The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was electric under former Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley. This excitement was fueled by the incredible talent surrounding Haley, with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown leading the charge. Haley served as the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017.
NFL.com
Steelers' former Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley talks to legendary QB Ben Roethlisberger.
Before taking the helm in Pittsburgh, Haley built an impressive resume. He began as a scouting assistant for the New York Jets and then worked for several teams as a wide receivers coach. His final position before becoming an offensive coordinator was with the Dallas Cowboys from 2004 to 2006, where he had the opportunity to coach the legendary Terrell Owens.
Owens recently appeared on The Jerry Bubba Dub Morgan Show, where he discussed how some coaches benefit from nepotism. He highlighted how certain coaches secure positions because of their family connections, emphasizing the complexities of the professional coaching world.
"You have people who don't even have a lot of experience and then they jump up to offensive coordinators, or they jump up to defensive coordinators," Owens said. "Then all of a sudden, they're head coaches after a year or two of being a graduate assistant. Sometimes, for some people, you gradually work your way up. Some people do, some people don't, because of relationships."
Owens singled out one coach in particular: Haley. He cited Haley as an example of nepotism because Haley was his wide receivers coach for a couple of seasons in Dallas. Haley's father, Dick Haley, played college football at Pitt and was drafted in the 1959 NFL Draft. Dick also played for the Steelers from 1961 to 1964.
AP
Steelers' former Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley stands with his father Dick Haley.
After retiring from playing, Dick served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Steelers from 1971 to 1990 and worked for three other NFL teams before retiring in 2022. Owens believes that Todd's career opportunities were primarily due to his father's influence.
"There was a guy, Todd Haley, that I got coached by in Dallas, and then he went on to Pittsburgh, he only got those jobs because of his dad. He wasn't the best receiving coach I ever had, but he got that job."
In the NFL, having a father with a great resume certainly helps, but it doesn't guarantee special treatment. If Haley had been bad at his job or his group had struggled, he would have been fired. After leaving Pittsburgh, Haley had one last stint in the NFL as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 season. He was fired and hasn't coached in the NFL since.
Ron Schwane / AP
Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley during his time with the Cleveland Browns.
While having a parent involved in an organization can be an advantage, Haley's success as an offensive coordinator was evident during his time with the Steelers. Under his watch, Pittsburgh consistently had one of the top offenses in the league. However, since leaving Pittsburgh, he hasn't had many opportunities. His father may have helped him get noticed for jobs, but it wasn't the only reason Haley remained in the NFL from 1995 to 2018.
Steelers' Arthur Smith Ready To Fix Pittsburgh's Offensive Struggles Of The Past
Steelers fans have endured some lackluster offensive performances since Haley's tenure. This offseason, Pittsburgh hired a new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, who aims to turn around their offensive struggles and lead them back to being one of the top offenses in the league. It will not be an easy task for Smith, but he certainly has the tools to turn Pittsburgh's offense around.
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