Who is Really Doing The House Cleaning?

Since Mr. Rooney and not Tomlin rid the Steelers of Ariens, I wonder if all of these player moves are still because Mr. Rooney is pushing the broom around Tomlin or if the light finally came on in Tomlin's mind that he needs to take charge and manage the team?

Thoughts?

 

Kevin Colbert

 

Agreed, but I think that Colbert would not necessarily be doing all of the wholesale changes without input from Tomlin, Haley and LeBeau.

 

Of coarse he doesn't but utimately the Rooneys have entrusted him over the years to make all of the personnel moves and he is pretty darn good at it.
Final say is in the order of Dan Rooney, Art Jr., Kevin Colbert in that order but ultimately it comes down to the insight given by Kevin Colbert.

 

it was a must we didn't have cap room , anybody on the team knows it

 

To me...it really doesnt matter. As these were all moves that were needed to be made (with more still needed). I'm sure everyone has had some say so in the moves though.

 

Art Rooney II without a doubt

 

i'm sure it was done collectively by all of the above, a top organization that the pittsburgh steelers are.

 

Not surprised at the moves...but thought Batch would be gone by now....more moves to come....different looking squad next year.

 

these moves are purely business based on need and dollars. If a player is needed or we cant do without, they will rework the deal. If we can do without them and use the capspace, the player is released. Its economics based on need.

 

They don't have to announce getting rid of Batch, Dixon, Leftwich, Starks, Gay, Cotchery, Moore, Sepulveda, or Essex. They are free agents, and unless we sign them to a new contract, we don't have to release them.

 

Agree. Plus, none of these moves were really a surprise. Maybe Hines was a surprise in the way it happened (I thought he would retire - same with Smith), but still, it was always going to happen pretty much.

 

I think it is the chief from beyond on the grave.

 

I have no reason to doubt that it is a team effort from assistant coaches, Tomlin, and Colbert. First, with the cap, they had to do many of the moves. For others such as A Smith, it was just time for them to go. Still other moves happened because they lost the division, then lost to the Denver Broncos! The writing was on the wall, changes had to be made to get back on top. There may only be a few more years on D with Troy P and James Harrison. While they have been good before them, they've been great with them. With the O, how many more years does Ben have left? He is injury prone, only 1 season has he started all 16 games. O-line has to get better to protect him. Put that all together and it's time to lose the baggage and retool

 

It just doesn't make sense if it isn't a team effort. It is one thing to disagree on BA, they were 12-4. But if they disagree on all these moves, how could they stay together? For the Rooney's if they don't trust Tomlin, why wouldn't they go in another direction? As for Tomlin, if these moves were happening in spite of him, he could for their hand and go to another team becoming the highest paid coach ever. Don't think Daniel Snyder or Jerry Jones wouldn't make that happen.

Lucky for us, these moves are a team decision and team process. They will do what is necessary to make the team better and bring #7 home!

 

It doesn't really matter who's doing it, just that it's getting done. Brand new team next year boys, on both sides of the ball!

 

Art II, Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, position coaches,scouting department
this is how football business is run. The Steelers have always been at the top
of the cap.You have to maximize your resources and find TALENT
at something you can afford, THIS IS WHY THESE CAP CASUAlTIES HAPPEN.
In this era of FA you can't afford to keep every player that you would like.

Its really that simple.

 

The purge as stated needed to be done. I believe it is Colbert and Tomlin with Art's blessing.

It's time to inject a younger look on Defense. We need quick feet in the middle and Farrior as we all saw was not that. Larry "Slow a" Foote is not the answer.Time for Sylvestor to start. Timmons will call the signals.

It's a passing league. Being number one stopping the run doesn't mean a thing. I want to see a much more balanced Defense. Made minor strides with Lake coaching up the secondary and should be better this season. The only issue is Ike. Man, how he got beatin like a rented mule in the Broncos game. Hopefully he can rebound from that beating and rededicate himself.

Keeping Hampton is a joke at the price. Plus he is not healthy. Plus he can't take on double teams anymore, getting handled with ease by one lineman. A turnstile. I see him being put on the PUP list. Hopefully we grab Poe in the 1st. Then bid adu to Hampton. I would go with McClendon personally and dump the lump.

We are probably going to lose Wallace and pick up another 1st. Cotchery will be resigned and with Brown, Sanders we should be fine. Would I like Wallace back? Absolutley. Can we live without and still have a potent attack? Absolutley. Plus the draft is littered with recievers. And Heath Miller will be a focus in Haleys plan.

Hines Ward and Aaron Smith were two of my all time favorite players for the Black and Gold. But, it was time.

New look Steelers. Here we go....

 

Even with all these cuts, I still feel good about it and how we'll fill those spots with talent.

 

I think these were all planned prior to last season. With the lockout they wanted the stability to make a run at the Super Bowl, same with Ariens, but with that done, I think they finally decided it was time to start the process of eliminating vets and moving forward with new talent. If you look at what we have cut...what do you stress about right now?

Battle - #6 WR who only played special teams and was decently replaced by both the DBs who we put in there and by Dwyer when he was given his shot.
McFadden - Here was a guy who was not in the top 4 of our CBs, and probably wouldn't have been any higher than #6 next year assuming that Brown comes on the way they expect. That number could change if Lewis or Gay walk away, but I will be surprised if either leaves.

A. Smith - He basically hasn't been healthy in 3 years. Hood and Heyward are more than capable of filling the hole. We don't have the veteran presence we had before, but I think we have young capable players.

Farrior - He couldn't do it any more...I think everyone knew that. Foote was playing more and more as the season went on for Farrior. I think we draft young talent and by the end of next year...we won't even miss him.

Chris Kemoeatu - Legursky was going to start over him. Right now I have Gilbert/Legs/Pouncey/Foster/Colon as the starting line. He wasn't going to start over anyone on that line and made too much money to be a backup, especially when you realize we are going to bring in probably more than 1 rookie.

Hines Ward - If we keep Wallace and Cotchery, you realize that Hines would have been the #5 WR on this team...the #5! It wasn't going to happen not at that cost point. I still expect we draft someone in case Sanders doesn't stay healthy yet again or if he or Brown walk after next year.

We haven't cut anyone that we already don't have a capable player to replace them or that we can't live without. No one.

 

No he wouldn't. Rooney's own the team. I'm sure all cuts and drafts and free agent's have to be approved by him/them.
By the by, that is as it should be. They do sign the paychecks, (own the team) stamped as they must be of course.

 

It was me

 

Colbert is the GM and it's been stated that he has complete control over the team. Can Rooney step in at any time and overrule him? Of course, but it doesn't mean Colbert has to go to Rooney for every move he makes. Rooney made Colbert the first GM in team history for a reason, because the Rooney's decided to take a very small step back. Colbert made these moves.