Analysis: Time was right for Steelers change

[stillers4me]

It doesn't matter that the Steelers probably should take a class on the proper way to let go of a longtime employee, particularly a coordinator.

Bruce Arians' “retirement” as offensive coordinator in January 2012 still is the butt of jokes. Give it some time, and surely quips will fly about Dick LeBeau's “resignation” Saturday.

But who cares? Who cares if there was an uncomfortable feel in Mike Tomlin's office Saturday morning when the conversation ultimately shifted from “How are you?” to “Maybe it's time to move on”? .............


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/7540038-74/lebeau-steelers-butler#ixzz3Oc9y8yJu

[86WARD]

Danny Smith...lol.

[Psycho Ward 86]

time will tell.

[ALLD]

Tomlin better stop having Ben punt and stop the insanity with Archer or he will be the next one to resign.

[86WARD]

Tomlin better stop having Ben punt and stop the insanity with Archer or he will be the next one to resign.

Can't be soon enough...

[katmandu]

I like the way this Reporter put it.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/01/10/dunlap-lebeau-out-but-process-seems-strange/


Colin Dunlap Mornings, 5:40 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Colin grew up in Sharpsburg and...
Read More (http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/personality/colin-dunlap/) No ceremony.
No press conference.
No member of the Rooney family standing in front of television cameras thanking Dick LeBeau — one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all-time — for his dedication and commitment to one of the proudest organizations in the National Football League.
Nope. Instead on Saturday afternoon, it came in a flash, a breaking news item flickered out from a small town newspaper just west of Columbus, Ohio.
“I’m resigning this position, not retiring,” LeBeau, 77, said in an exclusive interview with the Urbana Daily Citizen, a newspaper located in the area in which he was born in 1937. “I had a great run in Pittsburgh. I’m grateful for all the things that have happened to me and thankful for all the support I had in Pittsburgh.”
Like that, it was over.
No fighting back tears at the podium.
No cameras snapping or reporters rapid-firing questions.
No former players jamming into that room in the South Side to hear the final remarks of a man who helped mold them; a man who helped make them millionaires.
LeBeau was out — about as unceremoniously as one could be out.
And do you want a microcosm that adequately serves to quantify the loyalty LeBeau has? You just read those quotes.
They appeared in a small town Ohio newspaper, in place you’d least expect to break news about a major story involving the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But I will venture a guess here: While he could have called CBS or ESPN or one of the Pittsburgh papers or NFL.com, LeBeau had made a promise to a reporter in his hometown that if something were to ever happen, LeBeau would give him the story first. I don’t know this to be fact, but it’s a pretty good guess.
And seeing how it all transpired, seeing how the Urbana Daily Citizen got the story first should strengthen everything you’ve ever heard about the loyalty and devotion Dick LeBeau has to people.
He’s the epitome of a man’s man.
In all of this however, in the fact that he will no longer coach in Pittsburgh, is there blame to be had on one side or the other? No. This was a Pittsburgh Steelers defense — albeit beset by injury — that had slipped to 18th overall and couldn’t have been one that made the man who was a coordinator here in 1995 and ’96 and then from 2004-14 his happiest.
This isn’t a column stating anywhere that LeBeau should have come back for the 2015 season. In actuality, I feel the other way, a change in the coordinator position on defense will only serve to help this organization.
That said, it just all smells fishy.
Here’s the thing that feels like the biggest takeaway: I don’t believe for one minute that LeBeau resigned.
The man was fired.
Or he was going to be fired if he didn’t resign.
A simple connection of the dots — or a smidgen of logic — yields as much.
This is a similar situation to when it was announced by the team that Bruce Arians “retired” after the 2011 season, only to surface in Indianapolis the next season and move on, eventually, to be the head coach in Arizona.
I guess the bottom line in all of this, is that the Steelers had a choice, and the way they handled this was a way in which looks like they fudged it up the most.
If you are going to fire someone, fire someone.
If you are going to remove someone, remove someone.
If Art Rooney II — or whomever made the decision LeBeau was no longer needed — felt compelled to rid themselves of a man such a Dick LeBeau, have the damn backbone to put your name and face to it.
Instead, in this instance, if feels like the onus fell to LeBeau to play along with the charade — just as it did with Arians — and LeBeau handled it with grace and dignity. He took one for (the former) team.
No one should have expected anything less from that man.
But should we expect more from the Steelers? That’s the real question.


Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 “The Fan.” You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com (colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com?subject=). Check out his bio here (http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/personality/colin-dunlap/).

[katmandu]

I don't like how the Tomlin and the Rooney's handle Firings/Terminations of great players and coaches. They seem to have LOST a LOT of CLASS over the years.

Yea, yea, yea...... business is business. The Steelers are "A Family Oriented" organization. Blah, blah, blah.

Well, IMHO, You don't treat a family member like SHIT ! And that's what the Rooney's and Tomlin have been doing the past several years!

I quite frankly feel EMBARRASED for them to show such lack of CLASS ! VERY disappointed how they've been treating people.

Have some F'N BALLS and come out from the Ivory Tower, stand behind the microphone and tell Steeler Nation WHY.... W-H-Y you made this decision! Don't use the limp dick response........ "It was time" either.

DAMMIT !!!!

- - - Updated - - -

...... ONE MORE THING Rooney and Coach Tomlin !

Your reputation as a "Family" organization is very seriously DAMAGED for the Firing of Coach DAD!

Perhaps irreversable !

...and another point!

This Team has.... well HAD (until lately) also had the reputation of having CLASS ! You'all just pissed all over that reputation!

VERY DISAPPOINTED in the Black-n-Gold Front Office !

