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Lack of Talent or Coaching?

From a fan's perspective all the way at the top of rainy section 341, it is hard to tell if the Chiefs 1-6 start to the season is the fault of the talent that coach Haley inherited or issues with coaching - or both. Until now, I've sided heavily toward the argument that Haley is the real deal and it's just going to be a process. There are many positives to like about him. No one can deny that he gives tireless efforts and demands the very best from his players. I like his mindset about conditioning because of its advantages in terms of athleticism and preventing injuries, but am disappointed with him and Pioli in that Cassell cannot stay on his feet. This season is going to put a lot of wear and tear on our hopefully franchise QB.

I usually only read Whitlock for a good laugh and don't give serious consideration to what he says. In this weeks public letter he wrote to Haley, however, he seems to hit spot-on what may be some of Haley's major issues as a head coach: emotion and immaturity. He suggests that Haley has potential to be a good head coach but is not making the most of his opportunity. .

I am going to remain undecided until the end of the season, and hope that Haley shapes up to be the real deal that I think he could be. What do you think?

Poll
Is the Chiefs 1-6 record to start the season due MORE to the level of talent available or to the coaching? It is most likely a combination of both, but which element is more to blame?
Level of Talent
68 votes
Coaching
25 votes
Coaching, but Haley will mature into a quality head coach.
16 votes

109 votes | Poll has closed

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.

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Experience

Experience plays a huge part in this too. The head coach and many players are still learning their job. Combine it with mediocre to below talent at some positions and you have a team that has a very small amount of room for error. The game yesterday was one big error after another.

David Logue

by dklogue1 on Oct 26, 2009 10:04 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Agreed...

Experience on all levels. The players experience, Haley’s first go around, and Pioli’s first time doing it alone.

Haley has some intangibles that we haven’t see around here in a while and his game management has been a step in the right direction.

That said, he has made some suspect play calls at crucial junctures in each game.

Back to the players, aside from the vets, most of them don’t know how to win consistently and some of them just don’t know how to win at all. How they turn that corner, I don’t know.

Anyone who thinks we are going to have a true answer on Haley or this team by early January should reevaluate their timeframe. Next off season could be even more telling about this team’s future than the past off season and that is saying a lot.

ZBS…Are you a season ticket holder in 341? That is my section. You can usually find me in my Colquitt jersey, but my wife (typically in her Flowers jersey) tends to be the more memorable and outspoken one.

by 3GChief on Oct 26, 2009 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Both is the correct answer...

I am one who believes that a better, more experienced coach could get better performance out of this team. I don’t think there is as big of a lack of talent on the roster as there is a lack of planning and putting the right players in the right position to win games.

There have been some very bad personnel decisions this year that have not allowed this team to use what few strengths it may have. The decisions about playing Goff, LJ, McGraw, have been mind numbing while decisions to cut Pollard and not playing Page and DJ have been even worse in my eyes.

Regarding the running game (or lack thereof) It should be very clear that LJ is NOT the right guy for the job at this point. Charles and Savage are clearly the better RBs on the roster and will give this team a MUCH better opportunity to succeed. You can say how bad the line is till you are blue in the face but, it seems that those young guys can at least get marginal gains whereas LJ keeps getting stuffed. Regarding the line, although our line is REAL BAD, It doesn’t have to be as bad as it has been. Alleman and Ndukwe are better options at Center and RG but, Haley seems quite content doing the same shit over and over expecting different results that my friends is the true definition of insanity.

The Steelers went to and WON a Super Bowl with an offensive line that was only marginally better than ours. They overcame that with good QB play and creative plays that kept that team in games. I am done hearing about the line because it’s now an excuse. It’s not the worst line in history and it doesn’t have to be as bad as it is. Haley could make this team better but seems to choose not to.

The coaching is worse than the players at this point in my eyes although there is a lack of talent as well.

by Chiefsfan1970 on Oct 26, 2009 10:14 AM CDT reply actions   1 recs

indeed

some very knee-jerk emotional decisions by Haley, and pathetic defensive play calling by Clancy. No question there is a gaping lack of talent on this team, but the coaching is not much better. Sorry, Whitlock haters, Jason’s dead-on with his latest article. Haley is not using his head, and Pioli’s 60 mil $ qb got exposed. Cassel’s tough, no question….but he had a TERRIBLE game, and made awful throws. Haley needs to back up his “no sacred cows” statement. put Johnson & Cassel on the bench and put Croyle and Savage in tio give this squad a spark, because they have NO FIRE. I saw it from right behind their sideline.

by reedeasy on Oct 26, 2009 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

rec'd again, 70

the correct answer, the SHORT answer (not provided in the poll!) is … BOTH

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Oct 26, 2009 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

That’s why the poll is worded the way it is.

by zbschiefs on Oct 26, 2009 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

the poll is not worth taking the way you have it worded ...

if you had the options as …

Talent
Coaching
Both

then yes, it would be worth my time and consideration … as it is, regardless of any argument you make, the poll is worded so as to be heavily biased and useless on a prima facie basis

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Oct 26, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

It says it is most likey a combination of both, but its intended to find out which element people think is more to blame simply as a point of interest. Sorry that it’s not worth your “time and consideration.”

