Bob Gretz of BobGretz.com had a good piece on the Chiefs rookie and their interactions with the media. You could tell they had all been well-coached to face the throng of reporters.
Here's Mr. Gretz's summary of essentially what all the rookies said:
"Wherever Coach Haley needs me to be, that’s where I’m going to be … wherever he puts me, you’re going to get the same guy … whatever I’m told to do is what I am going to do …. Do whatever I can to make the team better and make the team at this point … I’m just trying to make the team and learn the playbook … whatever the coaches want me to do, I will do."
I remember a few years back when the Chiefs were on Hard Knocks, they showed a clip of a member of Chiefs PR coaching a player what to say before he hit the podium in the media room. So these guys are definitely given some pointers when it comes to handling reporters.
Chiefs rookie Javier Arenas appeared on Shan Shariff's show on 610 Sports this morning and was called out on a "coached-up" answer. Arenas was asked to take Chiefs fans "behind-the-scenes" and describe what Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel were like.
Arenas: Both have winning mentalities, obviously. It doesn't even have to be said with these great coaches. They want to be great.
Shariff: But Javier give us something different! I saw you in the press room with you. I know you're well-schooled in interviews.
Arenas: I'm shooting it to you straight, man. These guys are amazing coaches and that's why they're so successful. They pay attention to details and things of that nature. That's all that goes on in the meeting rooms, trying to be great.
I thought this exchange was interesting in light of articles from Jason Whitlock and Bob Gretz recently.