According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley is interviewing in Arizona today for the vacant head coaching position there. In Reader’s Digest form, here’s a few reasons why he would take the job.
1. Coming home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. While I don’t believe Haley and Ben Roethlisberger were ever going to have a match to the death over the offense in 2012, it’s clear they had different views and opinions on how the offense should work. Throw in the fact that Haley was brought back to do two things, increase scoring and improve the running game, and neither were successful, I can see why he might want out.
2. There are worse places than the desert. If you didn’t already know this, Todd Haley likes to play golf and Arizona isn’t too bad for that hobby last I checked. Haley also maintains a home there as well.
3. A high draft pick is nice to have. The Cardinals finished 5-11 on the season and that earned them the #7 pick in April’s NFL Draft. While it’s difficult to say just what direction the Cards would go in under a Haley regime, it’s obvious to everyone this side of Mars that they need a QB. Is Haley the type of guy who would want to deal with a rookie QB though?
4. There’s nothing like familiarity. Haley knows the Bidwell family and he knows plenty of the players in Arizona from his time as offensive coordinator. He would have a beautiful facility there to work in and would know exactly what would be expected of him by the ownership.
5. Is it one final shot at head coaching glory? Let’s face it. You don’t get many head coaching jobs in the NFL if you don’t produce. Haley got the Chiefs to playoffs and then a year later was fired. When you get one more opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL, you take it regardless of who it is. No one else appears to be knocking his door down for interviews.
The most ironic thing about Haley interviewing in Glendale today is that reports earlier in the day said that Haley loved being at home in Pittsburgh and had no intention to interview anywhere. The NFL is a strange and bizarre world at times and in the Twittersphere that many of us reside in, things can change quickly. Whether you’re a Haley guy or a Haley-hater, stay tuned.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard Mondays on Trib-Live Radio at 4pm ET talking Steelers.
