Interesting rumor Re: PITT HC Hire (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Ashcraft]

sorry if a honda, but this rubbed me the wrong way it if is indeed true. I know PFT is not always on the money....in this case, I hope they are not.

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POSTED 8:56 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:05 p.m. EST, January 23, 2007

DID STEELERS YANK RUG FROM GRIMM?

As the media continues to try to understand the process that resulted in conflicting reports regarding whether the Steelers would hire Mike Tomlin or Russ Grimm to be the team's next head coach, the hot rumor at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama (where various league types currently are gathered) is that Grimm was indeed offered the job before it went to Tomlin.

As the story goes, the Steelers called Grimm on Saturday and told him not to believe what the media was reporting about Tomlin. Then, the Steelers and Grimm negotiated a contract, and Grimm was told that he could tell his family that he was the guy, which he did.

But then, as the story goes, Commissioner Roger Goodell got involved and suggested to Steelers chairman Dan Rooney that it would be nice if the Steeler would hire one of the minority candidates, given that the Rooney Rule was named after him. Rooney relented.

On Sunday morning, Rooney met with Art II and Kevin Colbert and told them about the decision. Both initially disagreed because a deal had been done with Grimm. But the contract hadn't been signed, and Art II and Colbert deferred to Dan.

Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.

One source told us that he has been hearing this rumor "all day" in Alabama. Though we're not saying that any of this actually happened, the mere fact that this story is making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is newsworthy, in our opinion.

Especially since the events that transpired on Saturday night and Sunday were so damn bizarre.

Meanwhile, a reader tells us that Mike Prisuta of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has been insisting in radio appearances that his story linking Grimm to the job was on the money. Though we poked fun at Prisuta's predicament on Sunday, it could be that he was right, after all.

---------------

Thoughts?

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

sounds like BS to me - why did the rumor that Tomlin got the job come out on Saturday?

 

[majstro]

sorry if a honda, but this rubbed me the wrong way it if is indeed true. I know PFT is not always on the money....in this case, I hope they are not.------------POSTED 8:56 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:05 p.m. EST, January 23, 2007DID STEELERS YANK RUG FROM GRIMM?As the media continues to try to understand the process that resulted in conflicting reports regarding whether the Steelers would hire Mike Tomlin or Russ Grimm to be the team's next head coach, the hot rumor at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama (where various league types currently are gathered) is that Grimm was indeed offered the job before it went to Tomlin.As the story goes, the Steelers called Grimm on Saturday and told him not to believe what the media was reporting about Tomlin. Then, the Steelers and Grimm negotiated a contract, and Grimm was told that he could tell his family that he was the guy, which he did.But then, as the story goes, Commissioner Roger Goodell got involved and suggested to Steelers chairman Dan Rooney that it would be nice if the Steeler would hire one of the minority candidates, given that the Rooney Rule was named after him. Rooney relented.On Sunday morning, Rooney met with Art II and Kevin Colbert and told them about the decision. Both initially disagreed because a deal had been done with Grimm. But the contract hadn't been signed, and Art II and Colbert deferred to Dan.Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.One source told us that he has been hearing this rumor "all day" in Alabama. Though we're not saying that any of this actually happened, the mere fact that this story is making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is newsworthy, in our opinion.Especially since the events that transpired on Saturday night and Sunday were so damn bizarre.Meanwhile, a reader tells us that Mike Prisuta of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has been insisting in radio appearances that his story linking Grimm to the job was on the money. Though we poked fun at Prisuta's predicament on Sunday, it could be that he was right, after all.---------------Thoughts?

Living in Pittsburgh, I can tell you that this whole process was f'ed up from the beginning. Although neither the Steelers nor Grimm will ever come forward with the truth, Prisuta is one of the best reporters in the city and has never had an issue with credibility. There is no questions that the Rooney's jerked Grimm around during the process. There were reports that Grimm was working late every night after his first interview, probably because he was made to believe that it was soon going to be his team. Heck, his second interview was an all-day event. Seems like a lot of wasted time unless you plan on hiring the guy.I'm not saying that the Tomlin hiring was wrong or right. But, for an organization that prides itself on professionalism, the Steelers certainly dropped the ball this time.