I did not intend for it to be biased either, as there is an option there for coaching being at fault, talent, and coaching with room for improvment.

It’s just a starting point for good conversation about football, and not a starting point for you to blast people’s wording of things.

by zbschiefs on Oct 26, 2009 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I said THE POLL is worded

your third choice on THE POLL reads: Coaching, but Haley will mature into a quality head coach which does NOT equal Both

it says nothing about "talent: … rather, it gives an “excuse” for bad coaching and a lame cover-up/back-pedal that said bad coaching will someday improve (by magic? another coach? who knows … )

nothing in that 3rd options says “talent” … period

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Oct 26, 2009 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I tried to be clear in the description that is above the poll that it is intended to get your opinion on which is more to blame, instead of having an option as both. Sorry it was confusing.

by zbschiefs on Oct 26, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

again, you could have/should have had ...

1 Talent
2 Coaching

or

1 Talent
2 Coaching
3 Both

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Oct 26, 2009 12:18 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think your a jack ass upamtn.....but even I agree...

The way you worded made it seem like you wanted people to make an excuse for Haley. Thats what I got out of it.

by darwithabar on Oct 26, 2009 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

thanks, dar ... I am indeed an opinionated, smartaleck, sarcastic jackass, but ...

when I’m right, I’m right

may not be often, but once in awhile … you and I both got the same thing: 1) Talent 2) Coaching 3) Excuses for poor coaching

more troubling is this is like the second time today we’ve agreed on something … might want to check for stray lightning that could strike you at any moment

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Oct 26, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good point, dar.

I should have made the second option something to do with “coaching, and Haley is not the long-term answer” and then left the third option the same.

Anyways, I didn’t mean for thing to cause any commotion and I should have just dropped it to begin with.

by zbschiefs on Oct 26, 2009 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Their simply awesome aren't they??

And those fancy new Texans uniforms…btw…I don’t get it..shouldn’t we be doing throwbacks starting when we were the KC Chiefs??? We could throw back all the way to cavemen I guess.

by krayfish on Oct 26, 2009 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

read again...

It says witch is More to blame. I say coach, if that includes management too. QB with no o-line is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

by 12t on Oct 26, 2009 11:53 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Coaching, but Haley will mature

Maybe I have to believe this for my own sanity. The first test for Haley will be whether he benches LJ in favor of anyone else at this point. It is obvious to everyone except Haley that LJ is not working out. I’m not sure about benching Cassel in favor of Croyle, but it could’t be any worse, or maybe it could. Fire Pendergasp at the end of season if not sooner.

by chief66 on Oct 26, 2009 12:21 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Good point about benching LJ as a test. I’ll be interested to see what some of the other backs like Smith, Savage, or Charles can do in the full time role.

by zbschiefs on Oct 26, 2009 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

its both . we dont have the talent yet to do the things we want to do. and the coaching

makes bad play calls that leads to big gains or turn over on 4th downs . its pretty bad across the board. I hate to bring up herm edwards but he knew his talent level . and he coached close games everytime. he didnt go for fourth downs he didnt do thing much fancy . im not saying i love herm coaching but what im trying to say is he managed the game to keep it close and used field position. I think our coaching staff really needs to look around and start realizing we dont have the talent to gain one yard on the 50 we dont have a running game we dont have an offensive line and our safteys are horrible. and on blitzes we have no element of suprise. we have no timing they know we are coming and they pick it up everytime for a huge gain. we need changes but on both the players and the coaches

FOUR F'S FIND UM FEEL UM FUGUM FORGET UM.

by sexassassin on Oct 26, 2009 12:23 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Pendergast's Play Calling

I remember noticing this in the Dallas game. It is a lot more evident live when you get to see the whole field than it is on TV. But, we are blitzing the heck out of people and leaving our defensive backs on an island.

Blitzing is effective, but only when the right blitz is called for the right situation (Dick Lebeau is a master of this). For us, it seems like we are blitzing just for the sake of blitzing and we just aren’t reaching the QB in time.

Often times, our corners are left in man coverage one-on-one against receivers, and they are doing suprisingly well most of the time. But as SD and Dallas proved, one missed tackle and it is all over. Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr will be great corners in this league, but they aren’t prepared to take on some of these guys one-on-one with no help.

The adage goes: “you live by the blitz, you die by the blitz”. Right now, we are experiencing the latter.

by Nick Britt on Oct 26, 2009 12:51 PM CDT reply actions   1 recs

Rec

We need to blitz a lot less right now, But we do need to let the CB’s get some experience in the man coverage. Some safeties that could help over the top (faster) would be great.

We Will kick at least 4 Teams Asses in 09
And Succop will be the Key in two of them.
" Think and talk positive football off the field." Hank Stram

by Steve_Chiefs on Oct 26, 2009 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

A lack of talent leads to risky play calling

Haley is trying to do too much with too little. He is taking risks because he knows the team cannot beat another team on talent alone. Pendergast is probably blitzing too much because we cannot get pressure on the passer any other way. Just so many variables and problems with the team, no one thing can be the only thing to blame

by ChiefMizzou09 on Oct 26, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs


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