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zulater
02-08-2012, 05:26 AM
Erroneous perceptions dog Haley
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





There's a perception out there that Steelers new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is a tyrant. It's one thing to be emotional, a good thing actually in a sport as competitive as football. But many say Haley frequently steps over the line, that he is headstrong, confrontational and difficult to work with and for. Certainly, he will be a giant pain in the butt for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and the players.

There's also a perception that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a pampered baby. Many say he was too chummy with former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The two have offseason homes in the same Georgia development. They have golfed together and vacationed together. Certainly, Roethlisberger will chafe under Haley's strong grip and be a detriment to the team after taking advantage of his relationship with Arians and running the offense his way.

Heard it said that perception is reality?

I don't believe it in either case.



For more insight I give you a player whose opinion I respect greatly -- Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. He played for Haley when Haley was the Cardinals offensive coordinator in the 2007 and '08 seasons and said this about him late in '10 when Haley was leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC West title as their head coach:

"I think Todd is a great coach. He's fun to play for. Everybody says he's a hard ass and this, that and the third, but at the end of the day when Todd came in the locker room he'd give you the biggest hug. He wanted it so bad for us. He prepared so much and he pushed us. I remember after the NFC championship game" -- a 32-25 win by the Cardinals against the Philadelphia Eagles that put Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII against the Steelers after the '08 season -- "he was in tears. Those moments are what I'll remember."





It's also true that Roethlisberger, like many of us, isn't thrilled with change. He knows what he had in Arians. He has heard the stories about Haley -- good and bad -- but he has no idea what to expect from him. "It's going to be definitely different for us," Roethlisberger said. "The powers that be make decisions and we live with it and go with it. We'll just have to see where we go from here."

But beyond his fondness for Arians and his fear of change, Roethlisberger is a professional. He's also an extraordinary competitor. He'll learn to like any coach who can help him and his team win.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208718-87-0.stm#ixzz1lmxAV1Xb

fansince'76
02-08-2012, 08:19 AM
"Pampered babies" don't continue to play when they can barely walk.

suitanim
02-08-2012, 09:13 AM
How does Cook know?

And we already know quoting players and ex-players isn't necessarily all that, since both ike and Joe Greene seem to be under the impression that one of the most balanced teams in the NFL never runs the ball.

El-Gonzo Jackson
02-08-2012, 12:08 PM
Nice article, but I am ready to sharpen up my pitchfork at the first sign of a bubble screen. I am assembling legions of haters to be at the ready.

suitanim
02-08-2012, 12:12 PM
It won't really matter what the specific plays are. It only matters that all of them won't work (and, in the bubble screen case, even the success of a play doesn't necessarily predicate that the play will be approved, because that play actually WORKS, and people still hate it). And we all know that any play that doesn't work means the OC is an idiot.