Flyin' under the Radar
by hmills110 on Aug 13, 2009 6:35 AM CDT
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Think the white 'n' red color scheme is mere coincidence?
I think not.
The Tomahawk is an unremarkable looking missile, especially if you look at it next to an ICBM like the MX missile
or even the Nazi V2 rocket from WWII.
But it packs a whallop, and it flies under the radar.
It's a NATURAL, folks. The planets are in alignment, and the symbol for this year's Chiefs is the Tomahawk Missile. We won't be a Bolt from the Blue! No. HELL No! We're comin' in at treetop level, people!
It's no accident that the FIRST Tomahawk image I found and the FIRST treetop chopper image both came in Chiefs colors. It is clear that the universe is quietly telling us, with the no-nonsense moves Pioli has made and the smart, no-nonsense coaching the players are receiving from Haley is creating exactly the team we want to see:
- tough
- smart
- strong
- fast
- well-conditioned
Inspiration for this FanPost was drawn from LarryDoggyDog's comment in response to Matt's "Chiefs Have No Blue Chip Players?" article. Larry lists the kinds of moves Pioli made in his first few months, and it's not too glamorous-looking. Cassel might be a blue-chipper in the future, but most non Chiefs fans will probably argue with you if you say Cassel is a blue chip player, today.
But does that mean that the Chiefs aren't rapidly evolving into a blue chip squad? I think not.
I think this team is going to win at home and steal a few on the road, like Haley said in an unguarded moment earlier this year. Some of those home wins are going to look like steals, because the Chiefs are going to be very opportunistic, and play the game the way it oughta be played.
During OTAs, I voiced concerns similar to those recently voiced by Jamie Dukes:
However, I have a concern about Haley’s temperament. Forget the well-documented riff with Anquan Boldin; I have never been comfortable with the verbal spats on the sideline with Kurt Warner. There have been other incidents, which included a verbal run-in with T.O. in Dallas. Haley is a volatile coach. Players respect a coach’s consistency and will rebel against moody coaches. More importantly, players loath(e) a coach who embarrasses them.(from Dukes' article on NFL.com.)
But it really sounds like Haley has players buying in, and as big a pain in the ass as "touchin' the fence" is, it's a punishment that is invariably applied to all who commit errors. There's a definite tough but fair message being sent, and if you don't screw up, you're not touchin' the fence. As more and more players take it on themselves to head to the fence without being told, Haley has less and less to scream about (or something else to scream about, that's a little farther down the developmental path).
At worst, Dukes should have Haley's fire in the "Things I'm not sure about" category, because he clearly hasn't been watching Haley very closely. And I think that's pretty much what's happening with most of the pundits who haven't been to River Falls, themselves, and a few who have. Dukes is coming from the perspective of a player, who dreaded humiliation and missing the point that the coach is looking for somebody who will be reliable (or even exceptional) on the field in front of 70,000 screaming fans in the stands and millions more watching on t.v.
If you're gonna harbor hard feelings about a tongue-lashing on the practice field, it better not show up in your game. If it does, you're done as a Chief, or on your way down the depth chart. If it doesn't, then you can remain a Chief, and your hard feelings are your problem. So get over yer damn self, Dukes. Haley will take his foot off their necks, as appropriate.
Anyhoo, great idea for a fun FanPost to write, but it's kinda peterin' out. Kinda meandered a bit, and failed to tie things back with the under-the-radar thing. How much was I gettin' paid for this? What?! Where's the damn Publish button? I THINK I'm up to 75 words. 75 words. 75 words.
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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"How long can we fly under the radar?" you ask.
We can probably win the first 3 games, without anyone really taking us seriously. The Baltimore game will be attributed to luck, and something the Ravens just need to tweak. The Faders will be a very tough game, with enough unforced errors so that everyone thinks this was just two bad teams, with the home crowd making the difference. The win in Philadelphia will also seem like a fluke, with the Chiefs pulling it out in the 4th quarter with a gimmick play involving Tyler Thigpen in some capacity for the TD from the 5.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
Yep
Dukes is coming from the perspective of a player, who dreaded humiliation…
Former players sometimes can’t separate themselves from the game when they move to the booth.
I liked this…esp the intro.
We had a former coach who couldn't seperate himself
from the game. Herm Edwards prepared the entire team from the perspective of a defensive back (which he was as a player) getting ready to play. Keep the score close, slug it out at the end, keep the defense off the field by running the ball, etc. Only thing is, it failed spectacularly.
Nice post Mills
I agree. As I was reading your work I had a thought. On the surface “touching the fence” looks like humiliation. In a way it is. In another way, however, it is just more practice. You can look at it two ways.
Way one. Punishes the player, embarrasses him in front of his team. Causes ill will toward the coaching staff.
