Getty ImagesThe man who apparently couldn’t get along with G.M. Scott Pioli will now be charged with getting on the same page with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers have announced that former Chiefs coach Todd Haley has joined the franchise as offensive coordinator. His father, Dick, played for the team and worked in the front office. Todd Haley previously worked for the Steelers as a ball boy.
“I am excited about the opportunity to come back home and work for a tremendous organization,” Haley said in a team-issued release. “It is an honor to work with the Rooney family and Coach Tomlin and continue the success that has become synonymous with the Steelers. My father has so many fond memories both from his playing days and his time in the personnel department with the team, and I look forward to helping bring more championships to Pittsburgh and to being a part of one of the storied franchises in the NFL.”
The Steelers’ most recent championship came at Haley’s expense; he was the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in Super Bowl XLIII. After that game, Haley was hired by the Chiefs.
Since being fired during the season, Haley had been considered for employment with the Jets and Cardinals. The vacancy in Pittsburgh arose after the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, despite clumsily claiming that he had retired.
The success or failure of the move will hinge in large part on the ability of Haley and Roethlisberger to work together. Otherwise, the Steelers could be clumsily claiming before too long that Haley is retiring, too.
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Because, you know, Bruce Arians threw it too much.
The Steelers are doomed!
Before accepting the OC job in Pittsburgh, Haley had a team search the Steelers’ offices for bugged cameras and microphones…..wow that guy is paranoid!!!
Good luck with that Ben. This is Todd’s bathroom stall and Arians just got carried out toes up. Party on Benny boy. Either do was Todd say’s or take a walk.
If he keeps us out of Play-action passes on 3rd and inches, then I’m sold
An angry Ben is a dangerous Ben.
“…I look forward to helping bring more championships to Pittsburgh and to being a part of one of the storied franchises in the NFL.”
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“And I have Mr. Roethlisberger’s permission to say so.”
cue irrelevant and lame opinions who nobody really cares about in 3,2,1…
Haley and Big Ben are either gonna be the best of friends like Buzz and Woody or they wont get along and the Steelers will go 7-9.
This will not end well at all. I can’t believe Mike Tomlin would let this paranoid clown have a job. This will be a disaster!!!!
I hear he kicked a dog on his way to the media room.
Anger Management.
I guess he better call some more running plays?
At some point running the football first is going to come back. It’s cyclical. Maybe once the current crop of statuesque QBs (Ben excluded) retires? Teams will grow unaccustomed to defending it, and defenses will be too small to stop it.
At least I hope so. I’m not really enjoying the glorified flag/arena “football” as much as I did 10 years ago. You know…when you were allowed to play defense? Watching the Steelers pass 70% of the time and play soft defense hurt my heart, and I’m not even a Steelers fan.
Get rid of the 5-yard rule and the Tom Brady rules or risk losing some of your hardcore viewership.
Damn. I hoped they couldn’t come to an agreement!!
Crotchety coach with crotchety old players who are ego sensitive about their steady decline beggining? Recipe fo’ Disatah!
I like the hire, their offense was stale.
And I’m not biased because we went to the same high school by anyway! Lol
ebeg420 says Do you know how to read? That whole Chief’s bugging rooms was not just from Haley. It was from 27 different current and former employees. Reading is not hard, you just have to practice at it.
This is a great addition for the Steelers. He has the QB, wide receivers, tight end. Needs help up front and another running back.
upper saint claires filled with stuck up rich dooshes. and haley is one of them
Offense was stale? Wow Steeler fans are really dumb
As a long-time Chiefs fan & former ESPN Superfan, I think Todd Haley is a very good coach. He won’t accept mediocre play. He was a big part of the turnaround of KC’s attitude (with Herm & Carl P’s picks). KC didn’t work out b/c of different styles, and yes, season-ending injuries to three Pro Bowlers (QB Cassel, RB Charles, SS Eric Berry) as well as TE Moeaki & LB Siler. I think he’ll fit in well in a hard-nosed city like Pittsburg. BUCK UP GENTLEMEN!
So much for the “courtesy interview” theory…
Well this has Rooney hire written all over it. They make good decisions normally, so this one shld wrk out.
The Steelers have won 6 Super Bowls and been to 8… I think the organization knows what they are doing more so than a bunch of wanna-be witty commenters on an internet blog.
Ben better stay away from this guy in the bathroom, he has a temper.
To quote the horse from Ren and Stimpy: “No, sir. I don’t like it.”
Wow, too bad. Let’s see, not much success in KC as a head coach, did ok one year as the Arizona OC, but with Kurt Warner, Fitzgerald, and Boldin it would be tough to fail. Receiver’s coach in Dallas with Romo and TO – jury still out.
