AP and AA Square Off in Gailey vs. Haley Debate

Arrowhead Pride and Arrowhead Addict decided to go head to head in a debate format.  For AP, I made the case for Chan Gailey as the Chiefs next head coach.  For AA, Adam staked his claim to Todd Haley.

Click over and see if I got bested by a Best.

Primetime: Chan Gailey should be the next head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Yeah, he's not the sexy choice that so many Chiefs fans have been clamoring for since names like Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan and Marty Schottenheimer have been floating around.  But, he is a coach with a proven track record and gives the Chiefs the best chance for success in 2009.

• Offensive coordinator of the Steelers: Super Bowl
• Offensive coordinator of the Dolphins: 11 wins per year
• Head coach of the Cowboys: 2 playoff appearances in 2 years

The Chiefs are the youngest team in the league.  They need a head coach that is familiar with the players and their development, especially the quarterback position..  Tyler Thigpen owes his success to Gailey.  Being the most important position in professional sports. the development of a quarterback should be placed at the forefront of any rebuilding session.  Gailey took Thigpen and made him a competent quarterback.  His work with Thigpen can not be understated in any way, shape or form. 

The turnaround job he did with the Chiefs is nearly enough to make me give him consideration for the head coaching job.  But combine that with his previous success as a head coach in which Jerry Jones admitted he fired him prematurely and he's a no-brainer.  Once we can get over the young, up-and-coming coordinator obsession and take note of his resume, Chan Gailey is a solid choice for the Chiefs next head coach.

Adam: It's not about making the sexy choice. It's about aiming for greatness. As solid as he's been as a coordinator over the years -- and winning one gimme game with the Arrowspread last year was not one of those times -- he's been a pedestrian head coach. Other than what seems like a millennium ago at Troy (when it was still Troy State), he's never won more than 10 games as a head coach. Most years he's hovered right around .500. That's settling for the crumbs when we should be shooting for the stars. That's why I simply do not understand the Chandemonium that has hit Chiefs Nation.

Todd Haley's resume speaks for itself. Not only has he risen about as quickly as you can in the NFL, some of the brightest football minds in the game -- Bill Parcells and Ken Whisenhunt -- have recently hired him. I'll take a Parcells hire over a Herman Edwards one eight days a week. Besides, what Haley has done in Arizona has been astonishing. Whisenhunt is a damn fine young head coach, but it's been Haley's offense that has taken the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals to the Super Bowl! That's as astonishing as us putting a man on the moon. As Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point and 20,000-women conquests. As Seth Rogen becoming an A-lister. And Haley is the man responsible.

The Chiefs are the youngest team in the league, and it would suit them well to have a young coach who can communicate with the new generation of players effectively. Look at the two coaches in this year's Super Bowl. Their average age is 41. Chan Gailey is 57. Additionally, Gailey was part of a coaching staff that coddled our young players and didn't get the best out of them. As we saw with Anquan Boldin two weeks ago, Haley is a "no nonsense" kind of coach. In order for the promise of our youth to amount to something, we need balls -- not a babysitter.

To top all of that off, Haley even has a strong working relationship with new GM Scott Pioli. Speaking of Pioli, with him in and Carl Peterson out, it's time to look forward. Haley is the right coach for this new era in Chiefs football.

Primetime: His only stint as an NFL head coach landed him 2 playoff appearances in 2 years.  Far from pedestrian if you ask me.  His work with the Chiefs last year did not translate into many victories.  But, at the same time, you've gotta hold the head coach responsible for that.  Gailey's offense vastly improved over the course of the season which is indicative of his ability to adapt with what he was given.

College coaching vs. NFL coaching is comparing apples and oranges.  With that logic, a good college coach (like Steve Spurrier) should have succeeded as an NFL coach.  The two can not be compared.  There are too many variables, mainly recruiting, that impedes this argument.  Besides, Gailey's NFL resume already speaks for itself.

While I won't argue what Haley has done with the Cards in the playoffs is impressive, let's not forget that they've still got only 17 regular season wins over the last two years.  Gailey had 18 regular season wins over 2 years.  Haley's a hot name right now but what about the last 2 regular seasons when the Cards have been anything but a Super Bowl powerhouse.

The Chiefs are the youngest team in the league, and it would suit them well to have a young coach who can communicate with the new generation of players effectively.

Primetime:

If the goal is to just make the playoffs, then we might as well bring Marty Schottenheimer back. Shouldn't the goal be to make the Super Bowl?

You are correct.  In a room full of young players, many of them with less than 3 years of playing experience, who is likely to get their attention?  A coach with decades of success in the NFL or a 2 year coordinator with limited success outside of a miraculous one month run to the Super Bowl?  The Bill Parcells connection is overrated in my opinion.  I'll take the long resume over the potential any day of the week.

Regarding my "miraculous one month run" comment, the point is that I don't want to jump the gun on a guy who is the sexy choice right now.  I want this decision to be well thought out.  Haley's name just started popping up following the Cardinals divisional playoff round victory.  Where was his name the last 33 games the Cardinals played?

Well, this certainly is misleading. Gailey was the head coach of the Cowboys, a team that had recently been very good with Troy Aikman still at the helm.

Not so fast.  The Cowboys won 6 games the year prior to Gailey's arrival and ranked 22nd in offense and 13th in defense.  The next year, Gailey's first at the helm, the Cowboys increased their win total by 4 games and ended the season ranked 9th in offense and 3rd in defense.

I've been hard on Gailey, but here's my biggest issue: what message does retaining him send to the players and the fans?

It's not so much about sending the right message to the fans as it is putting the NFL's youngest team in the care of a veteran coach.  Gailey's been around the block and continues to be creative and be successful as a coordinator.  His adaptability and ability to continually revitalize offenses should be reason enough to debunk the school of thought that "fresh blood" is a necessity.  Sometimes newer isn't better.

And one more point that is largely ignored, is the ability to manage people.  Ultimately the next head coach will be manning a ship of 53 players and a dozen assistant coaches.  Chan Gailey obviously wasn't running the offense he wanted to start the season but never publicly threw the head coach (whose ultimately responsible for that decision) under the bus.  He understands the role each person has and the importance of having a sole voice lead the organization.  While I respect Haley's perceived fiery and blunt attitude, players may not react well to his tone considering he hasn't done much to prove he's the next Bill Parcells.