Roethlisberger speaks on Haley hire, state of offense

Roethlisberger speaks on Haley hire, state of offense
Thursday, February 09, 2012
By Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger will be looking to see what changes will come in Todd Haley's offense.
Todd Haley has been hired, met with his new colleagues on Mike Tomlin's coaching staff, with members of the front office and finally with the media at noon today.

Another Steelers employee was looking forward this morning to his first meeting with the new offensive coordinator: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"I haven't talked to him," Roethlisberger said at the Steelers training facility where, 20 minutes later, Haley would be introduced at a press conference just down the hall as the team's new offensive coordinator.

"I've gotten a lot of calls and texts and emails from people around the league, both good and bad about him,'' Roethlisberger said during an interview with the Post-Gazette. "Everybody has an opinion, as we all know, and they're letting me know what their interaction with him was -- good, bad and indifferent. I've heard a lot of things and I'm looking forward to meeting him and forming my own opinion."



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209184-100.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml#ixzz1luuweaXc

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Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it sounds like Ben is still a little raw over the ouster of Arians. I don't know why he felt the need to comment on "bad" feedback he's getting from his inquiries and talking about setting the young guys back, but it comes across as a little butt-hurt. Just welcome the guy aboard and say you're willing to do what it takes to make the team better and more successful. Don't get on the new guy's bad side by going to the media with ammunition for them to blow way out of proportion.

Hey Ben. Just meet the guy,form your own opinion and then keep it in the family. No need to start with the "he said-she said" BS.

what an asshole!!
i support Ben on the field but off the field he's an asshole

Whoa! Let's take it easy here. It's not like he stabbed 2 guys outside of an Atlanta night club.

I wouldn't say he's being a total dick, but he just seems like he's still a bit bitter. He DID say he wants to meet him himself and form his own opinion so that counts for something. I'm not ready to burn Ben at the stake for these comments. I just thought they were a little unnecessary. I'll reserve judgement until I see them interact on the field and during the season.

Jesus Christ

Remember when Ben talked about the offense in a Pro Bowl interview. He was optimistic, but the press turned it into something different. His clearly optimistic and "Forward" attitude was twisted so bad people though he'd murder Rooney right there in his own damn office!

Now, the media come's forward with more of this shit. Can't expect me to buy into this.

i dont see how you guys can say he is coming off as an ass. hes probably a little nervous and apprehensive but certainly didnt come across negative at all

I am in agreement that maybe he should have said something along the lines of "looking forward to meeting him and finding out where we are headed as an offense".

Maybe he is a little bitter -- it's only natural for him to feel this way. Who wouldn't?

I'm cautiously optimistic about this OC for the future. I'm not so optimistic about next season, though. I think it is going to be a time of growth and transition for the team. They are going to have to experience a lot of growing pains before things settle and click.

Hopefully, I'll be surprised. They ARE the Steelers, after all.

It was reported today that Ben Roethlisberger met a group of ladies walking down the streets of Pittsburgh. Eye witnesses said Ben acknowledged the ladies with a "Good Afternoon ladies". The first lady interviewed was quoted as saying "That arrogant selfish SOB, what right does he have to tell me to have a good afternoon". The second interview went like this "what did you think of Ben's comments" and the reply "I believe he was in error as it was fast approaching the evening hours". Finally the third being hard of hearing said "I did not hear him say anything, just like that stuck up prick."

There you have it in a nutshell. Ben says anything he should of kept his mouth shut, Ben says nothing and we will talk about him being all sullen and difficult. I pay very little attention to the way the media spins every aspect of the past few weeks. They want a controversy and some fans do too.

I have a lot of first-hand experience at seeing reporters make a mountain out of a molehill. But I'm in the camp that thinks Ben is being an ass. Maybe "being an ass" is too strong of a statement, but he's certainly creating tension instead of trying to move forward. And we can blame the reporters if we want, but there are two facts here:

1. Getting Ben's opinions on Arians and Haley is a story. No one cares what the ball boy thinks about Arians and Haley. But Ben's thoughts matter. So of course what he says is going to be a story.

2. Ben isn't being misquoted, and his words aren't being taken out of context.

With that in mind, here's my thoughts on some of his quotes ...

