January 14, 2007: The Day That Changed the Fortunes and Futures of the Steelers and Cardinals

Arians Became Offensive Coordinator

Whisenhunt’s leaving allowed for the Steelers’ then-WR Coach to assume the play-calling and Offensive Coordinator duties beginning in the 2007 season.  The guy still holds the post today, and he is without a doubt the most polarizing figures on the entire Steeler staff: Bruce Arians.  Arians’ or Big Ben’s supporters might argue that Whisenhunt’s leaving has allowed for the Steelers’ Offense to become more pass-heavy and more wide-open.  In Whisenhunt’s 3 years as the Steelers’ Offensive Coordinator, Pittsburgh was ranked 2nd, 5th, and 10th in the N.F.L. in rushing yards per game, and in 2004 and 2005 they ranked 1st in total carries.  In Arians’ 4 seasons at the helm Pittsburgh has ranked 3rd, 23rd, 19th, and 11th in rushing yards per game, and at times over the last 4+ seasons Arians has seemed content to just abandon the run altogether.

Anybody can see that as Arians’ has left his indelible mark on the play-calling, the passing game has become more of a weapon in Pittsburgh for better and for worse.  It has become better because the Steelers have a loaded WR Corps, a Pro Bowl TE, and a capable H-Back that have helped Ben flourish into the passer he is today.  Despite how awesome the Steelers’ passing game has become, it is worrisome to me that the Steelers don’t have quite the commitment to running the ball as they have had in years past under Whisenhunt and it has cost them in some big spots over Arians’ tenure (some of this blame should be on the O-Line as well).  Regardless, Big Ben despite his current misgivings about Arians’ use of the No-Huddle Offense (or lackthereof), he has gone to bat for Arians in the past with the F.O. and has really developed a rapport with him over a longer period of time than he actually spent with Whisenhunt.

Before I go off on a tangent I will conclude this section with a final thought.  Regardless if you are a fan of Arians or not, he is in his current position for one reason and one reason only: Whisenhunt’s departure to Arizona.  Like it or not Steeler Nation, Ken’s jumping ship to the desert has put and in turn left Arians in the spot he is currently in today, and that is a fact.  Brucey is where he is today because of Whisenhunt’s departure and everything that has happened since the 2007 with him as the Offensive Coordinator is directly related to the events of January 14, 2007.

Tomlin Given Shot

This is probably the most obvious repercussion of Whisenhunt’s taking the Arizona job: a young, inexperienced, yet intriguing figure named Mike Tomlin got his chance to shine.  While Tomlin had experienced early success as an N.F.L. Assistant Coach (Super Bowl XXXVII Champion D-Backs Coach with Tampa Bay), he was still an unproven commodity as a 34 year old guy that had only 1 season as a Defensive Coordinator under his belt and no Head Coaching experience whatsoever when he was hired by the Steelers.  With Whisenhunt out of the picture, and the F.O. not true believers in Grimm, the Steelers went with the high-risk yet high-reward choice of the young Tomlin and have reaped the benefits ever since: 3 A.F.C. North Titles, 2 A.F.C. Titles, and 1 Super Bowl Title in 4+ seasons.

At only 39 years of age, Tomlin could logically coach for another 10+ years if he maintains his level of success and still desires to be employed by the Steelers.  If he truly wants to, he could enter the pantheon of great Steelers Head Coaches with the likes of his predecessors Noll and Cowher.  Before I go off on a tangent about how awesome I think Tomlin is, the point I’m trying to make again though is that if the events of January 14, 2007 didn’t happen, Tomlin might not have become the head man in Pittsburgh.  Had he not been in Pittsburgh, he might currently be burning the Steelers year after year in some other city if he didn’t get his chance.

Conclusion:

I know it’s somewhat fruitless to play the “what if” game and speculate on what could and couldn’t have happened.  Would Grimm’s hiring enticed Alan Faneca to play 3 more solid seasons of football in the Steel City and the O-Line to not be left in shambles since 2008?  Maybe.  But we will never know.  Would Whisenhunt’s staying in Pittsburgh caused a rift between him and Ben over the direction of the Offense?  Maybe.  But we will never know.

What I do hope to have accomplished with this article is that I have allowed you the fans to really look back on the last 4+ seasons and consider how and why the Steelers/Cardinals are in the current situations they are in now.  I understand that it’s a trifle obvious that the hiring of a Head Coach is a big deal, but Whisenhunt going to Phoenix really had some momentous outcomes for both teams that may not be completely obvious to all, yet are still important.  Please don’t hesitate to comment and leave me your thoughts on the matter, and please let me know if I missed something.  Thank you for reading and Go Steelers!

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