Report: Bruce Arians will be fired in Pittsburgh

Posted by NBC Sports on January 5, 2010, 2:47 PM EST

The makeover in Pittsburgh is reportedly underway.

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will be let go “in the near future,” according to Ken Laird of 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh. 

The Steelers have not confirmed the move, and it’s worth noting no other Pittsburgh outlets have confirmed the report.  NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora calls the report “premature.” Mike Tomlin didn’t mention the change at his end of his season press conference.

Arians was criticized for not building a consistent running attack in Pittsburgh, but the passing game was among the league’s best.  We doubt Arians would have been criticized so much if the Pittsburgh defense didn’t give up 101 more points in 2009 than 2008.

Steelers quarterback coach Ken Anderson retired earlier in the day.

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93 responses to “Report: Bruce Arians will be fired in Pittsburgh”

  1. and in other news, Mike Holmgren is scheduled to meet with Bruce Arians this Friday.

  2. I dont believe he should be let go. They arent built up front to run the ball, thats not his fault.

  4. The Irony that a guy with the last name “Arians” is on the team that invented the Rooney Rule.

  5. Hey Yinzers – you just learned what Browns fans also found out the hard way. This guy is completely incompetent. He isn’t fit to be the O.C. of a junior high team.
    Couldn’t have happened to a bigger jerk also, I might add.

  6. “Arians was criticized for not building a consistent running attack in Pittsburgh, but the passing game was among the league’s best.”
    And the Steelers won more often than not, including two Super Bowls in four years. Coincidence? No.

  7. By the way, wouldn’t necessarily put much stock into this story.
    Ken Laird as a journalist is about as competent as Arians as an O.C.
    NOT AT ALL.

  8. Yes, Mr. Rosenthal, the complaints would still be there. The complaints have been there since we got Arians. They were there last season.
    Arians is good for yardage and flash, but is probably one of the worst offensive coordinators in the NFL at situational football. See: trick play after the interception last week. See: runs of 5 yards and 4 yards (or something like that), followed by an empty backfield 3rd and 1.
    He made a scheme, and implemented it without regard to the strengths of his players, rather than looking at his players and implementing a scheme. He is the prototypical square peg-round hole guy.
    Our offense did “well” because it’s talented, not because it’s well coached. This is evidenced by our red zone failures, which is where I believe scheme is most important.

  9. Good. I hate the Steelers, but their gameplan relied far too much on Ben making throws and receivers making spectacular catches.

  10. I don’t know how many times I have to make the argument, but our defense failing at the end of games is because they are not getting long enough breaks off the field. The offense either socres or punts in under 3 min. Lebeau’s defense runs around too much for the short breaks. And I have been Screaming fire Arians for 2 and a half seasons. I yelled it at each playoff game last year, and in Tampa at the superbowl. Ever since he installed an offense that doesn’t have a power blocking fullback, “because everyone needs to be a receiving threat” I have been against him. I also have always worn my Dan Kreider jersey so there is no doubt to why I feel this way. Willie will be a productive back again when he goes somewhere with a power blocker choosing the holes. BRING BACK A POWER FULLBACK AND THE 5-7 Min running drives and mix it up with some long play action. We will be a better team. The only reason our D survived that last year is we had a starting caliber backup at almost each defensive position to give rest to the starters. This year, those guys started or replaced injured players.

  11. The whole Steeler tough guy persona went out the window when Troy Polumalu started making commercials about guys checking him out. I mean come on how gay can he get. i was waiting for Kordell Stewart to come walking out

  12. nothing like firing the OC b/c the Steelers GM has refused to build the offensive line…

  13. @copes
    agree 100%. BA and LeBeau did not compliment each other at all. Troy P has blatantly said last season that their D’s success revolves around the O controlling the clock.

  14. Desides,
    He has only been there since 07 so he get no credit for the first superbowl. They won in spite of him and not because.

  15. hmmm they went from the 22nd ranked offense scoring 21 pts a game a yr ago to number 7 ranked scoring 23pts a game in 2009 yet their firing the o coordinator.
    maybe they were heading to the number 2 or 3 ranked offense scoring 27 pts a game in 2010, but of course they decide to roll the dice and possibly go way back to square one with a new offensive coordinator.
    new offenses take a few yrs to gell, how stupid.
    finish the ben era out with what you have since it is improving every season.

  16. How about firing the secondary coach? Did any cornerbacks get an interception this season?

  17. This fire would be a mistake. The Steelers dont usually make such mistakes. If its only a radio station reporting this as probably and in the coming future, its maybe total BS. What people will do for ratings…

  18. Hmmm, the only bright spot for the Steelers was their passing game, and the OC is fired. Meanwhile the Defense couldn’t stop anything all year long…just sayin’!
    Back to the offense…the OC was “criticized for not building a consistent running attack in Pittsburgh”?? Really?
    Hate to break this to knucklehead Steeley McBEEM fans, but the NFL(thru various QB/WR protection rules) is moving towards a pass oriented game. The NFL is a lot of things, but not dumb! They want ratings, and what brings ratings? Scoring! Lots of it!
    Sorry folks, that’s the way it is nowadays. Of course you have a Chris Henry that bucks the trend, mainly, because Tennessee had no legit passing game. I hope Arains goes to Cleveland they go on to light up Mr.McBEEM for years to come! Should be interesting to see how this all shakes out down the road!

