Kovacevic: Why Haley, LeBeau could be out

[zulater]

Looking ahead, and assuming these Steelers keep plodding along with a couple wins here against a handful of losses there, I easily can lay out a 10-point case for why both coordinators, Todd Haley and Dick LeBeau, the next men down the ladder, won't be back in 2014:

10. BEN VS. TODD

Let's get this out of the way early because I don't believe it will be decisive. Not singularly, anyway.

Still, a QB and his coordinator must be on the same page, and it's clear these two aren't. Whether it's Ben deferring all questions about playcalling to Haley or describing how he's left out of scripting a game's opening 10 plays — both happened this week — it can't go on.

9. PHILIP RIVERS?

Think such a relationship is overrated?

Tell it to the Chargers' QB, an exasperating underachiever for years under Norv Turner but now a big hit under first-year coordinator Ken Whisenhunt: Rivers' 111.1 passer rating is No. 2 in the NFL, sandwiched between Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and he leads the league in completion percentage at 73.9.

Rivers is 31. He didn't suddenly figure himself out without help.

8. HALEY'S MESSES

Whether it's the two local lawsuits against Haley from his house-builders and his dog-walkers — oh, go look that one up yourself — or being seen at a hotel bar in the wee hours before a 1 p.m. kickoff or even that playful ‘Chiefs suck' napkin scribble that went viral ... fair game or not, that's a whole lot more drama than all of the Rooneys, Tomlin and Colbert have combined to produce over the last decade.

The Rooneys, in particular, aren't drama fans.



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[Seven]

I don't see how you fire LeBeau. He's putting the defense in the right situations and they aren't performing. Most of the mistakes on defense appear physical to me. I don't think the defensive scheme is inferior. The offense on the other hand, might be a different situation. I don't think I even need to elaborate. I do think Kirby Wilson deserves a chance to run this offense. So does Butler deserve a chance to run the defense, but I would not be so quick to judge LeBeau. I hate to be so cliché, but I would probably be in favor of firing Haley if he doesn't dramatically turn things around.

[steelerdude15]

Dick certainly will not be fired and I highly doubt Todd will be fired. Neither will Mike or Kevin for that matter.

[zulater]

Dick certainly will not be fired and I highly doubt Todd will be fired. Neither will Mike or Kevin for that matter.

I think there's little chance that Haley wont be fired. It's not just that he turned out to be the wrong man for the job as per performance, but he's also proven to be an embarrassment off the field. The midnight boozing combined withe the lawsuits will be the end of him.

[86WARD]

Both should go.

[Count Steeler]

Lebeau will retire at the end of the season.

Haley should be fired by Tomlin. Tuesday morning works for me.

[ALLD]

Haley had so much potential and screwed it up.

[vader29]

Haley should be fired by Tomlin. Tuesday morning works for me.
Just before kickoff today would work for me. :asskick:

[ALLD]

I think if we achieve a whole new level of embarrassment against the Pats, he will be a lame duck.

[X-Terminator]

No chance LeBeau gets outright fired. He will be allowed to retire so that he will be given the respect he has earned and deserves. Haley, however, will be given a pink slip and a one-way Greyhound ticket out of town. What a disaster he has been. I would say the OL coach as well, but the guy has been trying to make chicken salad out of chicken shit since game 1. He gets another year with, hopefully, a healthy OL.

[stillers4me]

2. A fond farewell
On that note, there are precious few figures in football more respected — as a Hall of Fame player, as a coach and, above all, as a person — than LeBeau. I cringe at even connecting him and Haley for this column. They've got next to nothing in common.
LeBeau and the Steelers have enjoyed an extraordinary ride. The man shouldn't be remembered as anything less than a total triumph.
But he'll be 77 next year, Butler 57, and the latter has earned a chance of his own.

