Does Rooney have any respect for Ben?

We all know that Ben has gone to bat for BA the last few seasons and has salvaged his job at the end of at least one of those seasons, but it appears that he did not have enough influence this go around to save BA. I think the relationship that Ben had with BA was very unhealthy. It's fine to have an amicable relationship with your direct supervisor but to be all buddy-buddy and chummy-chummy is not heatlhy, it's just not. Spending large portions of the off-season doing personal things together is a very unhealthy situation. Going to the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii together (with Randy Fichtner as well) is not healthy. Shoot, it was BA who turned Ben onto the real estate in Georgia and we all know how that worked out.

But I think there is something deeper at play here. I think Rooney has lost all respect for Ben and his opinions. The two "lost years", as I call them, where Ben was accused of rape for two straight off-seasons did a lot of damage to Ben's reputation and it hurt the Steelers image as one of the most disciplined organizations in all of sport and I don't think Rooney has forgiven him for that and I don't believe Rooney trusts Ben anymore. Sure he knows Ben is his QB and he's paying him $100 million and in a sense he's stuck with him. But Ben has no moral authority and standing on the team anymore and I believe this situation has served to highlight that. I'm sure Rooney is happy that Ben seems to be moving on and is now a happily married man and all of that, but Rooney wanted to make it clear that Ben doesn't run the team and his opinion doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

 

You raise some interesting points.
I agree that the rank and file, shouldn`t be THAT close to their bosses.
Sure, when I was younger, I thought it was a good thing to be able to go out and throw darts, or play poker games, with my bosses, thinking that would make us closer, and get along better, make us "buddies", and I would be looked upon more favorably at work.
As I got older, I realized that is NOT the case.
It is better to be friendly at work, and then go your seperate ways, off the clock.
Not "healthy"? I dunno about all that, but things seem to work out better, when work is work, and play is play.
As for Rooney having no respect for Ben, as a person, I think that may be a bit of an overstatement, but, he has made it clear, who is in charge.
I`m sure he is happy to have seen Ben at least make an effort, to rebuild his image, and try to be a "better person"...
I think the ownership shook up Ben`s idea of just how important he is, when they were talking about trading him in the wake of the second sexual assault charges.
Whether they would have, or not, is beside the point.
I believe they made him seriously reconsider his value to the team, get his ego in check, so to speak, and take a good hard look at how he was living his life.
Not surprising, that a young man with all that money, and a Superbowl ring on his finger, would feel a little "larger than life", and that he could do as he damn well pleases.
When he came into the league, I believe he was a genuinely humble, kid, from a small town, who had a "good character, and upbringing". I remember the PFJ(Play for Jesus), on his shoes that got him fined by the league.
Not surprising to me, that his head swelled, when he became the starting QB, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, went 15-1 as a rookie, won a superbowl the next year(I think), and won another Superbowl, what, 2 years after that? all that and a 100 million dollar contract will tend to make one feel like they are God, and the world is theirs for the taking, especially when they are not even 30 years old, yet.
I believe Rooney understands all that, and is looking to see Ben mature as he should, and accept his role as an "employee", and lead this team to more Superbowl victories, while losing any sense of "entitelment", he may have gotten, along the way.
Rooney may not "trust" Ben as much as he did when signing that fat contract, but I am sure he is willing to let Ben EARN that "trust" back...

 

I agree with you 100%. Its too bad we have many fans that think Ben should run the organization and that he is the reason for the 2 Super Bowls.

Ben is definately a good QB, but he is not elite and he is not the reason for the success of the organization. If Ben would not be so arrogant and focused on becoming better he could become elite. Rooney knows this and it probably doesn't sit well with him, along with the fact that he has embarrassed the organization before.

Hopefully he can learn and grow, but the latest news is not pointing at that.

 

POST OF THE YEAR

 

Totally off topic here but I didn't want to start another Rooney thread. Does anyone find it just a bit strange that before the "retirement" there were threads and posts from lots of people on here talking about how much faith they have in the Rooney's and how great they have been as owners and they will make the right choices, no way they cast of a guy who was responsible for a 12-4 record and 2 SB appearances. "Now after the Retirement" the same people are questioning the Rooneys, saying they are meddling, that Art is becoming another Jerry Jones, that they don't know what is best for the team they own. I find it all very curious.

On Topic I would agree with the OP statement. This organization has always embraced the unsung hero type players that they have had. Guys like Hoke, Smith, Ward, Miller and so on guys who try to live their lives in a way that reflects positively on the team. Yes I know Ward has had his run in with the law now too but before that he wasn't that type of player who gets in trouble. Anyway my point is that those are the guys that they have done more than their fair share for. Other players such as Holmes, Porter, Llyodd, Morris and so on are thanked for their years of service and let go. To me as much as the Rooney's appreciate everything that Ben has done for the team I don't think he falls into the first group and maybe he isn't in the second group yet but I don't think the Rooneys go to bat for him again.

 

I agree, Thorn...
The Rooney`s will NOT "go to bat" for Ben again...
They will let him "shape up, or ship out"...
But they WILL give him the chance to "shape up"...
What I wonder, is, why you put Greg Lloydd(95), in with the group of players that "got in trouble"?
As far as I remember, he was mean and nasty on the field, but never got in trouble off of it.
He was a black belt in one of the martial arts, and seemed to stand for all the right things...
Not even a hint of domestic probs like some of our other "heroes", have had,(that I remember)...
So, given that you have him as your avatar, why you put him among our "problem children"?

