Chiefs Training Camp Update: 8-3-09 AM
So here is day 3 of training camp already and here is the summery of this mornings practice: Oh, there was a special guest this mornings practice as well…
Updates from Josh Looney
Via Twitter:
- Outdoors it is, full pads…McIntosh is back today.
- Many high level conversations going on up here with @mitchholthus & gammon
- Play of the day comes from a one handed diving grab via te sean ryan. Haley praised the play post practice.
- The Chiefs have a variety of different style runners in their backfield and those styles come to light when the club practices half-line drills (C, G, T, RB, QB, 2 DL, LB). RBs like Larry Johnson and Jackie Battle power their way through holes, while RBs like Jamaal Chalres and Dantrell Savage display impressive speed and agility through the line of scrimmage.
- P Dustin Colquitt is “the leg.” K Ryan Succop has yet to be nicknamed. He may need one soon. Succop hits kicks from 39, 42 and 44 yards with LOTS of room to spare. Any ideas?
- LB Mike Vrabel took some extra time yesterday to work on pass rush moves with defensive line coach Tim Krumrie. The work seems to have paid off as Vrabel look impressive on several one-on-one rush drills against the offensive tackles.
- Highlights from today’s 11-v-11 period:
- RB Javarris Williams had a nice blitz pickup that allowed QB Matt Cassel to avoid a pass rush to find a diving TE Sean Ryan down the right sideline. Ryan pulled it in over his shoulder one-handed.
- S John McGraw drew praise from Coach Haley for his break on a corner route that resulted in a PBU. The ball was nearly picked off.
- CB Brandon Flowers had excellent one-on-one coverage guarding WR Dwayne Bowe on a deep route down the right sideline.
- DT Tank Tyler made a number of nice plays in stopping the run game when the offense was backed up near their own goal line.
Updates from Mitch Holthus:
- Best play of camp so far…team backed up at own one…Javarris Williams picks up blitzing Pollard..Cassel finds Sean Ryan TE first down.
- I love it when RBs want to pass black..saved a safety today!
- Defense had its moments too…Tank Tyler is doing some good things…3-4 defense is sometimes like entertainers..its all about the nose.
- Kent Babb of the Star near the big hot dog van reminded me of Jeff Daniels on Dumb and Dumber…there is no Hy-Vee here,its killing me..
- Pass block!
Updates from Bob Gretz @ CBS Sports
- After Chiefs LT Branden Albert jumped offsides in a drill, he was yanked from the line and sent on a punishment run. Barry Richardson replaced him.
- In a running game drill, OLB Tamba Hali leveled pulling guard Mike Goff. The collision could be heard on all three practice fields.
- K Ryan Succop was 3 of 4 on FGs in Chiefs practice, hitting the left upright from 35 yards and making kicks from 39, 42 and 44 yards.
- Chiefs rookie LB Jovan Belcher is showing a strong pass rush. On one play, he knocked over RT Damion McIntosh.
- With the Chiefs down to two TEs, Sean Ryan is taking advantage of the opportunity. He had a nice catch on a play where QB Matt Cassel was flushed from the pocket.
- Chiefs coach Todd Haley on Monday’s morning practice: “This is generally when everybody is a little bit sore and feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, but I thought we pushed through OK. This afternoon will be very telling about how we are doing.”
- After practice, Chiefs coach Todd Haley wouldn’t address the absence of TEs Brad Cottam and Tony Curtis. “I’ll only talk about the players who are practicing,” Haley said
And lastely but definitly not least, updates from the UW-RF Staff:
- The Jugs machines were once again firing at the beginning of practice. Drops have been a recurring problem in the first three practices.Today, there were four notable drops to report. Wide receivers Quinten Lawrence, Bobby Engram, Jeff Webb and Taurus Johnson each had drops during 1-0 drills. After Webb’s drop Head Coach Todd Haley yelled, “Catch the ball against air, please!”
- Tackle Damion McIntosh was in full pads for the first time this season. McIntosh jumped right back in with the first-string. Head Coach Todd Haley commented later that is was good to have McIntosh back in pads. “He is working hard on his body,” Haley said. McIntosh had a huge pancake block of defensive end Alfonso Boone in 2-on-1 blocking.
- Tight end Sean Ryan got some extra opportunities with the absences of Brad Cottam and Tony Curtis and made the most of it. Ryan made a spectacular, twisting sideline catch on a ball thrown by quarterback Matt Cassel. Head Coach Todd Haley commented on the catch later saying, “I thought that was a tremendous catch in traffic.”
