Steelers Fans Given A Peek At The "Scary Proposition" That The Rooneys Are Ok With Just Being Above Average

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a proud tradition of excellence established by Art Rooney Sr. during the team's inception. While his vision did not come to fruition until Head Coach Chuck Noll was hired, they have proudly carried it for decades, winning six Lombardi Trophies. However, failing to win a postseason game since the 2016 season has caused fans to question whether the team still upholds the mantra "the standard is the standard." They worry Head Coach Mike Tomlin has lost his ability to lead the team successfully, and every year, more people call for him to be fired. 

That is why it is unsurprising that whenever a Rooney is interviewed, they are asked about the team's playoff struggles. The fans are no longer satisfied with Tomlin's no-losing season record and want change. When Jim Rooney, the brother of Art Rooney II, recently went on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast to promote his new book, Tucker asked him about the team's current state. Jim said that he sees it as an organizational issue, not just one related to Tomlin. He said they are all responsible for the team's success and added while he doesn't want to make excuses, the Steelers, for the last 25 years, have outperformed most other teams in the NFL. 

Doug Whaley, a former NFL general manager who once served as the Steelers' pro personnel coordinator, was on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan and was asked by host Adam Crowley what he thought about Jim's remarks on the state of the team and if he thinks this is how the whole organization feels. 

"I hope not," admitted Whaley. "I mean, you do have a guy named Rooney saying this, so he has access to the inner circle and the inner sanctum of the thought process. This is higher than Mike Tomlin. This is the Rooney family and all the investors. That's a scary proposition he threw out there for everybody to think about. Let's outperform the mean and make money or is this the old standard that everybody's used to? Let's outperform the NFL and win championships. What it's going to portray to the public, if this gets out there, is that we're ok being above average. It's that bettors mentality, if I win 51% then I'm good, I'm making money. That's basically what he said."

Whaley added that it sounds like the Steelers' new standard is the same as the Pittsburgh Pirates: being good enough to make money, not win championships. Jim told Tucker what no one wants to hear, said Whaley. No one wants to hear a Rooney admit that the standard is just to be better than some other NFL teams, and as long as they are above .500, that's good enough for them.  

Jim isn't as involved with the organization as his brother Art is. Art took over for his father, Dan Rooney, who was the son of Art Sr. Jim spends his time engaged in public speaking and writing, sharing the story of the Rooney family. He may be unaware of the conversations surrounding the need to improve. 

Steelers Didn't Get A Real Trade Offer For Mike Tomlin

Recently, Adam Schefter dropped a bomb on ESPN, saying that the Chicago Bears reached out to the Steelers wanting to make a trade for Tomlin. Schefter said the Bears were "rebuffed" by Pittsburgh. However, according to insiders, the offer wasn't that serious.

Fans were outraged when they heard that the team hadn't even considered this option to improve the current state of the franchise. Schefter said Tomlin has a no-trade clause on his contract, so they couldn't do anything about it unless he wanted to be traded. 

Whaley agreed with Gerry Dulac that it wasn't a formal trade request. When those are made, there is always a paper trail to show the request. Instead, it was likely an informal phone call meant to gauge interest. 

Do you think Whaley is correct in saying that the Rooneys are happy with just having winning seasons? Tell us what you think below!

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