When Todd Haley arrived in Pittsburgh as the new offensive coordinator for the Steelers, it was clear that it was a happy moment for the former Chiefs head coach. That said, it wasn’t that way for everyone on the team as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made it public that he never wanted a replacement for Bruce Arians in the first place. Then came the drama that Haley had yet to meet his franchise player. In other words, it’s been a rather rocky start for Haley in Pittsburgh.
The reality is that all of this is overblown, made up by a media hungry for anything related to football they can get their hands upon. Roethlisberger was out of turn for his public comments on the matter, and it doesn’t help that Haley is known for being passionate himself. In other words, it would make for interesting football if the two personalities clashed.
But ESPN’s Jamison Hensley says that while things have been blown out of proportion, it was also important for Haley and Roethlisberger to finally have their first meeting, which the two reportedly did yesterday.
Hensley writes, “You can laugh about the drama and say that this issue has been overblown. What can’t be overstated is Roethlisberger and Haley need to establish a working relationship, and the sooner the better for the Steelers. This isn’t to say that Haley and Roethlisberger need to be buddies and grab lunch at Primanti Brothers each week. But, in order for the Steelers’ offense to click, the quarterback and the offensive coordinator need to be familiar with one another.”
That’s an obvious statement, but there’s no major timeline here. It’s not as if Roethlisberger is reading Haley’s new playbook like The Hunger Games or that there’s any offseason activity for some time. The roster is going to change and schemes will morph according to the players that come in. This whole thing has been a ridiculous media circus.