Tag: Art Rooney

Steelers President Art Rooney II clearly disappointed in 2024 schedule

Art Rooney II didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the Steelers’ chances with this year’s schedule.

Even before the schedule was laid out, the Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the toughest slates of games in the entire NFL. Then the official schedules came out and the way the league broke down the games, it made the challenge even harder.

This was a sentiment team President Art Rooney II shared rather subtly when he spoke to Steelers reporter Missi Matthews shortly after the schedule announcement.

“Not exactly how I would have drawn it up, but we’ve got to do the best we can,” Rooney said.

The Steelers face an incredible amount of hurdles on this schedule, including having all six AFC North matchups in the final eight games. A brutal three-game stretch in 10 days in December follows three prime-time games in four weeks in October.

Mike Tomlin is headed into his 18th season as the Steelers head coach and he’s never had a losing season. There’s no denying this schedule puts that streak in serious jeopardy.

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Steelers President Art Rooney II defends HC Mike Tomlin’s preparedness

The Steelers have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season.

Shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers released their full regular-season schedule for the 2024 NFL season, team President Art Rooney II spoke to team reporter Missi Matthews and they discussed what looks to be an incredibly challenging slate of games for Pittsburgh.

Rooney sounded disappointed at how the league arranged games but defended head coach Mike Tomlin and his ability to get his team ready to play regardless of the circumstances.

“Mike (Tomlin) does a good job of getting guys ready,” Rooney said. “There are no excuses in terms of what day of the week you’re playing. He doesn’t allow for that, or the time of the day.”

This all sounds great but history says otherwise. Despite Tomlin’s best of intentions, this team hasn’t always come out and looked prepared for their opponents. Starting games flat and listless isn’t an uncommon practice in recent seasons, which then forces the team to scramble and rally late in games. With the schedule lined up this season, the margin for error is so thin it just won’t work.

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Steelers GM Omar Khan downplays team’s failing grades in NFLPA report card

The Steelers got failing grades in multiple categories in their 2024 NFLPA report card.

The NFLPA handed out grades for all 32 NFL teams in a variety of categories, and some of the grades for the Pittsburgh Steelers were downright awful. The Steelers got an F-minus for the treatment of facilities, an F for the locker room and an F for ownership.

All of these failing grades point to team President Art Rooney II and ownership refusing to invest in the team and the facilities. Critics of the team say that dated facilities hurt the team’s ability to bring in free agents. General manager Omar Khan denies that claim, however.

“I by no means think our facilities are holding us back from being successful,” Khan said.

All it takes is a simple Google search to see what the team facilities are like for most NFL teams, and there is no denying how dated the Steelers’ are compared to other teams’. The fact the Steelers share facilities with the University of Pittsburgh doesn’t help either.

Will two years of low grades have any impact on the team? Probably not. Free agency is set to start in just a couple of weeks, and it will be interesting to see which teams draw in the most high-profile free agents and whether there is any correlation between the best facilities and the best signings.

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Art Rooney II crushes hopes of Steelers fans wanting to replace Kenny Pickett

On the heels of teasing a potential QB trade, Steelers President Art Rooney II suggested fans curb their enthusiasm for any such occurrence.

On the heels of teasing a potential quarterback trade, Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II suggested fans curb their enthusiasm for any such occurrence.

As if his conversation with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani not even 24 hours earlier had created unwanted buzz, Rooney sat down with WTAE’s Andrew Stockey to clear the air.

“The question that was asked — would I consider anything like that as we sit here today,” Rooney told Stockey. “I said we don’t want to close the door on anything, but I’d still put it in the unlikely category. We like to look at any opportunity we think can make us better. That’s why I don’t close the door on anything. I don’t want to create a lot of speculation that we’re going out looking to make some big blockbuster trade at the quarterback spot. I put it in the unlikely category.”

While a blockbuster quarterback trade doesn’t appear to be in the cards for the Steelers anytime soon, moves will need to be made. If the team releases Mitch Trubisky, as is speculated, Kenny Pickett will be the only quarterback under contract.

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Steelers President Art Rooney II leaves door open for QB trade

A trade for quarterback could still be an option for the Steelers.

The top priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason is sorting through their options at quarterback and hopefully making a decision that will create a more efficient offense. After adding Arthur Smith at offensive coordinator, this is magnified even more.

There is one school of thought that the Steelers best option is to trade for a quarterback and the name that keeps coming up is Chicago Bears signal caller Justin Fields. Fields is reportedly on the market and you can’t deny his skills are enticing.

