Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke with Len Dawson on 101.1 The Fox after the 35-31 loss to the Houston Texans. Haley acknowledged that this loss in particular hurts calling it "disappointing and painful." Though he says he can't accept the loss, he was complimentary of his players and their effort leading up to and during the game.
"There's a lot of guys that are feeling like that right now because it's hard to win," Haley told Dawson. "It's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road and against a team with the ability and skills that the Texans have. When you don't win it hurts.
"That's one of the things I'm really taking out of this game is that I can see the pain. I can see the deep hurt in all of the guys. I know how hard they fought, pushed and stuck together. So, again, we're in the process of becoming a good team. If we had won that game I would be saying the same thing. We're still in the process and that was a step in the right direction though not the restul any of us would accept or want but that's the way it is."
Haley often says the Chiefs are in the process of becoming a good time or a transition team. He said after the game that the Chiefs will be a good team "sooner and not later."
"Pretty much that it hurts," Haley said when asked what he told the team after the game. "It should hurt and it's hurting for a reason because you all were putting everything you have into it. When you don't come out on top it makes it even more painful but, at the same time, we're becoming a team and a good team. We're becoming a good team and it's going to be coming sooner rather than later. If we continue to do the things we're doing and eliminating the things that have cost us these last two games then good things are going to happen to us and that's going to be sooner and not later."
I don't remember him saying very often (if ever) that the Chiefs will be a good team sooner rather than later. I think, when looking at the entire season, there are a lot of things to make him say the Chiefs are going to be a good team soon. Unfortunately that doesn't make you feel much better after they went 0-2 on their AFC South road trip.