and is the finish line for most conversations about the team. Hali said his other reason was that he doesn’t need additional distractions as he continues to adjust to his new position. He said he preferred to streamline his focus, and any outside discussion could only slow his progress.

Hali said he preferred to let Haley do the talking for him, and the coach did that Wednesday. Hali, one of the most glaring questions entering this season, has emerged as one of the Chiefs’ most reliable defenders.

“He knew this was going to be a difficult transition,” Haley said. “He took it with open arms. He’s worked his butt off. It’s hard to find anybody who’s worked harder than him in all areas, physically and in the film room.

“He’s the type of guy we’re looking for around here. The more of those (players) that we can get around here, the better off we’ll be.”

Haley said he likes that Hali’s energy level and approach never seem weakened. Hali never requires the threats or public jabs that so many other defenders have provoked from Haley, and Haley said Wednesday that Hali’s work ethic leaves an impression on not only the Chiefs’ staff but also his teammates.

“Tamba does everything a hundred miles an hour,” defensive end Glenn Dorsey said. “If you ain’t giving it in practice, he’s going to tell you.”

Haley said it doesn’t matter that Hali’s statistics aren’t overwhelming. His coverage skills have improved, and Haley said Hali’s pass-rushing ability forces offenses to adjust — or do “things that don’t look so legal to get him stopped,” Haley said.

Still, Hali has two sacks, one fewer than last year’s season total. He has become the cornerstone of what is right with the Chiefs’ defense, even during a season in which so much seems unsettled. Others have noticed. Some outsiders have even begun to know the stranger by more than just his number.

“Hay-lee is playing pretty good,” Washington running back Clinton Portis said Wednesday. “Hah-lee, however you pronounce his name.”

In the Chiefs’ locker room Wednesday, Studebaker laughed when he heard that. If they don’t know Hali now, Studebaker said, they will soon.

“They’re looking at Tamba’s explosiveness and quickness and his ability to use his hands well,” Studebaker said. “He’s making that change pretty nicely.

“They know his name. Don’t let them fool you. They know his name. They know who he is.”

SenselessChiefsFan · 10-15-2009, 06:14 AM

It is funny to read the justifications for continuing to dismiss Hali as a quality player.

Whatever you have to tell yourself. Funny how NFL scouts, coaches and players take notice..... but the all knowing Chiefs planet board is just sure he sucks.

This coming from a group of guys that would jiz to just step foot on an NFL field.... priceless.

Jack · 10-15-2009, 06:16 AM

1st and 52. . .

TheGuardian · 10-15-2009, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

It is funny to read the justifications for continuing to dismiss Hali as a quality player.

Whatever you have to tell yourself. Funny how NFL scouts, coaches and players take notice..... but the all knowing Chiefs planet board is just sure he sucks.

This coming from a group of guys that would jiz to just step foot on an NFL field.... priceless.

Pretty much. I give some guys credit for admitting they were wrong, but a lot of the same people just keep going on and on about how he sucks yet every week his name is the first to come up from opposing offensive players. The comeback to that is "well of course he's the best of 11 turds" or something of that nature but it's just deflection. Hali has been very solid and has even looked fine in pass coverage situations.

I stand by my statement that if he were rushing against the right tackle every week he'd be a 10+ sack guy. Even coming across from the left tackle he still looks like he's going to be in that 7-9 sack range this season.

SenselessChiefsFan · 10-15-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

Pretty much. I give some guys credit for admitting they were wrong, but a lot of the same people just keep going on and on about how he sucks yet every week his name is the first to come up from opposing offensive players. The comeback to that is "well of course he's the best of 11 turds" or something of that nature but it's just deflection. Hali has been very solid and has even looked fine in pass coverage situations.

I stand by my statement that if he were rushing against the right tackle every week he'd be a 10+ sack guy. Even coming across from the left tackle he still looks like he's going to be in that 7-9 sack range this season.

I think he hits double digits this year. The Chiefs have played the strongest part of their schedule, and I think game situations will improve his chances.

Of course, then, he will just be a below average double digit sack guy.

wild1 · 10-15-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

It is funny to read the justifications for continuing to dismiss Hali as a quality player.

Whatever you have to tell yourself. Funny how NFL scouts, coaches and players take notice..... but the all knowing Chiefs planet board is just sure he sucks.

This coming from a group of guys that would jiz to just step foot on an NFL field.... priceless.

Yeah. I know everyone here is an expert, and would be an NFL GM if they could take the pay cut, but this isn't some ESPN sportswriter who knows nothing, these are players and coaches in the league saying he's becoming someone they look out for.

Marcellus · 10-15-2009, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

It is funny to read the justifications for continuing to dismiss Hali as a quality player.

