Haley gets the boot, Fichtner reportedly in as Steelers offensive coordinator ... Steratore is picked to ref Super Bowl ... Jets sack offensive-coordinator
Statistical improvements but more playoff losses than wins last six years
Todd Haley’s effective dismissal Wednesday as Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator was met on social media simultaneously, and about equally, with his detractors feeling vindicated and backers complaining he’d been wrongly scapegoated.
Look, somebody had to lose his job after one of the most talent-laden 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 that he “made the decision to not renew the contract” for Haley.
“I would like to thank Todd for his contributions to our offence the past six years, and we wish him the best in his coaching future,” Tomlin’s short statement concluded.
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, and in the six years under Haley ranked 21st, 20th, second, third, seventh and third. Someone even tweeted that Big Ben learned to fire off passes faster than at any time in his 14-year career under Haley’s tutelage.
But the Steelers lost four of seven playoff games with Haley calling plays on offence. And did Haley and Roethlisberger clash too often, too severely and over too long a period of time? Sure seems so.
Most recently in this regard, Big Ben was hardly protective of Haley when he informed reporters after Sunday’s stinging AFC divisional-playoff loss to Jacksonville that he didn’t know why he hasn’t been told to run a quarterback sneak in years. My takeaway from that little news nugget? Um, why haven’t you asked Haley about it yourself, Ben, if it bugs you so much?
Within hours of Haley’s dismissal, reports flooded Twitter with speculation, then assuredness, that current Steelers quarterbacks coach
Randy Fichtner is getting Haley’s job. It was Fichtner late this season who left his usual press box perch on game days to instead act as some kind of communication conduit between Haley and Roethlisberger; apparently their relationship had become that toxic.
With Roethlisberger non-committal beyond 2018, presumably Tomlin sought and got Big Ben’s quiet approval before promoting Fichtner, if those reports are true.
Because the very last thing this uncharacteristically team in turmoil needs is any more drama in 2018. As for the defensive side, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Tomlin already has told coordinator Keith Butler and his staff that they’re safe.
To that end, the Steelers would be wise to make any other sweeping changes they might have in mind as soon as possible in the off-season. Turn the page as fast as possible and get on with the repairs. STERATORE TO REF SB Veteran NFL referee Gene
Steratore will work Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, the NFL 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. JETS FIRE O-COORDINATOR
Few offences in the NFL over-achieved like the New York Jets. But there reportedly was locker-room strife on the offensive side. So the Jets fired offensive coordinator John
Morton on Wednesday. They’ll soon hire their third OC in as many years. UNDERCLASSMEN DECLARE
Collegiate football players three years removed from high school but with a year of NCAA eligibility remaining had until Monday to declare for April’s NFL draft. The league won’t confirm this year’s number until Friday, but NFL.com lists more than 100 who have announced
their intentions to turn pro. Among the notables: QBs Josh Rosen (UCLA), Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Allen (Wyoming), Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Kyle Allen (Houston); Penn State RB Saquon Barkley; Ohio State LB Jerome Baker and CB Denzel Ward; and Notre
Dame RB Josh Adams, G Quenton Nelson and WR Equanimeous St. Brown.
SEC websites say a whopping six LSU players have declared, plus five from Alabama, four from Auburn and three apiece from Florida and Tennessee. BIDS FOR THURSDAYS
Bloomberg.com reports that Fox and Disney (the latter on behalf of its ABC network) have submitted bids for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package in 2018. CBS and NBC are expected to bid too, the report said. The latter two networks together paid $450 million to air 10 Thursday games this past season. With ratings having dropped in 2017, all networks presumably will submit bids less than $45 million per broadcast. If the league allows digital-only platforms, such as Facebook, to bid, the price could actually go up. COACH MOVEMENTS Seattle officially fired defensive coordinator Kris Richard and replaced him with former Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers coach Ken Norton Jr. The Seahawks also hired Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator and Mike Solari as offensive-line coach … Pittsburgh offensive line coach Mike Munchak reportedly declined to be interviewed a second time by the Arizona Cardinals for their head-coach vacancy. Odd … Miami named ex-Denver assistant Eric Studesville as RBs coach, and ex-Detroit assistant Kris Kocurek as DL coach. THE WINNERS ARE ...
The Professional Football Writers of America on Wednesday named Tom Brady the NFL’s MVP of 2017.
As well, the writers group named Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell defensive player of the year, and Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley offensive player of the year.
In Jacksonville on Wednesday, Campbell said this of Brady, the New England Patriots’ 18th-year passer:
“He is the best quarterback to ever play the game. The reason why he is, is because he prepares. He knows everything you want to do. He can literally call it out as soon as you call a play and line up. He knows exactly where to go because he knows what you are in.
“You have to disguise your defence and put pressure on him upfront.”