  20. I live in Pittsburgh and listen to 1250 espn radio and Laird is a clown. Ed Doosh-chette (another great Pittsburgh ‘steeler’ reporter) said the other day that it’s going around the league’s ‘inner circles’ that the colts pulled starters because they didn’t want to see the steelers in the playoffs..ahaah..he was dead serious too. love my Stillers, but i would not be afraid of them this year.

  21. @desides
    Whisenhunt was the OC for the first Superbowl this decade, and has built a team out in Arizona that, unlike the steelers, will be participating in the playoffs the season following a superbowl appearance. Rooney rule backfire?

  22. im Sorry but as a fan I do not think the running game is our biggest problem, They need to look at the D and no I am not saying that Lebeau needs to go I love him as the D coordinator, but how can they blame the struggles of the Steleers.
    Here is what I seen on offense
    Ben over 4000 yrds passing and 26 tds and 12 Int
    Hines and Holmes over 1000 yrds for both
    Mendy 1000 yrd rusher
    Heath, most catches by a TE in Steeler history,and he had a good amount of yards also
    Wallace, had an incredible season.
    If they want a running game then why get rid of Arians, i think they need to take alook at the O line they have improved but still struggled to make holes, Get a better O line and address that problem..I personally think they made a mistake letting Redman go he could have been that power back on short yardage and blocking that they needed but no they get rid of him and keep the Joke that is Kerry Davis, I know Davis is familiar with the system but to me he was a waste of space.
    Our issues this year was not on offense they were on Defense , Our offense got us in games and keptus in them to only have the D let us down. Arians is not the problem
    But our s

  23. Oh, and give me Charlie Weis or Petersen from Boise State (unlikely on the latter, but one can dream).

  24. @ Rickah99
    Chris Johnson is a running back in tennesse that “bucks the trend”. Chris Henry is a deceased WR.

  25. hineswardcriesafterfumbling – Rooney rule backfire?….more like a Rooney rule win. Winning the NFC West is like being the tallest midget.
    Not to mention…..
    Tomlin = 1 Ultimate prize
    Whiz = 0

  26. @69ers
    I bet your a Madden fan. You sound about as ignorant as he does. Serve yourself.
    While I agree Ed isnt the best, Laird is by far one of the most accurate reporters in Pittsburgh. You’re completely lost on this one….
    Go feed on some more of Maddens incoherent sloth.

  28. Rickah99,
    They said the same thing when Montana Young and Elway were throwing the ball like crazy. It cycles in and out. It is a copy cat league. Manning an Brady make the idea to pass seem good, but one player having a bad day kills your passing game. If a lineman is having a bad day pass blocking your quarterback in on his ass a lot. If he is having a bad day run blocking, you run the other way. If a running back is having a bad day you put in his backup (rice, mcgahee), when a quarterback is having a bad day, you are generally screwed. I think it was Woddy Hayes or Darrell Royal who said when you throw the ball only three things can happen and two of them are bad. Running to win is the way to go. It gives your D the most rest, and keeps the other offense off the field.

  29. Rickah99,
    Also, the chances of him going to cleveland after they fired him in 06 because he was aweful are very slim.

  30. right, cause coaching a winning superbowl team 2 years after they won the superbowl is a sign of great coaching. just ask barry switzer. who built the dallas cowboys? jimmy johnson. who built the steelers? bill cowher.

  31. It’s amazing how many boneheads don’t understand the game of football. I see a few posts here mentioning the effect of too much passing, but the rest seem clueless.
    Defense is the reactionary side of the ball, therefore, tend to get worn out faster. A good running game nullifies that by controlling the clock and line of scrimmage. Why do you think the Steelers defense stunk in the fourth quarter!
    Airing the ball out is pretty, but causes too many other problems. Paraphrasing a Hall of Fame coach, “three things happen when throwing the football, and two of them are bad”.
    Doesn’t anyone remember Buddy Ryan punching Kevin Gilbride in Houston during the Run and Shoot (or Chuck and Duck as Buddy called it). What do you think that was over?
    By the way, I am diehard Ravens but love the smashmouth games we play. I hope that our rivalry is always about good, hard-nosed football.

  32. TexasPhinsfan,
    Please read my post higher up on this. I make the arguement that the D was bad late in games because of the O. Great offensive stats are one thing, and winning is another. I like waht Tomlin sad earlier that none of the 6 trophys he walks by to work are for a 400 yard passer, 2 1000 yard wideouts or a 100 yard rusher. The O was productive, but we know strong D and running wins for us.

  33. @69ers
    “I bet your a Madden fan. You sound about as ignorant as he does. Serve yourself.
    While I agree Ed isnt the best, Laird is by far one of the most accurate reporters in Pittsburgh. You’re completely lost on this one….
    Go feed on some more of Maddens incoherent sloth.”
    ahah…you are either Ken Laird or Ed Dooshette. Fess up punk. Reveal yourself. I do like Mark Madden, but that’s not where that’s coming from. Dooshette sounded like a total moron making those claims last week. Even the hosts (can’t remember) were speechless/stunned. It’s insane. How are you (I mean Laird) most accurate reporters in Pittsburgh..site examples…Arians being fired isn’t being reported anywhere else. I mean I know he’s on the radio and needs material, but he has made these types of claims before. If you (I mean he) is right..golden star!!

