One thing is clear in the midst of the cloud surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs firing their head coach Todd Haley: he never lost his players. Even until the very end, Haley's players have rooted for him, played hard for him and rebounded from completely embarrassing losses to still have a mathematical possibility of making the playoffs. Derrick Johnson, for one, is going to miss Todd Haley.
"Me and Todd have grown closer in the time he's been here," Johnson told the Star. "We've had our ups and downs, of course, but my hat's off to him for sticking with me and being passionate about what he believes in. We've shared some good times. He's a fun guy to be around. He'll definitely be well-missed."
Yet Johnson also admits that he realizes the business side of things. After several years in the NFL, some things become a part of the yearly cycle, even if it's personal.
"I guess you never expect it because you always try to be optimistic about things, but this is the NFL. It's just the nature of the beast," linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "It goes on all the time, throughout the year. I won't say it's no big deal -- it's a very big deal for the Kansas City Chiefs right now -- but this goes on throughout the year."
"This is the NFL, and when you're losing, that's the nature of the beast," Johnson said. "It goes on in the NFL all the time, every year."