Haley takes fall for Steelers’ early exit
Todd Haley’s effective dismissal Wednesday as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive co-ordinator was met on social media simultaneously, and about equally, with his detractors feeling vindicated and backers complaining he had been wrongly scapegoated.
Look, somebody had to lose his job after one of the most talentladen Steelers squads since the 1970s Super Bowl dynasty failed to win even one playoff game.
When the NFL announced Tuesday night that Mike Tomlin and his Steelers staff would coach the AFC team next week at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, that was as much a confirmation that, despite reported dissatisfaction with Tomlin among some minority owners of the Steelers, his job was safe.
Should it have been Haley, then, who paid with his employment?
First, he wasn’t technically fired. Tomlin, in a statement long after the news broke, said he “made the decision to not renew the contract” for Haley.
Did Haley improve quarterback Ben Roethlisberger since 2012? It seems so, in several statistical measures. For instance, in the six years before Haley’s arrival, the Steelers in total yards ranked seventh, 17th, 22nd, seventh, 14th and 12th. In the six years under Haley they ranked 21st, 20th, second, third, seventh and third. Someone even tweeted that Big Ben learned to fire off passes under Haley’s tutelage faster than at any time in his 14year career.
Jets fire offensive co-ordinator: Few offences in the NFL overachieved like the New York Jets. However, there reportedly was locker-room strife on the offensive side, so the Jets fired offensive co-ordinator John Morton on Wednesday. They’ll soon hire their third OC in as many years. Steratore to ref Super Bowl: Veteran NFL referee Gene Steratore will work Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, the NFL has announced. It’s his first Super Bowl assignment in 15 years as an NFL official. Steratore also is a Big Ten men’s basketball official.