 

[Chase Stuart]

And what about the rumor that Mike Sherman was the new Arizona coach?

 

[trader jake]

And what about the rumor that Mike Sherman was the new Arizona coach?

It came down to money. People here at FBG's laughed at Sherman's demands for $4 million a year, but he's getting paid $3.2 either way from the Packers (minus whatever he gets paid to coach as as assistant). He had almost no financial motivation to become a head coach this offseason. Bidwell didn't take this into consideration when he decided that Sherman could be his guy and he had to look at other options after he heard the price tag.Whis and Grimm had their own monetary considerations. They do have the same agent and I wouldn't be surprised if part of the cluster#### in Pitt was due to them playing games with the Rooney's hoping to assure themselves that one of them got the head coaching job.

 

[Bojang0301]

You don't hire a coach unless he is qualified... especially if you're Pittsburgh, period! Did they jerk around Grimm? Probably. Was this hire because Tomlin is black? NO and HELL NO!!!!

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Grimm may have misread situation

Rooney II: Offer discussed, but not tendered

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Could a misunderstanding or miscommunication have occurred that led Russ Grimm to believe that he was offered the Steelers' head-coaching job Saturday?

Art Rooney II, the team's president, believes that is possible. A published report declared that Grimm had been offered and accepted the Steelers' head-coaching job Saturday night. The Steelers hired Mike Tomlin as their coach Sunday and publicly introduced him Monday.

Yesterday, Grimm accepted a job as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, the same titles he held with the Steelers. The job reunites him with new Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' former offensive coordinator who had been considered among the leading candidates to replace Bill Cowher, along with Grimm. The Steelers released Grimm from his contract with them after he requested it.

Rooney did not deny that the team discussed an offer with Grimm, but he said no deal was completed.

"Let me put it this way: We made Russ a finalist, and I think at that point we felt he was somebody we seriously were considering for the job," Rooney said yesterday. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Russ and I do hope he gets a shot to be a head coach; I think he deserves it. I think its fair to say he came close."

Rooney admitted that the Steelers had talked about contract numbers with Grimm's agent, but he said they also talked about numbers with Tomlin's representatives.

As for any such contract offer they might have given to Grimm, Rooney said, "We discussed that it's not going to be final until it's final. It's one of those things I think we made clear it was not final at the time we spoke."

A possible misunderstanding then?

"I think on the agent's part; they tend to think in those kinds of terms," Rooney said. "I think we made it clear at the time we spoke that it was not final, and we were going to speak again on Sunday. I believe the agent was told not to say anything to anybody because of that. I think the league people caused some confusion, which was unfortunate, but that didn't come from us."

The Steelers were furious over reports that surfaced Saturday on SI.com and ESPN that Tomlin had been chosen as their head coach. They insisted they did not pick their coach until Sunday. Rooney blamed "league people" for those reports.

"Let's put it this way, I think I know where both of the leaks came from and I think it's unfortunate when people talk about something when you're dealing with these things," Rooney said, then quoted an old Yogi Berra saying. "It ain't over 'til it's over, and people were claiming something was over when it was not."

Grimm seemed disappointed, but said he wasn't bitter over the way events played out.

"Obviously, it was tough," Grimm told reporters in a conference call yesterday. "I thought I had a shot at it. Whatever the details are and things like that, I respect the decision that was made.

"It's time to move on. I'm thrilled to be in Arizona."

Grimm's agent, Eric Metz, declined comment.

Rooney said it was extremely close between Tomlin and Grimm.

"I think it's fair to say Russ was close. We gave serious consideration to giving Russ the job, and he merited it. That's why we made him a finalist."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

From the Trib

http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/x/pitts...w/s_490020.html

During a telephone call with Arizona reporters yesterday, Grimm declined to go into detail about what happened with the Steelers. But he did say he didn't think he had the head coaching job after talking with Rooney II on Saturday.

"No, I thought I had a shot at it, but whatever the details are and things like that ... I respect the decision that was made, and any time you have a decision of that magnitude that obviously thousands of people are interested in, you are always going to get some things on the side ..., '' Grimm said. "The Rooneys did their search. I respect the decision, and it is time to move on.''

