Fair warning. Going to put on my Pittsburgh Steelers’ homer glasses for this one. Maybe wave my Terrible Towel while I write. This isn’t going to be any news that’ll surprise you, at least, it shouldn’t, but man, days like this make you feel good about being a Steelers’ fan.
If you followed the news yesterday, the Kansas City Chiefs’ shocked the football world after dumping GM John Dorsey. It came about an hour after news of an Andy Reid contract extension. On paper, they’re two events which make no sense.
“Stunned” was the word the media repeated on the Interwebz.
Stunned Chiefs parted ways with John Dorsey. Highly likable, personable. Pulled me out of media tent on my last day on beat to wish me well. pic.twitter.com/RdEbzvw7BH
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) June 22, 2017
It’s unclear exactly what happened that led to Dorsey stepping down. Officially, chairman Clark Hunt came out and said he told Dorsey the team wasn’t bringing him back after this season. Dorsey then decided to bail before the inevitable. Maybe that’s the reality. Or maybe it was a Reid power move to push him out the door. It’s happened before.
The Chiefs, I’m sure, will be ok. They have a good coaching staff across the board. Bob Sutton is one of my favorite defensive coordinators and special teams coach Dave Toub is the best in the business. Even Reid has an impressive resume, it’s impossible to deny that.
But could you ever expect such a thing to happen in Pittsburgh? No. Way.
The Steelers’ structure is clear as it is consistent. Head coach and general manager working together, not butting heads until one is driven away. That doesn’t mean Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert’s relationship has always been perfect; though if it hasn’t, they’ve done a good job concealing that. Or that the Steelers have had such issues in the past. Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe relationship ended on a low note.
But this sort of out-of-left-field madness is almost unthinkable in Pittsburgh. It’s not even that the Chiefs were dysfunctional on the field. They were – still are – a strong team and will compete for a deep playoff run. Makes it all the more stranger.
So be grateful for Pittsburgh being one of the models of stability. It’s something few teams not just in football, but all sports, have trouble achieving. They won’t win a Lombardi every year. But you can guarantee that whatever the heck just happened in KC won’t go down in Pittsburgh.
