Todd Hailey, the New OC

It looks like the Steelers are about to make official and name Todd Hailey (does he kind of look like Jerry Seinfeld, or is that just my imagination?) as their new offensive coordinator. Let me be the first to say that he's a bum, has no imagination, calls too many pass plays, and should be fired!

Just kidding, of course. I don't expect that there will be any such talk about the new OC until at least after the Steelers lose for the first time in 2012 (even if it is an exhibition game). Actually, when you read some of the stories about Hailey's supposed paranoia during his final days in Kansas City, it is kind of surprising that the Steelers would make this hire. Not the "Steelers Way", and all that. As recently as yesterday in his MMQB column, Peter King was speculating that Hailey would never get this job. Hailey did mastermind that Cardinals offense that almost beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl a few years back, so he does bring some credentials with him. The fact that he washed out as a head coach in KC only means that maybe he shouldn't be a head coach. Others say that his tough guy approach with players is just what Ben Roethlisberger needs, although, personally, I think that Ben needs offensive linemen who can contain a pass rush a whole lot more than he needs a hard ass coach, but that's just me.

Far more interesting to me is how this whole firing/hiring of the OC has seemed to smack of Art Rooney circumventing his head coach, and that could have some long term effects that may not end up being to everyone's liking. And does that fact that Hailey is the son of old-time Steeler and, presumably, a Rooney family favorite, Dick Hailey play into this at all?

One thing I do know is that Hailey, a professional football coach, is a whole lot more smarter than me when it comes to football, so who am I to judge, and I hope he's a huge success with Rooney U next season. Would you take it if he masterminded an offense that produced, say, 12 wins in 2012? I sure would, and I'm betting that you would, too. Twelve wins, by the way, being the same number of wins that the Steelers produced this past season with Bruce Arians as OC.

Art II Takes Charge

It is old news now, but I do want to add my two cents worth to the news that had Steelers fans all abuzz last week - the "retirement" of much maligned offensive coordinator Bruce Arians at the strong suggestion of team Prez Art Rooney II, and, apparently, over the objections of head coach Mike Tomlin, and to the surprise of Arians himself.

It is true that Rooney signs the checks, and we all know that the #1 rule in all businesses is that "the boss is always the boss", so no one is questioning Rooney's right to push Arians into retirement. What is surprising is that Rooney's move seems to temporarily, at least, emasculate his Head Coach, smacks of JerryJones-ism, and it flies in the face of the almost sacrosanct "Steelers Way" of doing business that everyone goes on and on about all the time. What next? Art II standing on the sidelines in the final minutes of games and dancing like Tom "Boogie" Benson in New Orleans?

As for Art II's insistence that the Steelers go back to an old school run-first offense, what has he been watching in the NFL the last few seasons? You have an elite quarterback, to whom you have committed over $100 million, a crew of young, fast, and potentially elite receivers, and he wants to bring back Fran Rogel and John Henry Johnson? I am missing something here.

It was interesting to hear Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon really rip into Rooney over this move in a way that no Pittsburgh based commentator would ever treat a Rooney. I mean, really, just imagine Bob Pompeani saying anything critical of Art Rooney II.

And as for Arians' retirement, it lasted less than a week and how interesting it was to see who hired him to be his Offensive Coordinator - Indy Colts new Head Coach Chuck Pagano. Until recently, Pagano was defensive coordinator of the Ravens, and as such he was charged with having to devise the defenses that could beat Arians' offense twice, and sometimes three times, a year. The 2011 season aside, Pagano's defense usually lost to Arians' offense. Obviously, Pagano sees something in Bruce Arians that all the Arians Bashers in Steelerland has failed to see over the years.