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Player Style Files: Chiefs Tamba Hali Enjoys Flying Through Skies and Offensive Lines

By David Heim 

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali gets paid to fly through offensive lines as he goes to rush the quarterback. But in his spare time, Hali is worried about a different kind of flight. 

"I didn't grow up like the ordinary kid, with a bunch of toys," Hali said. "My upbringing was in the kind of war zone. So coming to the states, having to adjust so quick, and then to go through the system and now I'm in the position where I have the means to play with toys. And so I like drones."

Interesting. 

Hali has an extensive collection of drones. He has to. 

"I'll crash them and we'll get the other one ready to go up," Hali said. "I like flying them and filming around the area."

Just as he has a passion for flying drones, Hali lacks a passion in something most other professional athletes have a passion in: cars. 

"I'm not a big car guy," Hali said. "I just go to work and back and that's it. But I've driven the same car since I've been in the league."

Hali has been in the league since 2006, when he began his NFL journey out of Penn State University. 

"It's been a journey, it's been fun," Hali said. "But the reason we play the game is to win the Lombardi (Trophy), and it's always going to be that. I've been through maybe four or five head coaches, six defensive coordinators and every year you have to prove yourself. It's a business but again, you have to kind of enjoy it while you're here because it's not for long."

Speaking of winning the Super Bowl, Hali likes his team's chances in 2015.

"The only goal right now is to win the Lombardi and I believe we have one of the few best coaches in the league to do that and we have the team to do that," Hali said. "We just have to go out and perform."

For the Chiefs to reach that goal in 2015, they're going to need Hali to take flight. 

See more Player Style Files here

David Heim is a fan of the New England Patriots and New York Yankees. He’s also a contributor to CBS Local Sports and can be reached at david.heim@cbs.com or on Twitter @davidheim12. 

 

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