Oh boy. I am not a big fan when those that ARE NOT ON THE COACHING STAFF start giving advice to the head coach and/or coordinators about what type of offense to run. Well, today’s Post-Gazette reports that Art Rooney II is chatting with Mike Tomlin about running the ball more. Ugh. Why doesn’t he talk to Mike as well about giving up buckets of points in the fourth quarter?
Many share the frustration over an inconsistent Steelers running game this season; Steelers president Art Rooney II has done something about it. He talked to coach Mike Tomlin about changing the Steelers’ philosophy about the run, and they agreed it will be a point of emphasis heading into the 2010 season. “I think Mike and I certainly agreed coming off the season that we need to run the ball more consistently to get to where we want to get to,” Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “So that’s part of the thinking in the offseason: We need to figure out how to get better running the football.We have to get back to being able to run the football when we need to run the football, and being able to run more consistently than we have in the past season.” Rooney said his coach has conveyed that to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. “Mike has talked to Bruce about that.”
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DrGeorge
January 15, 2010 at 10:54 am
You must be joking, Matt. Your comment is way off base.
Art Rooney II said what many of us have said on this site during the season: the Steelers need to run the ball more consistently. He didn’t dictate the offensive scheme; he urged a shift in emphasis. It’s not only his right to say something; it’s his obligation to the other owners. Do you think, for example, that Rooney had no input into the firing of Zierlien and the hiring of Sean Kugler? No NFL coach operates in a vacuum.
On your second point, I’ll bet Art also had a few choice words with Tomlin about the repeated defensive collapse in the fourth quarter, too. Why wouldn’t he? He represents the people who have skin in the game. If it were your money at risk, would you sit placidly by while the quality of play deteriorated? Would the owners of any business?
The real news is how well Rooney handled this season’s debacle. He didn’t demand Arians’ head in a silly knee-jerk reaction to the problem; he gave Arians a tentative vote of confidence and asked Tomlin to run the ball more consistently. That sounds quite reasonable. The question is whether Arians temperamentally can implement it. It appears his future with the Steelers depends on his figuring it out. In fact, Tomlin’s own comments, prior to the Rooney interview, made the same point; the Steelers must be able to run the ball effectively when the game situation requires it. Tomlin and Rooney are on the same page strategically.
In the same interview, Rooney also mentioned the importance of the last three wins: they established that Tomlin had not lost control of his team and kept them focused. The strong implication of Rooney’s comment is clear: his dialogue with Tomlin might have taken a very different tone if the Steelers had lost those last three games. Tomlin is well aware of that. Any NFL coach would expect it.
Rooney is a superb owner and franchise manager, as his conduct and calm response to this situation indicates. He did the right thing. Now it’s up to the coaching staff to get it done on the field.
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