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Posted on Mon, Oct. 19, 2009

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It's about time: Haley gets first win as Chiefs' head coach

By KENT BABB

Kansas City Star

LANDOVER, Md. —Todd Haley stepped into a hallway, the tears still in his eyes and the praise still coming. Somebody handed him a cell phone. It was his wife. That didn't help the overflow of emotion that he was experiencing.

"I've been waiting to enjoy one of these," said Haley, the Chiefs' coach.

The postgame meeting and a different kind of news conference behind him, Haley took a breath and absorbed what it meant to get his first victory as Kansas City's head coach, a 14-6 win at Washington. His shirt was still soaked after an ice bath, and his eyes remained red from four hours of cold and ending five weeks of losses. Haley, 42, leaned against a wall and was honest about the day's importance.

"We needed it," he said. "We needed some positive feedback. Otherwise, they're going to say, 'What the heck? We're doing all this and we're sitting...' "

Haley trailed off. But he understood the weight of his team's win. At least for now, it helped validate months of running, months of verbal sparring, months of endless work that wasn't rewarded until Sunday at FedEx Field.

As team insiders passed and slapped Haley's shoulder and colleagues shook his hand, five dozen players dressed in the locker room and talked about how Haley's words and actions, difficult as they have occasionally been to understand, now carry some tangible value.

Haley has been toughest on a handful of players. Defensive end Glenn Dorsey one of them. He was moved to defensive end and ordered to lose 50 pounds, and he was dangled in front of fans and reporters at training camp when the work didn't show results quickly enough.

Dorsey said last week that the extra work didn't always make sense. Players had little choice but to follow orders, but what did it all mean?

"During the week," Dorsey said Sunday, "we work so hard. Coach is not taking it easy on us. It's great to win, just to show that we're headed in the right direction. The stuff that we're doing is working.

"It kind of validated our process."

The Chiefs might have won Sunday because of Haley or even in spite of him. He passed on trying a field goal in the first quarter and tried to convert on fourth and 2. The play resulted in a sack on Matt Cassel, and that became the latest example of a coach who's willing to experiment, willing to gamble and might not yet be comfortable with his players or himself enough to win in more traditional fashion.

"Whatever it takes to win," wide receiver Dwayne Bowe said. "You've got to hold them, you've got to punch them, whatever it takes."

Haley, like the players, learned from his mistakes. He didn't try such a thing again against Washington, allowing Ryan Succop to kick and make four field goals.

"We're working and pushing," Haley said. "Usually when things are going bad, guys are laying off, and you're worried. We just kept pushing."

It didn't hurt that Washington is a team mired in chaos and uncertainty; coach Jim Zorn could be fired at any time, and starting quarterback Jason Campbell was benched at halftime Sunday for veteran and former Chiefs passer Todd Collins.

When Washington made a mistake, Kansas City took advantage. When Clinton Portis broke a 78-yard run, the Chiefs stayed calm and held Washington to a field goal. When Cassel kept getting sacked, the team turned to running back Larry Johnson, who rushed for a season-high 83 yards. It all just happened.

Some things didn't change. Bowe caught a pass in the fourth quarter and had a path to the end zone, he stepped out of bounds and missed a chance to score. The Chiefs settled for another field goal.

"He ripped me for that," Bowe said, adding that after Sunday, some of Haley's unusual behavior and emphasis has begun to make sense. "I understand. He wants greatness. It's not all about your stats; it's about helping your team win.

"He's a great coach, man. He's going to press day in and day out for greatness."

Cassel joked about being uncertain the Chiefs would win until he took a knee and the clock expired.

"Anytime you win," Cassel said, "the bumps and bruises don't hurt as much. There's a lot of smiling faces.

"We took a breath of fresh air. This was a special day."

Now Haley's job begins again. The Chiefs have 10 games left. He has his validation. He has his players' restored faith. Now he'll see what all that is worth to a team starved for success but interested in listening to something new — as long as it works.

KCWas

First downs167

Total Net Yards268265

Rushes-yards35-11020-118

Passing158147

Punt Returns4-324-19

Kickoff Returns3-795-98

Interceptions Ret. 1-330-0

Comp-Att-Int17-32-015-30-1

Sacked-Yards Lost5-283-17

Punts7-39.08-35.8

Fumbles-Lost2-04-1

Penalties-Yards4-307-63

Time of Possession37:1022:50

Kansas City0338—14 Washington0060—o 6

Second Quarter

KC—FG Succop 39, 5:34.

Third Quarter

Was—FG Suisham 40, 11:17.

Was—FG Suisham 28, 6:01.

KC—FG Succop 46, 1:07.

Fourth Quarter

KC—FG Succop 46, 3:36.

KC—FG Succop 24, :37.

KC—Hali safety, :26.

A—79,572.

Individual Statistics

Rushing—Kansas City, L. Johnson 23-83, Cassel 6-16, Charles 4-6, Wade 1-3, Cox 1-2. Washington, Portis 15-109, Campbell 2-6, D.Thomas 1-2, Betts 1-1, Collins 1-0.

Passing—Kansas City, Cassel 17-32-0-186. Washington, Campbell 9-16-1-89, Collins 6-14-0-75.

Receiving—Kansas City, Bowe 6-109, Wade 3-25, L.Johnson 3-12, Bradley 2-22, Ryan 1-11, Pope 1-5, Charles 1-2. Washington, Cooley 5-57, Portis 3-15, Randle El 2-23, Betts 2-11, Moss 1-42, Davis 1-12, Sellers 1-4.

Missed Field Goals—None.