Pittsburgh Steelers’ Team President Art Rooney II is as frustrated as you and I. OK maybe not THAT frustrated, but in his comments today there was clearly some concern about the lack of postseason success. His organization has now gone seven seasons without a playoff win and while some teams may be happy with just making the postseason, that is 100% not the case in Pittsburgh.
“We’ve had enough of this,” Rooney said. “It’s time to get some wins; it’s time to take these next steps.”
While ARII doesn’t speak with the urgency of most fans, it was clear that he’s reached a certain level of frustration. But he’s also part of the problem. If he is so adamant about this team winning postseason games then open up the checkbook!
It’s beyond time to start paying for higher level coordinators. Part of the lure of Matt Canada was the hope that he would strike gold in his first opportunity in the NFL. But it was also because Canada came cheap. At $700,000 per season, his contract was one of the lower ones in the NFL and as they say, “you get what you pay for.”
While we don’t yet have a new coordinator to run this offense, it is the hope of all Steelers’ fans that it is someone who brings a hell of a lot more than Canada. But opening the checkbook goes beyond just the coordinator. The Steelers have the smallest coaching staff in the league and while that may have certain perks, it also has significant disadvantages. Having more coaches and staff members on hand can reduce the amount of “monotonous” stuff they have to do. Coaches need to be able to gameplan and coach. Having assistants under them helps that process. But if Mr. Rooney isn’t willing to pay then nothing will change in this regard.
ARII also discussed the quarterback situation. “We still feel good about Kenny Pickett and his future, but he knows he needs to work hard and take the next step,” Rooney said. “And we’ve talked about that, and one of the things we liked about Kenny in terms of his career at Pitt was that, how hard he worked, and he took a step every year. So we’re looking for that to happen here.”
I don’t know that I’d call that a huge endorsement but I do like the fact that ARII spoke plainly. Pickett took a step back this past year and he’s deserving of a shot to redeem himself but it seems clear to me his leash isn’t going to be long.
Today’s comments from ARII were as frank as I’ve heard from him in some time and I for one appreciate them. But actions speak louder than words and it’s beyond time to put those words to work.