- During the team’s 11-on-11 drill toward the end of practice, running back Jackie Battle had the ball knocked away from him after the whistle was blown. Head Coach Todd Haley screamed at Battle for the lack of focus. “Hold onto the football. You protect that thing all the way back to the huddle!” Haley shouted. Haley talked about the situation later in his press conference. “Those offensive guys have to protect the football at all times [like their life depends on it]. I am blowing the whistle for the defense.”
- Rookie defensive end Alex Magee continued to see time with the first-string, as he has been all of training camp thus far.
- After a drill, linebacker Mike Vrabel, a 13-year veteran, was showing two-year linebacker Andy Studebaker how he should be using his arms during the drill. As the two walked away, joining the rest of the linebackers on field 1, Studebaker patted Vrabel on the back.
- A session with the defensive lineman and the offensive lineman, running a 2-on-1 blocking drill was dominated by the defense. The stand-out of the drill was defensive end Alex Magee. Magee destroyed offensive linemen Mike Goff and Wade Smith on separate occasions. Linebackers Mike Vrabel and Tamba Hali were present for half the drill. Hali made an athletic move to shoot to the inside of Barry Richardson without being touched.
Todd Haley Press Conference
- Head Coach Todd Haley opened his daily press conference with a statement, saying practice was alright. “I thought it went OK. This is the point in training camp where everyone is a little sore, but I thought we pushed through well,” he said. Haley was wearing a Dallas Texans hat. The Chiefs came into the league as the Texans and will wear the old jerseys for three games this season.
Haley was asked to comment on the progression of fifth-round pick offensive tackle Colin Brown. Haley said that Brown was learning on the run. “He dropped a bunch of weight to give himself a chance to compete, so he probably is feeling a little light and not as strong.” Haley was then asked what he thought of the line as whole. “I am encouraged by what I am seeing. It’s only day three and way too early to make evaluations, but I like what I see so far,” Haley said.
Haley was adamant that his team must create some havoc in the backfield. “Whether that is to lead the league in sacks or just create some chaos in the back there, it has to happen, in my opinion, to play the kind of defense we want to play.”
Haley was asked about how sleep his schedule is going so far at camp. “I was thinking about that this morning. In the summertime if I didn’t get eight hours, I was exhausted, but you get to training camp and for some reason, sleep isn’t as important. You wake up and find a way everyday.” Haley did say he is getting about four to five hours of sleep a night.
And thee you have it. Have a great Monday Chiefs fans! Go Chiefs!
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Todd Haley Talks about #3 Overall Pick - Video
Here is Chiefs head coach Todd Haley talking about selecting LSU DE Tyson Jackson with the #3 overall pick in 2009 NFL Draft
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LB Clark Haggans to visit Chiefs
The Chiefs are looking at veteran LB Clark Haggans as he will come in for a visit to Arrowhead tomorrow.
LB Haggans to visit | Red Zone
Haggans, 32, spent eight years with the Steelers and last year with Arizona, where he worked with Todd Haley and Clancy Pendergast. He had a career-high nine sacks for the Steelers in 2005.
It looks like Haggans does seem to have a little bit of an injury history.
Haggans missed the last five games of last season and all of Arizona’s playoff games because of a foot injury but the Chiefs evidently feel he will be healthy enough to play by the start of training camp.
On the bright side Haggans is a nine year vet that has experience in the 3-4. Here are his career stats (from NFL.com).
| Season | Team | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
| G | GS | Total | Solo | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FUM | Lost | ||
| 2008 | Arizona Cardinals | 11 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 1.0 | – | 2 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 16 | 58 | 36 | 22 | 4.0 | – | 1 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 15 | 15 | 76 | 51 | 25 | 6.0 | – | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | 13 | 59 | 40 | 19 | 9.0 | – | 3 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | 13 | 37 | 30 | 7 | 6.0 | – | 1 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2003 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 2 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 1.0 | – | 2 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 1 | 37 | 23 | 14 | 6.5 | – | 8 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2001 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 1 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0.0 | – | 0 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2000 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL | 334 | 228 | 106 | 33.5 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
What do you think Chiefs fans? Is he a good fit? I say that compared to what he would last season, teaming him up with Vrable and DJ would be an instant upgrade.
