Scott Brown, of the Tribune-Review, reports head coach Mike Tomlin said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was not in danger of losing his job following the 2009 season. There had been speculation that Tomlin would fire Arians, who has been a lightning rod for fan criticism as the Steelers have become a more pass-oriented attack and struggled in short-yardage running situations.
When asked specifically about a rumor that QB Ben Roethlisberger talked him out of firing Arians in early January, Tomlin said, ‘All false. It’s really a joke. I don’t know where it came from. I think it was generated by people outside of our building. I didn’t have an opinion regarding it then and I really don’t now.’
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DrGeorge
March 24, 2010 at 6:32 am
No, Arians wasn’t fired — Coach Zeirlein was the sacrificial goat instead for the team’s inept rushing performance in short yardage and red zone situations. With Zeirlein gone and a new line coach on board, we’ll now see if the problem was line coaching or a more strategic flaw in Arian’s thinking. No one wants to dismantle the Arians aerial attack; it produces big numbers, despite inconsistent pass blocking. But even in today’s pass happy NFL, passing alone will not win championships. Arians cannot disdain the run or deflect responsibility for it.
Tomlin has stated publicly that he wants an improved running game this year. Arians got the message. My guess is his leash isn’t long.