Whether it was as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator, it was no secret Randy Fichtner and QB Ben Roethlisberger had a close relationship. It was a driving reason why Fichtner was promoted to coordinator in 2018 and seemingly the catalyst for OC Todd Haley not being brought back despite leading successful offenses during his tenure. Behind the scenes, it always felt like the relationship between Roethlisberger and Haley was strained.
In a rare media appearance, Fichtner essentially confirmed that notion. While guest on the What The Hell Do I Know podcast published Tuesday, he was asked to confirm a story of becoming the go-between with Roethlisberger and Haley, ensuring cooler heads prevailed.
“To answer your question, yes, I was called down,” Fichtner said when asked if the Steelers asked him to shift from the booth to the sidelines. “I was asked if I was better served to be down. And the answer was yes. I was between those two. I knew that was part of my job. I was the quarterbacks coach, and I needed to make sure that was cohesive the best it could be.”
Fichtner’s move from upstairs to the field isn’t breaking news. It was a story at the time in 2017, though the team explained it as creating better communication between positional coaches, players, and coordinator. Fichtner confirms the first time it happened came against the Detroit Lions in 2017, a game broken open by WR JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 97-yard touchdown catch.
After the switch, the Steelers’ offense went on a tear. They won seven of their final eight regular-season games, scoring 29.9 points per game before falling in the AFC Divisional Round, 45-42, to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Randy Fichtner didn’t offer many specifics about Roethlisberger and Haley’s relationship but hinted things between them got tense.
“The bottom line was, certain times, you’re not going to see eye to eye. I get that,” he said. “But it was more than that at times. It was just personalities. Todd’s a strong personality, there’s no question.”
Fichtner had a much different personality. More laid-back and easygoing, those traits meshed with Roethlisberger. The two would often play golf together. Haley’s success came through pushing players and demanding the most out of them. Neither style is wrong, but they were different and Haley’s created issues with Roethlisberger. In 2021, Haley reflected on their time together, noting he had a “good” but “tenuous” relationship with Roethlisberger.
Succeeding Haley, Fichtner took over as offensive coordinator in 2018. He held that position through the 2020 season before his contract wasn’t renewed for the following season. One of Mike Tomlin’s first hires in 2007, it was a difficult decision. A 2023 book on Tomlin noted Randy Fichtner’s surprise at being let go.
“Rip Scherer Jr., who helped Tomlin and Fichtner get coaching jobs at Memphis and knew both men personally, said Fichtner was caught off guard when Tomlin let him go,” wrote John Harris in his Tomlin biography.
“‘Randy, he was shocked.’ Scherer said. “He went in. It was like, ‘Randy, I’ve got to do this.’ Bang, it was done.”
Fichtner hasn’t coached professionally since then. In the interview, he cited a desire to maximize his time with family as a key reason for getting out of the coaching game. For Roethlisberger, he would play through the 2021 season before retiring. Haley lasted just one year as the Cleveland Browns coordinator in 2018, spent time coaching in high school, and had a pair of one-year stints as head coach in spring leagues. He was fired as the UFL’s Memphis Showboats head coach in October 2023.