I hoped the Steelers could do better. They have some talented receivers, but their running game needs improvement and Ben needs to learn how to get rid of the ball.
Probably not going to end well.
You tell him Jimmy…why not give him the url so he can read the story?
Haley will be good for Big Ben and the offense. Great hire for the Steelers.
Man, maybe it’s just me but I don’t think it is, EVERY piece of Pissburgh news that comes out just has downward spiral written all over it.
This will not go well.
No way they get along.
Let Ben call his own plays.
I’m sick of hearing all the complaints from the old school, beer guzzling yinzers about the team not running the ball enough, it’s stupid and wrong. The offense would have been even worse if they continued to feed an ineffective Mendenhall this season. An improved run game would help, especially in the red zone, but rush first attacks are just pointless in today’s NFL.
The team’s strength is clearly the passing game but despite paying Roethlisberger like a franchise QB, they refuse to give him anything resembling an offensive line.
SPEND on the o line and better results will come in the passing and running attacks. They need to cut a TON of the dead weight and go after someone who can play LT or a guard like Brisel from Houston. Look around the league and the top tier QB’s aren’t getting sacked 40-50 times a game, it’s common sense.
I meant 40-50 times a season, he’d obviously be dead if he was getting sacked 40 times a game.
I’m not sure how hiring him will improve the running game..but he will implement a good passing attack with those fast WR’s.
The Steelers run to pass ratio will actually not change. having a strong offense is about efficiency and adjustments. Two of the areas in which Arians was not strong. In the NFL teams cannot run out of the same formations, game in and game out, year in and year out. There must be variations to catch a defense on its heels. While the haters read into Mr. Rooney’s comments to run the ball more, they choose not to read further to see that, Mr. Rooney wants to run the ball more efficiently.
Ben on the other hand was making too many team decisions. 4th downs, when to play when not and importantly on game plan. The team will only go as far Ben takes them. By hiring Haley the Steelers are working to improve and maximize Ben’s talents. Haley will push Ben to make improvements and adjust the team to maximize it’s strengths as a core.
Good Hire Coach Tomlin, Mr. Colbert and Mr. Rooney.
Sincerely,
Six-burgh
BTI
Bound To Implode
“This will be the downfall of the Steelers!” – Other fans after every Steelers move.
@steelhammer92 says:Feb 7, 2012 3:20 PM
The Steelers have won 6 Super Bowls and been to 8… I think the organization knows what they are doing more so than a bunch of wanna-be witty commenters on an internet blog.
=================================
Says the wanna-be witty commenter on an internet blog.
eff off
This is great news for Ravens fans. The Ravens owned Haley’s offense in KC.
“Clumsily”??? Really?
I thought it was pretty smooth.
Everyone who keeps drawing attention to Haley’s AZ days and saying how this flys in the face of the Steelers’ supposed intent to go back to its blue-collar roots- Haley orchestrated the number 1 rushing attack in the NFL in 2010, so when you bring that into account its certainly not out of the question that he would be able to put into a place a balanced system.
I think its a good hire.
If they want to start running the ball again they better do a much better job of drafting O-Lineman. Their line play has gone way down the past couple years. There is a reason why they have been passing so much, the line sucks.
I think Haley is an upgrade. And even if it is a saw-off, the Steelers needed to make the change to send a message to Big Ben and get him under control.
Haley’s three years as the passing game coordinator and receivers coach in Dallas were productive. The offense went from 25th to 15th to 4th in points scored even though they churned through three QBs (Vinnie, Bledsoe and Romo) and a variety of go to receivers (Glenn, Keyshawn, TO and Witten).
He had two good years in Arizona (not just one), with the offense finishing 12th and 4th in yards but 7th and 3rd in points. In both years they had the second best passing offense in the league.
In KC, he took a team that had finished 26th and 31st in points and 24th and 31st in yards in the two previous years into the 25th and 12th in yards and 23rd and 14th in points. Yes, his last year was a disaster, but he oversaw significant improvement with pretty pedestrian talent.
Now, put that in perspective against Arians’ record at Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Arians has only twice produced a top 12 offense in yards, in eight season, and only three times in points. His record with the Steelers is horrible. He has a potential HOF QB at the helm and other than 2009 he has produced a middle of the pack or bottom third offense.
Arians’ offense was fairly bland. You could tell with almost certainty who was getting the ball and what play was being run every down. The Steelers also poorly adjusted. In games when it was clear they could win by running the ball, they kept passing.