Quote :

"Everybody has an opinion, as we all know, and they're letting me know what their interaction with him was -- good, bad and indifferent. I've heard a lot of things and I'm looking forward to meeting him and forming my own opinion."

Why even mention that he's heard bad things about Haley? Why not say something like ... "I'm looking forward to meeting him and talking about his ideas for the offense."

Regarding Haley's offense ...

Quote :

"I don't know if it would be easy for us to learn it. We're so young on offense and the most talented room in this whole building is probably wide receiver, no disrespect to anyone else. And they're also really young."

"They're still the tip of the iceberg in this offense and they did as well as they did last year. And they're just getting to the point that 'OK, this makes sense to me.'

"That was my biggest talking point to Mike and those guys -- I would hate to just throw everything out and start over because I feel it would set us back two or three years because these guys are just starting to get it."

First of all, why is Ben throwing the receivers under the bus? Wallace is entering his fourth year, and Brown and Sanders are entering their third. They're not rookies. They understand the game. So why does Ben think it would be harder for them to learn a new offense than it would be for him to learn it? His comments come off a little arrogant at best, and condescending to the receivers at worst.

And why does Ben think a new system would set the offense back two or three years? Based on his opinion, no team should EVER get rid of its offensive coordinator. But we know teams don't always take a step backward when they replace their OC. That might be the case for bad teams like the Browns, but good teams don't seem to miss a beat when they replace a coach. Usually, they improve. Look at this way ... when San Francisco brought in an entirely new coaching staff this year, did it set the 49ers offense back two or three years?

Every other time I've seen a player talk about a new coach, they at least pretend to be excited and talk about working hard and winning games. To me, Ben is coming off as a little kid who is throwing a tantrum because his parents are making him do something he doesn't want to do. On the first day of practice, I expect Ben to throw himself to the ground and start kicking and pounding the turf while screaming, "NO, NO, NO, I DON'T WANNA ..."

Here's a Bouchette story with a lot more quotes from Ben. Check it out. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209238-66-0.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml

Ben acknowledges how his words are being taken by some fans. Regarding the meeting with Rooney, here's what he said:

Quote :

"People made such a big deal because they thought I was going to go in an uproar -- 'What do you mean?' -- it's going in and asking questions."

Roethlisberger said such questions might include: "What do you mean by tweak my game, tweak the offense? As one of the oldest guys on offense, what do you see for our offense, where do you see us going, what do you want us to do?

"Things like that," Roethlisberger explained, "because, when guys on the team come and ask me questions, I want to be able to have answers for them instead of, 'I don't know.'

Fair enough. But it's still better for a player to go to the coach instead of the owner. There's a chain of command. By going over Tomlin's head, Ben is making Tomlin look even weaker than he did after Arians' firing.

This is interesting regarding Haley ...

Quote :

At first, Roethlisberger thought it was strange that the Steelers would hire someone known for his pass-heavy offense in Arizona. Like many, he was unaware that Haley coached the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense in Kansas City in 2010.

"Maybe it's about personnel, maybe he does it off of who he has -- does he have a running team, a passing team? I know in Arizona he had some unbelievable weapons. Maybe it's just about who he has."

WOW!!!! I wish Ben would take a few minutes and think about what he said. "Maybe it's about personnel, maybe he does it off of who he has." Bingo, Ben. And that's exactly what Arians didn't do. He had his system, and he was going to run it regardless of the players he had to work with. Arians said so himself.

I doubt Ben and Haley will ever be friends off the field like Ben and Arians were. But I think they could build a great offense together. Just as soon as Ben wipes away his tears and gives Haley a chance.

vasteeler wrote:

i dont see how you guys can say he is coming off as an ass. hes probably a little nervous and apprehensive but certainly didnt come across negative at all

I may have jumped the gun thinking he actually said he heard bad things about Haley. If in fact he did that's the only thing that bothers me but we all know that the press has their own evil agenda.

I'm just saying I'd rather Ben not say anything to the press. I'd be OK with a simple "no comment". But then they'd spin that too. Maybe just smile at them and give them the finger.

solardave wrote:

I'm just saying I'd rather Ben not say anything to the press. I'd be OK with a simple "no comment". But then they'd spin that too. Maybe just smile at them and give them the finger.

Or how about something like: "I'm looking forward to meeting him and discussing the future of our offense."

