Another player-coach soap opera
Do a Google search on these three words: Roethlisberger Haley relationship.
You now have 105,000 stories from which to choose.
The headlines in the first three ended with:
1. Takes Hold
2. Getting Better
3. Drinking Beers and Watching Shark Week
And the two individuals 无毛视频� offensive signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley 无毛视频� are only in the second year of their relationship.
Suffice to say the soap opera无毛视频檚 been sufficiently investigated by some heavy hitters in the national media this past week.
无毛视频淵es,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said with a laugh. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 not much different than it was last year, except the reports are a lot different.无毛视频�
Yes, they无毛视频檙e positive this year. That means the investigation is on hold. And what an investigation it无毛视频檚 been.
But it got me thinking about the other side of the ball, and the relationship nobody ever mentions, or, for that matter, investigates. So that became my task on Friday, my final day of camp. I started it out by Googling these three words: LeBeau Foote relationship.
And, voila, I had one story, just one, a piece out of South Carolina.com on Marshall McFadden. It didn无毛视频檛 even mention anyone无毛视频檚 relationship with Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and defensive signal-caller Larry Foote, let alone their relationship with each other.
So I set about to tear this unknown secret wide open.
At least Ben got a chuckle out of it.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 funny because I was talking to him about that the other day,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said of LeBeau. 无毛视频淚 asked him how often he changes defenses and he said 无毛视频榲ery rarely.无毛视频� So that无毛视频檚 a nice thing. I suite with (Brett) Keisel and I tell him it must be nice never having to learn anything new. He shakes his head and says 无毛视频榶eah.无毛视频� But it无毛视频檚 well-documented about Todd and I. We have a great relationship and I think it will show this year.无毛视频�
But there无毛视频檚 nothing documented about LeBeau and Foote, and I wondered if they really do get along. I mean, LeBeau无毛视频檚 from Ohio State and Foote无毛视频檚 from Michigan. And the Steelers once let Foote go to the Detroit Lions.
Is there any sin more unpardonable?
So I had to get to the bottom of it. Maybe the New York Times, or NFL.com, would like some of this drama, too.
Larry, truthfully, how无毛视频檚 your relationship with LeBeau?
无毛视频淒ick LeBeau?!?无毛视频� he asked with an incredulous look on his face.
No, his brother, Bob.
Of course Dick LeBeau. Do you really get along with him?
无毛视频淎wwww,无毛视频� Foote said with a wary look. 无毛视频淥K, the guy comes in, a Hall of Famer, top five interceptor, invented the fire-zone defense, had so many No. 1 defenses in this league, been to so many Super Bowls, when you step in his presence you shut up and you let him get you paid.无毛视频�
But he无毛视频檚 an Ohio State guy.
无毛视频淲ell, he无毛视频檚 the only Buckeye I ever loved,无毛视频� Foote said. 无毛视频淚 always say that if you can无毛视频檛 get along with Dick, there无毛视频檚 something wrong with you.无毛视频�
Of course Foote liked LeBeau right away, because when LeBeau re-joined the Steelers in 2004 he replaced Kendrell Bell with Foote, a third-year former mid-round draft pick whom we in the media had disregarded because of a lack of size and speed. Plus, we loved the way Kendrell hit any and everything.
But I still remember LeBeau looking at me like I was crazy back in 2004, when LeBeau pierced through me with those hawk eyes of his and said, 无毛视频淗ey, Larry Foote can play this game.无毛视频�
Foote started 18 games that season as the Steelers went 15-1 and reached the AFC Championship Game.