It was time for a change, even if it doesn’t mean improvement, but I can’t imagine Haley can’t light a spark under these guys. After all, he was the one who figured out Pittsburgh’s defense in the second half of the SB, setting the tone for future opponents.
I doubt if people remembered that hiring Tomlin was supposed to be the undoing of the Steelers, too.
This isn’t Oakland’s front office. He might be the wrong choice, no doubt, but he will probably do just fine.
Just like Baltimore’s new D-coordinator will coach a tough D next year.
Just like McDaniels will work out for New England.
Just like the Pack will have a great offense next year.
Teams with good front offices make smart choices. There’s no reason to believe that this choice isn’t like the rest of them…
This guy just got ran out of Kansas City because he sucked, good luck with that Steelers.
Steelers will win SB 47. Arians is gone. That’a all that matters.
Todd Haley had a better record as head coach than Dick LeBeau did. Haley at least took his team to the playoffs once.
Just saying, head coach and coordinator jobs are two completely different gigs.
I thought they wanted to run the ball more? Kinda seems like a stupid move.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about it a few weeks ago: Pittsburgh has little history of success when going outside of the organization to hire an offensive coordinator.
Joe Walton
Ray Sherman
Kevin Gilbride (eventual super bowls notwithstanding – he had Kordell Stewart and Kent Graham as QBs… of course, he chose Kent Graham)
I think this is a crap shoot. I think this will be a test of character for Roethlisberger and Haley as well as a test of Tomlin’s leadership.
Mainly, Haley just needs to be a better than Arians in two areas: situational play calling and in-game adjustments. It always seemed that Arians’ answer for a struggling offense was to simply “go deep” and Roethlisberger always obliged. Even into double- and triple-coverage. Sometimes the best answer is to just take what the defense gives you even when that is just the RB in the flat.
Let the haters start. I’m sure they will come up with something negative about the hire but he will be good for the talent the Steelers have on offense.
maxvv says:
Feb 7, 2012 2:31 PM
Because, you know, Bruce Arians threw it too much.
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no BA was too predictable of a play caller, that is why the Steelers let him walk. He would get stuck on one money play, like a 13-year-old kid that just found a “cheese play” on Madden.
I said it once I’ll say it again, I can believe the slight possibility that the Chiefs management bugged his room/phone.
After all this is the same Pioli from New England SpyGate!
Who am I to argue with the Rooneys or anybody in that organization. They’ve been right more times than NOT. Oh, and the last K.C. coach they signed turned out to be pretty good, too. (Cowher)
Welcome aboard Haley and remember …. “The Standard is the Standard around here!”
Go Steelers!!!!
Yeah, Mr. Rooney made a mistake by hiring this guy just like he usually does.
Oh and a team besides the Steelers or Pats will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl next year.
Trai Essex $2 million
Charlie Batch $900 k
Hines Ward $3 million
Max Starks $800 k
Casey Hampton $5 million
Bryant McFadden $2.6 million
Aaron Smith $4.5 million
Chris Hoke 810 k
Total $19.6 million right here
Most of these players won’t be back or will be back at a reduced salary. I’ve heard rumors that Larry Foote and James Farrior might not be back either. That would easily get them past 20 million
^^ -$10+ mil to resign to Wallace.
I find it very funny that we hire Haley and were doomed. Remember his background Richard Haley his father, had a hand in putting together the most story dynasty. So its actully an in house move. If your not a Steelers fan you shouldn’t be commenting on this post yinz have ur own problems. Ravens hire Jim Caldwell from INDY 2-14 team, and an QB coach at that. I thought that was suppose to be the most important position on the field. Bengals everyone is figured out Dalton and theres video on him now so its going to be hard for him to be productive, even harder when they lock down Green. Browns should I say more the mistake by the lake.
time will tell
Haley/Rothlisburger……. this will be interesting.
“The man who apparently couldn’t get along with G.M. Scott Pioli will now be charged with getting on the same page with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger”
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Isn’t that backwards? Doesn’t the QB have to get on the same page as the OC?
If Todd Haley manages to deceive my ten-year-old with his playcalling, then I’m happy. The last OC couldn’t, my son was literally pointing at the screen, calling the plays before the snap, and rattling off the numbers of the defensive players that saw the whole thing, clear as a book.
THAT is why the Steelers needed a new OC, and they got one that just might be hard-headed enough to take Ben to the woodshed and get him dedicated to working at elevating his game beyond the “I’m a big dude, gonna run around a bit and then chuck it deep” level.
The main reason they failed inside the 20 is ’cause the “scramble then heave it deep to Wallace” play only works when there’s more than 40 yards of field to defend…
Good luck with that…
Seems like a perfect fit… Grade A a-holes belong together…