But before you just assume there’s no chance, there might still be hope. Steelers President Art Rooney said in a recent interview that as the team sits now in early February they aren’t closing the door on any moves including trading for a quarterback.

Smith’s offensive philosophy is centered on running the football, working play action from that and running with the quarterback in their zone scheme. The Steelers coaches need to decide if Kenny Pickett can be that guy. If not, a trade for a player like Fields would make a ton of sense if the price is right. If not, the Steelers could consider going with a quarterback early in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Quick Steelers takeaways from Art Rooney II’s interview

Art Rooney talked about the Steelers 2023 season and looked ahead to 2024.

On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II did a sit down with Rob King and discussed the 2023 season and looked ahead to the 2024 season. Here are the quick highlights from the interview.

Final decision on new OC will belong to Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Art Rooney II says Mike Tomlin will have final say over the new offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II addressed the media on Monday and did a year in review and offered up his insights and opinions on the upcoming offseason. One topic of discussion everyone was interested in was the team’s search for a new offensive coordinator.

Rooney said that while the team was taking a team approach to the interview process, the final say in who the new offensive coordinator will be up to head coach Mike Tomlin alone.

In addition, Rooney said he wants the new offensive coordinator to bring a fresh approach to the offense. Last season, with Matt Canada in charge of the offense, the Steelers were among the worst offenses in the NFL. They were plodding and predictable, with no semblance of innovation or explosion.

Even with all the other issues, once Tomlin fired Canada, the offense improved. We never got a full picture of what the offense looked like minus Canada with Kenny Pickett at quarterback due to his injury but it did show this team has the talent to compete with the right scheme and leadership.

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Ravens’ Kevin Zeitler among eight finalists for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The Ravens had a familiar named among the eight finalists for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award the NFL announced today.

The NFL announced today that the Ravens had a familiar name among the eight finalists for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

The finalists, featuring four players from each conference, are defensive end Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas), linebacker Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers), linebacker C.J. Mosley (New York Jets) and guard Kevin Zeitler (Baltimore) in the AFC, and safety Budda Baker (Arizona), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (San Francisco), quarterback Dak Prescott (Dallas) and linebacker Bobby Wagner (Seattle) in the NFC.

A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community selected the eight finalists from the 32 NFL club nominees. The panel comprises Warrick Dunn, Larry Fitzgerald, Curtis Martin, and Leonard Wheeler. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category.

A vote of current NFL players determines the winner of the NFL Sportsmanship Award, which will be announced as part of NFL Honors.

Adam Thielen chosen as Panthers’ nominee for 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Panthers WR Adam Thielen has been nominated for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

A pretty bright year for Carolina Panthers wideout Adam Thielen has gotten a little bit brighter.

The 10th-year veteran has been chosen as the team’s nominee for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Named in honor of the late Art Rooney Sr., founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer, the award was established in 2014 to recognize players who demonstrate on-field sportsmanship. Players are considered through numerous qualities including fair play, respect for the game and their opponents and integrity in competition.

After playing his first NFL nine seasons with the hometown Minnesota Vikings, Thielen signed with the Panthers this offseason. Through 10 games, the 33-year-old leads the team in all major receiving categories and currently ranks fourth in the league in receptions (76).

A panel of NFL legends will cut down the list of 32 nominees into eight finalists, all of whom will be placed on the Pro Bowl ballot for player voting starting Dec. 15. The winner will be announced during the NFL Honors show on the weekend of Super Bowl LVIII.

The Panthers have rostered two previous winners of the honor, linebacker Luke Kuechly (2017) and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (2020).

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Foye Oluokun nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Foye Oluokun is the Jaguars’ nominee for the NFL’s annual sportsmanship award.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker and defensive team captain Foye Oluokun is nominated for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the NFL announced Wednesday.

“He plays the game right,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said of Oluokun on Wednesday. “He comes into work every day, puts in the time. A great leader on and off the field. He plays hard. Like I said, he just plays it the right way.

“He never misses a day. You can count on him. He’s accountable and he’s very deserving of this honor.”

Oluokun, 28, was signed by the Jaguars last offseason after he played his first four NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. In his first season with Jacksonville, he led the NFL in tackles. So far this year, Oluokun has 107 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries.

All 32 teams elect a nominee for the award, which was first created in 2014. No Jaguars player has won before, although the team’s former defensive lineman Calais Campbell won the honor last season while with the Baltimore Ravens.

The winner will be determined by a vote of current NFL players, who are not allowed to vote for their teammate. The award will be announced at the NFL Honors show before Super Bowl LVIII.

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