Tag Archives: Todd Haley

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Steelers “Quietly” Extended Todd Haley Through 2016

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The polarizing figure that is Todd Haley has been reportedly retained by the Steelers for at least 2 more seasons. Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers have extended Haley through the 2016 season.

Quietly, Haley signed a two-year contract extension that will take him through the 2016 season.

It’s unclear when the two sides came to an agreement, whether it was during the season, or more recently. While the season started with many (and I mean many) people calling for the coordinator’s head, the increased success of the offense seems to have changed the perception of many of his critics. After two 8-8 seasons, the Steelers made the playoffs, and several offensive records were broken.

The financial details of the extension were not, and probably never will be available.

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Todd Haley: ‘Ben’s Running The Show’

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The Steelers 3 day mandatory minicamp kicks off today. The padless sessions are referred to as “baby training camp” by cornerback Ike Taylor, and aside from the important football practices that go on, they’re the first opportunity for us to hear from assistant coaches publicly.

Todd Haley spent some time talking about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with the media today. The two were once the focus of a media magnifying glass, and they’re supposed rocky relationship may have been the most overblown narrative in the history of Pittsburgh sports. Either way, you’d never know that was the case while listening to Todd Haley talk today.

Haley attributes Ben’s leadership and mental focus to much of the team’s turnaround last season. “In those low times the true leadership of the team shows, and some of those low Wednesdays when we came out for practice and were 2-6, it could have been easy to just go through the motions,” said Haley via the Steelers website. “But in those situations you saw Ben take charge, and a lot of those practices that were make-or-break practices from the coaches’ perspective, you could see there was no quit. We kept fighting until the end when we were watching Kansas City miss the field goal against San Diego in overtime in that last game of the season that kept us out of the playoffs. Even though it was a rough, tough year and nobody was satisfied with it, a lot of good came out of it that should help us moving forward.”

The Steelers offense looked like a well oiled machine for much of second half of the 2013 season. Haley hopes to build on that success, but with new faces at WR and RB this year, Haley knows that all starts with Ben Roethlisberger’s leadership.

“They all see him as the leader of the team. It’s very clear that when Ben speaks, or he’s on the field for his set of plays in practice, he’s running the show,” Haley continued. “Whether guys are on the field with Ben or not, they’ve all got their ears perked up and they’re listening to anything that he says. The entire group will look to the quarterback always, and we’re fortunate we have a guy who has played well in a lot of games and played well in a lot of big games. And because he’s not going to be satisfied unless we’re playing in the final game, the Super Bowl, the entire group, being a younger group, will lean on Ben all the way until we get there.”

Summer hasn’t even begun yet, but there’s plenty to be excited about come September.

Kelvin Benjamin: Football

Colbert, Tomlin, And Other Coaches Finish Their Rounds In Florida

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley, Carnell Lake, and a slew of scouts have been busy the last couple days. Yesterday morning, Coach Tomlin spoke for the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse at spring training camp in Bradenton, Fl.

 

 

 


Kevin Colbert and Todd Haley were also there. Photo

Later that day, they headed north to Gainesville to watch prospects perform at the Florida Gators Pro Day. Several inches of rain fell, which caused problems for some people during parts of the day. “You kind of feel sorry for these guys working out in these conditions,” Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake told Jeff Barlis of ESPN.

Lake was on hand to examine Florida’s top 3 cornerbacks.  Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, and Jaylen Watkins were said to have commanded a lot of attention. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley was in attendance at the event, but did not participate as he is still rehabbing from an ACL tear. He will host private workouts next month.

Watkins decided to let his 4.41 40 time from the combine stand. Roberson and Purifoy were clocked in around the mid-4.5s to low 4.6s on most watches. One scout had Roberson at 4.71 according to Rob Rang of CBS Sports. Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton ran a 4.31 40, and was said to have performed well in drills. The 5’9″, 171 lb receiver was a combine snub, but his speed and special teams ability make him a late round sleeper.

Last night, after the UF festivities were over, Tomlin, Colbert, and Todd Haley were spotted dining and mixing with former Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin and former Florida State RB Devonta Freeman.

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“Had a great #business meeting/dinner with the#pittsburgh steelers representers. Mike tomlin x kelvin Colbert x Todd Haley” Freeman wrote from his instagram account.

Today, a total of more than 70 scouts and members from NFL coaching staffs were in attendance to watch the FSU prospects perform at the Pro Day. Tomlin, Colbert, Haley, Lake, and others no doubt. There’s no shortage of talent to evaluate there. Names like WR Kelvin Benjamin, DT Timmy Jernigan, C  Bryan Stork, S Terrence Brooks, S Lamarcus Joyner, RB Devonta Freeman, RB James Wilder Jr., LB Telvin Smith, and LB Christian Jones.

Talent evaluator Gil Brandt said that Benjamin stood on most of his combine numbers, but had an impressive day, and made a case for himself to be chosen late in the first round. Lots of reps from the Steelers were said to be focusing on Benjamin for what it’s worth. Here’s a look at some of the FSU Pro Day action made available on the Seminoles website. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xfwZHYgGc