COLUMN: Haley’s Comet Falls On Steelers
From Arrowhead Stadium
You will probably read, see and hear a bunch of malarkey about how it was a kinder, gentler Todd Haley directing his team on the sidelines Sunday as the Chiefs faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Don’t believe it. Todd Haley was the same guy watching his team upset the Steelers as he was last Sunday when his team beat the Oakland Raiders, or the Sunday before that when the Chiefs lost in Jacksonville.
He was a week wiser and smarter, but he was the same Todd Haley.
“I’m going to be me every day,” said Haley.
If it seemed he was a bit less like the pit bull that has prowled the Chiefs sideline all year, it was obvious why.
“It’s easy to be positive when good things are happening,” said Haley.
And boy did good things happen for the Chiefs on Sunday against the Steelers. All the lessons that Haley has tried to impart to his team over the last nine months were driven home in front of a crowd that could have easily been in Heinz Field there were so many Pittsburgh followers.
The Chiefs did not give up. They kept plugging. They kept working. They kept doing all those things that coaches pound into their heads day-after-day, week-after-week, season-after-season. But no matter how much a team knows that the coach’s message is true, if they don’t have success, it starts to become an annoying drone.
A team needs some sugar.
“You just need some positive results or otherwise you’re just talking into the air,” said Haley. “We push them hard and my philosophy is I’m not going to accept average or below. This job is not for the faint of heart and not a lot of games have been won around here.
“It’s nice to get a little reward against a team like that. I thought the guys really showed heart and guts.”
Just as their head coach has done just in the month of November. Consider the last few weeks in this story. The Chiefs came off their bye week and laid an egg in Jacksonville. The NFL grapevine was bubbling – true or not – that the Hunts were very unhappy with the team’s 1-7 record and the performance against the Jaguars. The team decided to release Larry Johnson and it was Haley who spoke for the organization. Not Clark Hunt, not Scott Pioli, but the embattled head coach.
Then, the Chiefs win in Oakland and Haley gets more attention for his sideline demeanor and some coaching decisions. Dwayne Bowe gets a four-game drug suspension from the NFL and again, it’s Haley who speaks for the organization.
How did he respond? He continued doing what he has done since he was hired as the team’s head coach. He worked himself and his team hard. He refused to settle for the easy way. He was demanding, of himself, his coaches and his players. He kept his foot on the gas pedal, even though oil was leaking out of the engine and black smoke was coming out of the exhaust pipe.
“I live and die every day on how it goes with this team,” said Haley. “Not just game day but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday … It’s all I care about other than God and my family. When you care about something there is going to be some emotion.”
Make no mistake Sunday was emotional for Haley for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the opponent. He grew up as part of the Steelers, and his father Dick was in Arrowhead on Sunday, wearing not black and gold, but red and white. He relived the Super Bowl defeat his Arizona Cardinals suffered at the hands of the Steelers back in February.
“I felt like going into this game this would be a great opportunity to measure where we were as a team,” said Haley.
OK, so where are the 3-7 Chiefs as a team? For the first time, they have some momentum. They have gotten positive feedback two weeks in a row. They have won two games without Larry Johnson and they’ve won one game without Dwayne Bowe, who still has three games to miss. They won a game without one of their most consistent defensive players in OLB Mike Vrabel. They won with their third different starting right guard on the season.
Using Haley’s favorite word, the process is starting to show movement forward, not backward. Maybe the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers are not one of the NFL’s best teams; time will tell us that. But they are talented group, with superstars on both sides of the line of scrimmage. There’s no way the ’09 Chiefs should beat the Steelers.
But they did, and one of the reasons is the yelling, screaming, demanding head coach that has his every word dissected, his every act analyzed. And he still keeps doing what he believes is right. Call him stubborn, arrogant, whatever, nothing much changes.
“You have to keep the message consistent, that is the key,” Haley said. “We know the direction and the right way to do it. We have enough people here that have been around the right way. The key is staying the course. When times are tough and people aren’t real happy with you, you cannot deviate from what you know is right.
“If you keep giving that consistent message to the players and what’s going to be expected of them; I’m not going to accept half effort, or below average. The day I’m not pushing for very good to great, then they should probably push me out of here.”
There have been a few people around the Chiefs that would have liked to push Todd Haley out of there. Most of them are gone now, and those that remain have learned that the head coach isn’t going to change. They are going to have to change.
Change is what some felt the Chiefs needed. They’ve got it. Just don’t expect Todd Haley to change.
Bob,
Great article, as always! Great analysis of Haley and “the process.”
I am thrilled with the outcome today.
I am also favorably impressed with Haley’s demeanor. I’m not a big fan of yelling, but I am a big fan of Haley’s lack of defensiveness when talking to reporters. That shows some emotional maturity. I am also impressed with his readiness to accept responsibility when he messes up or doesn’t preform well. I simply love his statement before this game with the Steelers about how, regardless of the obstacles, they could not stop trying to figure out a way to win.
His persistence and that of the other coaches and players payed off for a second week in a row.
