If you’re anything like The Jeff Report then you probably like Friday Night Lights and think it is one of the best shows on television. While football is the engine that makes this show go, it is not the focus of the show or what makes it great. What makes it great is the sharp writing, the great acting, and all the different dynamics that go along with the show. But that is neither here nor there.
The central character of the show is Coach Eric Taylor (played brilliantly by Kyle Chandler). The series starts out with Coach Taylor taking over for his first year as Coach of the Dillon Panthers, one of the best programs in Texas. Coach is taking over for a legend, but that doesn't mean the expectations are tempered. As they take their football very serious in Texas, they expect Coach Taylor to lead them to nothing less than a state title.
After inheriting the team, there is a little bit of an adjustment period, as there always is with a new coach. The players are not used to Coach Taylor's style, the boosters aren't used to having to deal with him, and everyone is generally unsure as to whether he is worthy of the head coaching position and can lead them to where they need to be.
Why am I telling you all this about "Friday Night Lights" you ask? Well, it is the humble opinion of The Jeff Report that there are more than a few similarities between Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley and Coach Eric Taylor.
Looking at the trials and tribulations Coach Taylor went through as mentioned above, I felt as though Coach Haley had to go through the same issues when he became head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. While he didn't succeed a legend (Herm Edwards was anything but), the rest was the same. The players had to get used to his style, Haley was abrasive and challenged these players as they had yet been challenged in the NFL, just as coach Taylor did to his players in Dillon.
Further, it took both of them a little bit to get their respective teams to buy in to their philosophies. Coach Taylor had players walk out on him (multiple times) and Coach Haley had players come into his first training camp out of shape and fail conditioning tests. Both had rock starts to their tenure that led people to question to whether they were the right men for the job or not. Early losses nearly derailed their careers but steadfast style and some faith format he ones in charge keep them in their positions.
So what's the point of all this comparison? Well, the most important similarity is they both won over their teams. Coach Taylor took a second rate QB, convinced his prima donna running back to buy in, and got him and his team a state championship. Haley has his second rate QB and has the rest of the team in lock step with his mission. He questionable methods of benching Derrick Johnson last year and always coming to the rescue of his QB seemed foolish at first, but after a 3-0 start and all of KC abuzz about playoffs (doubtful, really), it appears the players have bought in and Haley might just be the right man for the job.
This is also the perfect segway into me talking about how impressed I am with Haley this year. The most impressive of which is how, as aforementioned, he has won over this team. Maybe it's the hiring of Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, maybe it's a higher comfort level of being a second year coach, maybe it's something we don't know, but Haley looks like a different man this year.
He doesn't look agitated all the time, he looks calm on the sidelines, he doesn't have his blowups anymore, and his players really respond to him. Haley, just like Coach Taylor, is a hard ass on his players when necessary, but they both also give praise when necessary. This is key when you are hard on your players. You have to give them something every now and then so they know you're not all bad. When a player came through for him, Coach Taylor congratulated and thanked his players, and Haley has done the same. When Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster, or Derrick Johnson make plays, Haley let's them know, and that only makes them more motivated. Oh yeah, and he shaves this year.
The only thing that remains that Coach Taylor has accomplished and Coach Haley hasn't, is win a championship. It probably won't happen this year, but if one of my favorite TV shows is any indication (and I have provided evidence above that it should be) then hopefully it will happen.
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