DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Perry quits as Steelers secondary coach

HC goes, rarely do all the others stay,, unless it's an internal promotion which we all know the Steelers didn't do..

I'm still a little puzzled.. Not that I don't think Tomlin won't be any good,,, I'm sure he'll be fine..

But why did they pass on both Ken W and Russ G... What was it about them that didn't measure up,,,, Kinda puzzling. Maybe Steelhack can enlighten us....

They had a proven formula that has worked for them for decades and they just crapped all over it. Perhaps there is a silver lining in it somewhere for them, but I can't see it.

On the one hand I'm loving it because it's the Steelers, on the other hand though I'm a little disappointed because it's one of the great legacies in the NFL.

Boy I hope this sucks for them!!!! Hope Tomlin is the second coming of Palmer.

Well, truth be told, the Steelers are still pretty loaded with talent so unless Tomlin comes in and totally screws up, they will probably still be .500 or better... It's hard to hold real talent back ya know!

There's a reason why they've only have 3 coaches in 1000 years.

Views differ - I guess I'd just rather focus on getting up to their level and kicking their butts straight up than relish in them falling into the basement with us.

I guess I can understand where you're coming from, though, even if I don't feel that way.

I also don't think Palmer is a bad coach (don't know that he's a good one either, but he was the least of our problems when he was here)

I just have a feeling that the changes being made are much larger than they appear. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it (probably).

Yeah - on the surface its almost weird to think through their situation, Ppl.

We're all so used to coaches getting fired and what that means, but how often does a coach take over for a successful team/franchise.

I wouldn't guess that losing both the OC and OLC on top of Cowher was anticipated, so maybe an "off" season is in order.

I expect them to be competing for the top of the division next year. By nature, I prefer to overestimate the opponent rather than underestimate.

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I just have a feeling that the changes being made are much larger than they appear. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it (probably).

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Possibly they are. Who can say for sure?

I still don't understand how they passed on Ken W or Russ G.... What's the deal... Still doesn't make sense on the surface...

Brother-in-law is a stoolers fan and said that he heard that Cowher was asked who they should pursue. He said that they should look outside the organization and let Ken and Russ go. Not sure where he heard it or if it is really true but if it is, WOW!

Very strange,,, Both were good enough for Cowher to work with, but not gooed enough to keep,,,, Of course, this is assuming that your info is correct,,,,,

Also weren't both players favorites? There is a lot of talent in the burg but a lot of it is delusional as well. This could push some off the edge (porter anyone?). Coaching is a big part of winning so this could have a huge effect on them.

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Cowher was asked who they should pursue. He said that they should look outside the organization and let Ken and Russ go.

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I knew Cowher was a Brown at heart.

Word is they felt whoever came in to follow Cowher had big shoes to fill.

That Whiz is said to be kind of Cowher like....and that would lend itself to lots of comparisons.

It came down to Grimm and Tomlin....and from what I have read the Steelers thought Tomlin was to good to pass up.....that if they went ahead and went with Grimm....That Tomlin would get a head coaching job next year....as well as probably Cowher....and that they were not sure about having Grimm for the next 10 years.

They went with Youth and potential......Im not sure he was the right hire...but I can say I like almost everything I read and have seen about the guy...so time will tell.

As for the coaches.....So far....the Steelers lost their OC(Whiz-AZ), Oline coach(Grimm-AZ), ST(Spencer-AZ),QB Coach(Whipple-?), and a DB coach(Perry-?)

OC was promoted from within.....ST...Spencer was going to be let go no matter who the new coach was...Grimm did not want to be there under the new regime...and him and Whiz had already said they would go together if one of them didnt get the HC....the two that surprise me is Whipple and Perry....Whipple is the only QB coach Ben has ever had...and I felt they would keep his safety blanket (then again Ben had a bad year)....Perry was also a favorite.....Nothing on why Whipple is gone...but it was said that Tomlin and Perry had a meeting where it was agreed that Perry would leave.

All things being equal...it will be interesting to see next year....The Steelers will probably be one of the new teams that slide from the 3-4 to the 4-3 from game to game or series to series to keep an Offense guessing

HACK

PS...my HC choice was Mike Singletary...but he was never in the mix in Pitt.

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They went with Youth and potential......Im not sure he was the right hire...but I can say I like almost everything I read and have seen about the guy...so time will tell.

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That's exactly what they did last time, when Noll retired, isn't it? It seems that making a total change isn't that big of a deal, as long as the ownership (and it's philosophy) is sound. Part of that philosophy has been to hire for the longterm, because the framework and basic Culture of Success is set. It's worth a couple of down years- maybe even a few in row- because the End Game is the goal. I wish my team would get back to that.

