As I watched Todd Haley coach his first game for the Kansas City Chiefs, I fully understood some of those glares he was shooting at players and coaches along the sidelines. After a 16-10 loss to the Texans, he knows there's a whole lot of work to be done just to make the Chiefs competitive week in and week out.
New quarterback Matt Cassel was better than his stats in four possessions, but there were no points to show for his time on the field. Wide receiver is still a glaring weakness although former number one pick Dwayne Bowe did seem to get the message from Haley after being dropped to third team. His five catches after coming in during the second quarter was a bright spot. The offensive line is also a continuing concern after breakdowns that occurred.
Brodie Croyle showed himself to be a solid number two in the QB battle with a nice last minute field goal drive before the half, but three turnovers in the game will have Haley grinding his teeth to the gums. The defense had a few moments. Maurice Leggett had a sack off blitz and number one pick Tyson Jackson teamed up for a sack with Andy Studebaker. Last year the Chiefs set an all time NFL season low with 10, so that's a good sign, but the starting unit also gave up a 94 yard drive in the first quarter and the linebacker corps seemed to be out of place on many occasions.
Haley also had to manage his own emotions as a first time head coach. He seemed to to that pretty well, but the real question comes in the weeks ahead. What adjustments does he make? Who moves up the charts and who moves into his doghouse. How can they improve things on the offensive line and will the defense give them a better performance next week because the offense is almost sure to be a weakness all season long. So many questions, so few answers at the moment.
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