Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley walked to the Cardinals locker room on the losing side after Sunday's Super Bowl loss, but Haley might end up being the big winner of his team's remarkable run through the postseason.

Haley did everything right. Even the messy things, including the on-field argument two weeks ago with Anquan Boldin, caught the attention of some NFL men as a positive thing. Showed he had fire and passion. Showed he wouldn't be intimidated or run over by players like some other coaches.

But Haley's showing Sunday might be the deciding factor if the Chiefs make him their No. 1 target to replace Herm Edwards and name him Kansas City's 11th head coach. He made outstanding adjustments at halftime, after Pittsburgh shut down Arizona in the first half. Haley's play-calling on the Cardinals' last two series was flawless; he leaned on Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to carve up Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense, once it moved into its dime formation.

If Arizona's defense had done its part, which against the Steelers is no easy task, Haley would have directed a Super Bowl championship offense. Still, there's little doubt that Haley's name will be on the tip of the Chiefs' tongue as they close in on their next coach.

The big question for the Chiefs, if they've decided Haley's their guy, is whether that offense came together because of Haley or if Haley was just a bystander with Warner and Boldin and Fitzgerald making all those coaches look good.

There's no question Arizona had better tools on offense throughout the 2008 season. The Cardinals got an MVP-caliber season out of Warner, and Fitzgerald can now be crowned as the NFL's top wide receiver. Other than an aging and disgruntled Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs don't have those kinds of stars.

Now Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli has a decision to make. Is Haley just part of the Arizona train, or is he the type of coach that can rally a team the way Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin has done?

Tomlin became the youngest coach in NFL history Sunday to win a Super Bowl. Yes, he inherited an outstanding team from Bill Cowher, but Tomlin and his staff are responsible for James Harrison and Ryan Clark. Cowher left his fingerprints on the Steelers franchise, but Tomlin's grip led Pittsburgh to its sixth championship. Now other teams want the next Tomlin.

Haley, like Tomlin, is young at age 41. Like Tomlin, Haley is fiery and comes from an impeccable coaching tree. And like Tomlin, Haley would be a gamble. Remember, Pittsburgh's top choice was Ken Whisenhunt, who chose Arizona instead of the Steelers and two other teams. It worked for Whisenhunt, and it worked indirectly for the Steelers. Now Pittsburgh possesses the model coach for a team that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt wants to model his team after.

It seems a given that Hunt would want the next Tomlin. As the Chiefs enter the final turn of their coaching search, Haley's name keeps popping up. If Sunday was part of Haley's interview, he nailed that phase. If there's another Mike Tomlin in this year's pool of available candidates, Haley is it.

Either way, Pioli and Hunt will be gambling. Haley seems to make an awful lot of sense. Now Pioli has to answer the question of whether it makes sense for these Chiefs.