Q&A with TODD HALEY - 12/25
Tarkus
Dec 25, 2009, 3:02:14 PM
Highlights
Q: Do you see any useful purpose in creating momentum for next year?
TODD HALEY: �I think there is no doubt you can create momentum. I don�t
think it�s a must for success, but when you can finish strong that you
definitely give yourself a boost going into the off-season. If a
particular side of the ball does well you�re able to give yourself a
bunch of confidence going into the off-season. I�ve been a couple of
places, and most specifically Arizona, where that has happened. There�s
no doubt in my mind winning the last two games in �07 from my
perspective as an offensive coach we got it going and built on that for
off-season and it definitely gave us a boost going into training camp.
�Winning breeds winning and there haven�t been a lot of positives to
draw on this year. It�s critical that we�re right on the guys that are
going to be a part of a good team. A team never stays the same and
they�ll be changes, additions and subtractions. But for the guys who
will be part of that nucleus winning is very critical. We�re going on
the road against a very good playoff-caliber team that�s playing to get
in. It�s an opportunity for us to have a positive experience and bounce
back from a poor performance on defense and, offensively, I feel like
we�re building a little momentum which gives us a chance to go against a
very good defense, specifically run defense, and build on what we�re doing.�
Q: The average fan says lose these games so you improve your draft
position, but winning is more valuable isn�t it?
HALEY: �No doubt and I�ve talked to the team a bunch about this. I think
winning is a mentality that you have and the more people we get in this
building with that mentality it�s all encompassing. You could say to
some of these guys who are significantly beat up that are fighting to
play and practice and say, �we�re out of it, these games don�t mean a
lot.� I think it�s a mentality whether you have 14 wins, three wins or
no wins. You have the mentality that it�s important to play, it�s
important to go out and win. Really, it�s all areas, not just injured
guys. When this football team comes out of our locker room or the
visiting locker room at any time, pre-season, regular season, playoffs,
Super Bowl, we�re coming out to win and the more guys we have thinking,
acting and practicing that way the better we�ll be and ultimately be a
good team.�
Q: You�ve had one, faced one, coached one: a Southern Cal quarterback.
Is there any common denominator among these guys?
HALEY: �They�re all big. All those that I�ve been around are always big
guys. Obviously that�s been a very good team for a long time. This year
has kind of been an off-year but they�ve consistently turned out a lot
of good players not just quarterbacks. I was with Matt Leinert, whose
[career] hasn�t quite come to fruition yet. But I think he�s got a
chance to be a very good quarterback in the league. I think the guy
we�re playing, Carson Palmer, has shown that he�s a top quarterback in
the league. He�s had some injury ups and downs. But he�s big, strong ,
smart, competitive. He�s made that jump.
�Then there�s Matt [Cassel} who on a quarterback scale is relatively
inexperienced with a second year under his belt but each game is an
opportunity to grow and develop. I think this is a great opportunity for
Matt knowing he wants to build on some of the things he did last week
and the previous week and against a very good opponent.�
Q: Does the fact you�re a Southern Cal quarterback in a town with no
professional NFL team cast you in the limelight more and prepare you for
what�s coming next?
HALEY: �I think there is a lot of other stuff out there and you see them
every week when they�re on [TV]. They�re not a lot of different than the
[LA] Lakers when they�re playing. You get a full experience being the
quarterback there that I think can really help prep you for what ends up
being part of life in the NFL. They�re a big-time program with big-time
players and I think you�ll see a couple of them on Sunday.