Q&A with TODD HALEY - 12/30
Tarkus
Dec 30, 2009, 2:55:20 PM
Highlights
TODD HALEY: �Started our preparations today for Denver, a division
opponent that�s a very good team. Hasn�t been too long ago that they
took it to us pretty good. So, it�s a chance to kind of correct some of
the things that went on in that game. It�s a great opportunity on the
road to take another step as a team.
�Offensively, they have two backs, one that�s close to a 1,000 (yards)
and who is a rookie (Knowshon Moreno) and looks like he�s going to be
real good back and (Correll) Buckhalter who has over 600 (yards), so two
guys who can really run the football. They�ve got a bunch of talented
receivers starting with (Brandon) Marshall and (Eddie) Royal, (Brandon)
Stokely. They�ve got a tight end who hurt us in the last game. They�ve
got a very good offensive line that the last time we played them clearly
won the line of scrimmage.
�Defensively, they�re a well-coached group that creates a bunch of
problems with multiple looks, multiple fronts and not strictly a
three-four (alignment). They play some even fronts, over, under, bunch
of different pressures from both sides, very good corners. It�s going to
take our best to compete with these guys.
�Special teams: another opportunity for us to get clicking a game in all
three phases and beat a division opponent on the road.�
Q: How important is this game for Matt Cassel and his development? The
last time these two teams played it was one of his worst games.
HALEY: �I�ll reiterate again, that as far as quarterbacks go this is
still a guy who is getting close to getting two years under his belt.
Every game is an opportunity for him to grow and this just happens to be
a very good defense and a very difficult atmosphere. It is an
opportunity but each week Matt is excited and works hard. He�s into it
and is super competitive. I feel like we�ve made some progress here of
late and it�s another chance for us to take another step for us as an
offense and for him to take a step as our quarterback.�
Q: What area or player this year has made the greatest progress?
HALEY: �I think one of them is pretty obvious: Jamaal [Charles] has
really made big steps. When you talk about that since November only one
guy has had more rushing yards than him and that�s Chris Johnson that�s
pretty good. Now, we can�t put him in Canton yet. It�s only been a
handful of games. Part of being a good player in this league is doing it
consistently over a period of time. That�s just where Jamaal is at.
�That said, there are a bunch of guys without going into detail that I
feel like have made big strides. But if you pin me down I�d say Jamaal
is the more obvious.�
Q: What is the one phase that hasn�t progressed the way you had hoped it
would?
HALEY: �I think there�s been progress in all areas. But the next step
for us as a team � and a team never stays the same adding and
subtracting players here before too long � is we�ve got to start playing
complete games in all three phases before too long. When we do that
we�ll be in more games and the more games we�re in the more we�ll win
because we�re going to continue to work on being a smart team and one
that makes good decisions. That would be my main point: getting all
three phases working together.�
Q: Has there been one game this year that all three phases worked together?
HALEY: �I think the Steelers game. I think we played real well together
as a team. It wasn�t perfect and there were things we could have done
better or more efficiently. I would say that in that game we played at a
pretty high level in all areas.�
Q: How has your defensive line progressed or has it not progressed as
much as you would have liked?
HALEY: �It has been up and down and that�s what we have to eliminate. We
need to get a group there that can hang in there week-in and week-out
and when they�re a little off then have some guys that make up for them.
We�ve had some games where they�ve really played solid, even last game
[vs. Cincinnati] where the front seven did a really good job throughout
the game. They had only two or three plays they�d like to have back. The
smaller that number gets the better. That�s really where we�re at as a
whole.�
Q: Should it be further along than it is?
HALEY: �There again we need to be further along in general. That�s what
we�re working at. We have another game to take a step and see where
we�re at and then we�re quickly going to be into the off-season and
working at it again and trying to do all the things you need to do to be
a good team.
�Like I said, the team won�t stay the same. We�ll have some additions
and subtractions and we just have to keep adding to the competition. All
the same things we said a year ago are really going to have to be said.
To be further along at this point would be the idea.�
Q: Would you see adding to the defensive line as a next step?
HALEY: �No different for all spots. If we�ve got a chance to improve or
improve competition we�re going to do it. I know Scott [Pioli] is going
to do it. I think that�s when you�re a good team, when nobody feels
satisfied or comfortable and right now we�re 15 games through that
process. I�d like to be sitting here with more wins because I definitely
think there are some games there � seven games [that were lost] of seven
points or less � that could have been� They�re not 20 plays, they�re two
or three plays in each phase that if we do execute something a little
cleaner we may get wins. But we�re still not happy. We wouldn�t be happy
sitting here with six wins. I�d feel the same exact way that I feel
right now because the idea of that is to have the chance to play in the
Super Bowl and right now we don�t.�
Q: Have you figured out why the inability to score in the first quarter?
HALEY: �I think this has been a difficult task again, and I�m not making
excuses for these guys because they don�t want any excuses made for
them. But we made major changes; we�ve done a lot of things. What I
think is important now is we�re making progress. Even these last few
games we�ve started more positive than we did earlier. Is it good
enough? No, clearly not. But I don�t have any regrets about the things
we�ve done. I think it�s all happened for a reason. As I said, it�s
going to get better and we�re going to be a good team. But you�re got to
take your lumps sometimes. The [teams] that haven�t taken their lumps
are few and far between that I know of. The teams that have started with
everything�s golden and everybody�s happy I don�t know when you�re
starting from ground zero. I know there have been growing pains for a
lot of different teams and a lot of different staffs, a lot of
organizations in general. We�re in that process right now. They�re going
to be character builders for us and be what makes us a great team.�
Q: One of your goals was to establish a new mindset or attitude for this
organization. Do you feel that�s been done?
HALEY: �Again, it comes down to wins and losses. I know it�s gets old
when you say we�re making progress, but I�m the one out there and I�m
the one that sees them. We just lined up today in the 16th week of the
season and ran gassers and they�re running hard and they practiced hard
today, they�re communicating, they�re here on time regardless of the
weather conditions and working together to do the things necessary to be
a good team. That�s progress from the inside.