Ah, Crap

I still can't believe the Steelers are interviewing Chan Gailey. Can't believe it. Why? How? I've had 16 hours to process it (granted, I was asleep for 8 of that and, trust me, I didn't dream about Chan Gailey - something about not having enough money to fix the plumbing). I still can't get over it.

Why? He left the Steelers (something I still don't forgive him for, even though he was well within his rights to do so and if it happened today, I wouldn't have a problem with it, I just didn't understand how the NFL works in 1997), then laid an egg with the Cowboys, then ran and hid, now he coaches Georgia Tech.

First of all, there are those that will argue that he didn't lay an egg at Dallas. After all, he made the playoffs both years. But, he didn't do what he should've done, what Barry Switzer didn't do, and what, oddly enough, only Dave Campo had the stones to do. He didn't start filtering in young players as the Big Three (Aikman, Irvin, Smith) started to decline. Now, Barry Switzer is an idiot. And I still can't believe he beat Cowher to win a Super Bowl. But Chan Gailey should've known better.

Herbert Hoover is usually blamed for the Great Depression, but it really happened as a result of changes in fiscal policy made by Calvin Coolidge. Gailey's Coolidge, Campo's Hoover. Everyone looks and says, "Hey, Gailey made it to the playoffs two years in a row, but Campo took the same team and went 15-33." Well, no. Gailey got the last two good years out of the Big Three, then dropped the mess in Campo's lap after ignoring the problem for two years.

I bring this up because we have a lot of older players that will soon be passing their primes. Gailey will keep them in if they keep winning and not give a young player a chance. Sorta like Cowher, but more severe. I seriously believe that he set the franchise back four years.

Don't want that to happen here. I'd prefer Whisenhunt over Bailey.

But, I'd also like to announce that I fully endorse Russ Grimm as the next coach of your Pittsburgh Steelers. It looks like they're leaning towards the two current assistants, I'm not really excited about either of the outside guys (Rivera and Tomlin, and you know my feelings on Gailey), and I really, really don't want Whisenhunt.

For a few reasons:

1. If Whisenhunt gets hired, I have a feeling that we'll party like it's 2003. Too much passing, too much like Zeroue and Tommy Gun. Too many turnovers (yes, more than last year), and too much loss of identity.
2. If anyone thinks that the coddling of Big Ben is bad now, just wait and see what happens if Whisenhunt takes over. It will be brought to a whole new level. And, after this season (and kinda 2005), I think the kid needs a swift kick in the ass. Grimm will give that to him, Whisenhunt will hold his hand and stroke his hair and tell him that everything's OK. We don't need that.
3. He turned down the Oakland job. Okay, you could say that he had a feeling that Cowher would retire and that he'd be first (or at least second) in line for the job. You could say that Oakland was a bad situation and he would have been a fool to coach there. You could say that, since Art Shell already got fired, that Whis dodged a bullet. And, you'd probably be right. However, I can't get past the fact that there are only 32 jobs like this on the entire planet and Whis turned it down. That's like turning down the opportunity to be the CEO of Hewlett-Packard just because they had a few down quarters. I understand that the Raiders are bad, but a lot of their failure this year can be chalked up to Art Shell. With a better offensive scheme and better coaches (Whis would've hired a better staff, as it would've been impossible to hire a worse staff), the Raider's might have won 6 games this year, maybe more with that defense. Still, there are only 32 of these jobs on the entire planet. If you are offered one, you take it. If you do not take it, you're either dumber than Art Shell, or you have no confidence in your abilities. I'm all for loyalty, but not so much for stupidity and lack of confidence in a head coach.

Okay, I'll have to be honest. I hadn't thought the Rivera/Tomlin thing through very well. That's why I endorsed either of them as being better than the two current assistants.

That was dumb. Very, very dumb. While I've given up on Mike Singletary (still who I'd hire if I were in charge, but thank the Sweet Baby Jesus I'm not), just blindly backing someone because they're a fresh face is a dumb idea.

And, endorsing, in any capacity, two guys that are from the Dungy tree is very, very, very, even collosally, dumb. Nothing against Tony Dungy. If he wanted to coach the team, I would actually be okay with that. But, everyone from the Dungy tree runs the Cover 2 (or, sometimes call the "Tampa 2"). We don't have the personnel for that. We'd actually need to completely overhaul the defense. Completely. None of our linebackers fit it. None of our safeties (not even the reserve guys). Maybe Ike Taylor, possibly Bryant McFadden, but no other cornerback. And certainly, definitely, most assuredly, NONE of our defensive linemen. So... McFadden and Taylor will be about 35 when we have the right personnel to run the Tampa 2. Right around the time either Tomlin or Rivera will have coached the Steelers for about as long as Cowher.

The solution, then, is to say that the new guy needs to keep Dick LeBeau and LeBeau's defense. So... why hire a defensive guy, then? And, if you're keeping everyone around, why not hire a current assistant? If you're looking to change only the head coach and none of the assistants, why not promote one of the assistants?

And, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I'm not trying to say that Russ Grimm wins this job by default. I think he's an excellent teacher, an exceptional motivator, and he commands the respect of his players. I doubt he'll be as fiery as Cowher, but that's probably not what we need at this point anyway. I think we need a steady hand to right the ship, make sure no one slacks off, and we need to keep playing Steelers football.

Grimm understands what that means. And Grimm will make sure that the proud tradition of the Steelers continues. He went to Pitt. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania. He gets it. And, I would have to assume that he will do anything in his power to not be known as the guy that crippled the franchise.

And, it has been said by me and others, that the Steelers don't tend to promote from within. The last time they did, the coach only lasted a year. That was two guys before Noll. Which was 1965. Which was 41 years ago. Which was 12 years before I was born.

I think it's time.