Todd Haley needles Warner and Roethlisberger, claims Browns QBs could be better
Todd Haley has been an NFL coach for going on 12 seasons.
In 2008, he was Arizona’s offensive coordinator when Kurt Warner led the Cardinals all the way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for Warner and Haley, they went up against Ben Roethlisberger, whose Steelers won their sixth championship.
After a two-year run as Kansas City’s head coach, Haley spent the last six seasons as offensive coordinator for Pittsburgh and Roethlisberger. Numerous reports suggested the relationship between Haley and Roethlisberger was strained, at best.
But according to Haley, he’s never had it as good as he does now … in Cleveland.
The new offensive coordinator for the 0-16 Browns — with top-pick Baker Mayfield, Bills reject Tyrod Taylor, and journeyman Drew Stanton — uttered a surprising statement last week.
“This is probably one of the best — if not the best — quarterbacks rooms, in general, that I’ve had,” Haley said Thursday as the Browns wrapped up their offseason workouts.
Before Haley was taken taken away for psychological testing, he clarified his comments.
“The group, in general, is what I’m excited about,” he said, according to the team’s website. “I think that it’s an intelligent, intelligent group, with ability to throw the football and make plays with their legs, some of them. When you have that, I think that good things happen. Competition is created in the room, even though they’re working hard together to help each other and get better as a group.”
While Taylor led Buffalo to the playoffs last season (despite being benched for one game), the big name of Cleveland’s quarterback group is the Heisman Trophy winner, Mayfield.
It’s clear from the coordinator’s comments that at least at this point, he believes in the veteran over the rookie.
“(Mayfield) has a long way to go,” Haley said. “I’d say it’s clear that Tyrod is the leader of this team. That is a big component of that position, also.”
Taylor took care of the football last season, with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He’s expected to be the team’s starter until Mayfield is ready.
“I thought that Tyrod has done a tremendous, tremendous job of establishing himself as the leader of this offense,” Haley said. “His car is there every morning in his spot when I get here in the morning, and it’s there when I’m leaving. That’s what you’re looking for in the leader of your offense. I think that he’s done a great job with understanding the terminology, concepts and all of the different things.”
It’s an interesting three-headed group to be sure, and one that Haley says he is ready to get started with.
“There’s a balance in most rooms of veterans and young guys, and when you have strong leadership in a group it’s usually a good sign for everybody involved,” Haley said.
Perhaps Haley was simply trying to motivate his current crop of QBs, but you have to believe Warner (already in the Hall of Fame) and Roethlisberger (a future Hall of Famer) had to assume Haley was taking a subtle jab at them.
Whether any of Cleveland’s current QBs ever get a sniff of the game’s shrine in downstate Canton isn’t what matters most to Browns fans these days. They just want someone to lead the team to a win.
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