Tamba Hali Bids Farewell to Chiefs
The KC Sports Network team remembers their fondest Tamba Hali moments
Tamba Hali reunited with the club he played for in every game of a 12-year NFL career, signing a one-day contract with the Chiefs to officially announce his retirement.
Hali certainly owns a resume worthy of soon having his name added to the club's Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame. He played in five Pro Bowls and earned second-team All-Pro nods in 2011 and 2013 as well as All-Rookie honors in 2006. He was named to the NFL Top 100 list five times, peaking at No. 34 in 2012.
In addition to finishing as the club's No. 2 leader in sacks (126.5), Hali tallied 596 total tackles with 105 for a loss. He was also credited with 159 quarterback hits and forced 33 fumbles in his career along with two interceptions.
There are a handful of Hali moments that I’ll never forget in the few years that I covered the Chiefs, and funny enough - for one of the top players in franchise history - none of them happened on the field.
I’ll never forget talking with him about his first career sack, and the recipient of that first career sack - Alex Smith, who remembered it well.
I’ll never forget talking with him about taking a pay cut to stay in Kansas City, and it wasn’t necessarily what he said (it rarely is) about why he wanted to stay, it was how he said it. His passion for this community and the Chiefs’ organization goes far beyond the stats we’ll praise of his for years to come. His love for Chiefs Kingdom is genuine.
I’ll never forget the late flights back home after games that we’d have Hali passing out warm cookies on the plane (yes, we got warm cookies on the plane). But he wanted to give the flight attendants a break, and it was fun to watch everyone’s reaction when they saw who was handing out cookies and milk - especially those who didn’t travel each week. It’s fair to say they were caught off-guard.
But I’ll also never forget watching that same guy gingerly walk up the stairs to get on the plane after those games. The man gave everything he had.
Tamba Hali is a player to be admired. He played the game with outstanding football character for the duration of his career — fantastic effort, adaptability, willingness to do the little things for his football team to have success. The truth of the matter is, despite his efforts, there wasn’t much success for a large stretch of his career — including one of the darkest stretches in franchise history.
Hali was the bridge that connected a lot of different eras. Hali saw the entirety of Herm Edwards’ time in Kansas City at the beginning of his career. He endured the Todd Haley/Romeo Crennel abomination. In his first six seasons, the Chiefs were 38-74. He was a bright spot. He was a sign of hope as a young, promising pass rusher.
Tamba saw the worst and was rewarded by being a building block of something special — helping the Andy Reid era hit the ground running in his first season as Chiefs head coach. Hali was a foundational piece and the bridge that connected a dismal era with immense frustration into unprecedented success in Kansas City. He loved football and loved being a Chief — and it was obvious every Sunday. He exemplified loyalty and commitment — even when the team’s success was not rewarding.
It’s a shame that Tamba didn’t get to be part of the full Patrick Lavon Mahomes experience — he was out just before the Chiefs hit their stride as a perennial power in the NFL. Still, he was a key piece in where the Chiefs are today as Reid has established the culture. Hali was a change agent. He retires wearing only one jersey his entire career. A fierce loyalty, love and appreciation for the Chiefs and this city.
Every Chiefs fan has a specific memory of Hali, and God knows there are enough of them to go around a packed Arrowhead Stadium more than once. Like most fans, I recall various clutch fourth-quarter performances from Hali, the “bloody jersey” game against the Indianapolis Colts, or the dismantling of the undefeated Green Bay Packers.
I could dive in on any one of these things about Hali and everyone would probably enjoy a trip down memory lane. I could do that, but my longest-lasting memory of Hali is something entirely different, something entirely personal and something that relates to a larger picture — albeit still solely in the realm of football — for me.
Hali was drafted by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. At this time, 15-year-old me was an avid NFL and NFL Draft fan but my knowledge spanned from “this player was good in college and will be good in the NFL” to “he ran fast and jumped far.” So when the Chiefs drafted Hali in the first round, my first two moves were to recall as much Penn State football as I could and try to look up his athletic testing. Watching highlights along with having random notes scribbled down about “Penn State defender #91” and then looking up his athletic testing, I was at a loss.
The player I was watching was a good football player. He excelled against quality competition, he knew how to play the game of football and he simply never took failure as an option. He also tested rather poorly in the majority of the NFL Combine events. He wasn’t fast, he wasn’t explosive and he didn’t showcase his strength in that setting. What was I supposed to do with my limited ability to evaluate college players? He checked one box and left the other entirely blank and I was at a crossroads.
This led me to one of my first even deep dives into football theory, in this case, what actually mattered for a defensive end. The more my teenage brain theorized — relying on my own experience on the field or other players I had seen — the further I dug my heels in that Tamba Hali was going to be good.
