There are also a few football issues here in Philadelphia, but just be happy they aren't the same ones facing the team that dressed quickly in a stone-quiet locker room yesterday afternoon and left town without making so much as a wide divot in the field.
"I had high hopes coming into this game that we had a good chance to win the game," Haley said after the 34-14 rout was complete.
Yes, those were high hopes. Those hopes could have registered 0.15 on the Breathalyzer, twice the NFL limit for optimism.
Not only didn't the Chiefs have a good chance to win the game. It looked as if they had no chance. Even though the Eagles were doing the first implementation of the real Spread Eagle offense, with Michael Vick finally joining the parade, the Chiefs were the ones being disrupted. Even though the Eagles' defense and special teams were coming off terrible performances against New Orleans, the Chiefs healed them in a hurry.
It got so bad that Haley essentially forfeited the game after halftime as he tried to make a point to his team. Larry Johnson got just 3 rushing yards on seven carries in the first half, and the Chiefs had only 18 rushing yards in all by the break.
"We are trying to win the game, but at the same time we are trying to establish an identity around here," Haley said. "Three yards of rushing offense at halftime, to me, is unacceptable."
So even though the Chiefs trailed by 24-7 at the half, their offense ran the ball 20 times and passed just eight times in the second half.
"You can call it conservative if you want. I think it had a purpose as far as myself and the team goes, and I will leave it at that," Haley said.