Grimm left the Steelers complex shortly after 8:30 p.m. yesterday carrying a box.

"The decision's been made,'' he said. "There's no hard feelings."

 

[redman]

Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.

This doesn't get commented upon enough by those of us seeking to use quotes (or lack of quotes) from people in the NFL after an event in order to determine what happened and assign responsibility/blame. Even assuming this report is true (and we'll likely never know for sure regardless) Grimm has absolutely no incentive to bash Pittsburgh after he saw that it didn't work out there. To have done so would have made him look like he was the problem and that the Rooneys were justified in not hiring him.I have to say that I'm extremely skeptical that an eleventh hour phone call from the league caused them to pull the plug on an already negotiated deal with a guy who had been a loyal soldier with them for years. Still, it's a little wierd to me that they were discussing contract numbers with a guy who hadn't had the job offered to him, but maybe that's just their way of negotiating.

 

[simsarge]

Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.

This doesn't get commented upon enough by those of us seeking to use quotes (or lack of quotes) from people in the NFL after an event in order to determine what happened and assign responsibility/blame. Even assuming this report is true (and we'll likely never know for sure regardless) Grimm has absolutely no incentive to bash Pittsburgh after he saw that it didn't work out there. To have done so would have made him look like he was the problem and that the Rooneys were justified in not hiring him.I have to say that I'm extremely skeptical that an eleventh hour phone call from the league caused them to pull the plug on an already negotiated deal with a guy who had been a loyal soldier with them for years. Still, it's a little wierd to me that they were discussing contract numbers with a guy who hadn't had the job offered to him, but maybe that's just their way of negotiating.

Don't suppose it came down to $$ for the Steelers decision between the two do you?

 

[redman]

Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.

This doesn't get commented upon enough by those of us seeking to use quotes (or lack of quotes) from people in the NFL after an event in order to determine what happened and assign responsibility/blame. Even assuming this report is true (and we'll likely never know for sure regardless) Grimm has absolutely no incentive to bash Pittsburgh after he saw that it didn't work out there. To have done so would have made him look like he was the problem and that the Rooneys were justified in not hiring him.I have to say that I'm extremely skeptical that an eleventh hour phone call from the league caused them to pull the plug on an already negotiated deal with a guy who had been a loyal soldier with them for years. Still, it's a little wierd to me that they were discussing contract numbers with a guy who hadn't had the job offered to him, but maybe that's just their way of negotiating.

Don't suppose it came down to $$ for the Steelers decision between the two do you?

Well, the Rooneys have never been confused with Dan Snyder when it came to lavish spending, but I doubt we'll ever know the answer to that.

 

[ICON211]

Let me get this straight. The team conducted interviews with candidates including Grimm and Tomlin. They decided Grimm was the best guy for the job and offered him a contract. Then the commissioner asked them to hire someone who was not their first choice because it would be "nice." I'm not saying Grimm was not close to getting the job or that he was not offered it, but I highly doubt it went down like this article says or that this is the reason he is not the current coach.

 

[kevinray]

Why would the Steelers care what the league felt? I know the Rooney’s have always been close to league officials and active participants in the leagues governance but this is an incredibly big decision for them. Unless their new head coach is obviously ignorant of all things football he’s going to be given at least 4-5 years to make things work, and in that amount of time a bad coach can ruin a team for a decade. Financially what the league wants can’t even play a roll for them, there’s simply too much at stake and they know this. This move was not race related and the confusion is all based upon the fact that the Rooney's were so tight lipped about the process that only speculation was being reported. Up to last Friday no one had any idea who the next coach would be.

 

[redman]

Why would the Steelers care what the league felt? I know the Rooney’s have always been close to league officials and active participants in the leagues governance but this is an incredibly big decision for them. Unless their new head coach is obviously ignorant of all things football he’s going to be given at least 4-5 years to make things work, and in that amount of time a bad coach can ruin a team for a decade. Financially what the league wants can’t even play a roll for them, there’s simply too much at stake and they know this. This move was not race related and the confusion is all based upon the fact that the Rooney's were so tight lipped about the process that only speculation was being reported. Up to last Friday no one had any idea who the next coach would be.

