Todd Haley On Steelers’ Fast Start, Why He Won’t Bet Against Chiefs
Todd Haley has been a major part of two of the NFL’s most decorated teams.
He was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-2011 and then offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2012-17.
Haley is bullish on both after the first month of the season, and explained why in this exclusive Q&A.
Q: The Chiefs had some hiccups early and then looked really good against Baltimore. It feels like having Xavier Worthy back opened some things up for Mahomes. Is last week something they will build on, or do you have worries?
Todd Haley: “I’m not worried about the Chiefs. Their defense has been playing lights-out. They’re giving up under 20 points per game and have kept them in these games.
“Andy Reid is brilliant when it comes to the passing game, especially, and I’m sure they had a lot of things they worked on that involved Worthy. It doesn’t mean he’s always getting it, but having a guy with that type of speed on the field is something the defense has to pay attention to. It’s Thornton taking the top off the defense, creating space underneath for Worthy, and vice-versa. That’s what happened last week. All of a sudden, they had that key piece, a really fast guy that can play.
“I’m not worried about Kelce. Kelce can play. He never relied on speed. If the other guys are doing their job and putting stress on the defense, the tight end is going to get the ball. Obviously the connection he and Mahomes have is phenomenal.
“Mahomes is their leading rusher, and they’ve got to change that stat. They’ve got to get someone else going in the run game, but I think getting Worthy back and with the way this defense is playing, if all things stay equal, they’ll be a team to contend with. It’s too early to blow the candle out with the Chiefs. I won’t bet against them, I know that.”
Q: Mahomes went deep a lot early in his career, and it’s been a lot of underneath stuff the last couple. Certainly teams are trying to take that away. With Worthy, Thornton, Hollywood Brown on the field, can they get back to that vertical passing stuff?
TH: “I think the problem they ran into this year is that teams no longer felt that threat. So now all of a sudden you can drop extra guys into underneath coverage, spy him and do different things. Mahomes has defeated it with his legs, but not so much in the pass game.
“I think that is clearly, at least in my opinion, their plan. That was the plan going into the season, and they felt like they had the horses to do it. (Rashee) Rice, when he gets back, will really bring it all into focus. They are trying to get the ball down the field more than they have the past couple years.”
Q: The Bills are 4-0 and have a pretty easy schedule. The Chiefs have this great postseason track record. Because of what they’ve done, do you feel like the Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC?
TH: “The Bills are definitely one to contend with. I thought the Ravens would be in that mix, and I’m not shutting it down with them either, though they are working through the issues with the injuries. But the Bills are really good. The Chargers are trying to show they should be in the mix. The Broncos are another team that looks like they have a chance to be really good.
“Every year is a new year. I know everybody places a lot on the history and what’s happened, but the Bills are in the driver’s seat right now. The key for them, as it is with every team, is to get those home games in the playoffs. They’re really good. Josh Allen is a phenom. He’s grown and developed. He already had the big, strong body that could withstand a lot of punishment. He was always a heck of a runner, and now he’s throwing it, dispersing the ball, not worried about getting it to one particular guy. He’s throwing it to where it should go. They’re committed to the run and (James) Cook is such a huge part of that offense.”
Q: What are your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers? Obviously not the player he once was, but statistically having a pretty solid year. Is he playing decently enough for the Steelers to be in that AFC mix?
TH: “I think he is. They finally got the run game going a little bit, and that helps the entire team so much. The defense got going a little bit last week. (Kenneth) Gainwell looked pretty impressive, they started to get Kaleb Johnson in the mix. Those are all things that will help Aaron Rodgers.
“He looks comfortable under center. He obviously knows how to lead an offense. He’s so tremendous with cadence. He changes the plays when needed. He’s still a brilliant guy playing quarterback. He can still throw it, and there are going to be more limitations from a movement standpoint – he’s 40-something years old – but we saw Tom Brady handle it, and he never ran. It’s a great marriage there. It appears he and Arthur Smith are working together well, which I didn’t have a doubt that’s how it would go.
“The key is to run the football efficiently. The defense will continue to get better, because I know what Mike Tomlin puts into that and how good he is, along with Teryl Austin. They can coach some defense, and they’ve got the horses to do it. They’re a little beat up and probably needed the bye week right now, but if they can build on Ireland, they’re trying to put themselves into the mix.”
Q: Looking longer-term, this seems likely to be Aaron’s last year. You were in Pittsburgh through 2017, not at the very end of Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure, but in the twilight. Did they talk about a succession plan at that point? Obviously they tried Kenny Pickett but it’s been a rotating door since Big Ben.
TH: “You’re right. When we had Big Ben and A.B. (Antonio Brown) and Le’Veon (Bell), the defense wasn’t like it is now. It had gotten old and we lost a lot of those great players from the previous years. The defense was trying to fight back and we knew we had to score a lot of points. But we still felt like we had a Super Bowl-caliber team.
“When you feel like your team is really close, and you have a big-time quarterback, which Ben was – he was at the peak of his career during that stretch – it’s hard. No. 1, you’re usually picking at the end of the draft because you’re good. And No. 2, to use one of those picks on a succession plan, it’s really hard to do. That one guy – T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, whoever you draft – might be the guy that gets you over the hump. Everybody’s goal is to win the Super Bowl, but we know the Steelers. That is the true standard.
“We talked about it. We’d have Mahomes and those guys in for visits. As offensive coaches, we all loved him. But you’ve got to make that decision. Are we going to have a guy for the future and waste a No. 1 pick, essentially, by not giving another part of the team a piece that is desperately needed?”
Q: Was there a guy you watched in a workout and said: I know we’re trying to win now, but I’d love to get my hands on this guy for the future?
TH: Mahomes was one of those guys. Like, wow, this guy is pretty special once you get to know him and spend time with him. But again, it’s a big-picture thing. It’s for the GM, ownership, and head coach to make that decision. There were receivers I would have loved to have, and we might have taken a defensive guy, like a T.J. Watt or someone who would help elsewhere. That’s all coaches. We want whatever we can get. It’s a big-picture thing you’ve got to manage, and Green Bay is really the only team that has taken those chances and been right on them.
“That’s the other thing. You’ve got to be right. We know the predictability of quarterback success is really hard to determine. There are very few obvious ones. Even Mahomes. From what you saw in college, you couldn’t say, ‘Alright, this guy’s going to be a superstar. Josh Allen. I was in Cleveland and I loved Josh Allen. We took Baker Mayfield. I love Baker. But if you have a quarterback in place who gives you a chance week in and week out, and into the playoffs and further – if you take someone with a No. 1 pick and he doesn’t pan out, now you’ve really hurt yourself for an extended period of time.”
Q: Last one for you: Is there a young receiver you really like and are excited to watch more of?
TH: There’s a lot. The receiver group has really shown up. Nico Collins in Houston. He’s a stud. Quentin Johnston is coming on pretty good. George Pickens is one of those guys that we’re starting to see some signs of life from him. With CeeDee out, maybe he starts to reach his true potential. He’s really good. Jameson Williams is already on the map. I see big things happening with Romeo Doubs in Green Bay. He’s starting to really come on.
“Emeka Egbuka in Tampa. If I had to start a team with one rookie in the league right now, it would probably be him. He looks like a stud already.”
Kyle Odegard has been a professional journalist for two decades, with four years of experience in the sports betting industry. He was a beat writer for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2021 and previously covered MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and more for the East Valley Tribune newspaper in Tempe, Arizona. Kyle has broken multiple national stories about the Arizona Cardinals and his work has been referenced by numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Daily Mail, the New York Post, Yahoo!, FOX News, MSN and Pro Football Talk.