Matt Cassel detailed a wildly dysfunctional fight with ex-Chiefs coach Todd Haley

What a ridiculous moment for Cassel and Haley.

It sounds like former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley didn’t create the most stable working environment. Retired quarterback Matt Cassel shared an absolutely wild story from his playing days under Haley.

Cassel remembered back to a game against the Tennessee Titans in 2010 in which the Chiefs needed a win to seal up the AFC West. Cassel ultimately threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns in a Chiefs’ 34-14 win. But the road to victory was a little bumpier than it seemed. Cassel disappeared from the game for a few offensive snaps. And though the coach and quarterback brushed aside the odd series during postgame interviews, there was an extremely high level of dysfunction taking place on the sideline.

Cassel was facing constant all-out blitzes, which — he thought — gave him a great opportunity to throw the ball. Haley, however, had drawn up a different game plan, and really wanted Cassel to follow it. That led to insubordination from Cassel, his removal from the game and more.

Here’s what Cassel said on NBC Sports Boston.

The folks at The Kansas City Star transcribed the story:

“That’s when Todd Haley was at his craziest,” Cassel said. “The man was nuts on game day and I don’t know why. Here’s a great example of that: we’re playing the Tennessee Titans late in the year, this is for the divisional lead and to actually win the division, and throughout the course of the first part of the game, they kept bringing Blitz Zero.

“Blitz Zero is max pressure; I was checking out. (Offensive coordinator) Charlie Weis gave me that ability to do so, and we were throwing the pass. So, every time I came to the sidelines throughout the first half, Todd Haley is 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 gonna throw it.’

“Well he got heated as the game went on. Finally, it was a third quarter, I’m coming off the field he’s screaming at me for pulling up on the boot. And I said, ‘Oh, Todd, like you ever played the position.’

“My bad. It was my fault, my frustration took over. So, I go on the sideline he still coming over yelling at me. We had a little bit of a dispute over there and he benches me. He benches me … at the end of the third quarter, and he says ‘Brodie you’re in,’ and he’s being dead serious.

“Well, I took the liberty to run back out on the field. Well (Haley) wouldn’t give me a play in my helmet. He would not give me a play in the helmet. Then he sends Brodie back out on the field, Brodie two plays later throws an interception. Now everybody’s mad at Todd Haley, and then he literally said, ‘You’re not going back.’ He told the coaches to tell Cassel he’s not going back in the game.

“So again, as a team captain I thought it was my obligation to run back out on the field, Again, 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. Eventually, we ended up getting a score on that drive, we won the game but I’ll tell you what, it was disruptive to say the least.

“… Every single person on the sideline from offensive linemen to the wide receivers were also kind of yelling at Todd at that point saying, ‘What are we doing right now?’” Cassel said. “I mean, it was the end of the third quarter, yes we had an established lead at that point probably 14 points but that can go away quickly In any ballgame.”

Haley responded on Twitter after seeing the tweet with Cassel’s remarks, and the former coach poked fun at the quarterback for looking like Woody from “Toy Story.” (Totally normal. Nothing to see here.)

“Coaching is coaching. MC had his best year of his illustrious career with me! Not always fun but key is to get the best out of ‘the’ player. #woody #toystory,” Haley wrote Monday.

OK then.

It’s no surprise Haley made it just one more year in Kansas City.

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