Frankly, you've just articulated the pointlessness (unless you're heavily into symbolism over substance) of the so-called Rooney Rule. The repercussions of a bad coaching hire are too severe for organizations for them to consider race when hiring, unless they're willing to consciously limit the coaching pool they're considering in order to specifically hire a minority candidate. At the end of the day, the teams will hire the (perceived) best qualified candidates regardless.

 

[Godsbrother]

Let me get this straight. The team conducted interviews with candidates including Grimm and Tomlin. They decided Grimm was the best guy for the job and offered him a contract. Then the commissioner asked them to hire someone who was not their first choice because it would be "nice." I'm not saying Grimm was not close to getting the job or that he was not offered it, but I highly doubt it went down like this article says or that this is the reason he is not the current coach.

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

 

[Bri]

Goodell saying it'd be nice if they hired a minority is probably true, probably true for every team. What's not nice about that? I figure it was just a comment not a strong arm tactic.

I don't like the minority hiring rule anyway. Best candidates are the best candidates. I love Romeo but he's not getting it done in Cleveland. Dungy's one of the most interesting people and he's having success.

Many NYers feel Coughlin is "eh" and would probably say he's not getting it done. Alot of people think BB is a great coach. Ray Rhodes and Wade Phillips were terrific DC but not very good HCs, just not "their thing" really. I don't see the difference in "color" at all. It STILL seems to me that the best assistants get hired as coaches and that's that.

Like it or not, the trend has almost always been that Supe teams' coaching staffs get raided. It's debatable whether they're the best assistants/OC/DC but it always happens.

I still don't see how african americans are a minority in the NFL world but...been there done that debate.

 

[kevinray]

Why would the Steelers care what the league felt? I know the Rooney’s have always been close to league officials and active participants in the leagues governance but this is an incredibly big decision for them. Unless their new head coach is obviously ignorant of all things football he’s going to be given at least 4-5 years to make things work, and in that amount of time a bad coach can ruin a team for a decade. Financially what the league wants can’t even play a roll for them, there’s simply too much at stake and they know this. This move was not race related and the confusion is all based upon the fact that the Rooney's were so tight lipped about the process that only speculation was being reported. Up to last Friday no one had any idea who the next coach would be.

Frankly, you've just articulated the pointlessness (unless you're heavily into symbolism over substance) of the so-called Rooney Rule. The repercussions of a bad coaching hire are too severe for organizations for them to consider race when hiring, unless they're willing to consciously limit the coaching pool they're considering in order to specifically hire a minority candidate. At the end of the day, the teams will hire the (perceived) best qualified candidates regardless.

The Rooney rule is not simply based on getting to teams to hire unworthy candidates. It’s to get teams to bring a diverse group of people to interview and discourage making a decision before the interview process even begins. For anyone to be interviewed for a head-coaching job is huge. It gets the applicant practice at interviewing; it gets their name published in papers and is very helpful career wise. The Rooney rule is good for the whole league, whether it results in immediate head coaching hires isn't necessary. Head-coaching interviews provides the stepping stone for all kinds of promotions and at worst consideration for more OC and DC positions with other teams when fired.

 

[Godsbrother]

Frankly, you've just articulated the pointlessness (unless you're heavily into symbolism over substance) of the so-called Rooney Rule. The repercussions of a bad coaching hire are too severe for organizations for them to consider race when hiring, unless they're willing to consciously limit the coaching pool they're considering in order to specifically hire a minority candidate. At the end of the day, the teams will hire the (perceived) best qualified candidates regardless.

Not at all. Under the Rooney Rule the league comes up with a list of minority assistant coaches they feel deserve consideration for promotion. Teams are encouraged to interview at least one of the candidates on the list but are free to hire whomever they want.By all accounts, even the Steelers themselves, Tomlin was a dark horse to get the HC job. However he was on the list and they brought him in for an interview. He was so impressive he eventually got the job.