1. Tomlin deserves it
No matter what all concerned insist, I'll never believe that anyone below Art Rooney II hired Haley. Too much from that time period points that way. And that wasn't fair to Tomlin, a richly successful head coach who deserves to pick his own coordinators. He was fortunate to inherit LeBeau, not so much Haley.
I've been tough on Tomlin this season. A lot of us have, and he's deserved most of the criticism coming from all over. But I still think a ton of him as a head coach and would welcome seeing if he can bounce back with fresh wingmen.
I'll give 10-to-1 odds.


Kudos to Dejan! If we bomb today and fire Haley before he gets on the plane, that's fine with with me. Let Kirby Wilson take over and if things improve.....he's got the job.

[tube517]

No offense to Kirby Wilson or any other people on staff now. I'd like to see a completely new offensive staff. Some of these schemes are the same old shit under Haley Arians Whis Mularkey Erhardt etc.. This essentially the same offense since 1992. Except we don't have the running game or offensive line. This organization needs some fresh blood in the coaching staff. The only OC who maximized what players he had was Whis.

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[SteelerFanInStl]

No offense to Kirby Wilson or any other people on staff now. I'd like to see a completely new offensive staff. Some of these schemes are the same old shit under Haley Arians Whis Mularkey Erhardt etc.. This essentially the same offense since 1992. Except we don't have the running game or offensive line. This organization needs some fresh blood in the coaching staff. The only OC who maximized what players he had was Whis.

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I've gotten to the point where I agree with this. I really think that we need to clean house with the coaching staff or else we're going to continue in the same direction that we've been heading for years.

[Dwinsgames]

nothing here we have not talked about in bits and pieces in other threads , I do believe ( but believed so a month or so ago ) Haley is on borrowed time , I am not so sure Colbert and Tomlin are beyond reproach either ..

Just say NO to Kirby Wilson too he has had the wrong personnel on he field more times than I can count this year as Pos coach , putting more on his plate seems like a really bad idea to me

[salamander]

What the Steelers should do and what they'll end up doing are probably going to be two different things.

[BigNastyDefense]

nothing here we have not talked about in bits and pieces in other threads , I do believe ( but believed so a month or so ago ) Haley is on borrowed time , I am not so sure Colbert and Tomlin are beyond reproach either ..

Just say NO to Kirby Wilson too he has had the wrong personnel on he field more times than I can count this year as Pos coach , putting more on his plate seems like a really bad idea to me

Is that on Wilson or Haley though? Haley is the OC, so I would guess that's more his choice than Wilson's. Not to mention look at what we have had at RB for most of the season. There really wasn't right personnel until Bell got healthy enough to actually play.

[Dwinsgames]

Is that on Wilson or Haley though? Haley is the OC, so I would guess that's more his choice than Wilson's. Not to mention look at what we have had at RB for most of the season. There really wasn't right personnel until Bell got healthy enough to actually play.

Pos coach is responsible to have the right guys on the field for specific play calls , the OC should be looking over is work to be certain its being done with due diligence and if not call a TO , but go even further at the end of the day it is on Tomlin because he is supposed to be steering this ship and it is WAY off course ...plenty of blame pie for all of them no doubt ....

the way I see it Tomlins message is stale and nobody is taking him seriously because nothing is changing , coaches all the way down through the player ranks

[BigNastyDefense]

Pos coach is responsible to have the right guys on the field for specific play calls , the OC should be looking over is work to be certain its being done with due diligence and if not call a TO , but go even further at the end of the day it is on Tomlin because he is supposed to be steering this ship and it is WAY off course ...plenty of blame pie for all of them no doubt ....

the way I see it Tomlins message is stale and nobody is taking him seriously because nothing is changing , coaches all the way down through the player ranks

Haley is a total control freak. I wouldn't be shocked if he overrules Wilson and puts who he wants on the field because he is the OC and therefore that final choice is his.

As for Tomlin, he doesn't strike me as a take charge of the offense HC. He never has. Now if a starter needs replaced, he'll go ahead and make that choice. However, he doesn't strike me as the step in and call plays type.