His father, Dick Haley, was the Steelers' player personnel director from 1971 through '90 before taking personnel jobs with the Jets and Dolphins. Dick Haley, a six-year NFL player before Todd's birth, often had his young son by his side as he watched film or was on the road as a scout.

"I would not be where I am right now without my father,'' Todd Haley said."I grew up in personnel, went to bowl games with him, went to college practices with him, watched tape on the wall with him. Once I got into coaching and out of personnel, that was something I still believe is a strong point for me. I loved to be around the scouts and love to talk about the college football players.''

--Though he first met his new boss, GM Scott Pioli, when Pioli was with the Jets from 1997 through '99, Haley and Pioli frequently maintained contact even after Pioli became Bill Belichick's top personnel man at New England, where the Patriots won three of the four Super Bowl they appeared in during Pioli's time there.

"We'd get together every year at the combine and certain places where personnel people get together," Pioli noted. "We'd have conversations on players and philosophy over the years.

"We're both very fortunate to have seen good and great players, good and great coaches, good and great personnel people. We both know there's a difference between average, good and great."

--Pioli acknowledged talking to some former head coaches in his search, but would not identify them or say whether Haley was his top target all along.

"There's a process we followed and there were many people we talked to," he said "(Haley) was someone I obviously wanted to talk to, but we had to wait (until after the Super Bowl)."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "First I've got to do some damage control at home. I left a pretty riled up house when we left." -- Todd Haley, one having to ease the concerns about moving of his five children, the oldest of which (12) apparently wasn't eager to relocate from Phoenix.