Former Chiefs coach Todd Haley has gained a reputation as being difficult to work with, frequently engaging in on-field screaming matches while butting heads with players like Ben Roethlisberger, who he famously feuded with during his time as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. Haley’s thorny disposition would seem to be at least partially responsible for his current NFL exile (he’s now the offensive coordinator at Riverview High School in Sarasota). Former Pro Bowler Matt Cassel, who spent three of his 14 NFL seasons playing under Haley in Kansas City, witnessed the 53-year-old’s explosive temper firsthand, including one instance when Haley tried—unsuccessfully—to bench his star quarterback.
“The man was nuts on game day,” said Cassel, recounting his tense experience with Haley during Monday night’s Patriots pre-game show on NBC Sports Boston. Unhappy with his quarterback for audibling against heavy pressure (a freedom granted to him by offensive coordinator Charlie Weis), Haley chewed out Cassel on the Chiefs sideline, threatening to bench him if he continued to change plays at the line of scrimmage. “Todd Haley’s screaming at me. He’s yelling at me, ‘Just run the ball!’ I’m like, we talked about this, we can’t run the ball into everybody pressuring right into the run, so we’re going to throw it.”
Fed up with Cassel for eschewing his marching orders, Haley summoned backup quarterback Brody Coyle from the bench. “He said, ‘Brody, you’re in.’ And he’s being dead serious,” said Cassel, recalling his Haley horror story from late in the 2010 season. “I took the liberty to run back out on the field. He wouldn’t give me a play in my helmet. Then he sends Brody back on the field. Brody, two plays later, throws an interception. Now everybody is mad at Todd Haley.”
Even after that disastrous sequence, Haley still wouldn’t budge, enlisting assistant coaches in helping him keep Cassel from playing another snap. Cassel, of course, had other plans. “As a team captain, I felt it was my obligation to run back out on the field.”
Irate with Cassel’s latest act of defiance, Haley proceeded to give his QB the silent treatment. With crickets on the other line, Cassel again took matters into his own hands, calling plays for himself while Haley ignored him. “He wouldn’t give me a play in my helmet. So I had to call my own plays in the helmet for the first three plays.”
Haley eventually relented, finally acknowledging Cassel as the Chiefs went on to win 34-14 versus visiting Tennessee. “It was disruptive to say the least,” said Cassel. “Every single person on the sideline from the offensive linemen to the wide receivers we’re also kind of yelling at Todd at that point, saying, ‘What are we doing right now?’”
Haley, who sounds like an absolute joy to work with, was dismissed the following year, finishing his Chiefs tenure with an underwhelming 19-26 record. Cassel hung up his cleats in 2018 following a series of backup stints in Minnesota, Buffalo, Dallas, Tennessee and Detroit. He’s since moved into the broadcasting realm, serving in an analyst capacity for NBC Sports Boston.
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