 

[AB in DC]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

 

[redman]

Frankly, you've just articulated the pointlessness (unless you're heavily into symbolism over substance) of the so-called Rooney Rule. The repercussions of a bad coaching hire are too severe for organizations for them to consider race when hiring, unless they're willing to consciously limit the coaching pool they're considering in order to specifically hire a minority candidate. At the end of the day, the teams will hire the (perceived) best qualified candidates regardless.

Not at all. Under the Rooney Rule the league comes up with a list of minority assistant coaches they feel deserve consideration for promotion. Teams are encouraged to interview at least one of the candidates on the list but are free to hire whomever they want.

Exactly. The lack of obligation to hire a minority candidate (even if they choose to interview one or more) plus the teams' clear incentive to hire the best candidate makes this a triumph of symbolism over substance.

 

[Godsbrother]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

Okay, I will back off a bit because I don't know who made up the story but it is ridiculous nonetheless. My point is that PFT routinely publishes rumors without ever quoting the sources and they are more often than not untrue.

 

[beavers]

 

[Godsbrother]

Not at all. Under the Rooney Rule the league comes up with a list of minority assistant coaches they feel deserve consideration for promotion. Teams are encouraged to interview at least one of the candidates on the list but are free to hire whomever they want.

Exactly. The lack of obligation to hire a minority candidate (even if they choose to interview one or more) plus the teams' clear incentive to hire the best candidate makes this a triumph of symbolism over substance.

Well the fact that the Steelers hired one of the guys on the list over other candidates that were thought to be frontrunners proves that it did benefit Tomlin.

 

[redman]

Not at all. Under the Rooney Rule the league comes up with a list of minority assistant coaches they feel deserve consideration for promotion. Teams are encouraged to interview at least one of the candidates on the list but are free to hire whomever they want.

Exactly. The lack of obligation to hire a minority candidate (even if they choose to interview one or more) plus the teams' clear incentive to hire the best candidate makes this a triumph of symbolism over substance.

Well the fact that the Steelers hired one of the guys on the list over other candidates that were thought to be frontrunners proves that it did benefit Tomlin.

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

 

[Fiddles]

From the Trib

http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/x/pitts...w/s_490020.html

During a telephone call with Arizona reporters yesterday, Grimm declined to go into detail about what happened with the Steelers. But he did say he didn't think he had the head coaching job after talking with Rooney II on Saturday.

"No, I thought I had a shot at it, but whatever the details are and things like that ... I respect the decision that was made, and any time you have a decision of that magnitude that obviously thousands of people are interested in, you are always going to get some things on the side ..., '' Grimm said. "The Rooneys did their search. I respect the decision, and it is time to move on.''

Grimm left the Steelers complex shortly after 8:30 p.m. yesterday carrying a box.

"The decision's been made,'' he said. "There's no hard feelings."

doesnt grimms quote here negate this whole thread?

 

[Black Box]

Sounds to me like some people in the media jumped the gun on the story and now have egg on their face. This rumor would justify what happened, and shift the blame from themselves to the league.

 

[redman]

From the Trib

http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/x/pitts...w/s_490020.html

During a telephone call with Arizona reporters yesterday, Grimm declined to go into detail about what happened with the Steelers. But he did say he didn't think he had the head coaching job after talking with Rooney II on Saturday.

"No, I thought I had a shot at it, but whatever the details are and things like that ... I respect the decision that was made, and any time you have a decision of that magnitude that obviously thousands of people are interested in, you are always going to get some things on the side ..., '' Grimm said. "The Rooneys did their search. I respect the decision, and it is time to move on.''

Grimm left the Steelers complex shortly after 8:30 p.m. yesterday carrying a box.

"The decision's been made,'' he said. "There's no hard feelings."

doesnt grimms quote here negate this whole thread?

Only if you feel you can take it at face value. The trouble is, as pointed out above, Grimm (and others in his position) have every reason not to be critical of NFL organizations even if they have in fact been treated unfairly because the NFL is effectively an oligopoly of premium football coaching jobs.

 

[kevinray]

Not at all. Under the Rooney Rule the league comes up with a list of minority assistant coaches they feel deserve consideration for promotion. Teams are encouraged to interview at least one of the candidates on the list but are free to hire whomever they want.

