In a Tuesday insider post on ESPN.com, longtime NFL analyst and reporter John Clayton made 30 NFL predictions for the next three years and one of them pertained to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite the suspension of Martavis Bryant, the Pittsburgh Steelers should be able to average 30 points per game for at least the next two seasons. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley have the right scheme and enough weapons to outscore a lot of teams. That creates a two-year window for Super Bowls, and it puts Haley on the map to be a head coach again.
While Clayton’s 30 points per game prediction is certainly believable, the Steelers offense has yet to accomplish the feat. However, had Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant all not missed time last season with either injuries or suspensions, there’s a good chance that goal would have been achieved in 2015.
“That’s what our offensive coordinator set out for us, that’s what we’re going to try to do,” Roethlisberger said of the 30-point mark a few weeks ago.
Should Clayton’s prediction ultimately come true, then it stands to reason that Haley might ultimately be given one final chance to redeem himself as a head coach in the NFL. While there was a report midway through the 2015 season that the Miami Dolphins might be interested in hiring Haley, nothing ever came of that. As far as his past head coaching history goes, including the playoffs, Haley registered a 19-27 (.413) record during his time as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and that includes one postseason loss during the 2010 season.
If you remember, Haley accused the Chiefs of bugging his phone and many rooms at the team facility so that front office administrators could monitor employees’ conversations.
Haley, in my opinion, will always be a better offensive coordinator than a head coach. Besides, he has it made in Pittsburgh right now and until the Steelers make a serious run at a Super Bowl, I doubt he’ll get anything more than an invitation to interview for a head coaching job elsewhere.
Who knows, perhaps Haley will be the one to succeed Bruce Arians as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals when he decides to finally retire for good. Arians has hinted he might not be coaching too much longer and Haley certainly has a link to Arizona being as he was their offensive coordinator for two seasons prior to being hired by the Chiefs.
