As for the roster attrition, let’s take a look at the players the Steelers cut…

Bryant McFadden: worthless
Arnaz Battle: special teamer
Hines Ward: past his prime
Aaron Smith: past his prime
James Farrior: past his prime
Chris Kemoeatu: worthless

Those six players accounted for the entire $25M that the Steelers were over the salary cap when the off-season began, and yet, only Farrior was still a starter by the end of last season. (Restructuring Ben Roethlisberger, Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley merely gave the Steelers some room under the salary cap.) The only reason the process was “painful” is because three guys were cut who gave the fans good memories. From a strictly business perspective, it was about as painless as you could get.

If the Steelers draft a G in either of the first two rounds of the draft, then this off-season will have satisfied the armchair GM in me.

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Of course he didn’t.

Just like the fact while OJ rots in jail the real killers are roaming around free and clear.

Uh-huh, right……….

Somebody needs to tell big Benny that the fedora makes his fat head look even fatter.

Because the defense led the league in several key categories.

That is crap. Everyone knows Rooney caused this to happen. Why would he remove Arians when he and Roethisberger have a good relationship. Doesnt make sense. Rooney is probably making him say this.

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This is NOT crap.

I am not a fly on the wall, just very familiar with the way the Steelers do business. It would be foolishness to say that ARII did not have a conversation with Tomlin in which the direction of the organization was discussed and Bruce Arians future was part of those discussions.

Cynics ignorance aside, there is a reason the Steelers always win, despite seeing talent departures via FA or Retirement, you can bet that there was strong conversation about offensive direction and what the boss wanted, but rest assured, it was not made without Tomlin’s consent — it was Tomlin that saw to it that Arians was retained in the past given the same scenario.

When Tomlin was hired, he had complete autonomy to hire his own staff, that included Dick LeBeau, he did NOT have to hire the 3-4 coach (especially having all of his own experience being the 4-3 Cover-2).

Nonetheless, Tomlin is still inexperienced as a coach overall, and probably would not have been as successful anywhere else as immediate as he was in Pittsburgh, where his weaknesses and inexperience was able to be covered by a strong organization.

Keep in mind, Chuck Noll had 17 years under 3 Hall of Fame Coaches as a player and an assistant before his first Head Coaching stint (he turned down New England and Buffalo to take Pittsburgh’s job). Cowher likewise played & coached under Vermiel and Schottenheimer. Tomlin had only 6 years, 1 with Dungy and 5 with Lane Kiffen. He is still learning as he goes (no different than any other person in life). And unquestionably, ARII helped him see the direction of the offense under Bruce Arians and some of what was necessary to change – especially when the offense is going through major transition with young players.

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Nice to see Yoda’s still alive.

Love,
A.R. II

He will probably work to get Tyler Palko to join the Steelers and bench Big Ben.

As Todd Haley once said, and I quote…. “I would take 52 Lance Long’s for my team”. Where is Lance Long now?

Translation : Mike Rooney indeed made me change offensive coordinators.

Arians sucks. A change was long overdue.

We need a full explanation, and probably an investigation, as to why those mean and nasty Steelers hurt his poor feelings, and didn’t pay him millions more, and made him take a job in Indy where he will only make millions coaching the next new NFL qb phenom.

Such a sad, sad, story.

Now excuse me, I’ve got to go back to my wonderful job of taking tires off of tractors for $3.75 per hour….. I’ll bet Arians wishes he were me, and that he never met those nasty nasty Rooneys!!

you could tell that from the way Ben has been talking.