Todd Haley was baited, but he refused to bite. Instead of directly answering a question of what he thought about the Chiefs offensive line play in their loss to the Miami Dolphins today, Haley instead refused to call anyone out and instead spoke of a unit that fought together all day despite giving up sacks and falling behind to a team that was previously 0-7.
In today’s post-game press conference, Haley took the question in stride. "One thing we said coming into this game is that this group could pressure the quarterback. They’ve got a bunch of guys that can bring it and they’re not afraid to bring additional players. [Defensive Coordinator Mike] Nolan does a terrific job creating disguise. We knew it was going to be a major test.
“Watching the tape I’m going to be very careful about saying much negative about our guys because what I saw was a group that kept fighting,” he continues. "That’s kind of been their calling card and I think that will be what serves us well and what allows us to accomplish our goals and make our dreams happen. I like the group, none of that’s changed. We just have to be better across the board.”
That’s a fine line for Haley to walk and he’s done a great job of communicating for the team without throwing his players under the bus. But it’s also clear that the poor line play today led to five Miami sacks and woeful QB protection overall.