TODD HALEY: “Today we officially kicked off our off-season strength and conditioning program. I thought we had a great turnout, over 60 guys after two months of non-football business, moving and getting settled into the building. It was nice to get the players back in the building and kind of see what the team looked like for the first time. To have my coaches and the team together in one room was exciting stuff for me.”

Q: Was RB Larry Johnson on hand today?

HALEY: “One thing I am not going to do is have this become a roll call. Like I said, we had over 60 players which I was really excited about. That is what I am going to leave it at. Again, this won’t be a roll call out here.”

Q: What activities went on today?

HALEY: “They lifted, there were a couple groups that lifted in the morning and then we actually met as a group. It was the first time we had all been in the same room. Then another group lifted in the afternoon because there were so many guys. It was really my first chance to talk to these guys and this is my first time through it, my first time being the head coach of a team. It was exciting stuff for me to get in front of the team, talk to them and kind of lay it out there what my expectations were and what was going to be asked of them over the next 12 weeks of the off-season.”

Q: Were you nervous talking to the team for the first time?

HALEY: “Yeah, that was the first time in front of the full squad, so there are always some good nerves involved. I hope it didn’t show too much.”

Q: Is it one of your main tasks to change the culture to a winning culture?

HALEY: “I’m not going to get into the culture as much as I am going to get into everybody in this building being about winning. We all work too hard. To suffer through the losses is painful enough, we have to try to win more than we lose. We have a big task. I tried to offer a little hope that I have been somewhere the last few years that didn’t have a lot of hope and we got to get on the big stage and play for the championship. It was really about what the expectations are going to be of this group. What we are going to ask of them on a daily basis to get this thing going in the direction that we want to get it going.”

Q: What is your relationship like with RB Larry Johnson at this point and where do things stand with his grievance?

HALEY: “I’ll stay out of the grievance business, that is for somebody else to talk about. This is a clean slate for the entire group of Kansas City Chiefs as far as I am concerned and I have said that a couple times. We are at ground zero and this is an opportunity for everybody. That is the way myself and my staff are looking at each and every player.”

Q: Do you think guys that have been here the last few years are beaten down?

HALEY: “I didn’t get any sense of that. I got a true sense of excitement, but again, this building has been real quiet. Once you get the players in here and things start to pick up, they are definitely the heartbeat of the place. I sensed the excitement; I went down and watched some of the groups work out. I saw some of the guys working hard, sweating, working together and it is good stuff.”

Q: What do you want to see from your team in the next three months?

HALEY: “I just think that this off-season program is so important. They are voluntary but so important to building the foundation of your team. That strength and conditioning aspect of it is really important as we go forward to survive the season and hold up and withstand all that goes with it. To me the next 12 weeks are just about that, working together to get stronger, to get into condition, to run, lift and I think that can’t be understated how important this part of the process is.”

Q: When guys don’t show up for voluntary workouts, does that send a message to you?

HALEY: “I don’t feel that necessarily. Again, it is good to see as many as we had in here, 60-plus which for the first time out I think is pretty good. I was personally excited about it.”

Q: How do you plan to change the way workouts are done in comparison to last year?

HALEY: “I don’t know what was done before. I know the way I believe and I kind of set up the schedule that way. Although (strength and conditioning coach) Cedric (Smith) stayed with us, we spent a lot of time deciding the direction we are going to go and how we are going to work the players.”

Q: How do you expect your team to juggle their efforts in the community with football?

HALEY: “I think that football has to be first when we are talking about these things. At the same time, there is no doubt what an impact the NFL players can have on a town, a city, a state, on the whole country. I think it is very important that you conduct yourself in a proper manner. I am a big believer in giving back and helping out this town because we want them behind us when we are playing games. A lot of this town is about the Kansas City Chiefs. I researched a little bit that Kansas City has always been one of the better organizations in that way, giving back to the city. I think that is very important and has its place.”

Q: What is your personal relationship like with G Brian Waters?

HALEY: “I am going to leave my personal relationships with guys just that, personal. I said what I meant, this is a clean slate for everybody. As (General Manager) Scott (Pioli) and I have said before, we are looking for guys that want to be Kansas City Chiefs, that want to push their chips all in and be part of something hopefully special. That is where we are at, we are at that foundation, building a base.”

Q: Has classroom preparation started already?

HALEY: “No, the coaches and the players are chomping at the bit. That is one of the fights you get into, that this is the time to get your body ready. It is a tough deal because it is a new staff, new system, some new terminology and other things. Guys get a little anxious but we have a camp coming up here the weekend before the draft and that week we will probably spend a little classroom time so they can get a feel for what will be going on to help them through the camp.”

Q: How do you feel about the upcoming draft?

HALEY: “The draft is always an exciting time of the year for me. I grew up with a father in personnel and it was the first Super Bowl for him. When you start talking draft I start getting excited. There is a lot out there and you have a lot of hopes and dreams. You look at the guys and it is exciting. It is an exciting time of the year because anything can happen and it’s not scripted so anything can happen. We just hope we get through it in a good manner.”

Q: Where you at the Wake Forest pro day?

HALEY: “No, I was not.”

Q: Have you made up your mind what scheme you may run on offense or defense?

HALEY: “I really have not. My bottom line is going to be to get it right and do what is best. I am going to try and get the right answer and not the fastest answer. I know it is not helping you all out right now but we will know soon enough. I don’t want to say one thing and go another. That is the truth.”