Exactly. The lack of obligation to hire a minority candidate (even if they choose to interview one or more) plus the teams' clear incentive to hire the best candidate makes this a triumph of symbolism over substance.

Well the fact that the Steelers hired one of the guys on the list over other candidates that were thought to be frontrunners proves that it did benefit Tomlin.

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

We won't really ever know, but the fact that they brought him in after Rivera (who’s also a minority) shows that it wasn't a token interview to meet the standards. But Rivera was a strong candidate for the job as well so its not like any of the interviews were token which is the way it should be.

 

[ThisGuy]

Russ Grimm - NYGiants HC next season if they can't persuade Cowher? I'm just saying.

 

[Godsbrother]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Look at the facts:

The Rooneys are one of the original NFL owners.

Roger Goodell has been on the job less than a year.

By all accounts the Rooneys were one of Goodell's big supporters.

Given all of this I find it hard to believe that a new commish would attempt to strongarm an orginal owner on such a big decision.

 

[apalmer]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

No, PFT is being 100% accurate. Their reporter shows up and says, "Hey, did you hear the rumor that the Steelers yanked the offer out from under Grimm? Here's what I heard." When others start spreading his rumor (just like the first post here did), he then reports the "hot rumor" circulating. He doesn't say where it started, just that it's circulating. He's telling the truth and getting his big story. Excellent journalism...and 100% BS. Heck, he could also report that there's a rumor Marshall Faulk has ball cancer and be 100% accurate.

 

[Godsbrother]

PFT's next report:

Rumors are Commissioner Goodell has decided that it would be nice if the Steelers gave the starting QB job back to Kordell Stewart. As the story goes the Steelers will trade Ben Roethlisberger later this week to the Raiders for Aaron Brooks who will serve as Kordell's backup.

 

[guderian]

NFL teams are $1 billion businesses. The owners don't turn over the keys to those businesses to anyone but the person they think is best qualified to run it--and they certainly don't do it to make a temporary little PR splash.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

PFT trying to save face as they have been wrong about a lot of Steelers things and other coaching issues this offseason.

 

[Bri]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

I will. If not this, then other stories.Tell him to come here and defend himself. You guys here are the ones that got me to frequent his site. I always used to blow it off. Now, I'm tired of him. He absolutely does break some stories but if there's a lull in news he just creates BS to get the wheels spinning. I waste way too much time thinking "is this true?" and trying to verify his stuff. If you go to bostonglobe's website and you see some Patriot is having knee surgery, do you even doubt it for a second? Well he's given me no choice but to doubt his stuff at times and I'm tired of it. Report the true stuff and quit making stuff up! Again, tell him to come here and defend himself.

 

[AB in DC]

Tell him yourself.

[Argh, the MB software won't let the "mailto:" link work. But it's florio@profootballtalk.com]

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

PFT is certainly a hit or miss site, likely miss in this case. But I do give them credit for nailing the Tomlin hiring before anyone else.

 

[Bri]

Tell him yourself.

I'd rather wait to see if he comes. There are certainly enough folks around here that he's familiar with. I was well aware typing that, that he'd get a "heads up" to this thread. I'll just wait. Thanks for the idea though

 

[redman]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

I just find the whole concept of this list being beneficial vis-a-vis the Steelers to be highly amusing given that its' related to the "Rooney Rule." If there's one organization that I would hope wouldn't need to be prompted by the league to interview minority candidates per the Rooney Rule, it would be the Rooneys' Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

[Godsbrother]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

I just find the whole concept of this list being beneficial vis-a-vis the Steelers to be highly amusing given that its' related to the "Rooney Rule." If there's one organization that I would hope wouldn't need to be prompted by the league to interview minority candidates per the Rooney Rule, it would be the Rooneys' Pittsburgh Steelers.

Agreed. Although the point of the list is to identify worthy minority coaches that may not be well known outside of their organization. Whether or not it was beneficial to Tomlin or anyone is else debatable. The intention of it though is a good one.

