FanPost

Something Different about Todd Haley....

    Something is awry with head coach Todd Haley

 

#1. In 2009 Todd Haley began his regime off right.  He was relentless and would not accept failure.  Every loss was an agonizing defeat for him. I remember after all the losses he looked upset at the press conferences. Right away in 2009 after inheriting a 2-14 team Haley used the word devastated to describe the loss after losing to a superior team.  He spent 10 minutes explaining just how bad he felt after a loss. He demanded the best from his players. If there was a problem the fans noticed Haley was all over it. He surely didn't put up with our right tackle who had earned himself tenure under the old regime.  He seemed to live and die with every win or loss. He would blow a gasket in games when things weren't going well. On many 4th downs, not goin for it was not even a consideration.  He pulled out all the stops to get the win.

 

Fast forward in 2011.  We get destroyed at home, and it's no big deal. Everything is just A ok.  He started his presser off by talking about 9/11 and spoke of the game as an after thought.  Something has changed in his mentality.  I get that maybe he had to lay a foundation and now he is backing off....however the disappointment just didn't seem to be there.

 

  I live in Georgia and there is a popular tourist town called Helen. The town is modeled after a German town.  All the architecture and the homes are German like.  They go crazy during Oktoberfest with German cuisine and beer.  I was there last year and noticed buggies that are pulled by horses. The horses look depressed.  Their heads hang very low.  The look tired and oblivious to the world around them.  They don't whinny like other horses, they just sort of whine.  After some investigation I found that they work 6 days a week and are not allowed the normal routine well being activities that a horse needs to be happy and thrive.  They are stabled, or they are working.  After the Baltimore loss and during the pre season this year when watching the pressers with Todd Haley, I couldn't help but thinking about the horses at Helen. Something has changed, there was a sort of malaise or ambivalence.  Has anyone else noticed this?  Anyway just a theory.....

 

Possible causation for difference #1

A. AFter pouring his heart and soul into the teamHaley snapped after the playoff embarrassment with Baltimore

B. Haley decided not to be so absorbed in the team after 2010 for his own sanity and because his family felt they were losing him.

C.  I don't know, there could be a lot of reasons.

 

#2.  Haley's philosophy has changed. Haley of last year was in opposition to the status quo.  If it didn't work, he was the first to change it. He was the first to say something to the effect of, (if someone can help us win more than Matt Cassell sign me up). When he said it everyone was up in arms, like how do say that about your quarterback.... Well, I don't have a doctorate in offensive strategy, but there has to be someone, somewhere that can help us more than Cassell.  Also Haley has not changed from dink n dunk.  Everyone knows you have to be balanced and unpredictable to be really successfull on offense.  If you can't throw the ball downfield, everyone can focus on what strengths you have in your incomplete game. Buffalo was ready for our little dump offs and checkdowns, and they weren't having it.  Haley has changed absolutely nothing about this troubling offensive weakness in our game that has been pervasive throughout his regime.

 

Possible causation for difference #2

A. Pioli has staked a lot of his reputation of MC and refuses to let Haley play anyone but Cassell .

B. Haley is being patient hoping Cassell can develop

C. Haley decided not to be so absorbed in the team after 2010 for his own sanity and because his family felt they were losing him.

D.  Haley is already grooming Matt's replacement

 

Possible solutions to differences #1 and #2.

A. Have Haley undergo a mental health assessment to identify how to put the crazy back in him.

Have Haley

B. Have Hmills bring out masculine ideology in the team by having him relate war concepts to football during halftime and pregame while the team listens.

C. Have Chiefs_Blinders_On pep talk Haley back into his old self

D. Have H2E in brash terms help Haley understand why the bench is a good place for Cassell.

E. Announce BAMF as sound advisor to Haley

F. Come up with how another character around her could help the team.

 

I really believe in Haley.  I love the way he turned our team around.  I am not suggesting we even consider other options at this point.  But something is definetely different about our 2009-10 coach and the Haley of today.  I don't see the same intensity and I am starting to sense a little bit of complacency and acceptance of mediocrity.  Something has to give, cause I have been watching this team for my whole life and inevitably, statistically, somehow and somewhere, we are going to win a playoff game. Mathematically it is going to start being a weird anomaly that out of 32 teams we haven't won a playoff game if it doesn't happen soon.

I want 2009-2010 Haley back. Thoughts???

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.