Other than these athletes are gifted in the skills of football they are still just like you and me. Some are bright well spoken, others are not the sharpest tool in the shed. Writers and the news media "love" to set traps for these athletes to fall into. It makes great copy. So I will grant you Ben could of done things different but I still think he has done little wrong in what he has said. If Haley's first conference was gone over as much as Bens would you not find some little thing to make a deal of? just like Rooney's comments in the last few weeks is there not some parts that could be twisted? I think so. How bout we let this play out til we have a real confrontation and not some made up one by the spin doctors.

It sounds like Ben is being bluntly honest. He sounds like he knows he is walking into the unknown.

Here is another quote you guys missed that tells me he has the write attitude going into this and not the bad attitude the media is making it out to be.

Quote :

"People made such a big deal about, 'I had it too easy because we were friends,' or whatever. I think anybody in sports should understand, you and your position coach should have a good relationship. Now, if you're buddy-buddy with the head coach, that might be a little issue. You should, as a quarterback, with the guy you work with every day, you should have a relationship with him even outside of football because if we just talked every day about football, you'd go nuts and kill each other.

Man what a jerk wanting to get along with his position coach.

Quote :

"What we do behind closed doors, that's when I get yelled at. People think I've never been yelled at by B.A., never been chewed out and cussed out and had stuff thrown at me. That's happened quite a few times. I've seen a water bottle come flying."

There goes that myth.

Quote :

"I hope we don't have to start over and, if we do, you know what, here we go. Let's do it. We'll do it. We're not going to complain about it. But I would hate to have to set certain guys back who are doing so well right now."

Sounds like the right attitude to me.


I think Ben was being bluntly honest and that makes some uncomfortable. I am going to wait until they actually meet each other. Because you know the media is going to be all over it. They haven't met and there is already a question of how they get along. Its crazy. I think things will turn out fine. The media just has to make a big deal.

riccosuavez wrote:

Other than these athletes are gifted in the skills of football they are still just like you and me. Some are bright well spoken, others are not the sharpest tool in the shed. Writers and the news media "love" to set traps for these athletes to fall into. It makes great copy. So I will grant you Ben could of done things different but I still think he has done little wrong in what he has said. If Haley's first conference was gone over as much as Bens would you not find some little thing to make a deal of? just like Rooney's comments in the last few weeks is there not some parts that could be twisted? I think so. How bout we let this play out til we have a real confrontation and not some made up one by the spin doctors.

This whole situation has been odd from the word go. I haven't just been hard on Ben ... I've been hard on Rooney as well. I don't like the way he handled the situation and made Tomlin look weak. So I'm not just bashing Ben. I think all parties involved have done a poor job in this situation from a perception standpoint.

Wallace108 wrote:

riccosuavez wrote:

Other than these athletes are gifted in the skills of football they are still just like you and me. Some are bright well spoken, others are not the sharpest tool in the shed. Writers and the news media "love" to set traps for these athletes to fall into. It makes great copy. So I will grant you Ben could of done things different but I still think he has done little wrong in what he has said. If Haley's first conference was gone over as much as Bens would you not find some little thing to make a deal of? just like Rooney's comments in the last few weeks is there not some parts that could be twisted? I think so. How bout we let this play out til we have a real confrontation and not some made up one by the spin doctors.

This whole situation has been odd from the word go. I haven't just been hard on Ben ... I've been hard on Rooney as well. I don't like the way he handled the situation and made Tomlin look weak. So I'm not just bashing Ben. I think all parties involved have done a poor job in this situation from a perception standpoint.

Yeah, and then out of nowhere Tomlin come's out and introduce's him like he made the hire. Everyone in Pittsburgh, mainly being the reporters, we're putting money on Rooney making the hire.

BGSU A Dub wrote:

I got about halfway through the thread and couldn't read the play by play analysis anymore. Ben said what he said. He was close to his boss and now his boss is gone (let go). I don't care what Ben says about the new OC in February, I care about the results in September, October, November, etc. etc.

Totally agreed. No sense in Ben coming across like a teen age girl that just got dumped (eg: like Peyton Manning and his drama in Indy). Shut up and get back to work. You're here for winning, not bitching.

siss wrote:

Sounds like the right attitude to me.

We must have different views on what constitutes the right attitude.

Looking at comments on various boards, I see that the majority of fans don't have a problem with what Ben is saying and are blaming the reporters for making a big deal over nothing. I disagree.