  34. Correct me if Im wrong but isnt the job of a head coach to communicate with his coordinator and develop the actual game plan… If Tomlin wanted to run more he had the power to make changes..Faulting a guy for scoring too quick is pathetic, an offensive coordinator job is to put up points.. He was one of the best at doing so this year..lets fire him!!! The reason they failed to make the playoffs isn’t because they scored to quick its because they had average defensive personnel…

  35. “Gonzaga27 says:
    January 5, 2010 4:07 PM
    Correct me if Im wrong but isnt the job of a head coach to communicate with his coordinator and develop the actual game plan… If Tomlin wanted to run more he had the power to make changes..Faulting a guy for scoring too quick is pathetic, an offensive coordinator job is to put up points.. He was one of the best at doing so this year..lets fire him!!!”
    Yeah he was one of the best. Steelers were 30th in redzone offense. Too many idiots post on this site.

  37. Too many of you are focusing on the stats the offense put up. Sure the stats were there but look at the overall play calling in some of those games…..it was down right pitiful. Maybe you fault Tomlin a bit for not stepping in but when your defense is struggling you don’t sit on a 10 point lead in the second half.
    The defense definitely struggled and it shows how much we need to address the CB position along with some depth all around. You can’t run a LeBeau blitzing scheme when every passing down you have to drop your LBs into coverage in hopes to lend the DB’s some help…..

  38. @hineswardcriesafterfumbling,
    That was a MAJOR botch on my part, as I meant to say Chris Johnson…thanks for pointing that out! I, in no way, meant any disrespect to the dearly departed.
    @copes cabana,
    Don’t shoot the messenger! I agree with the “establish the run, opens up the pass…etc,etc” mentality. I’m just saying that unlike in the Montana-Young-Elway days, the rules that have been put in place, and that are being talked about, basically giving QB’s free reign. I don’t know why they just don’t put a red jersey on the them and be done with it!
    IMHO we have just seen the tip of the iceberg here! Passing numbers, across the board, are on the up & up. It’s almost like the new approach will be: Establish the pass to open up the run!
    btw, the Arians to Cleveland jab was for my wife(who is a Steelers fan) and reads this website 😉

  39. Fact check:
    Bruce Arians has been a coach for the steelers since 2004. He came from cleveland and is a potential candidate to return. Remember, homgren didn’t fire him and Arians is pass happy i.e. west coast offense. All you steeler fans are ready to pitt your O-coordinator against your D-coordinator but consider this: The head coach is running the show. If he wants arians to run on 3rd and 1, he can simply tell him to do it. Unfortunetly he can’t help his sorry ass secondary be better athletes. Your offense put up phenomenal stats, if you need to tweak some more runs in then do it. Get the guys you need this offseason, draft some linemen. But, throwing a guy under the bus to save face as a head coach is the trend in the nfl. Too bad the squeelers look like they are going to do just that. And next year when u guys can’t put up numbers like this year’s, all of you people will look back and say, “we won a SB with Arians!” ” Big Ben had 4000yds with Bruce calling plays.”

  40. No doubt the passing game and Big Ben has developed greatly under Arians, and the running game isn’t all his fault, it was time for a change. Kind of stubborn to continue to not use a power fullback with an O-Line that struggles so much.
    Also the Steelers looked lost on situational type football. Redzone and 3rd and short have become real problems for this team this season. I don’t think Arians is the scapegoat, I think he is the first of many changes, including the roster (specifically the offensive line). I haven’t seen the cap numbers yet but I’d imagine with Hampton, Parker and Clark’s contracts all coming up they should be in half decent shape.
    I also think this is a case of Tomlin starting to get his own people in there, and finally weeding out the holdovers from Cowher’s reign. Right or wrong all coaches like to have their own people working for them.

  41. @69ers
    HAHAHAHA, I nailed the Madden on the head. All you clowns sound alike. Go back to watching the Penguins and refrain from talking Steeler Football. Madden is the biggest clown in the media today and theres a reason he was ridden to write for Beaver. And i’ll quote Mike Gundy on it – “Because its GARBAGE!”
    You speak like a true Madden follower, clueless.
    Ken Laird has leaked more insider information than any reporter combined. Your idol (Madden) just sits around and talks about the 70’s and how overrated Ben is (he was wrong), how Hines will never be a great receiver (he was wrong) and how overrated Harrison is (he is wrong).
    So please, spare us and go back to listening to your WRONG Reporter. Mark “Im a fat stupid slobb” Madden.

  42. Bruce Arians doesn’t block…..I don’t see why he’s taking the fall….

  43. AlanWeiss Fact Check:
    Cowher chucked his OC’s under the bus on a consistent basis. Now hes looking to land $10MIL and is a hot commodity, one of the winningest head coaches of our time.
    This is nothing new in Pittsburgh.

  44. bet the Steelers are wishing they didn’t tie up all that money franchising Max Starks huh?

  45. I’m not going to take time to look it up, but I’m pretty sure their time of possession was over 33 minutes a game and higher than it was last year when they won the Super Bowl.