 

I didn't mean to cast him in the role of a person who got in trouble but more as a guy that for all he did, the team said thank you and let him go, didn't really try to give him that extra effort that they seem to give other guys like Smith or Ward and even Woodson to a certain extent before they finally just had to let him go. I hate to think of what would have happened if Bettis said yeah one more year.

edit: and yes he was one of my all time favorites right behind Lambert.

 

Gotchya, Thorn... One of my Fave`s, too.
And you`re right... the ownership does seem to give a bit more, to the hardworking, less outspoken players.
Just the Steeler way. Scared to see how that turns out with Hines this season.... Hoping they stick to their tradition, but I got a bad feeling they may let him walk...
That`s a topic for another thread, tho...

 

You hit the nail on the head! Off the record Real men don't kiss ass.

 

I think if Hines will take a pay cut he will be back this year

 

Many of us may forget the Bradshaw did not have the best relationship with Rooney/Noll when he was here, but he won us 4 championships. Maybe it's a thing with elite quarterbacks and not just Ben. Look at the Manning situation in Indy as another example.

 

Well actually he did. He went to trial twice for domestic violence with one of the most serious accusations being that he stuck a gun in his sons mouth for getting a bad report card at the age of 12. Both trials ended in a hung jury so he wasn't convicted but there's probably a good reason that his son, Lloyd Jr., hasn't talked to his dad for years and publicly stated he had no interest in reconnecting with his father. I loved the guy on the field but apparently his rage carried over in to his personal life as well.
http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/02/28/for-gre ... s-at-name/

 

Not trying to get off topic, but wasn't is 25 years in between Super Bowl wins? I think you strongly have to conisder the fact that Ben is a huge reason for the 2 Super Bowls

 

I can't help thinking about Ben's rookie season. Why? I remember all of the years under Cowher, where we all believed the one thing missing from the team was a really good QB. O'Donnell was all right; Kordell only had his moments. What we needed was a big, strong-armed QB, who was capable of making plays and forcing teams to respect the pass more.

Remember that?

Times change. I know. But I don't believe Art is disrespecting Ben. He's thinking about what type of team this should be. Though Ben may think he's the type of QB who can chuck it 35-40 times a game (and at times he can), fact is, that's not productive, nor is it smart.

I wonder if Art had the same reaction I did to the San Francisco game: the Steelers were physically man-handled. And the 49ers have the type of approach that Rooney wants in this Steelers. TBH, I think it chafes Art's rear end to see Harbaugh go into SF and ithin a year turn that team into a tough, physical, fundamentally-sound football team.

 

True. And Ben deserves some credit for that: the Steelers FINALLY found a great QB. The first since Bradshaw.

But let me play devil's advocate: from the late 80s through the 90s, the NFL had free agency and no salary cap. During that period, the NFL had some really, really good teams: Buffalo in the AFC, and Dallas, San Fran, Washington, and Green bay in the NFC. None of the SB champs since 2000 could have competed, talent-wise, with those teams. It's a different NFL now. The talent is a bit watered down, the game is played differently, and parity exists. Hence why we see more upsets in the playoffs now, more #5 and #6 seeds going through.

 

Not true with the Rooneys, at least not with Art. He loved Art. Some quotes I remember from Bradshaw about Art Rooney:

"He did nothing but encourage me."

"I don't think winning really mattered all that much to him."

"Art...God how I loved that man..." (HOF speech)

"He was a great, great man. He really was. he was just amazing."

 

The 49ers have a below average QB and lack the skill players that we have. Naturally, they needed to change their identity to win. Our team is loaded with talent and doesn't need to be a smashmouth team in order to win. Frankly, we don't have the personnel to be a smasmouth team. Our line sucks. We can improve the line and improve situational playcalling and all that, but the bottom line is that this team is built to win through the air. I understand the running game needs to complement the passing game and that it needs to be improved, but we shouldn't blow up this whole roster just so we can get back to "Steeler football". Times have changed.

 

Bet that boy was on the honor roll next semester?
Just kiddin, I couldn't stop my fingers

 

Seriously great post

 

The main problem is Tomlin. Good talker but just doesn't have it as being a good coach. A lot Of BS.

 

BleedSteel, you make some really good points here. I understand that the world, so to speak, was Ben's oyster the fist few years and a young man with all of that money and prestige is going to encounter a multitude of temptations. But not every young man in that position gets accused of rape for two offseasons running. I don't know if Rooney will ever forgive Ben for that. He'll be able to deal with it and move beyond it, but to forgive and forget with the decades of pride built into the organization is a tough sell. If Rooney had his way, Sam Bradford would now be the Steelers QB instead of Big Ben.

 

If Rooney had his way?.. who else's way would there be? It's his team.

Thank God we don't have Bradford, he's broken half the time.

 

The Rams wouldn't cooperate. If the Rams had been a willing (and reasonable) trade partner, we would all be fussing about how fragile Bradford is as a QB right now.