Q&A with TODD HALEY - 12/17
Tarkus
Dec 17, 2009, 3:36:04 PM
Highlights
Q: This being the last home game is this a bigger game?
TODD HALEY: �Every week is so, so important to us. If I felt differently
this week than I do next week or the previous week�every game is of
equal importance. It really can�t be any more important. I told the guys
that this is the time of year there are a lot of distractions. We can�t
be distracted by anything; our complete focus has to be on the Cleveland
Browns. 100%. That�s all we can all be worried about. And then next week
it�s the Cincinnati Bengals, the same thing.�
Q: Did you address your players at all about what happened in Cincinnati
with the death of Chris Henry?
HALEY: �Those are talks between me and the team. But it was addressed
and I want to personally say my prayers go out to his family. It�s just
an awful, awful thing and we are all so lucky � the people that are in
this business. It can be taken away so fast. How important it is to
cherish every day and do everything you can to be the best you can be.
When you see something like that it�s an awful, awful thing.�
Q: Are you able to cherish every day when so much of your focus is on
this football team.
HALEY: �I love what I�m doing. That�s what I mean. We�ve got the
greatest jobs in the world and I can�t wait every day to get at it and
go again. It�s important everybody involved feels the same way because
sometimes it does feel like a grind to some people when you�re not
having success. I don�t ever look at it that way. It�s a chance to get
better every single day and when you see something like that again, I�ve
got five kids and you see the pictures. I met Chris a few times when he
was coming out into the draft and he seemed a quiet, nice guy that could
really play. It�s just really unfortunate.�
Q: You�ve talked about all the fourth-and-ones and twos you�ve faced,
but it doesn�t seem to be getting that much better for you.
HALEY: �Flashes of improvement. Again, it�s where we are as a team.
Anytime we let an opportunity go by to get a first down when it�s first,
second or third down and [we need to] get an additional yard we need to
get it. It�s a mindset and the good teams do it a lot of the time. The
saying is how many times do you have to get hit in the face with a skunk
before you know it stinks. That�s come back to haunt us over and over
again. So, when we have the opportunity to get that additional yard or
half-yard on first, second or third down we just need to do it.
�There are a lot of different factors but when it comes down to the ball
carrier with the ball in his hands and he�s got an opportunity to get
that ball across the line or take that extra step on the sideline and
the awareness to know where those sticks are at, that�s what good teams
do. We have not done that nearly well enough and it�s come back to bite
us over and over again.�
Q: Is that why going for fourth down is why the losing teams do it more
often because they�re struggling to make something happen?
HALEY: �I don�t know that. There are decisions you have to make in the
game and all head coaches have to make and there are a lot of different
factors involved. Sometimes it�s how do we think we�re playing overall
and that may be a positive or negative thing. We may feel like we�re
getting great movement and we can get a yard, other times we�re
struggling a little bit on defense and we need to take advantage of this
opportunity. There are a lot of different factors that come into those
decisions. You go with what you feel.�
Q: Is your team well equipped to convert on those short yardage situations?
HALEY: �I think we�re doing a pretty good job at times. At other times
it�s a missed block here or a miss-read. We�ve been unable to get above
it. Now, overall on fourth down going into the last game I�d like to add
fourth down into third down and we�d be up the list a little bit. Those
haven�t all been short yardage situations. We�ve converted some
fourth-and-longs and have done a pretty good job.
�You just like to stay out of those situations. But when you�re
struggling a little bit you find yourself in those a lot more.�
Q: How much of it is that�s just what you believe in?
HALEY: �That aside, those are decisions you�ve got to make and you�ve
got to make off what your team is doing on that particular day. I don�t
think it�s anything you can necessarily pre-determine what you�re going
to do because you don�t know what the situation is going to be and when
it�s going to be upon you.�
Q: When you�re putting together game-plans do you have a lot of things
you feel comfortable with on short yardage? Or is it a challenge?
HALEY: �We do a great deal and always have whatever staff I�ve been on.
Generally that�s Wednesday night when you do short yardage and
goal-line. We�ve got some well experienced staff that has some thoughts
you�re pretty excited about using. I wouldn�t say it�s any greater
challenge than any other year I�ve been involved. You need a yard and
there�s some attitude involved and, at the same time, we�ve got some
guys in a Coach Muir and Coach Mo [Carthon] who have been around for
some time and are pretty excited when we practice it.�
Q: Last week after Chris Chambers dropped that ball near the end of the
game you had a fourth-and-long and were down six [points], did you think
about kicking the field goal there?
HALEY: �Yeah, definitely thought about it and had a brief little
discussion and we just felt like we were just far enough out that it was
not a sure thing and we had a play that we liked after the time-out. We
felt like we had a very good chance to get the first and it would be a
very good opportunity for us.
�You talk about Jamaal�s [Charles] run and he has a real good chance to
score. That throw is no different [on the fourth down] and their
linebacker, #43, made a great play. But he did make a great play and
it�s a game of inches and little things that we could do better. If we
execute just a little cleaner we probably would have had a first down
and have had at least three or more shots at it.
�As it is, I have no regrets about the decision. We got the ball back
and had another shot at it. We had our opportunities.�
Q: What�s Dwayne�s progress right now and do you believe he will start?
HALEY: �He made it through yesterday and I think he�s done a good job of
keeping himself in shape while he was away. Just as important he�s
picking up a handful of new stuff that we�ve evolved into since the
suspension. I�m encouraged by where he�s at after two days.