Whatever you have to tell yourself. Funny how NFL scouts, coaches and players take notice..... but the all knowing Chiefs planet board is just sure he sucks.

This coming from a group of guys that would jiz to just step foot on an NFL field.... priceless.

I can handle people who will admit when they are wrong but the asswhipes around here refuse to admit they are wrong even when it is right in front of them.

Hypocrisy Planet.

Hammock Parties · 10-15-2009, 08:45 AM

He's basically the only pass rush threat...even if he is a marginal one.

Vrabel is sad.

**loochy** · 10-15-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Vrabel is sad.

Speaking of Vrabel...

The sports radio station that I listen to here in Dallas has a segment on Tuesdays called the Marty B Show featuring Martellus Bennett (he's the backup tight end for the Cowboys). He was talking about having to block Vrabel (he kept calling him Verbal). Bennett explained that before almost every play Vrabel would be screaming out loud to the defense what play the Cowboys were going to run. Bennet said that Vrabel was right about 80% of the time, but the Chiefs just couldn't do anything about it and Vrabel was too old to do anything about it. While trash talking he told Vrabel "Man you are so old....you are stealing money by trying to play at your age. Go home old man."

/end pointless story

Coogs · 10-15-2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Speaking of Vrabel...

The sports radio station that I listen to here in Dallas has a segment on Tuesdays called the Marty B Show featuring Martellus Bennett (he's the backup tight end for the Cowboys). He was talking about having to block Vrabel (he kept calling him Verbal). Bennett explained that before almost every play Vrabel would be screaming out loud to the defense what play the Cowboys were going to run. Bennet said that Vrabel was right about 80% of the time, but the Chiefs just couldn't do anything about it and Vrabel was too old to do anything about it. While trash talking he told Vrabel "Man you are so old....you are stealing money by trying to play at your age. Go home old man."

/end pointless story

Maybe Vrabel could be our next DC?

Marcellus · 10-15-2009, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Speaking of Vrabel...
Bennet said that Vrabel was right about 80% of the time, but the Chiefs just couldn't do anything about it and Vrabel was too old to do anything about it. While trash talking he told Vrabel "Man you are so old....you are stealing money by trying to play at your age. Go home old man."

/end pointless story

Seems to me Vrabel had 1 more TD and 1 more catch than Bennet did.

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-15-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coogs

Maybe Vrabel could be our next DC?

Vrabel's earning $3.5 million dollars per year. He's made more than $20 million in his career. He's 34 and has no ties to this area.

Why in the world would a 34 year-old multi-millionaire who's at the end of his career even considering working 70 hours a week for less than $1 million dollars per year?

This is just as bad as the people who clamored for Trent Green (he of $50 million dollars) to be the quarterback coach.

wild1 · 10-15-2009, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Martellus Bennett ... was talking about having to block Vrabel (he kept calling him Verbal). Bennett explained that before almost every play Vrabel would be screaming out loud to the defense what play the Cowboys were going to run. Bennet said that Vrabel was right about 80% of the time

Well, that alone means he's worth having around.

Hammock Parties · 10-15-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Speaking of Vrabel...

The sports radio station that I listen to here in Dallas has a segment on Tuesdays called the Marty B Show featuring Martellus Bennett (he's the backup tight end for the Cowboys). He was talking about having to block Vrabel (he kept calling him Verbal). Bennett explained that before almost every play Vrabel would be screaming out loud to the defense what play the Cowboys were going to run. Bennet said that Vrabel was right about 80% of the time, but the Chiefs just couldn't do anything about it and Vrabel was too old to do anything about it. While trash talking he told Vrabel "Man you are so old....you are stealing money by trying to play at your age. Go home old man."

/end pointless story

Gawd....I wish we could put Vrabel's brain in DJ's body.

SenselessChiefsFan · 10-15-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Gawd....I wish we could put Vrabel's brain in DJ's body.

Don't forget the heart. DJ is like the tin man.

Hammock Parties · 10-15-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

Don't forget the heart. DJ is like the tin man.

If DJ is the tin man, Cassel is the scarecrow and LJ is the cowardly lion?

