National Football League

Civility among coaches returns to the field

Published Nov. 18, 2010 11:19 p.m. ET

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Josh McDaniels promises no pregame trash talking and Norv Turner pledges to shake his counterpart's hand afterward.

Civility among coaches returns.

McDaniels was famously snubbed last week by Kansas City's Todd Haley after the Broncos' blowout of the Chiefs. Haley spurned the traditional post-game handshake and instead wagged an accusing finger at McDaniels before stomping off to the locker room.

Haley apologized a day later.

A year ago, McDaniels found himself embroiled in a controversy for engaging in a verbal spat with San Diego linebacker Shaun Phillips during warmups, telling him, ''We own you.''

A fired-up Phillips had a huge game that day, and the riled-up Chargers handed the Broncos a 32-3 loss.

With the Broncos facing the Chargers on Monday night in the first meeting between the teams since that incident, McDaniels said he regrets his actions and vowed to be more mannerly this time.

''I'm not proud of it, that we got into a little conversation before the game,'' McDaniels said. ''You know, I don't want to do that. I have a lot of respect for him as a player, for them as an organization. (That's) certainly something that we can do without. We don't need those kinds of hassles.

''So, I don't think there will be any pregame fireworks this year.''

And Turner said he'll certainly provide no postgame explosions, pledging to shake McDaniels' hand win or lose, unlike Haley.

''One of the things I always had great respect for, and it's lost a little bit, but I could see John Robinson talking to Don Shula before a game, or Dan Reeves and John Robinson out talking before a game, or Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells talking before a game and certainly after the game shaking hands,'' Turner said.

''It's kind of in my mind what you do.''

Although Haley said he was sorry for the brush-off, he's declined to talk about what angered him last week, leading to speculation that it was because the Broncos were still blitzing and throwing late in the fourth quarter of their 49-29 rout after scoring the game's first 35 points.

McDaniels said he was merely a bystander in the handshake snub and learned his lesson from his trash talking with Phillips that quickly became the talk of the league, with players and coaches alike criticizing the brash, young coach for taunting an opponent.

''I'm not looking to get into any of those kind of things anytime,'' McDaniels said. ''I don't think it's good for me or anybody in our organization.''