Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

[ikestops85]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

This Mike Freeman guy doesn't have a clue. Some of the stuff he says is blatantly wrong. Dan Rooney DID tell Chuck Noll to get rid of some of his assistants. He even did it a second time which is when Noll retired.

I'm also not sure why it's such a big deal that ARII said something about Ben having to "tweak" his game. I think we all know that if Ben is going to continue being an NFL quarterback for years to come he is going to have to minimize the hits he takes. That is really just a common sense statement by Rooney.

Now, to say there is a little Jerry Jones in ARII is just bullcrap. Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder are rich people who went thru a mid-life crisis and bought a football team to play with. ARII was raised as a football guy. He knows the ins and outs of the entire organization. He saw what he thought was a problem and he acted upon it. I doubt he acted in a vacuum either. I'm sure he talked to both Colbert and Tomlin before he reached a decision.

The Steelers are normally considered a conservative team. They don't tend to make rash decisions. I think BA was an average OC so it was a little surprising that they forced him out. After all they did go to 2 SBs with him, winning one of them. That goes to show you can win it all with a great Coordinator on one side of the ball (sorry Ovi) and an average one on the other side. ARII decided to roll the dice and go for better than average on the offensive side. I think he read the writing on the wall that the league is going to keep making it harder for physical defenses to thrive and realize we are in need of a dominant offense. We have a QB and other weapons in place to achieve that goal.

Here's hoping that Haley is the missing piece of the puzzle.

[feltdizz]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

I don't see BA being "forced out" in all of this.... he had 5 years as an OC, did some good things and some bad things.

After 5 years we felt like going in a new direction. Period. End of story. All the other stuff is for clicks IMO.

Now if Lebeau (sorry Ovi) was let go I could see people saying he was forced out given his history of top 5 D's.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

Rooney addresses criticism

By Rob Rossi, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 16, 2012


Art Rooney II, the son and grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL owners, reserves the right to continue his family tradition of running the Steelers with a "hands-on" approach. That does not mean he handpicked head coach Mike Tomlin's new offensive coordinator, Todd Haley.

"I can`t say what people on the outside think, but (Tomlin) picks his staff," Rooney told the Tribune-Review.

Fans not willing to buy those words should remember which two men spoke at the news conference at which Haley was introduced last week, Rooney said. Those men: Tomlin and Haley.

"Mike picks his staff, like I said, so he should talk about it in public," Rooney said in a wide-ranging interview. "The head coach should do the talking in that situation, not the owner."

Rare public criticism has come the Steelers` way since the team`s surprising loss at Denver in the first round of the AFC playoffs last month. Many callers to talk radio shows have questioned Rooney`s role in the brief retirement of former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, the subsequent courtship and hiring of Haley, and Rooney's public critique of franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger, who still had not met with Haley days after the hiring, requested a one-on-one with Rooney, who did not say if that meeting had occurred. However, Rooney acknowledged chatting with an unnamed player in his office at the team`s South Side facility as Tomlin introduced Haley at that news conference.

Keeping an open door for players is one of the many aspects of Dan Rooney`s ownership philosophy that Art Rooney II intended to maintain as part of his style when he took over day-to-day operations from his father in 2009. The younger Rooney has been Steelers president since 2003.

"My father and I always felt like we`re going to be hands-on, involved in the important decisions that are made, and we`ve felt like that for some time," Rooney said. "I think the fans appreciate the fact that the Rooneys are present and involved and have a history of that. Let`s put it this way: When I hear from fans I never get the complaint, ‘Hey, you`re too involved.` "
Rooney touched on other topics during his interview with the Trib:

>> On speaking publicly about team matters: "In certain cases, it`s a tough call. I try to be judicious in how often I comment on things because there`s only a limited amount of time that fans expect the owner to be making comments. I don`t have a weekly radio show. But I think it`s a judgment call. In this current day and age, there is more demand for it, more of an appetite for it than in the past, but I still try to pick my spots. Mike introducing Todd is a good example of a spot when I didn`t need to talk. That was Mike`s hire."

>> On his specific role with the Steelers: "There are roles I don`t want to play. I don`t want to call plays. I don`t want to tell coaches what the game plan should be every week. I don`t want to tell (general manager Kevin Colbert) who to draft in the fifth round. There is a line you have to draw as an owner between providing knowledgeable input and that place where you can become a distraction."

>> On the Steelers` ownership structure and the nine-person board of directors, four of whom are not members of the Rooney family: "That`s been a significant change, and as far as I`m concerned one for the positive because it sets us up for the future. They`re really invested in our organization. They weren`t people expecting to make a lot of changes, they believed in what we are doing.

"(The board meetings are) an opportunity for some of the new owners to participate in the overall direction, whether that`s expanding Heinz Field or other investments. On the football side, it`s more of an information kind of situation and me answering questions. It`s a good group. They are interested, they create enthusiasm, and as far as I`m concerned they`ve brought a lot to the table.

"We have quarterly meetings, in person four times a year. If something comes up, we update in between. One is an owners meeting."

[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_781987.html#ixzz1maMKrN6g"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1maMKrN6g[/url]

[steelz09]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

good move by Rooney.

If this is true and I think it is.... then there is one BIG lingering question.....

How does Tomlin have such a change of heart....

In a PC, he said he didn't expect any coaching changes.... then the Arians situation.

