My NFL Forums | NFL Forums & Blogs

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Rookie coach Todd Haley fired Chan Gailey as Kansas City's offensive coordinator on Monday and assumed the role himself, 13 days ahead of the season opener at Baltimore.

Haley refused to comment on the status of quarterback Matt Cassel, who sustained an apparent knee injury on Saturday night and could be out for a time, raising even more concerns for the offense. Cassel was sacked on the first passing play against Seattle and limped away.

"I'm only going to talk about the players who are on the field," Haley said.

Haley also said that making himself offensive coordinator while still finding his way as a head coach was the most difficult decision he's faced. He was offensive coordinator the past two years at Arizona.

"I think the world of Chan as a coach, have the greatest amount of respect for him as a coach, as a person," said Haley. "But ultimately, the fate of this team, the accountability, falls to me."

The Chiefs are 0-3 in the preseason and have scored only two offensive touchdowns. The injury to Cassel on Saturday raises even more questions about how ready the Chiefs—who were 2-14 last year—will be for their season opener.

"After going through three preseason games and a lot of OTAs and a lot of practices in training camp, it became more apparent to me that I had to be more involved," Haley said.

By DOUG TUCKER AP Sports Writer
Posted: 08/31/2009 11:43:20 AM PDT
Updated: 08/31/2009 11:43:20 AM PDT

__________________