无毛视频淗e just took to me,无毛视频� said Foote, who in turn took to LeBeau. 无毛视频淭he way he calls games always helps everybody. He无毛视频檚 always putting us in the right position. Everybody无毛视频檚 game got better when he came. Not a shot at Tim Lewis, but when he came (James) Farrior was Defensive Player of the Year, I started coming into my own. We无毛视频檝e been No. 1 so many years since he无毛视频檚 been here. The last decade we无毛视频檝e been the best defense in the league.无毛视频�
But those were Foote无毛视频檚 salad days. Two Super Bowl rings later, the Steelers kicked him to the curb. They let him sign with the Lions and Foote endured a 2-14 season before coming back to Pittsburgh as a backup. He HAS to have some residual bitterness for his coordinator.
Talk, Larry, The Enquirer wants to know!
无毛视频淎www, no,无毛视频� Foote said. 无毛视频淎nd they didn无毛视频檛 really throw me to the curb. A young stud, Lawrence Timmons, came around and started pressing my time. It无毛视频檚 part of the game.
无毛视频淎nd, really, I know Dick was upset. Not trying to brag or anything, but he was upset when I was gone. It无毛视频檚 part of our relationship. He didn无毛视频檛 want to see me leave. It had to be a collective agreement to bring me back, especially paying me what they were paying me to be a backup. No, we have a great relationship.无毛视频�
No squabbles over the playcalls?
无毛视频淣ah. Nah. Nah. Not with Dick LeBeau,无毛视频� Foote said. 无毛视频淲hen you see his resume and his body of work, you shut up. He calls it, we haul it. We know the gift that he has at defense, so we无毛视频檝e got total faith in what he calls. Whatever Dick calls is the best situation, and if something goes wrong he无毛视频檚 the first one to take the blame. He无毛视频檚 one of those coaches, who, when I do coach, is the guy whose style I want to have.无毛视频�
Obviously, this coordinator has this signal-caller brainwashed. So I took my investigation to the man himself. I caught him after lunch while he was eating an ice cream cone. But he almost dropped it when I asked if he could 无毛视频済ive me some good juice on your problems with Larry Foote.无毛视频�
无毛视频淣o problem at all,无毛视频� LeBeau said after his belly-laugh had subsided. 无毛视频淚n fact I told Larry he无毛视频檚 the only guy from Michigan I ever loved.无毛视频�
LeBeau didn无毛视频檛 seem to care that this story was going nowhere, and especially not to TMZ.
无毛视频淟arry doesn无毛视频檛 do anything for you to get upset about,无毛视频� LeBeau said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a coach无毛视频檚 dream. He无毛视频檚 a coach on the field. He无毛视频檚 always on time for everything. He never misses a formation. He misses very few practices. What无毛视频檚 to get upset about?无毛视频�
As mentioned earlier, LeBeau took a shine to Foote in 2004. LeBeau said it was due to Foote无毛视频檚 无毛视频渜uickness and smarts无毛视频� and how someone might fool Foote once, but not a second time.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 intuitive and he无毛视频檚 got all that,无毛视频� LeBeau said. 无毛视频淚 liked his quickness. He无毛视频檚 very quick and he无毛视频檚 done a great job of keeping himself in condition. I think he无毛视频檚 probably in the best condition I无毛视频檝e ever seen 无毛视频� and he无毛视频檚 never in bad condition. I think he无毛视频檚 going to have a real good year, I really do.无毛视频�
Right. And that无毛视频檚 why you kicked him to the curb in 2009? Huh? What about that?
无毛视频淚 was just very, very glad to have him back because of his knowledge of our defense,无毛视频� LeBeau said. 无毛视频淎nd he knows what everybody around him is supposed to be doing. I said earlier he无毛视频檚 like having a coach out there on the field, and you can never have too many good football players. And Larry Foote无毛视频檚 a good football player. I was so pleased to get him back. He无毛视频檚 been a starter for us all along. He无毛视频檚 just an excellent player.无毛视频�
OK, well maybe this one won无毛视频檛 sell in the bottomless soap-opera section of the sports pages. But at least this investigation can be put to rest.
The other one 无毛视频� the one on offense that the media just can无毛视频檛 get enough of 无毛视频� may never be able to say the same.