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Todd Haley Interview and More About our New Head Coach
Todd Haley: Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
Most people that I have talked to about Haley being the 11th head coach in Chiefs history and very excited about this, but of course there are those that have their doubts, such as Haley having no playing experience in the NFL. Check out what Bob Gretz has to say about that:
Here are the facts: Haley is now one of 22 NFL head coaches who did not play pro football. That’s right, only 10 of the current team leaders played the game at that level. Three of that group played in Canada, or had a very short cup of coffee in the NFL: Tom Cable, Mike Smith and Sean Payton. The seven coaches who actually had NFL careers were: Dick Jauron, Gary Kubiak, Jeff Fisher, Ken Whisenhunt, Jim Zorn, Jack Del Rio and Mike Singletary. Only Singletary is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his playing career.
Now, something that I do find interesting is that Haley has never competed at football from even a high school level.
So, not playing in the NFL and becoming a head coach in the league is not an unusual situation. But Haley is unusual in this fact: he didn’t play college football either, or high school football. As much background as can be gained from team media guides and NFL publications, he would be the only head coach in ‘09 who did not play football. Among the other 31, all had some sort of college football playing career
Does this worry me? Not really. Look what he did at Arizona as the Offensive Coordinator. Plus Haley has worked his way up from the bottom and that show that he is very determined and has a very business-like approach. If Todd Haley fails here as a coach (I don’t think he will) it won’t be because he didn’t play high school football.
Now here is a video of Mitch “voice of the Chiefs” Holthus interviewing Todd Haley. (There is a full-screen option if the video is too small for you) Enjoy!
Todd Haley Interview
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Chiefs Search for a New Coaching Staff
With my first post as a new writer on this blog I would like to welcome any and all criticism, debate, kudos, etc. I know Chiefs fans do not always see eye to eye, but in the end we all want the same thing. A winning football team and a chance at a championship. We can debate all day long about the proper path to achieve this, but just remember we are all on the same side.
At this point it sounds like Todd Haley will be the new Chiefs Head Coach, awaiting a few details and signatures to make it official. So with that finally resolved the next big questions will surround the staff he will assemble. Will he be able to coax any of his buddies from Arizona to follow him? Will Chan Gailey stay on as Offensive Coordinator? Who will he hire at Defensive Coordinator? In this short post I will look at a couple of options.
Offense:
Frankly I believe our offense, at least the last half of the season, was not to blame for the majority of our loses. The defense ended up losing quite a few winnable games in 2008. I’ve long been a fan of Gunther, but he and Herm just did not see eye to eye when it came to defensive schemes. A new start in Detroit should prove productive for Gunther, given he can find any talent to surround himself with.
So with that said, I whole heartedly believe Chan Gailey should stay on as Offensive Coordinator in 2009. He was able to take Tyler “Getting Thiggy Wit It” Thigpen, and transform him into a respectable NFL QB. Thiggy is not your “typical” under center, NFL style quarterback, but he has proven himself as a viable option given the appropriate game plan. Don’t let our record fool you, we were a much more competitive team the last half of the season, rather it produced wins or not.
Combining Gailey’s knack for making something out of nothing, and Haley’s obviously offensive prowess, we could easily have a top 15 offense this year. I will discuss my thoughts on the draft at a later date.
Defense:
So what about our defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in virtually every statistical category in 2008? If we can find a Defensive Coordinator that is on the same page as Haley, that alone can only help this unit. Having Gunther “handcuffed” into playing Herm’s style wasn’t productive, and it obviously showed.
So who may be next? One name I’d like to throw out there is Romeo Crennel. What!? The same Romeo Crennel that just got fired by the Browns? Yes. Crennel has shown promise in the past, but as a Defensive Coordinator, not a Head Coach. Some people just aren’t cut out for leading a team, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lead a defense.
In his time as Defensive Coordinator with the Patriots he won three Super Bowls in four years. Not a bad track record. He has been a part of six different Super Bowls and has came out of top five out of those six times. Again, sounds promising right?
Crennel has worked with both Pioli and Haley in the past, along with Parcells and Belichick. He coached with Parcells from 1993-1996 with the Patriots and from 1997-1999 with the Jets. While with the Jets, Pioli was the Director of Pro Personnel (97-2000) and Haley was the Wide Receiver’s Coach (95-2000), so he has history with them. In 2000, Crennel became the Defensive Coordinator for Belichick in New England until 2004. Having both Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick want you as their DC is quite a vote of confidence.