  46. shutdown:
    Yeah, that’s what i said, it’s common practice in the nfl to do that. How many times did cowher save his job by canning his subordinates? The guy did lose 4 afc championship games and lost a SB to go with his one SB ring. As far as making 10 mil a year, romeo crennel made slightly less this year sitting on his couch eating cheetos. Maybe the steelers should revisit cowher as thier head coach. I guarantee he would have the sack to tell his O/C to run the ball on 3rd and 1 and not from the SHOTGUN formation.

  47. Rickah99,
    I am sorry for yelling. Good joke for the wife, and you are right, the rules are there now.
    Mr. Noisewater,
    Our line was drafted as a power run blocking unit. built to go off the line into a defender. We have them dropping into pass and zone blocking. When you ask 6’9″ 345lb Max Starks to drop and pass block, you have to expect that a speed rusher will just run around him, and a bull rusher will hit the gap too fast for him. Arians just did not adjust his offense to his players. Willies running style has a need for a fullback, but that did not fit into Arian’s offense. Look at all of willies big runs this year, all behind a pulling guard. he needs someone to choose the hole. Arians just did not adjust. And all the people pointing to his situational game are also right. 3rd down and redzone playcalling was a mess.

  48. Arians sucks, always sucked. Fire his ass and let’s move on. I’ve been calling for his head since he was hired. He got a reprieve by lucking into a SB win. He can not game plan nor make adjustments. Fire his lazy ass!

  49. @ shutdown.
    you are definitely in the pittsburgh media. ron cook? smizik? madden has never said any of those things. he has criticized ward for charging $175 for an autograph after the 2005 superbowl and bettis’ parking lot ‘incident’ when nobody else would. also, again you didn’t site any examples. sounds like self promotion Ken..
    you and i are probably the only two on here who knows who mark madden and ken laird are, so i’ll spare the site with anymore witty banter with your lame azz. arians won’t be fired. who is mike Gundy?

  50. Dayall,
    Time of possesion was up, but look up average drive time and number of defensive series. It’s not that they are getting less time to rest, but just too short of a break when they get them. Go run for a minute then rest for a minute then run again. Do that for a half an hour. Then run for ten, break for ten and run for ten. you run for way more, but the ten minute break will make you more feel rested. At least that is the way it is for me and why I have this theory.

  51. Make no mistake, special teams cost this team a spot in the playoffs.
    As for Arians, the guy is stubborn and unwilling to change. That being said, it’s not all his fault, the o-line is clearly better at pass protection than run blocking. I would guess 2/3 of the sacks they allowed were caused by Ben holding the ball way too long.
    Bottom line is, they have probowlers and two superbowl MVP’s at all the skillied postions on offense, so you gotta produce.

  52. So the Steelers had a better offense this year, yes I agree and so do the numbers…..but to all of you people that think that is because of the OC are dead wrong. The fact that Ben is a beast and can make plays on his own is the reason the offense was better…..how many yards came after the “called” plays broke down. My guess is better than 50% of total passing yardage came on broken plays. That means that the OC was getting bailed out by his QB over and over again. In the Superbowl Ben made plays all game after he had to hold onto the ball because the play that was called produced not a single open receiver.
    The fact that Ben can make his own plays, and the addition of Mendenhall, Wallace, and a much better center were the reason the O was better not Arians.
    Lets get a coordinator that can call plays that benefits his players strengths not plays that rely on those strengths to bail out the poor plays….something tells me our QB would be upright alot more and our running game would be more af a threat……GET A F-ING fullback

  53. i guess this is Tomlins way “OF UNLESHING HELL”,… unfortunatelty he had NO ANSWERS for their special teams breakdowns, or the fact that the defense leaked like a sieve, …Arians becomes Tomlins fall guy, the offense seemed to be the least of their problems

  54. I say fire him. Pit had a great passing attack yes, but his play calling sucked in clutch situations and even in clock management or goal line situations. He failed to balance the offense and when it was apparent that a play didnt work he refused to give it up. (i. e. empty backfield- most snaps from this ended in a sack)
    The other reason i think he is gone- In the game against Miami he wasnt wearing a headset or even standing next to the field. He was towards the back just standing there. I think the WR coach will get the gig.

  55. Rickah99,
    Who the heck is “Woddy” Hayes? I believe it was Vince Lombardi who made the statement.

  56. Willie Colon and Justin Hartwig need to go up front. other than that the line didnt perform to shabby. Rashard Mendenhall had a nice year but he needed to be used more. Bring back the fullback lets get a lead early and pound the rock like we once did. Defense would be protected thus improved play. Did anyone notice that Roethlisberger had the least amount of touchdown passes for all the quaterbacks that threw for 4,000 yds? As much as Roethlisberger ad libs is there really a need for a 5 wides?

  57. Mandingo52 says:
    nothing like firing the OC b/c the Steelers GM has refused to build the offensive line…
    ————————————————–
    kravon says:
    How about firing the secondary coach? Did any cornerbacks get an interception this season?
    ————————————————–
    kennethnoisewater says:
    bet the Steelers are wishing they didn’t tie up all that money franchising Max Starks huh?
    Bruce Arians doesn’t block…..I don’t see why he’s taking the fall….
    ————————————————–
    WOW…you guys left me with nothing left to say, all good points!
    However…
    Could we PLEASE draft nothing but OL/CB’s in this years draft…and get rid of Farrior old slow ass!

