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Arizona gets permission to interview Steelers’ Haley
By Alan Robinson
Published: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 11:44 a.m.
Updated: Friday, January 4, 2013
Only a week ago, Todd Haley said he was exactly where he wanted to be as offensive coordinator of his hometown Steelers.
The Arizona Cardinals apparently want to find out if Haley is interested in returning to another place he once called home. They were granted permission Thursday to interview Haley for their head coaching job.
Haley, 45, was the Cardinals' offensive coordinator when they lost to the Steelers, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals thought highly of his work with quarterback Kurt Warner in an offense that was the NFL's fourth-best in 2008. Haley ran the Arizona offense for two seasons.
Haley became the Kansas City Chiefs' head coach in 2009, but he was fired late in the 2011 season despite having a 10-6 record and winning the AFC West the season before. He had a 19-26 record in three seasons with the Chiefs.
The Cardinals were interested in bringing back Haley last year as an assistant under Ken Whisenhunt, but the Steelers made him their offensive coordinator after Bruce Arians was let go.
Despite an up-and-down first season in Pittsburgh in which Ben Roethlisberger apologized for criticizing Haley's playcalling during an overtime loss last month in Dallas, Haley said he was happy being in Pittsburgh.
His father, Dick, once was the Steelers' player-personnel director, and Haley and his family built a home in Upper St. Clair, where he grew up.
“I have said a bunch of times ... this is where I want to be,” Haley said last week. “And I will occasionally say to coach (Mike) Tomlin, ‘This is a lot more fun than what you have to deal with.' You get to coach and work with the players on a daily basis and interact all the time.”
The Cardinals have interviewed former Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton, and they plan to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy this weekend, according to the Arizona Republic.
Alan Robinson is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at arobinson@tribweb.com or @arobinson_Trib.
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Hoping you stay Todd! Start bringing in your own guys to play at the skill positions on offense beginning with some smarter, bigger and tougher wrs in the upcoming draft. Seeing that Haley is from the Parcells coaching tree just like Belichick, another premiere tight end to compliment Heath Miller and copy the new england 2 tight end offense will go a long way to what ails this offense. As they say the NFL is a copy cat league.
Submitted by: Doug on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Let's send the guy some luggage!
Submitted by: Doug on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Let them have him...he's no better then Arians. Speaking of which, I'd laugh if Arians goes back to Cleveland...the sportscasters are in love with him now. I say they both suck. Let's try to find someone that has a plan that doesn't involve run up the middle, run up the middle, short pass, punt.
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