First of all, the reporters are just doing their jobs. They're not telling Ben what to say. As I said earlier, Ben's comments on Arians and Haley are newsworthy. And Ben isn't stupid. He knows that whatever he says is going to be printed and analyzed. I think back several years ago to when the media and fans were beating up on the O-line ... Ben kept crediting the O-line and making statements to put the blame on himself. So he's not just some stupid jock spouting off at the mouth. He said the right things then to protect his guys. And he needs to say the right things now to make this a smooth transition.

I keep hearing everyone say that Ben's words regarding Haley don't matter. But I think they do. When a new coach takes over, he needs the players to believe in him. How many times have we heard about players needing to buy into a coach's system? If the players don't buy what the coach is selling, it affects performance. Our offense has a lot of young players, especially at receiver, and they look to Ben for leadership. When you have the star QB questioning Haley and being resistant to change, that affects the attitude of the other players. How can the other players buy into Haley when their leader isn't?

We all know how much Ben loved Arians, not only as a coach, but as a friend. But for the good of the team, he needs to move beyond his hurt feelings and selfish motives and embrace Haley and whatever offense he installs. Right now, he's displaying the same selfish, arrogant attitude that got him into trouble in three offseason incidents. After the Georgia incident, Ben promised to become a better leader both on and off the field. He needs to put his personal feelings aside and be the leader he promised to be.

From owner to coaches to players...

SHUT UP
PLAY FOOTBALL
WIN GAMES
WIN SUPER BOWLS


REPEAT OFTEN!!!!

stlrtruck wrote:

From owner to coaches to players...

SHUT UP
PLAY FOOTBALL
WIN GAMES
WIN SUPER BOWLS


REPEAT OFTEN!!!!

It would be different if Ben was running to the media. In that case, I'd agree that he just needs to shut up and play football. But when asked questions, I think the problem with Ben shutting up and not saying anything is that saying nothing would be just as bad as saying something negative. If your wife asks you if you love her, saying nothing is just as bad as saying no.

Wallace108 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

From owner to coaches to players...

SHUT UP
PLAY FOOTBALL
WIN GAMES
WIN SUPER BOWLS


REPEAT OFTEN!!!!

It would be different if Ben was running to the media. In that case, I'd agree that he just needs to shut up and play football. But when asked questions, I think the problem with Ben shutting up and not saying anything is that saying nothing would be just as bad as saying something negative. If your wife asks you if you love her, saying nothing is just as bad as saying no.

That's why she doesn't ask!

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

I'm just saying I'd rather Ben not say anything to the press. I'd be OK with a simple "no comment". But then they'd spin that too. Maybe just smile at them and give them the finger.

Or how about something like: "I'm looking forward to meeting him and discussing the future of our offense."

Yeah or that. If he is going to say something just make it positive.

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

I'm just saying I'd rather Ben not say anything to the press. I'd be OK with a simple "no comment". But then they'd spin that too. Maybe just smile at them and give them the finger.

Or how about something like: "I'm looking forward to meeting him and discussing the future of our offense."

Yeah or that. If he is going to say something just make it positive.

That would be great. But I think we all know Ben isn't like that. He's never been one to hide his emotions, and I don't think he should start now.

This is a few days old, but I didn't see anyone mention it ...

Quote :

Haley is an in-your-face type of a coach who is known for yelling at players on the sidelines. “We’re not into sensitivity,” Haley said at his introductory news conference.

In his radio interview, Roethlisberger made it clear that he doesn't think coaches should yell at quarterbacks.

"The quarterback position is not one where you want to do a lot of screaming to, because he's kind of your leader and the guy that has to be clear-minded," Roethlisberger said. "So, I've been yelled at. It's not fun to be yelled at. I don't think anyone likes it."

Roethlisberger added, "But you get as much if not more out of me if you just talk to me, whether I screw up or do good. Just talk to me so we can work through my reasoning instead of getting yelled at."

Roethlisberger's message to Haley: Don't raise your voice at a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/42470/when-will-roethlisberger-and-haley-meet

So not only does Ben not want Haley to change the offense, but he's also criticizing Haley's coaching style.
Do we still wanna believe this drama is being manufactured by the media and there's nothing wrong with Ben's attitude?