Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke to reporters on Monday and discussed a number of things. He highlighted his run with the Cardinals back in 2008 when they weren't expected to do anything and also touched on the players and coaches with playoff experience as well as Brodie Croyle's minor injury.
Here are a few highlights of what he had to say:
"I just want everybody to understand our focus is on that team on Sunday." Haley said after Sunday's game that the Chiefs are focused on the opponent and nothing else and he emphasized that again here. I think he wants to make sure they're not listening to distractions (and there are distractions)
"We've got 21 guys or so that have players that have played in postseason games." Haley also mentioned the coaching staff's experience in the playoffs. The Chiefs definitely have a veteran coaching staff and they have some players that have been on postseason and Super Bowl teams. They have a veteran influence which is important I think. There are however many players that don't have much experience playing in the playoffs -- 2008-2010 draft classes mainly. That's a lot of important players.
"There were a number of players and coaches on this staff that were there in Arizona with me and probably some similarities." It's interesting that he brought this up (without being asked about it). He said the '08 Cardinals, who made a run to the Super Bowl, were a team that hadn't won a lot of lately and they had a number of key veterans that were able to help the team in that run. He wasn't saying the 2010 Chiefs = 2008 Cardinals but noting the similarities between the two situations. He says the regular season doesn't matter now because, as the Cardinals showed, you just need to win one at a time and, as the undefeated Patriots showed in 2007, you just need to win one game. His message has been pretty consistent all year -- one game at a time, anything can happen, etc.
"It was a situation where he had a little physical issue." Haley said Brodie Croyle had some sort of minor injury and that's why he was the third QB against the Raiders. The Chiefs didn't have him on the injury report but Haley says he was available to play and didn't want him to have to sit in the cold for several hours and have to come in.
"We did some things that will cost you against any team." Haley said not starting off quickly against the Raiders like they did the week before against the Titans hurt them. He said they were ready and just made too many mistakes. Seems like he wants to make sure the Weis situation wasn't a reason they lost or a distraction. That's pretty much what most of the players said. They just got beat.
"It's going to come down to doing the things we've done throughout the year to be the better team on Sunday." This is pretty much it. If the Chiefs can run the ball and play good defense, they'll give themselves a shot. If they can't do that, they'll need a lot of things to go their way. It'd be like winning when you get a punt blocked. The Chiefs had a punt blocked against the Jaguars earlier this year and Haley said when something like that happens you usually lose (but they won).
"This is now our biggest game to date." It wouldn't be a Todd Haley press conference without saying this.