BobGretz, since it’s a column, is this your writing or someone else’s? The attitude a week ago was grouchy from the author of a column here – so we’d like to know who our author is…and if they’re Pro-Chiefs or some other team…
Respectfully,
SG
A little side note, LJ averaged 2.5 yards over 2 carries playing for the Bengals today and got beat by the Raiders. How do you like them apples? ego boy, go twitter about that!!
I’ll be honest with you. This was the only game so far this year that I was conceding defeat for the Chiefs. Yeah I love the Chiefs, sometimes wearing Rose colored Glasses & sipping a little Kool-Aid along the way. I just wanted them to make it a good game & not embarass a 45 year, almost life long fan.
I can only say this… Love or Hate Coach Haley, He led this tribe of underdogs, misfits,and rag tag team of dysfuntional & commonly referred to lowly Chiefs to a victory. It’s been a while, but I will say this..
On this day, on this Sunday, I am very PROUD. (and a little drunk).of MY Chiefs.
Go Chiefs.
I am so proud of my Chiefs, what a feeling today!!!!!!!!!!
Chiefs 2-0 since Larry Johnson. Enough said.
Another outstanding article, Bob. You’re one of the best in the biz. Thanks for all your hard work and clear thinking.
Jimbo, I agree with you even though I still picked them in all my football pools. I figured if they had a chance to win then they had to make a play on special teams (Charles’ 97 yd TD return), make some plays on defense, and Cassell had to hit some plays because it was going to be tough running against the Steelers. I’m glad that KC was able to do all of that and hopefully this game will carry over for the rest of the year.
I guess we have our QB boys. Cassell was nothing but steady today – punching and playing and punching and playing. His throws seemed pretty accurate (especially the deep balls). I think we also have a receiver – Chambers was an AWESOME pickup. The RB that we got is showing some kick, and that Studebaker guy is a keeper. Let’s get DJ back in there, and things might start to get interesting… Today showed what we all wanted to see…heart and hope. Go Chiefs!
Colby, anonymous, where are all you guys who doubted the process. Calling Haley out. Cassell out. Even Pioli after one season. Not even a whole season yet. I told you guys give these guys time and they will build a winner.
It was a good day to be a member of Chiefs nation. Hard work and refusing to give up can’t be underestimated. Nobody gave us a chance to win this game. That’s why they’re played on the field. We have reason to be proud of our team. This is something to build on. Go Chiefs.
I just wanted to say…
I’ve been reading a lot of comments over the past few hours…on many different sites. The one single thing that hit me? Many, including several self-proclaimed “die-hard” Steeler fans…commented on the class of the Kansas City crowd when Big Ben got hurt. That Chiefs fans showed genuine concern when he went down…and genuine relief when he got up and walked off the field.
That makes me proud, guys. No matter what, Chiefs fans are the BEST! Passionate…intense desire to win…but still, with a deep appreciation of the game itself. I can hardly remember the last time I was SERIOUSLY proud to be a Chiefs fan, before today. Thank you.
Hypocycloids? Bwaaahahahaha!
WOW!!! I predicted 5 wins this season. I was wondering if that would happen. How much fun was that? GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!
“The Process” has ALREADY won 1 more game than it did under King Carl last year. ‘Nuff said.
I would like to know how many snaps DJ played today. Most hilarious sack of all time
DJ’s sack epitomized the coach’s style – he hung on and on even after Benjie got away a few times…I loved his sack – even though it looked stupid…he wasnt letting go….
Get him some more PT
DJ made some good plays, but he also gave up a touchdown vs 3 points. I am sure the small mental errors our what’s keeping him from being his best.
Agreed fong. People always notice DJ’s big plays, but he had several mental busts yesterday that resulted in points or big plays. He is the poster child of the “yo-yo” that Haley warns against. If he could eliminate those mental break downs, he would be a solid player for us. Frustrating to see his great plays followed up by several poor ones.
As linebackers go, Javon Belcher had quite a game. I know Studebaker is the darling today, but Belcher was everywhere when he got in there. That guy is a keeper.
Agreed. I counted 4 glaring errors by DJ. I also saw at least taht many times where John McGraw made a touchdown-saving, one-on-one, open-field tackle about 10 yards off the line. Those are the plays that were going for huge gains when Page was in. They don’t show up big in the box score, but they make the difference between bend and break.
I’m a 43 year season ticket holder. It was a great win. I agree with Jimbo that I was just hoping for a decent showing, no anticipation of a win. Also,it was ther strangest I have have ever felt at a Chiefs home game. I almost felt I was at Heinz field. There were lots of visiting team fans at the Green Bay game a couple of years ago and the Dallas game this year. It was nothing like this game with all the fans and terrible towels waving. I hope we build on this win and get three more win.
I’m not usually into predictions, but this is setting up as one of those “fairy tale” end of years that set a team up to be good the following year. The Chiefs have six games left. At San Diego, which could be close but will probably result in a Chiefs loss, at home against Denver, Cleveland, and Buffalo, and on the road against Cincy and the Donkeys. Does anyone believe they can’t compete in ALL of those games? They won’t win them all, but if they win 3, that’s a 6-10 season and a 5-3 finish after being 1-7….That, along with a decent draft to address the isues on the offensive and defensive lines, and you could legitimately see this team winning as many as 10 games next year–it’s faster than anyone could have believed a couple of weeks ago. Amazing.