  58. @69ers
    If I am apart of the Pittsburgh media, what am I doing living in Southern California? You see, me being a native (left in 70’s as a young pup) now living clear across the US, I rely heavily on the media for accurate information. Ive listened and followed almost all of them. Over time ive found out whos garbage (Madden & Bouchette) and who the valuable reporters are.
    The fact that you listen to Madden, clearly shows you’re lost and confused. He has said what he’s said about those players. He mocked the Roethlisberger pickup, only to slurp him today. He’s ridiculed Ward, he’s doubted Bettis, even today with his ignorant criticism of Harrison.
    Three of the best reporters out there BY FAR are Ken Laird, Jim Wexell, and Stan Savran. And again, this is coming from someone clear across the US who relies on valuable media.

  59. AlanWeiss:
    Maybe there are other circumstances that you don’t see. Its very possible when Tomlin came aboard it was strongly suggested that Arians was a good choice because of his relationship with our prima-donna QB. Kinda like how it was suggested we keep our legendary DC intact? Maybe Tomlin was letting him fall on his own sword?
    Who knows? We pay the OC for a reason don’t we? Whats so wrong with letting an OC run the offense? That’s what he’s paid to do.
    Like I said, bashing the OC is nothing new in Pittsburgh we’ve done it for decade(s) now. Cowher will go into the HOF as a HC who constantly blamed his OC because of the failures. Cowher…a guy who didn’t even want to draft Ben Roethlisberger.

  60. shutdown,
    Savran is the MAN!!!!!
    Best Pittsburgh sports reporter of all time!! The guy does not speculate….He knows the city and the fans like no other reporter….He is one of the few reporters in the country that really cares about the fans…..Bouchette is a flat out turd, and complains about talking to the public….ie. the chat transcript on the post gazette…..I would like to punch him in his arrogant face…..
    SAVRAN FOR MAYOR

  61. I personally think they made a mistake letting Redman go he could have been that power back on short yardage and blocking that they needed
    ————————————————
    When was the last time you saw two backs in the game for Pgh. Never. Arians did not use a fullback, EVER. Also do not forget that he promised us the return of the pony, with Willie and Rashard in the backfield at the same time, and that never came to be either.
    It was time to let him go, new blood will be beneficial.
    Now to address both lines and some CB’s in the draft.

  62. Wouldn’t be too upset to see Arians go.
    But here’s the bigger issue for all you “NFL favors the Steelers” clowns. The rescheduling of the Jets-Bengals game practically doomed the Steelers not to make the playoffs. Let’s hear even ONE of you conspiracy whiners mention that. C’mon where are ya? Here’s the NFL that clearly did all it could to get the Jets into the playoffs, at the expense of the team you think is so favored. C’mon let’s hear it, where are you all?

  63. Maybe if he didn’t throw all the time in the 4th quarter, the D wouldn’t have given up so many points.
    At some time, you have to be able to run to run the clock.

  64. @HinesWardCriesAfterFumbling …
    Obviously you have no idea what the Rooney Rule is about but it was produced by a diversity committee set up by a group of owners. Dan Rooney simply happened to chair the committee, which is how it got its nickname. It merely requires owners to talk to minority coaches before making a hire. The Steelers didn’t have to hire Tomlin. And Whis took the job in AZ BEFORE the Steelers met with Tomlin.
    So Tomlin/Whis had nothing to do with the Rooney Rule.
    Personally, I think the Steelers made the right choice to let Whis go and subsequently hire Tomlin. Only time will tell.
    @kennethnoisewater …
    No, Arians doesn’t block. And he’s not the o-line coach. Our o-line has done poorly since Russ Grimm left and I’m hoping Coach Zierlein will be on the chopping block for that. Arians is the guy who keeps making ridiculously predictable play calls that defenses can easily read. Just watch our final possession in the first Cincy game. That says it all.

  65. @copes cabana:
    “They won in spite of him and not because.”
    No. In the modern NFL, passing well and defending the pass wins games. For Arians to rely on the pass is exactly correct, and it’s paid off.
    The Steelers’ problems this year originate from a pass defense that completely collapsed. Last year, the Steelers won it all with a pass defense ranked at the top of the league and an efficient pass offense that came through exactly when necessary. This year, the pass defense has dissolved, but the pass offense was still good enough to put the team over .500.
    Arians is a scapegoat because it’s considered heretical to claim that Saint LeBeau’s side of the ball might be the issue.

  66. @Desides
    Passing may have worked for Arians when he was QB coaching Peyton inside a climate controlled dome come December. But passing 2:1 in freezing temperatures with 30-35 winds, is not smart offensive play calling. Watch the Cleveland game and tell me how correct that was? Seriously….

