STEELERS PRESIDENT ART ROONEY, II
HEAD COACHING SEARCH PRESS CONFERENCE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2007

 

 

 

Art Rooney, II:  Good afternoon again.  I just want to start by saying we will begin our search for a head coach immediately.  Our only goal is to find the best person for the job.  The timetable will simply relate to when we feel that we have reached that goal. We will identify candidates only after we have completed an interview and only if that candidate wishes to be identified.  The only exception to that at this point is that I do want to confirm that we have informed both Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt that they are candidates and they will be interviewed.  I am happy to answer your questions.

 

Can you go over the process of who you are allowed to talk to and when?

 

It is kind of a strange rule, but we are only permitted to interview, if the team is in the playoffs we are allowed to interview the teams this week that have a bye week.  The teams that don't have the bye this week, we would be allowed to interview their coaches next week.  We will be a little limited by that with some of the interviews. 

 

Is that even if the team wins?

 

Yes, if the team wins and has a game next week, you are permitted to interview their people.

 

Are Russ and Ken the only guys from your staff?

 

Yes, at this time.

 

How many will you interview?

 

I can't give you a specific number.  We are still in the process of forming the list and investigating people that we would like to have on the list.  It will be an ongoing process.

 

Will you start this weekend?

 

Yes.

 

Will you bring everybody in here?

 

The candidates whose teams are in the playoffs, we would have to go to their city to do the interviews.  So we would have to travel to those cities.

 

Will you do it all yourself?

 

There will be three people involved in the interviews, myself, my father and Kevin (Colbert).  We are all involved in every interview.  That is sort of our interview committee.

 

Do you have to keep an eye on other openings?

 

We will be aware of what is going on with these other openings, yes.

 

Is this the same process as the last time you did this?

 

I would say fundamentally, it is a similar process to what we've had in the past.  I would say that the two biggest things we will rely on will be interviews, number one and number two, information and recommendations we can get from other people in the league who we respect their opinions.  That is what we have done in the past and I think that is the way it will be done this time.

 

How important is it to keep things the way they are offensively and defensively?

 

I think we will be aware of the team we have, the roster we have as we go into this, not that that would put absolute restrictions on anything but it is certainly something we will take into account.  I would say overall, we have had an approach to the game of football that I think has been fairly consistent going back to Coach Noll.  So I think looking for people who we feel fit with the organization and the approach we have had to football, I think those kinds of things will be factored in.

 

Do college coaches interest you?

 

We would not eliminate anybody based on college.  I think NFL experience is certainly a criteria but we haven't eliminated college coaches, per se.

 

Do you feel any pressure making this hire?

 

The only pressure I feel, and I think we all feel, is to find the best coach we can find for this organization at this point and time.  It is probably no different than any other time we had to go through this.

 

Might this candidate not be someone who is a household name?

 

That could be true, yes.

 

Will you interview candidates that others wouldn't?

 

That's right. We're not just trying to identify someone who is a household name. There are a lot of good coaches in the National Football League. We'll try to find the ones that we think it's their time and are a good fit for our organization.

 

Are the Steelers owed compensation if Cowher sits out '07 and comes back to coach another team?

 

No, not after '07.

 

Does the new guy have to appreciate how the organization operates?

 

I think that some appreciation and a general fit for the organization is important. We may talk to people who aren't that familiar with the organization so it's not incumbent on them to have an appreciation in the sense of knowledge of the organization. I think someone that shares similar philosophies to the approach to the game of football, those kinds of things are important.

 

Do Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm have an advantage because they've been here?

 

I think our existing coaches and the fact that we feel that we have a good staff could be considered positives in their regard.

 

Will their being candidates elsewhere expedite the process?

 

At this point I would say no. That could change but as I stand here today we have to go through our process and if something happens and we can't move that quickly, we'll just have to live with that. As time goes on that may become more relevant.

 

Does Miami have permission to talk to Whisenhunt?

 

Yes.

 

How do you identify candidates?

 

It's hard to say. We've only done this a couple times in the last 40 years. It's hard to say that we have a knack for it.

 

Does everyone know who the hotshot assistants are?

 

It's hard to say. There are some names that everybody talks about. By the same token there are some names that I don't know where they are on other people's lists. It's hard to say other than we will pay attention to our own information first as opposed to what other people are thinking.

 

Is NFL experience as a player as asset?

 

It's something you look at. NFL experience as a coach is more important. NFL experience as a coach, with a lot of coaches, has proven to be an advantage. It's just a factor I would say.

 

When did you start to get a list together?

 

Let's just say that recently we've had an opportunity to look at some lists.

 

Will you ask Cowher for input?

 

Sure, we'll ask Bill for his thoughts on people he knows around the league.

 

If Cowher coaches in '07 will there be compensation?

 

I don't think that's a factor at this point. It's not something that we've given any thought to. Certainly, Bill does not sound like that's where he's going. We're not spending a lot of time thinking about it.

 

Is compensation decided by the league or the team?

 

It would be up to the team as I understand it.

 

Has Miami called?

 

No.

 

Will you consider the former coaches on your staffs that have gone on for other jobs?

 

I wouldn't discount somebody that fits that description.

 

Is there a personality profile that you're looking for?

 

You want a personality that No. 1 is somebody that you feel can deal with the players and get their attention. Having a proven track record in that regard is an important personality trait.

 

Can you talk about when Noll was hired and how the process has changed?

 

I was a ball boy when Coach Noll was hired. I did not have much input into the process. I did prepare a list. Things have changed. The attention to NFL football has grown tremendously. Things are a little different. Although, on the other side of it I would say some of the quality and characteristics that we were looking for at the time we hired Chuck and Bill are things that we look for today.

 

Do you remember who was on your list in 1969?

 

They were all college coaches because the only information I had was research on college coaches. Ara Parseghian might have been one of them. I don't know.

 

Do you want a guy who's emotional on the sidelines?

 

I don't think Bill changed that much over the years. I think Dick Hoak the other day made a comment. He was asked to compare Chuck and Bill and saw that there were differences. He made the comment that there are different ways to get it done. There are different personalities. That's true. The No. 1 thing is they have to be themselves. Someone that we feel is a genuine person, that will be important.

 

How much leeway will a new coach have with his assistants?

 

We don't think that you just bring somebody in and say here are your assistant coaches. I think whoever comes in is going to have to have the ability to put their staff together. Having said that, we think that we have good people on this staff. We would recommend that they consider people on the staff, but the bottom line is that whoever comes in has to have the ability to put their staff together.

 

What's the rule on your guys leaving for another job?

 

We would not have to give permission for somebody to make a lateral move, so to speak. They're all under contract.

 

Does the assistant head coach title apply here?

 

I don't think they're treated differently than a coordinator at this point to my understanding.

 

How many minorities will be interviewed?

 

Not a certain number. We're required to include at least a minority candidate. Somebody asked if things have changed. The one thing that has changed over the years is the number of quality of minority candidates that are in the pool to be considered has grown. From that standpoint I think that's a positive and not difficult to find people who are coordinators and have the kind of experience that you want in these positions.