[Lady Steel]

I don't like how the Tomlin and the Rooney's handle Firings/Terminations of great players and coaches. They seem to have LOST a LOT of CLASS over the years.

Yea, yea, yea...... business is business. The Steelers are "A Family Oriented" organization. Blah, blah, blah.

Well, IMHO, You don't treat a family member like SHIT ! And that's what the Rooney's and Tomlin have been doing the past several years!

I quite frankly feel EMBARRASED for them to show such lack of CLASS ! VERY disappointed how they've been treating people.

Have some F'N BALLS and come out from the Ivory Tower, stand behind the microphone and tell Steeler Nation WHY.... W-H-Y you made this decision! Don't use the limp dick response........ "It was time" either.

DAMMIT !!!!

- - - Updated - - -

...... ONE MORE THING Rooney and Coach Tomlin !

Your reputation as a "Family" organization is very seriously DAMAGED for the Firing of Coach DAD!

Perhaps irreversable !

...and another point!

This Team has.... well HAD (until lately) also had the reputation of having CLASS ! You'all just pissed all over that reputation!

VERY DISAPPOINTED in the Black-n-Gold Front Office !

At this point in time, I agree with this. I am not at all happy with the way all this was handled. Some people have no idea what the concept of "family" really is. Coach LeBeau deserves better.

[Godfather]

This is a good start. Now we just need to check off the other important moves:

- Fire Colbert
- Fire Tomlin
- Fire Haley
- Trade Ben
- Get Art II to sell to Mark Cuban

[Count Steeler]

At this point in time, I agree with this. I am not at all happy with the way all this was handled. Some people have no idea what the concept of "family" really is. Coach LeBeau deserves better.

I'm not really privy to reports from Pittsburgh, so just speculating. Maybe LeBeau didn't want a show. Maybe he heard that the Steelers would not renew his contract and he decided just to go home and break the story. Because, in fact, LeBeau broke the story, not the Steelers. MAYBE a courtesy they extended to him?

[Shoes]

Its not a family, its a business and even more so since Art II is steering the ship. This type of thing happens everyday to millions of working people of all ages who are trying to make ends meet. Dick is a multimillionaire with a trophy case full of stuff, he'll have another job in a few weeks.

[Lady Steel]

I'm not really privy to reports from Pittsburgh, so just speculating. Maybe LeBeau didn't want a show. Maybe he heard that the Steelers would not renew his contract and he decided just to go home and break the story. Because, in fact, LeBeau broke the story, not the Steelers. MAYBE a courtesy they extended to him?

Yeah, that could be. I think I did read somewhere that Coach LeBeau may have had an agreement with his home newspaper to give them first dibs if anything should happen. I've been reading so much about this that I can't remember where I saw it, though. :(

[Godfather]

Its not a family, its a business and even more so since Art II is steering the ship. This type of thing happens everyday to millions of working people of all ages who are trying to make ends meet. Dick is a multimillionaire with a trophy case full of stuff, he'll have another job in a few weeks.

And on a more serious note than my previous post, this isn't anything new. Remember Franco in a Seahawks uniform?

Problem is, there's no good way to tell someone "We think you're washed up", and that's essentially what you tell Franco Harris/Mike Webster/Rod Woodson/Dick LeBeau when you don't renew their contracts.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I'm not really privy to reports from Pittsburgh, so just speculating. Maybe LeBeau didn't want a show. Maybe he heard that the Steelers would not renew his contract and he decided just to go home and break the story. Because, in fact, LeBeau broke the story, not the Steelers. MAYBE a courtesy they extended to him?

how dare you speculate from another point of view that also makes sense. blasphemy :chuckle:

[Shoes]

And on a more serious note than my previous post, this isn't anything new. Remember Franco in a Seahawks uniform?

Problem is, there's no good way to tell someone "We think you're washed up", and that's essentially what you tell Franco Harris/Mike Webster/Rod Woodson/Dick LeBeau when you don't renew their contracts.

You are correct, unfortunately most of these players/coaches don't know how to go out with grace. The look of humility may be on the surface but pride is driving the gears.

[katmandu]

I'm not really privy to reports from Pittsburgh, so just speculating. Maybe LeBeau didn't want a show. Maybe he heard that the Steelers would not renew his contract and he decided just to go home and break the story. Because, in fact, LeBeau broke the story, not the Steelers. MAYBE a courtesy they extended to him?Yes, perhaps, but I can not see Coach Dad just deciding to walk away from Troy, Brett, James, Ike and all the rest just like that.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Yes, perhaps, but I can not see Coach Dad just deciding to walk away from Troy, Brett, James, Ike and all the rest just like that.

maybe that was part of the perceived problem. 3 out of 4 of those guys are washed up/way too injury prone and if there were going to be high demands for them to stay on the team and snatch roster spots from other promising young players, that could have ultimately proved detrimental to the team.

[Mojouw]

There is an interesting post on Behind the Steel Curtain that lays out a scenario that this was how Lebeau and Butler wanted it.

With a number of coaches and coordinators across the NFL "resigning" or "mutually parting ways" in the past several seasons, I'm not sure that stories and "hot takes" on the increasing classlessness of the Steelers that use Lebeau and Arians as examples are anything more than the lazy speculation and link bait that I've come to expect from the Steelers beat writers and the national football "pundits".

All that being said, I'm on a tropical island and am paying very little attention to all of it. I'm sure others are more up to date on the details.

Is Butler actually any good at anything? Or is his main advantage that he is familiar and promises were made?

[Godfather]

You are correct, unfortunately most of these players/coaches don't know how to go out with grace. The look of humility may be on the surface but pride is driving the gears.

The greats don't give up easily. They always believe they can come back next year and find their groove again.

That's what made them great in their prime.