  67. If any of you idiots paid attention to Pittsburgh sports you would all know Stan Savaran and ED Boucheete are good friends and do weekly shows together after Tomlins press conference . Ed knows his sh!t when it comes to the Steelers . He gets insite that most other in the Burgh dont . He is dick at times . But when you live in Pit most fans think they know all and say some dumb sh!t
    thats why he is the way he is .
    Arains sucks . Plain and simple . Lots of good examples to say he is . Wisenhunt was a better OC than Arians ever will be . Arains isnt a god when it comes to offense . We use to beat him regularly the Brown’s OC . Remember back to the AFC WC game against Cleveland . His offense sucks . Makes some great calls , but in instances he calls the wrong stuff and its dumb stuff .
    I think think the wr coach Randy Fitchner will be the OC . Look for someone Tomlin is connected too . Either from Min or Tampa or even from his college days . And anyone who thinks its time to get rid of Lebeau are true idiots .

  68. Ed whores himself to everyone, not just Stan & Guy. And if you didn’t notice he uses his time to promote his paysite they have going on the PG.
    He is heavily favored because he is close to the Rooney family and pretty much “untouchable” in a media sense.
    Still doesnt discredit the fact that he has been wrong a few times, and doesnt get some of the inside information that the youngsters are now pulling (and i say young when comparing Ed to Wex/Laird)

  69. In keeping with true Stiller’s tradition, their first pick in the 2010 draft will be, from Middle West Central Southeastern South Dakota State Community College: OT Bob Braskiizinski – or something like that.

  70. “Arians was criticized for not building a consistent running attack in Pittsburgh, but the passing game was among the league’s best. We doubt Arians would have been criticized so much if the Pittsburgh defense didn’t give up 101 more points in 2009 than 2008.”
    1. Arians has been criticized and lambasted by Steelers fans since the first game he called plays in 2007. Even after they won the Super Bowl last year. The failures of this year have nothing to do with it. The offense was good, and at times excellent. Despite a *lot* of Steelers fans out there that imply otherwise, we are not stupid. We know where the team went wrong this year.
    2. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 1100 yards this year… in 11 games. The lack of a running game was not the main issue.
    3. The main issue with Arians is that he has extraordinary talent and depth at every single skill position on the offensive side of the football. It’s been quite obvious for some time now that A) This is a passing league now, Ben is the reason the team has added two rings, and the team needs to be built from Ben up, and all around him. It’s his team, and they’ve spent the past 4 years or so trying to put the talent around him to make sure there is absolutely no mistake that this is Ben’s team. Here comes the problem, though. Arians first year as coordinator was Tomlin’s first year… aka this is year three of the Arians system. As I said earlier, with Holmes, Ward, Wallace, Miller, Mendenhall, Moore, Parker, and one of the best QB’s in the league, and even a wild-card guy like Stefan Logan, there is absolutely NO reason this can’t be a well-oiled MACHINE ala the offenses you see in Indianapolis and New Orleans. None. The offense has looked scary at times and has showed plenty of flashes of potential, but it’s NEVER lived up to them since Arians arrived and it’s quite obvious after 3 years of this moron trying to get it there, it never will. Arians is a meathead on the same level as Mike Tice. He’s absolutely terrible. His system sucks, his play-calling and game-planning suck (see the pitch to the slowest RB on the team 3rd and 2 on the border of FG range in an OT game, and the way he treated Dennis Dixon like a rookie with down syndrome all throughout the first Baltimore game, despite Dixon showing poise every time he dropped back). The ONLY time this offense even comes close to living up to it’s near-unstoppable potential is when Ben goes no-huddle and is calling the plays himself. This isn’t about not having a running game, it’s not about losing games. It’s the mere fact that this offense can be downright remarkable, and it’s only slightly above average. Tomlin is a guy who let’s his coordinators run their own show, he’s not one to override, not one to fire midseason, and winning the Super Bowl last year gave him a free pass, so I can understand why it rode out for this long. But he’s had his chances and I don’t blame Tomlin, Colbert or the Rooney’s for finally pulling the plug on this bozo experiment. Good freaking riddance. Maybe Al Davis will drop him a line.

  71. Wexell is reporting Tomlin didnt want him out. That this new ownership wants him out, kind of forcing the Rooney’s/Tomlin’s hand.

  72. @Bubby Brister…
    Very good post. After I started reading #3 I thought I was going to have to ask you what the hell you’re smoking….but after reading further you summed things up quite nicely.

  73. @Desides…
    Besides the obvious 4th Qtr woes, MOST of the games this season the defense has played GREAT for the 1st 3 qtrs. Seeing as how our largest margin of loss was 7 points all season I can only wonder where the offense was for those first 3 quarters and why it HAS TO come down to the defense shutting people absolutely down in the 4th for us to win. Like Bubby Brister said, with the talent we have on the offensive side of the ball, teams should be already dead in the 4th, not within striking distance. In several games this year, if our offense scores ONE MORE touchdown in many of our losses we win, flat out. And that’s hard to argue against considering how many times we left points on the field in the redzone.

  74. I thought ben loved Arians????
    Bringing the steelers back to a run first offense is going to be hard on ben after the good year that he had.
    I find it hard to believe the OC is the entire prob. Everyone is pointing at the OC but what about the D that gave up 4th qtr leads and alot of points??? No one wants to talk about Lebeau having issues…Maybe it is time for a change there??? Dont get me wrong, I think Lebeau is one of the best ever, but like head coaches I would think coordinators messages can get stale as well….

