Chiefs Hire Haley
UPDATED (3:29 p.m.)...
The Kansas City Chiefs have hired Todd Haley as their head coach.
The move was announced by the Chiefs today, and Haley said at a news conference that he was looking forward to working with General Manager Scott Pioli.
"We're interested in getting it right," Haley said, according to the Associated Press. "We don't care whose idea it is. We just want a solution and an answer."
Haley had been the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.
He replaces Herman Edwards, who oversaw a 2-14 season and was fired by Pioli after Pioli was hired from the New England Patriots.
Haley gained prominence during the Cardinals' Super Bowl run. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin had Pro Bowl seasons, and the team reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Haley also was in the spotlight for his heated sideline exchange with Boldin late in the NFC championship game.
The Chiefs waited until after the Super Bowl to interview Haley, as required by NFL rules. They conducted their search in secrecy, with no other candidates being publicly identified. The Chiefs did comply with the NFL rule requiring each team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority candidate, according to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, the group formed to promote diversity within the league.
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, who is close to Pioli, announced earlier this week that he would not be a Chiefs' candidate.
Haley and Pioli once worked together in the New York Jets organization.
Haley also worked for Pioli's father-in-law, Bill Parcells. Haley served as the Cowboys' passing game coordinator during Parcells's head coaching tenure in Dallas.
The hiring of Haley by the Chiefs means that every NFL team now has a head coach. Eleven teams have changed head coaches since the beginning of the just-completed season.
By
Mark Maske
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February 6, 2009; 1:34 PM ET
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