 

[monessen]

Does anyone remember who the minority candidate was that the Falcons interviewed before they hired Bobby Petrino? I'm asking because I'm drawing a blank (no pun intended).

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Does anyone remember who the minority candidate was that the Falcons interviewed before they hired Bobby Petrino? I'm asking because I'm drawing a blank (no pun intended).

Ron Rivera and Mike Singletary

 

[monessen]

Thanks!

 

[redman]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

I just find the whole concept of this list being beneficial vis-a-vis the Steelers to be highly amusing given that its' related to the "Rooney Rule." If there's one organization that I would hope wouldn't need to be prompted by the league to interview minority candidates per the Rooney Rule, it would be the Rooneys' Pittsburgh Steelers.

Agreed. Although the point of the list is to identify worthy minority coaches that may not be well known outside of their organization. Whether or not it was beneficial to Tomlin or anyone is else debatable. The intention of it though is a good one.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I think at this point in the league's (and our culture's) history it's unecessary. Does anyone really believe that an NFL owner hiring a coach is going to be unfamiliar with one of only 64 (actually less) coordinators league-wide? It's not like Tomlin was coaching the Ottawa Roughriders. Twenty years ago I might have agreed with you but the fact is that nowadays minority candidates are proving by themselves that they're qualified, and they're getting hired as a result, which is the way it should be. In fact regarding the two current Super Bowl coaches, Dungy had already been hired as a head coach (twice) and Smith was already well on his way to being a prime head coaching candidatebefore this rule was ever put into place.

This rule/policy, simply by existing, implies that that's not the case. The rule was implimented after it was needed and nowadays only gets in the way . . . for example by allowing people to suggest that Tomlin was hired due to the rule and not because he was the most qualified and the Steelers' favorite/preferred candidate.

 

[GregR_2]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

I just find the whole concept of this list being beneficial vis-a-vis the Steelers to be highly amusing given that its' related to the "Rooney Rule." If there's one organization that I would hope wouldn't need to be prompted by the league to interview minority candidates per the Rooney Rule, it would be the Rooneys' Pittsburgh Steelers.

Agreed. Although the point of the list is to identify worthy minority coaches that may not be well known outside of their organization. Whether or not it was beneficial to Tomlin or anyone is else debatable. The intention of it though is a good one.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I think at this point in the league's (and our culture's) history it's unecessary. Does anyone really believe that an NFL owner hiring a coach is going to be unfamiliar with one of only 64 (actually less) coordinators league-wide? It's not like Tomlin was coaching the Ottawa Roughriders. Twenty years ago I might have agreed with you but the fact is that nowadays minority candidates are proving by themselves that they're qualified, and they're getting hired as a result, which is the way it should be. In fact regarding the two current Super Bowl coaches, Dungy had already been hired as a head coach (twice) and Smith was already well on his way to being a prime head coaching candidatebefore this rule was ever put into place.

This rule/policy, simply by existing, implies that that's not the case. The rule was implimented after it was needed and nowadays only gets in the way . . . for example by allowing people to suggest that Tomlin was hired due to the rule and not because he was the most qualified and the Steelers' favorite/preferred candidate.

I don't think the point of the list was to "identify worthy minority coaches that may not be well known outside of their organization" for the same reasons as redman said. I think the point is to get the teams to consider a minority coach/coordinator that they might not have. Not because the organization would have been openly racist, but because just about every conceivable comparison between the pool of qualified people and the actual hires showed a huge discrepancy which points to a likely prejudice, even if an unconscious one.The way you fight prejudice is by making people aware of it and forcing them to confront their own actions, and the Rooney Rule does. A coordinator who a front office might have unconsciously thought less of and not brought in for an interview just because he was a different race, now may get brought in given a chance to show that he's as deserving of the job.

But I think you're going too far to say it wasn't needed now. Yes, minority coaches were making inroads on their own, probably partially due to the changes in our society over the last 50 years. But that doesn't mean it still wasn't an issue, and as I said, the way you deal with prejudice is to get people to confront it. The Rooney Rule is a great way of dealing with the problem. There aren't any hiring quotas, no pressure to hire someone for a position that the team doesn't want. Just a requirement to at least give a minority coach a fair interview before making a final decision.