10-14-2009, 10:08 PM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-3007187	Babb: Hali a player opponents notice Hali a player opponents notice By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star They know the stranger by number and not always by name, but they have learned to remember the new outside linebacker for the Chiefs. Weeks pass. Opposing players who study the Chiefs always leave with the same impression. “The guy we’ve been looking for is 91,” Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said before his team’s regular-season opener against Kansas City. He’s not the only quarterback who noticed Tamba Hali, whose jersey number is 91, while studying film. “Ninety-one,” Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said last week, “is a good player.” Coaches, too. “Ninety-one is as good a player as you’re going to see,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He just goes and goes and goes so hard.” Months ago, the Chiefs weren’t sure about Hali. They didn’t know how he’d react to the change. Hali was a defensive end for his first three seasons, and he had once played that position well enough to be the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2006. He was terrific alongside Jared Allen his first two seasons; Hali never minded taking advantage of an opportunity when teams double-teamed Allen, the Chiefs’ former right defensive end. Then Allen was gone — traded in an infamous deal before the NFL draft in 2008. That shifted the attention toward Hali last season, and he slid to the right side to take Allen’s spot. Without the help and stuck in a defense that accumulated 10 sacks, the lowest number in NFL history for a team playing a 16-game regular season, Hali set career lows in tackles and sacks. Was Hali like the others? Another first-round defensive lineman, another bust? The questions followed him, and they wouldn’t let up. The Chiefs needed a change. Hali did, too. But first-year coach Todd Haley was talking about something drastic. Haley wanted to shift the Chiefs’ defense to the 3-4 scheme, and that meant Hali and other linemen would move to outside linebacker. “Not easy,” said Andy Studebaker, another longtime end who moved to linebacker to accommodate the new defense. “Not everybody is going to make it.” Pass rushing had never been Hali’s problem. He was quick, determined and skilled. But now the Chiefs were asking him to cover receivers, something that looked peculiar considering his proximity to 300 pounds and that Hali had been a lineman for years. Hali, 25, kept working, but he stopped talking. He had always been so affable and chatty, and then he went silent. Hali told reporters during training camp that he wouldn’t speak publicly until the team returned to Kansas City. Then, after an outstanding preseason, he declared that he was extending his vow of silence through the regular season, too. The questions were back. Was he uncomfortable in his new position? Angry for being moved? Unhappy with all the changes the Chiefs had made, some of which were, in effect, putting his career at risk? “I just want to do my job,” Hali told The Star on Wednesday, during a rare but revealing discussion. He wouldn’t agree to be interviewed, but he said there were two reasons for the quiet. He said he hates to discuss losing, which the Chiefs have done plenty of in his time and is the finish line for most conversations about the team. Hali said his other reason was that he doesn’t need additional distractions as he continues to adjust to his new position. He said he preferred to streamline his focus, and any outside discussion could only slow his progress. Hali said he preferred to let Haley do the talking for him, and the coach did that Wednesday. Hali, one of the most glaring questions entering this season, has emerged as one of the Chiefs’ most reliable defenders. “He knew this was going to be a difficult transition,” Haley said. “He took it with open arms. He’s worked his butt off. It’s hard to find anybody who’s worked harder than him in all areas, physically and in the film room. “He’s the type of guy we’re looking for around here. The more of those (players) that we can get around here, the better off we’ll be.” Haley said he likes that Hali’s energy level and approach never seem weakened. Hali never requires the threats or public jabs that so many other defenders have provoked from Haley, and Haley said Wednesday that Hali’s work ethic leaves an impression on not only the Chiefs’ staff but also his teammates. “Tamba does everything a hundred miles an hour,” defensive end Glenn Dorsey said. “If you ain’t giving it in practice, he’s going to tell you.” Haley said it doesn’t matter that Hali’s statistics aren’t overwhelming. His coverage skills have improved, and Haley said Hali’s pass-rushing ability forces offenses to adjust — or do “things that don’t look so legal to get him stopped,” Haley said. Still, Hali has two sacks, one fewer than last year’s season total. He has become the cornerstone of what is right with the Chiefs’ defense, even during a season in which so much seems unsettled. Others have noticed. Some outsiders have even begun to know the stranger by more than just his number. “Hay-lee is playing pretty good,” Washington running back Clinton Portis said Wednesday. “Hah-lee, however you pronounce his name.” In the Chiefs’ locker room Wednesday, Studebaker laughed when he heard that. If they don’t know Hali now, Studebaker said, they will soon. “They’re looking at Tamba’s explosiveness and quickness and his ability to use his hands well,” Studebaker said. “He’s making that change pretty nicely. “They know his name. Don’t let them fool you. They know his name. They know who he is.”
Posts: 43,454

10-15-2009, 06:14 AM	#16
SenselessChiefsFan MVP Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $10005450	It is funny to read the justifications for continuing to dismiss Hali as a quality player. Whatever you have to tell yourself. Funny how NFL scouts, coaches and players take notice..... but the all knowing Chiefs planet board is just sure he sucks. This coming from a group of guys that would jiz to just step foot on an NFL field.... priceless.
Posts: 5,540

10-15-2009, 06:16 AM	#17
Jack Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Centralia, WA Casino cash: $10005010	1st and 52. . .
Posts: 616

10-15-2009, 08:45 AM	#22
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $790478	He's basically the only pass rush threat...even if he is a marginal one. Vrabel is sad. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 297,475