Why is it that Rooney never shoulders any of the blame from Steelers fans for our draft misses?

We know that a Rooney has final approval over the Steelers draft board and draft picks. It's quite possible if not likely that the responsibility for some of these misses don't fall on the shoulders of Colbert and Tomlin, but AR2.

 

My perception has been that the Rooney family has always had a pretty "hands off" approach to managing the team. They hire the coaches and management and let the reins go free for the most part. They may be more or less involved, but we as fans really don't know their level of involvement. My gut feeling is that they are less micro-managers (i.e. Jerry Jones) and more macro managers. Some blame should go to everyone involved for draft mistakes (including some of those lazy a$$ players).

 

Yeah I don't think he does have final say he isn't jerry Jones. I know Cowher had the final say when he was the head coach but now I'm guess it's Colbert.

 

Roethlisberger was a Rooney pick and Arians was a Rooney fire. It seems to me they're far more hands on then you think. There's also an article floating around somewhere about the Steelers draft process and the Family is definitely involved.


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I had never heard that before.

 

i have .. they loved him in HS and at miami..

HINES

 

Cowher wanted someone else and Rooney stepped in and said no this is our guy.

 

almost all the rooneys were involved in the team as scouts and such growing up and coming up through the ranks. they were not just handed the top spot. they put in the time to learn the draft game. art2 was a longtime scout so he does know a little better than most owners. he was part of the 70's acquisitions as a scout.

I've said in the past, cowher wanted more say so and butted heads with tom donahoe. he got his way and Colbert came in as more of a cowher yes man. when cowher left that threw all the eggs in colberts basket. MT as he's learned the head coaching spot has gotten more input, but Colbert and he make the boards and Colbert has the final say between them. art or dan could at anytime over rule both of them and even cowher back in the day. as they did with ben. if there is someone special they want as important as a franchise qb they will let it be known. or an OC and a team going in a different direction. or a DC when it's time. now they may deligate that said insistence to clobert to handle but it would be from the top as it should be. they pay the bills, but even art2 and dan have to answer to a board of directors/ owners too.

 

I blame the scouting dept for all these draft misses. They are scouting players who get to the NFL and can't play a lick, they need to fire some of them.

 

colberts mentor and son? we have a few new scouts within the last couple of years. some older ones have moved on.

 

You're probably overstating AR2's involvement with building the Steel Curtain a bit. AR2 Graduated from college in 1978 and followed that up with law school.

 

Roethlisberger was a Rooney pick ...

From what I understand, Dan Rooney wanted Marino in a very bad way only to be talked out of it by Art Jr. due to character issues. They ended up drafting Gabe Rivera from Texas who ended up paralyzed after crashing in a snow storm during his first season. It's unfortunate what happened to Gabe but during Marino's first season he was shattering records while the Steelers enjoyed mediocrity at the QB position for the next 19 seasons.

Dan was not going to be overruled on the Roethlisberger pick no matter how much Cowher objected to it.

 

Not exactly, from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Rooney writes that he was ready to draft Marino at the urging of a local sports writer, but "I made a mistake. Instead of telling our (front office) I thought it up myself, I told them it was (the writer's) idea. And that was the end of it."
Years later, in 2005, that earlier misstep influenced Rooney's draft-day strategy.
"I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we had passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to (Ben) Roethlisberger," Rooney writes in the book.


Read more: http://www.wtae.com/Rooney-Tells-Wh...eerleaders-Helmet-Logos/7759824#ixzz2woDkxUv1

 

spin it any way you like it

all of ya

 

I'm thinking the Rooney's involvement in the draft are slim to none since the hiring of Colbert, our first GM in 2000. Every coach have always took part in draft selections....unlike Mr. Noll he had the final say! I think a lot of our misfires start at the feet of scouting.

 

We can do better than what we have.