 

[kevinray]

Oh, so the only reason they interviewed Tomlin was because of the list, or would they have brought him in anyway because he was qualifed (and coached one of the best defenses in the league this year)?

I don't know if they would have brought him in without the list or not. I am pretty sure being on the list didn't hurt him though...

I just find the whole concept of this list being beneficial vis-a-vis the Steelers to be highly amusing given that its' related to the "Rooney Rule." If there's one organization that I would hope wouldn't need to be prompted by the league to interview minority candidates per the Rooney Rule, it would be the Rooneys' Pittsburgh Steelers.

Agreed. Although the point of the list is to identify worthy minority coaches that may not be well known outside of their organization. Whether or not it was beneficial to Tomlin or anyone is else debatable. The intention of it though is a good one.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I think at this point in the league's (and our culture's) history it's unecessary. Does anyone really believe that an NFL owner hiring a coach is going to be unfamiliar with one of only 64 (actually less) coordinators league-wide? It's not like Tomlin was coaching the Ottawa Roughriders. Twenty years ago I might have agreed with you but the fact is that nowadays minority candidates are proving by themselves that they're qualified, and they're getting hired as a result, which is the way it should be. In fact regarding the two current Super Bowl coaches, Dungy had already been hired as a head coach (twice) and Smith was already well on his way to being a prime head coaching candidatebefore this rule was ever put into place.

This rule/policy, simply by existing, implies that that's not the case. The rule was implimented after it was needed and nowadays only gets in the way . . . for example by allowing people to suggest that Tomlin was hired due to the rule and not because he was the most qualified and the Steelers' favorite/preferred candidate.

There are a lot of coaches who's fathers were coaches. We also talk alot about the various coaching trees, where assistance under a certain coach keep getting jobs. The fact is that NFL teams and head coaches tend to look to people they are familiar with first and like the business industry you often wind up getting a "not what you know but who you know” situation. The Rooney rule tries to break down the good old boy system that the NFL was and still is utilizing.Also the Rooney rule helps prevent the NFL and individual teams from being sued for race discrimination. Even if no minority coaches ever get hired this the fact that all NFL teams are forced to interview helps block the NFL from legal troubles which is probably one of the reasons it was adopted.

 

[diesel7982]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

Dont expect reading comprehension from Godsbrother. You'll be left wanting.PFT is reporting a rumor that theyve heard. They arent saying its true. People who cant interpret what they read, such as Godsbrother, are solely responsible for the bad rep PFT has.

 

[The Hank]

Agreed. The notion that the Steelers hired their head coach because of the commissioner's idea of what would be nice is laughable. PFT just throws a bunch of crap on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. PFT is an absolute joke.

Hold on there, GB. Are you accusing PFT of making this up from thin air?The report is that the rumor is ciruclating at the Senior Bowl. Whether or not it's true, obviously none of us know, including Florio. But to go from there and to say that Florio is making up the rumor itself, that's a pretty strong accusation.

Dont expect reading comprehension from Godsbrother. You'll be left wanting.PFT is reporting a rumor that theyve heard. They arent saying its true. People who cant interpret what they read, such as Godsbrother, are solely responsible for the bad rep PFT has.

Hey, everyone is to have their own opinions of the report, this is just Godsbrother's. He's entitled to say what he feels about it, and justly so (especially with PFT and "the mike sherman getting the job to arizona" and "randy moss to atlanta for vick", which atlanta has since said that its been a total hoax and vick is their starting QB). So whenever you start slamming fellow dependable members of FBG's such as Godsbrother (who is one of, if not, the most informed steeler source there is), why dont you have a little courtesy and respect their thoughts. Its immature and not very professional at all.

 

[Whiplash Inc.]

But then, as the story goes, Commissioner Roger Goodell got involved and suggested to Steelers chairman Dan Rooney that it would be nice if the Steeler would hire one of the minority candidates, given that the Rooney Rule was named after him. Rooney relented.

So, the deciding factor would've been one guy's black, the other white? Bull#### story.Too much gossip going on in this league LOL.