Well that’s my first two cents. I hope I didn’t drag that on too long. As I stated before, please feel free to comment on my style, ideas, etc. Should I post multiple, shorter posts or combine them into one like this? Also, I do pride myself with be at the fore front of most all rumors and/or happenings with the Chiefs and hope to have more “breaking news” rumors posted on a regular basis.
Thanks for reading and please, be gentle!
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Chiefs Offer Todd Haley Head Coaching Job
So in a move that most have been expecting the Kansas City Chiefs have officially offered their head coaching job to Cardinals’ OC Todd Haley.
FOX Sports on MSN - Jay Glazer - Sources: Cards assistant tabbed to coach Chiefs.
FOXSports.com has learned that the Chiefs offered the position to Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley and he has accepted. They are now trying to work out terms of a contract agreement.
And apparently the reports of Haley interviewing for the Chiefs head coaching job this past week were also true (go figure, huh).
Haley interviewed for the position earlier this week and a Cardinals player at the Pro Bowl told FOXSports.com Haley was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl Thursday as a guest of Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, but canceled at the last moment because of the Kansas City job.
It is nice have a guy (almost I guess) that is highly respected and that the players realize is a big loss.
“He’s going to be a big loss for us,” another Cards player told FOXSports.com.
A different Cardinals player said, “He was really liked in the locker room, because we felt like he was always trying to figure something out for us for Sundays. He never stopped.”
Haley called the plays for the high-flying Cardinals offense that shocked the world by not only getting to the Super Bowl, but nearly winning it last Sunday.
So, it’s looking like a “Welcome to the Kansas City Chiefs” is in order for you Todd Haley.
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Chiefs get permission to talk to Cardinals’ Todd Haley
The Kansas City Chiefs have received permission to talk to AZ Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley. This should come as a shocker to no one…
Chiefs get permission to talk to Cardinals’ Haley - Kansas City Star.
It was unclear when or where the meeting between Haley and Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli would take place.
Haley, 42, gained prominence this year as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator. The Cardinals won the NFC West, had one of the league’s highest-scoring offensive teams and advanced to their first Super Bowl, where they were beaten in the final seconds by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This rumor has been going on the mill for a few weeks now and looks like it has finally come to be.
Don’t forget that Haley is a Pioli guy:
Haley and Pioli worked together from 1997 through 1999 with the New York Jets, Pioli as the director of pro personnel and Haley as an assistant coach.
I was impressed with Haley’s offense against the Steelers, mainly with his ability to make mid-game adjustments (something the Chiefs needed DESPERATELY last season). But like I have said many times “In Pioli I trust” until proven otherwise!
If Todd Haley comes to Kansas City to join the Chiefs I with him the best in his journey as a head coach. Let’s do this…
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Chiefs News - Head Coaches, Grocery Stores and Rooney Rule
Just doing a little catchup here on some Chiefs news.
If you have never been to a game this won’t mean as much to you, but the Kansas City Chiefs will now have Hy-Vee as it’s go to grocery store… so for all of us season ticket holders that means no more, “Chiefs and Chopper! Chiefs and Chopper!”
Chiefs switching supermarket sponsorship contract from Price Chopper to Hy-Vee - Kansas City Star
Say so long to “Chiefs and Chopper.”
After nearly three decades, the homegrown Price Chopper chain will no longer be the Kansas City Chiefs’ “official” grocery sponsor. Price Chopper said the Chiefs indicated that when the sponsorship contract ran out in March, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Food & Drug would take over.
Chiefs Head Coaching News:
Nothing really new as far as Chiefs head coaching news besides a ‘report’ (esp as of late, we all know how reliable some of these reports can be) out of Chicago saying that Cardinals OC Todd Haley is expected to interview with the Chiefs very soon.
Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley is expected to interview with the Kansas City Chiefs this week for their head coaching vacancy.
One part of this article that I find interesting is this:
One source said minority candidates have turned down interviews to fulfill the Rooney Rule because the prevailing feeling in league circles is that the job belongs to Haley.
If the Chiefs are unable to interview a minority candidate because they all believe the head coaching job is already spoken for, then what? Will the Chiefs be fined by the league or will they let it slide because they offered interviews and were turned down? If true, this could be very interesting to watch play out.
Well, that’s all for Chiefs news for now. Go Chiefs!
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