That is questionable.

[feltdizz]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

good move by Rooney.

If this is true and I think it is.... then there is one BIG lingering question.....

How does Tomlin have such a change of heart....

In a PC, he said he didn't expect any coaching changes.... then the Arians situation.

That is questionable.

What if Tomlin didn't have a change of heart? Maybe he planned on getting rid of Arians all along but didn't put it out there because he wanted to get out of town without a media circus.

The media had a week of head scratching because Ben was in Hawaii and Tomlin was in Alabama at the Senior bowl. I also think this was a case of Tomlin not showing his hand to Ben and the media...

This isn't the first time a HC or FO implied a person's job was safe before firing them... it's done all the time.

[Eich]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

I assume it was:

Tomlin wanted to keep Arians
Rooney said no, time to move on
Tomlin interviewed candidates and decided to hire Haley

Is that not the most likely scenario?

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

Art Rooney: Offensive coordinator choice was Tomlin's

Friday, February 17, 2012
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Steelers president Art Rooney II said the Haley family ties with team had nothing to do with the hiring of Todd Haley as the team's offensive coordinator.

Not only did Art Rooney II say he had nothing to do with the hiring of Todd Haley, but the Steelers president also was a bit surprised that coach Mike Tomlin wound up hiring him as his new offensive coordinator.

"I think the bottom line is, Mike was comfortable that's who he wanted to come in," Rooney said Thursday afternoon. "It may be fair to say that when he started the discussions and Todd's name was on his original list, I don't think he expected that Todd was the guy he was going to wind up hiring. But as he had more conversations with him, he became more comfortable that he was the right guy for the job."

Rooney agreed to an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to counter rampant speculation that he, not Tomlin, hired Haley to replace Bruce Arians, whose contract was not renewed by the team.

Rooney talked about the process and said that Haley and former Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell were the only candidates Tomlin invited to Pittsburgh for interviews. He said he and general manager Kevin Colbert were kept informed by the coach.

"Mike identified a number of candidates that he wanted to talk to and did all of the initial discussions," Rooney said. "We talked about who he was talking to. Kevin and I talked to him, and he sort of kept us in the loop as to who he was thinking about.

"Then he decided who he wanted to bring in for a follow-up interview into Pittsburgh. I did talk to the guys who came into Pittsburgh. I'm not even sure I'd call it an interview, but I had a conversation with them.

"I wouldn't want my role in it to be overestimated because Mike has to decide who he wants on the staff. Even though there's always a discussion between me and Mike about who he's hiring and how much we're paying him and those kinds of things, it's normally a discussion of the business side of the arrangement than, 'Are we going to hire a guy who's going to run the ball so many times a game.' It was a fairly normal process as far as I'm concerned in terms of how we've done those kinds of hirings in the past."

Dick Haley, Todd's father, had a long run with the Steelers, first as a cornerback in his final four seasons in the NFL, and then for 20 years as their director of player personnel. Todd Haley was a Steelers ballboy. However, those family connections had nothing to do with Haley being a candidate for the job, Rooney said.

"No. I've known the Haley family for a long time and I have great respect for Todd's father. Really, I've had very little contact with Todd for most of his adult life. I knew him as a kid. It's not like Todd is somebody I've had this long friendship with and been dying to bring here.

"I've respected his work and enjoyed seeing him sort of grow in the league. He's had a somewhat unusual path into the league, not coming from the football world, and that's one of the more impressive aspects of how much he's accomplished. But as far as him being a friend of mine or a friend of the family had nothing to do with it."

As for the matter of how quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Haley will get along, Rooney said he met with Roethlisberger this week and he foresees no problem between the two.

"I had a good conversation with Ben the other day and he's anxious to get started and to get to know him. It's February."

Rooney laughed when asked if Haley and Roethlisberger had yet met, and said facetiously, "We're getting to the point where every time somebody meets with somebody around here we've got to have a press conference."

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12048/1210834-66-0.stm#ixzz1mcHWkh2O"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12048/12 ... z1mcHWkh2O[/url]

[feltdizz]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

I assume it was:

Tomlin wanted to keep Arians
Rooney said no, time to move on
Tomlin interviewed candidates and decided to hire Haley

Is that not the most likely scenario?

Nope... check the time line.

Tomlin has his final press conference on Jan 9th and says both coordinators should be back...

Caldwell is fired on Jan 18th... Rumors of BA not returning start circulating that same evening. It's not a coincidence.. Tomlin was going after Caldwell.


Mike Tomlin made this decision... He wanted Caldwell but Haley impresses in the interview. I'm happy Tomlin went with his head and not his heart.

[Captain Lemming]

Re: Smizik: Art II emasculates Tomlin

I assume it was:

Tomlin wanted to keep Arians
Rooney said no, time to move on
Tomlin interviewed candidates and decided to hire Haley

Is that not the most likely scenario?

Nope... check the time line.

Tomlin has his final press conference on Jan 9th and says both coordinators should be back...

Caldwell is fired on Jan 18th... Rumors of BA not returning start circulating that same evening. It's not a coincidence.. Tomlin was going after Caldwell.


Mike Tomlin made this decision... He wanted Caldwell but Haley impresses in the interview. I'm happy Tomlin went with his head and not his heart.

Hey the "principle" of the Rooney rule works both ways.