Can’t run a 40-yard dash particularly fast? Can’t jump extremely higher in the air? That’s okay, when does a DE do that on a football field? Give me the guy that has a size and length profile that does show up on a football field. Give me the guy that showcases the lateral agility to change directions or the flexibility to make tight turns because of the direct translation. This was the first time I had to battle with a “tape versus analytics” standpoint, and I chose the side of Hali.
I am not saying that as a mere 15-year-old I was able to break the code to what makes a good DE in the NFL. No one had any way of knowing how hard Hali would work on the field, how much he would advance his game off the field or how he would push his body to its limits rep after rep and game after game.
I am saying that 15 years later, I still remember this first dive in football theory incredibly vividly. This was one of the defining moments for me as it pertained to learning the game of football beyond just the surface level but rather understanding how specific players perform on the field. How those specific players can be put in the best position to win or lose and what will aid or hinder them in that quest. Tamba Hali was one of the catalysts from me converting from a crazy, die-hard football fan to the proud football nerd I have become.
Perhaps no other player personified what it was to be a defender for the Chiefs in the modern era than Hali. He played the game on a different energy level than other players, with a motor that didn't quit and a determination that made plays through sheer will. He exemplified leadership and overcame adversity at every step of the way for a football team that went through its fair share of ups and downs.
Hali played on some bad teams and had to struggle through some rough years during the prime of his career. Even still, he routinely made plays late in games to get the defense off the field and had a knack for the fourth-quarter strip-sack to turn the tide in his team's favor. An entire generation of Chiefs fans grew up knowing that when a play needed to be made, it was Tamba time.
For me, Tamba was all those things as well — and a critical lesson in player development. Coming out of college, he was a 4-3 defensive end who played with power and needed work to develop flexibility, pass rush moves and his handwork. He busted his tail to get better from day one and was able to make strides as a defensive end, becoming a really good player for this franchise. However, when the Chiefs made the transition to the 3-4 defense in 2009 under Clancy Pendergast (and then Romeo Crennel), I thought Tamba's days in Kansas City were numbered.
The 3-4 requires its ends to drop in coverage often, aligns them wider on the field and usually asks for a lighter/faster player on the edge. Tamba not only made the transition, but he also excelled at the position. He worked through yoga to improve flexibility, mixed martial arts to improve his hand-fighting and reaction ability and helped translate some of his unorthodox training regiment to other members of the team, improving their on-field ability as well.
The Chiefs drafted a player in 2014 to replace Hali in Dee Ford. Hali was wearing down, his knees were beginning to give him trouble and he was struggling to stay on the field for practices. Once again, the writing appeared to be on the wall for him in Kansas City. And yet, he somehow found a well of untapped energy to get out on the field for the next three years, rattling off year after year of quality play.
He kept Ford in his rear-view for almost four years, until his knees finally gave out enough to where he became a rotational player in the 2017 season. His presence was still felt on that team, standing on the sideline, waving a towel and competing with the fans in the stands to be the loudest individual in Arrowhead.
The 2017 season was my second year on the Chiefs beat, and it was a tough final season in Kansas City for Tamba Hali. He started the season on the physically unable to perform list, and would only play five games and a total of 99 snaps that season.
His first game back on the field was at Dallas in Week 9. Hali played 23 snaps and picked up what would be his only tackle that season. Time and injuries had taken their toll, but one could tell the heart and spirit remained.
I’ve been a one-person band most of my time on the Chiefs beat. Unfortunately, that often means trying to be in two or more places at the same time. After a game, I need to bounce back and forth between the locker room and the press conference room. We all wanted to talk to Hali, and I knew he would be among the last players in the locker to become available. I got what I needed from the locker room, headed to the press conferences, then raced back to the locker room.
I walked up just as the scrum around Hali ended. He spoke about how great it felt being out on the field again. He explained how he didn’t know when he would get to play that season but that Brett Veach and Mike Borgonzi told him to keep working and be ready for the stretch run.
Most of the players and staff had boarded for the bus back to the airport. Hali was the lone player left. A member of the Chiefs public relations staff saw the exasperated look on my face and asked Hali if he had a minute for me. Hali walked right over to me, and I asked him two quick questions:
Was he happy to have the uncertainty of the first half of the season behind him?
“Very much so. I'm very pleased to be back with our team and playing and contributing in ways that the coaches are pleased. To have all the nuisance or whatever it was behind us is pretty decent for me now so I can play football.”
Result aside on that day, was he happy?
“I'm never happy when we lose. Even when we win, I feel like my job is to force fumbles, get sacks, and when I don't do that in the game, I'm an older player so I'm watching more. When I'm not participating it's hard on me because I want to be in to try and help our team. But I can't be mad where I am today. I think I could have played more, but coach already had told me it would be limited snaps.”
That was my final one-on-one conversation with Hali in the locker room. That answer has been seared into my memory because it truly captures the heart of a champion at the end of their career. I appreciate Tamba for leaving me with that one last impression.
Great recollections! Thanks for sharing! Loved those games where Tamba just seemed to take over and the longer the game went on, the stronger his motor was.