I made my way out to One Arrowhead Drive this afternoon to hear what Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley had to say after practice. He touched on a few topics including the short week following the San Diego Chargers game, looking back at last year against the Cleveland Browns and how to defend Seneca Wallace.
Short week: Haley said that he had started on a Monday before in his career so he's familiar with this type of situation it creates. "This schedule can be a true obstacle," he said. Indeed, the players didn't get home from the Chargers game until 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning so the preparations will be sped up this week.
Defensive energy: He talked about keeping everyone energized from the first quarter to the fourth. "The energy comes from your internal desire to succeed," he said. This all ties into the type of players the Chiefs are trying to attract -- the guys they don't necessarily have to keep energized but do that on their own.
Third downs: The Chiefs were just 1/11 on third downs against the Chargers. Clearly, that's not a good number. "You have to execute," Haley said. What I found interesting was that he said perhaps part of those numbers were due to the situation -- basically the Chiefs were trying to protect the football. He said he'd rather go 1/11 and win than go 5/11 and have a turnover and lose.
Seneca Wallace: He's familiar with him from his days in Arizona when Wallace was on the Seahawks. He also saw him in preseason while with the Dallas Cowboys. He says he can be a good drop-back passer but also presents problems in that he can take off and run.
Cleveland offense: This quote should say it all: "They ran the ball down our throats last year again and again." There's not really any other way to put it. Last week, the Browns passed the ball 38 times but Haley suggested that, like the Chiefs, they're a game-plan team and will play to their strengths. I'd have to imagine when taking last year into account, that means running the ball.