In regards to the FO's take on the Tomlin interview, I read the word "dazzled" in one account. Apparently, this guy came in and knocked their socks off. The Steelers' FO had seen it all over the years, so that's gotta be worth something. Young man sounds like he could be the next Cowher, if given time.

The article was a sportswriter's OpEd in my local newspaper, so I'll try to dig up a link, if they published it online.

Anyway, the Steerler's pattern suggests that the were leaning outside from the start- and Tomlin just made it really, really easy for them.

If he gains success within 3 years, he could be looking to retire from Pittsburgh, just like his predecessors. Amazing to think about, if you ask me.

I wish him luck... almost as much as I'd like to see for us...



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Hack- My local paper is owned by the Block News Alliance, so it may have showed up in the Post-Gazette. I know that John Robinson Block will publish Pittsburgh sportwriters in our rag from time to time, so you may have seen this guy's stuff before. Dude's name is Dave Hackenberg. Ever read anything of his? If so, what do you think of his work?

Here it is.

A nice article with a different slant... and a good insight for football fans about the Steelers' ownership.

Worthy of its own post:

(refs: not an "X's" & "O's" article. If this post is placed in the wrong forum, feel free to move)
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Article published Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Rooney stuck by his principles in hiring of Tomlin


Dan Rooney put his money where his mouth is.

The chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers and his son, team president Art Rooney II, conducted a thorough search for a new head coach, oddly thorough considering two top candidates were already in their employ.

When offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt wasn't dissuaded from leaving for Arizona's head coaching position and assistant head coach Russ Grimm wasn't immediately hired, it sent the message that there might be a surprise in store.

The surprise was Mike Tomlin, who had only one year under his belt as Minnesota's defensive coordinator.

Tomlin is an African-American. Whisenhunt and Grimm are white.

The 74-year-old Rooney is chairman of the NFL's committee on workplace diversity. His was the guiding hand behind a rule enacted in 2002 that mandates teams must interview minority candidates for head coaching positions. It's called the Rooney Rule.

The Steelers didn't have to hire a black coach to be in compliance with the rule.

But Dan Rooney, a humble and modest man who has more integrity in his little finger than some NFL operators have in their entire DNA, had more in mind when he authored that rule.


Mike Tomlin, 34, who replaces Bill Cowher as Steelers coach, dazzled the ownership with his ideas after he got an interview.
( BLOCK NEWS ALLIANCE )

Zoom | Photo Reprints


The interview isn't supposed to be mere window dressing. It wasn't designed as a meet-and-greet where a guy could hand over his resume, get a pat on the back, and be sent merrily on his way before yet another white guy was paraded before the cameras and microphones.

It was to ensure that minoritycandidates had a fair opportunity to wow prospective employers.

And that's exactly what Tomlin did. One report said the Steelers management team was "dazzled" by his poise, ideas, enthusiasm and coaching philosophies.

Properly wowed, it would have been hypocritical not to hire him. And Dan Rooney is no hypocrite.

Also, the Rooney family, including late patriarch Art Sr., has never been afraid to look outside the box when it comes to hiring coaches, regardless of how rare a practice that's been of late.

Tomlin is 34 years old and never has been a head coach. Chuck Noll, a fairly anonymous defensive backfield coach with Baltimore, was 37 when hired in 1969 en route to four Super Bowl titles. Bill Cowher, little known despite western Pennsylvania roots and his role as defensive coordinator with Kansas City, was 34 when hired in 1991. He won a Super Bowl, too, and compiled an even higher winning percentage than did Noll.

So Pittsburgh, which may be the very best coaching job in the NFL because of the commitment and loyalty shown by the team's executives to its coaches, was the right place and Tomlin was the right guy at the right time.

The right time came almost simultaneously with Indianapolis and Chicago winning conference championships and making Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, respectively, the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

Tomlin coached under Dungy for one season at Tampa Bay and is part of a growing Dungy "family tree" that includes Smith and Herm Edwards as black NFL head coaches.

Tomlin had to "dazzle" the Steelers after he landed an interview. But he acknowledged that without the Rooney Rule it might not have happened.

"It gives people an opportunity to present themselves, their ideas [and] their visions," he said Monday. "Maybe the rule itself opened the door for me that may not have [otherwise] been opened."

Tomlin recognized that having two black coaches in the Super Bowl "is significant … There will be true advances in this process when [race] is no longer an issue."

Amen. For Dan Rooney, that might be the ultimate legacy.
Dave Hackenberg is a Blade sports writer.

No Question,,, Cowher is leaving big shoes to fill,,,, But somehow, I get the feeling the same things were said when Noll retires and Cowher came in... But that's just a guess