Way two. The players are at first angry with the coaches for making them run when they have made a mistake. As they are running they think about the play, what happened to cause them to jump offsides, fumble the ball and so forth. Sometimes it may have been their fault. Sometimes not. However, as they run, they are able to take time to reflect on the situation and gage on how to improve their performance for the next time. It will also ingrain the idea that there are in fact, consequences for their actions on the field. It might be easy to jump the line in practice, say sorry and forget about it. It wasn’t a real game. No harm done. But harm WAS done. THAT is what Haley is trying to impress upon his team. No mistake is a small mistake. You need to replay what happened so you can correct it. You need to hold on to that ball like it is the life of a loved one. This is not the same as smacking your dog with a newspaper for crapping on the couch. These aren’t dogs; they are thinking, feeling, intelligent (most of them) human beings. They have perspective and the ability to understand why they made a mistake. They have the ability to get smarter.
And it doesn’t hurt to get in better condition while you realize all of this.
D-Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram and Turtle. Four Chiefs WRers. 4 Pro Bowlers.
It'll be interesting to see..
If players make a move to touch the fence on gameday a la Willie Mays Hayes.
“You may run like Mays, but you hit like shit.”
I could get more sacks with my sack
by ArrowSpread on Aug 13, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions
I think touching the fence
is something that goes by the wayside by or before the 53-man roster cuts are announced. That’ll be part of maintaining and increasing the sense of “We’re a special group of guys, who’ve been through the crucible together.” Still run practices at the same pace, but more like they’re all on the same side (which is already building between and amongst the players). I don’t think the example of Tom Coughlin’s turnaround with the Giants is wasted on Haley.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
Practice doesn't make perfect...
PERFECT practice makes perfect.
by Chiefsfan1970 on Aug 13, 2009 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions
If you rehearse like it's a show
the show’s like a rehearsal.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
I am blushing
tee hee hee
Once, I urinated a whole hotdog.
by LarryDoggyDog on Aug 13, 2009 1:31 PM CDT reply actions
Use the second link (the one to the article)
The one to my comment doesn’t work.
And no, I am not egotistical.
Once, I urinated a whole hotdog.
by LarryDoggyDog on Aug 13, 2009 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
The link to your comment failed.
So I decided to just link to your handle, but the change was garbled in the translation. It reads better, now, you egotistical bastard.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
Good. You get it.
My crack was close to the line, there. You took it right.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
Excellent read and Rec
Meandering is fine cause the thoughts you provoke cause my mind to meander some to:) I do like that the players NOW realize an error without the coach calling them out.
And I imagine that the players will determine a way ala the Kangeroo courts to stress this in-season, so Haley doesn’t have to continue to be the BAD guy in preventing errors.
Haley has taught and now the peer pressure has to work and I think with the type of quality veterans that Pioli has been able to aquire that the youngsters are going to have a great enviroment to learn and progress, unlike last year. Man, this is longer than a lot of my posts :) Good work and maybe more than just YOU need to de-mesmerize and remember what pays the bills :)
Let's Kick some ASS in 09 or Die trying
I was wanting to comment on here earlier, but I was trying to look like I was working!
Nice post.
I am not as worried as some about Haley’s temper. Not that I am old school or anything, but today’s players need to toughen up a little bit. This isn’t baseball or something. If you can’t take someone yelling at you, how are you going to be able to withstand the mental pressure that it takes to win a Super Bowl? Just saying..
It's a fine line.
Everybody spread out on the field, with lots happening. Yelling is pretty much essential. But I remember hearing some of Gunther’s rants and thinking WTF? He’s living in this private universe, with him at the center.
Except in the classroom, where everything’s all touchie-feelie and they don’t seem to learn anything, players get yelled at by coaches from Pop Warner on up. I hate the drill sergeant analalogy after Gunther Patton, but if you can convey the sense that the pain of today is for success on the (battle)field tomorrow, AND you know your shit and play no favorites, you can pull it off. And when you tell a player he got it RIGHT, it actually MEANS something they can take pride in.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
It hit MY funny bone.
Hell, most of my comments are more than 75 words. 75 words.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
When it comes to discipline,
you have to have SOME price for mistakes that you’re willing and able to enforce. Like parents who spank their kids, but don’t really WANT to hit their kids, you don’t want to keep threatening something and then have your kids constantly testing the boundaries. Misbehave? Pay the price. No fanfare. No histrionics. Just touch the fence.
That’s why when I was reading about old sea captains, I found that the best ones put delinquents on the pumps (all those old ships leaked) or swinging the lead (a chunk of lead on a rope that was the old-school depth-finder). Easy to go wrong with floggings. You can be an ogre by doling them out too freely or lose control of your men, because you don’t really wanna bloody their backs with a whip. The non-corporal forms of punishment aren’t cruel, and they give the player time to reflect on the error of his ways.
No question. Otis Taylor should be in the Hall of Fame.
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