  75. Flyingelvislogosucksbringbackpatpatriot,
    I was the one that made that comment. Should have been woody hayes. He was a great Ohio State coach. I always heard growing up it was woody hayes that said it, but when I looked it up they said it was attributed to both Woody Hayes and the Darrell guy I mentioned and was up for debate as to who said it first. Lombardi was not mentioned anywhere. Let me know if you find something that says different. By the way, totally agree with your name. I still think running the ball is the way to go especially in a cold outdoor stadium like in the AFC north.

  76. No shortage of comments when it comes to the Steelers. Bruce Arians had to go. He would help the team win the first half but then in the second half, he would get impatient and forget about running the ball. Which meant a lot of 4 and outs for the Steelers defense to deal with.
    The time to run the ball is late in the game when your team has the lead. That strategy keeps the other team’s offense on the sidelines. Burns up clock time and keeps your defense fresh. For some reason that strategy eluded the offensive coordinator for the Steelers. The Steelers should consider Steve Mariucci as offensive coordinator.
    “Stats are way over rated.”
    Chucky
    GO STEELERS!

  77. @Bubby…ben is the reason the steelers have added 2 rings….really??? Ben???? Really??
    Ben had a good bit to do with last years ring but I think he had little to do with the 2005 ring. He even admits that.
    The 2005 steelers reminded me of the 2000 Ravens. A great defense with a QB that was told, just dont turn the ball over!!

  78. At some posters above…
    I don’t think with our offensive fire power we will necessarily be going back to a “run first” offensive strategy. Like Klytus stated above, Arians calling in the 2nd half of games was absolutely atrocious. The impatience was quite obvious, with the stupid play calling even more prominent. You get up on a team you run, take clock away and try to pound on the defense a little bit.
    I’ve said time and time again I’m not defending the defense. But I think it’s too easy to blame them b/c of the 4th qtr losses. With things like that happening, the first 3 qtr’s of the game can be easily overlooked and I think that’s what’s been happening all season. Of course there were games where the defense was bad in the 4th, but A LOT of points were left out on the field by our offense this year. Many of which would have changed the outcome of games. There’s at least 3 games this year that I’m absolutely positive this happened. Everyone knows that if we get just 1 of those 3 we’re in the postseason. There’s plenty of blame to go around. Season’s over. I think this is a step in the right direction.
    @Ravenmaniac…
    I hear some people talking about Lebeau leaving as well, and I’m super stoked to hear he is staying. I don’t think he’s going “stale” in Pittsburgh in any way. Read some of my prior posts and I think you’ll find, at least IMO, one of the main reasons the defense struggled a bit this year. Poor offensive play calling, VERY poor game management in the 2nd half, and many missed red zone opportunities. I’ve also tried to leave the comment I’m about to make out of as many of my posts as I could, but having an insanely good 3-4 DE and arguably the best defensive player in the league today injured for most of the season hurts. I’m actually surprised our run defense didn’t suffer more than it did.

  79. This is for all the LeBeau haters or Arians Lovers:
    In the 7 losses, the Vaunted Arians’ Offense averaged 16.7 points a game. The defense gave up 20.7 points a game (Actually 17.7 pts/game) Included are 2 – KR TDs and a pick 6 courtesy of Ben reducing the points given up by the D itself by 3 points.
    Whose fault?

  80. @redamber …
    Stats and scoring never tell the whole story.
    LeBeau is a defensive genius. That doesn’t mean he can work miracles with inadequate personnel, magically fill holes left by injured superstars, or will a defense to perform when some players are past their prime or the unit is overtired from being on the field too long.
    Arians did a good job simplifying the playbook from the unmanageable hodgepodge of leftovers Cowher had collected from every coordinator in his tenure. But it’s possible to be too simple. When defenses know exactly what you’re going to do every down, that’s problematic. When you stubbornly stick to a course of action that isn’t working, that’s problematic. When you make NO effort to get a first down with two minutes left in a game but try three consecutive times to throw for big yardage against shutdown corners, that’s problematic. And when your offensive line keeps buckling and gives up eight sacks to the Cleveland Browns, that’s criminal (and that’s on o-line coach Zierlein).
    It’s not about loving LeBeau and hating Arians.
    Based on overall performance, the most logical action on defense is to adjust player personnel. The most logical action on offense is to adjust coaching personnel. Let’s hope Tomlin does what’s logical.

  81. Ravenmaniac says:
    January 5, 2010 9:29 PM
    @Bubby…ben is the reason the steelers have added 2 rings….really??? Ben???? Really??
    Ben had a good bit to do with last years ring but I think he had little to do with the 2005 ring. He even admits that.
    The 2005 steelers reminded me of the 2000 Ravens. A great defense with a QB that was told, just dont turn the ball over!!
    —————————————————————————
    This is the wrong-headed myth we’ve been dealing with for years.
    Ben was no Dilfer in ’05. In fact it was his PASSING that got the Steelers to the Bowl that year — he was putting up 125 and 145 rating games through 3 playoff games while the run game absolutely disappeared. (Look it up.) The Bowl was a different story of course, but the fact is, without his passing the Steelers never make it there in the first place.
    What he admits is he wasn’t too thrilled with his Bowl performance, but as for his playoff run, he was absolutely on fire. Maybe the team owed it to him to pick up the slack for one game. I know Willie Parker did, both he and Bettis did squat that playoff run. And as we all know, “game managers” don’t get it done without run support.

