Steelers MMQB: NFL training camp news
By Kim Myers
Haley is a Lil Wayne fan
Jul 27, 2015; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) talks with offensive coordinator Todd Haley (R) in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley isn’t oblivious to the fact that he’s been heavily criticized since arriving in Pittsburgh three seasons ago. Mark Kaboly of the Trib got a one-on-one with him on Saturday and Haley acknowledged that the pressure he’s under just comes with the territory.
The Steelers offense is coming off of a season where they broke almost every franchise offensive record with more scoring, passing yards, receptions and total yards than ever before. But, fans are still reluctant to give Haley any credit for the Steelers’ offensive success and all too willing to assign him most, if not all, of the blame for any offensive deficiencies.
The most vocal Steelers fan Haley critic last season was rapper Snoop Dogg, who released a series of Instagram videos calling for Haley’s head in frustration during the games the Steelers didn’t score six touchdowns and amass 300+ yards of offense. Kaboly points out that Haley took the criticism in stride.
"“I am a Lil Wayne guy. But I have great respect for Snoop. I don’t want to start an East Coast/West Coast war here. When we won games, I made videos for the offense, and I fit him into some of the videos for a good laugh. Steelers fans are passionate. You saw Snoop in Steelers gear and naming his youth team the Steelers. It is a great thing. With that comes a little more pressure.” – Todd Haley"
Criticize him all you want, that is just plain funny. If you can’t laugh at yourself sometimes, who can you laugh at? Haley realizes the criticism against him and that’s what’s going to drive him to push this offense to keep improving. If the Steelers top last season’s performance with an even better regular season and manage to back it up with playoff wins this season, perhaps he might get a little nugget of credit for it from the fans.
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