  82. I hate ARians because the offense may put up yardage, but not points. And if you subtract the points scored off the INTs Ben throws in the 3rd Q of many games, Steelers net points scored on offense is downright mediocre.
    The defense bailed out the offense last year and the only good offense was Ben using his skills to bail out the offense along with his talented WRs on final drives. No thanks to Arians.
    Arians is a terrible red zone caller. While I think MartyBall is dead, there is nothing wrong in running more when you are faced with a poor run D like the Browns, especially in bad weather. What does Arians do? Well…
    He is an idiot.

  83. Ravenmaniac says:
    Ben had a good bit to do with last years ring but I think he had little to do with the 2005 ring. He even admits that.
    ____________________________________
    No one on that Steelers team had much to do with the 2005 ring, least of all Roethlisberger, whose QB stats remain the all-time worst in a Superbowl.
    We all know who won them that game, and they weren’t wearing black and gold. Okay, black.. but not gold.

  84. The Stiller colors are not black and gold – they are black and yellow.
    Don’t believe me? Look up any color chart and compare. If you think their are wearing gold then you are color blind.
    Only the Saints wear black and gold in the NFL.

  85. It’s really funny that no one is mentioning the EIGHT,count em EIGHT return TDs that the Steelers gave up this year.That is 56 points not to mention some really short fields for the D from long punt returns.Four kickoff returns,2 INT returns and 2 FUM returns.That is what put the D behind the 8 ball.Look at the differnce in most of those close games and that was it.Take those off the board and teams are scoring late to get within a score for the lead not taking the lead.

  86. So its his fault because the defense can’t stop anyone, William Gay couldn’t cover my grandmother and shes dead.
    The special teams gave up a lot of points that when it came down to the end of the game that was the difference.
    I do agree that at times he would get to predictable, get a lead and run 1st and 2nd down, then get 3rd and long and Ben gets blasted because the Def knows whats coming, but heck this was the best offensive numbers ever by the Steelers.

  87. Beer Cheese Soup says:
    January 6, 2010 4:40 AM
    Ravenmaniac says:
    Ben had a good bit to do with last years ring but I think he had little to do with the 2005 ring. He even admits that.
    ____________________________________
    No one on that Steelers team had much to do with the 2005 ring, least of all Roethlisberger, whose QB stats remain the all-time worst in a Superbowl.
    We all know who won them that game, and they weren’t wearing black and gold. Okay, black.. but not gold.
    —————————————
    Still a bit “cheesed off” the Steelers beat your team too, little crybaby?
    Conspiracy theories are for nuts and losers. Which are you?

  88. Just to reinforce Frank Burns comment, I think history has proven that you do not need a moron like Arians to take advantage of Ben’s passing skills. Ben’s passing under Wisenhunt led the way to 3 Steelers playoff wins before SB XL. The offense came out passing more than running in the first halves of all three games. What is differnet with Wisenhunt is htis. When he realized Ben was not playing well in SB XL, he came up with enough plays to put up 20 points on board. Contrast that to SB XLIII where Ben was much much better right off the bat and the offense still put up only 20 points (7 points came courtesy of a Harrison TD).

  89. Cowher is in Buffalo…the Bills need to develop a quarterback. Arians has ties to both Cowher and in the development of two of the best in Peyton and Ben. It doesn’t appear Arians would be out of a job for too long if Cowher accepts the Bills offer…

  90. Everyone is probably done reading this post, but since Deb called me out, I feel the need to state my case:
    I know exactly what the Rooney Rule is, and my assertion is that when a rule is named for Rooney regarding the interviewing of minority coaches, wouldn’t it seem a little hypocritical if Rooney then didn’t hire a minority head-coach?

  91. @hinescries …
    You talked about Whis and how AZ is in the playoffs but we’re not, then suggested Tomlin was a Rooney Rule backfire. Since Whis took the AZ job before the Steelers put Tomlin on their interview list, one had nothing to do with the other. That’s why I called you out.
    The Steelers wouldn’t have moved forward without interviewing minority coaches as the rule requires. But do I think they hired Tomlin just because he’s African American? No. When his name came out of nowhere, I was freaking out. So I studied up on the guy. When you look at Noll, then Cowher, Tomlin makes sense in that progression. In light of the two previous coaching hires, he makes more sense than Whis or Grimm would have.
    Cowher took us to six conference championships but only managed to get us into the big game twice and only won once. Tomlin didn’t have that problem. That wasn’t Cowher’s win, it was his. I’m happy for Whis, but I think the Rooneys made the right choice.

  92. @ urworstnitemare…
    There were a lot of yards gained, but not a lot of touchdown scored.
    TD > YARDS
    Look at the red zone stats, I would take less yards any week of the season for 1 more score in a game. That was the problem. I would rather have Ben throw 2500 yards a season and have our offense put up points when it needs to then have him throw 4500 and have horrible red zone performance.

  93. Frank Burns says:
    Still a bit “cheesed off” the Steelers beat your team too, little crybaby?
    ____________________________________
    Nope, not at all. My team is in the playoffs. Where’s yours?
    I get it though, you say I’m “cheesed off”, because I’m a Packers fan, and they’re in Wisconsin, where they make cheese.. Is that what passes for humor on the east coast these days??

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