Another player-coach soap opera
Do a Google search on these three words: Roethlisberger Haley relationship.
You now have 105,000 stories from which to choose.
The headlines in the first three ended with:
1. Takes Hold
2. Getting Better
3. Drinking Beers and Watching Shark Week
And the two individuals 鈥� offensive signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley 鈥� are only in the second year of their relationship.
Suffice to say the soap opera鈥檚 been sufficiently investigated by some heavy hitters in the national media this past week.
鈥淵es,鈥� Roethlisberger said with a laugh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not much different than it was last year, except the reports are a lot different.鈥�
Yes, they鈥檙e positive this year. That means the investigation is on hold. And what an investigation it鈥檚 been.
But it got me thinking about the other side of the ball, and the relationship nobody ever mentions, or, for that matter, investigates. So that became my task on Friday, my final day of camp. I started it out by Googling these three words: LeBeau Foote relationship.
And, voila, I had one story, just one, a piece out of South Carolina.com on Marshall McFadden. It didn鈥檛 even mention anyone鈥檚 relationship with Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and defensive signal-caller Larry Foote, let alone their relationship with each other.
So I set about to tear this unknown secret wide open.
At least Ben got a chuckle out of it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny because I was talking to him about that the other day,鈥� Roethlisberger said of LeBeau. 鈥淚 asked him how often he changes defenses and he said 鈥榲ery rarely.鈥� So that鈥檚 a nice thing. I suite with (Brett) Keisel and I tell him it must be nice never having to learn anything new. He shakes his head and says 鈥榶eah.鈥� But it鈥檚 well-documented about Todd and I. We have a great relationship and I think it will show this year.鈥�
But there鈥檚 nothing documented about LeBeau and Foote, and I wondered if they really do get along. I mean, LeBeau鈥檚 from Ohio State and Foote鈥檚 from Michigan. And the Steelers once let Foote go to the Detroit Lions.
Is there any sin more unpardonable?
So I had to get to the bottom of it. Maybe the New York Times, or NFL.com, would like some of this drama, too.
Larry, truthfully, how鈥檚 your relationship with LeBeau?
鈥淒ick LeBeau?!?鈥� he asked with an incredulous look on his face.
No, his brother, Bob.
Of course Dick LeBeau. Do you really get along with him?
鈥淎wwww,鈥� Foote said with a wary look. 鈥淥K, the guy comes in, a Hall of Famer, top five interceptor, invented the fire-zone defense, had so many No. 1 defenses in this league, been to so many Super Bowls, when you step in his presence you shut up and you let him get you paid.鈥�
But he鈥檚 an Ohio State guy.
鈥淲ell, he鈥檚 the only Buckeye I ever loved,鈥� Foote said. 鈥淚 always say that if you can鈥檛 get along with Dick, there鈥檚 something wrong with you.鈥�
Of course Foote liked LeBeau right away, because when LeBeau re-joined the Steelers in 2004 he replaced Kendrell Bell with Foote, a third-year former mid-round draft pick whom we in the media had disregarded because of a lack of size and speed. Plus, we loved the way Kendrell hit any and everything.
But I still remember LeBeau looking at me like I was crazy back in 2004, when LeBeau pierced through me with those hawk eyes of his and said, 鈥淗ey, Larry Foote can play this game.鈥�
Foote started 18 games that season as the Steelers went 15-1 and reached the AFC Championship Game.
鈥淗e just took to me,鈥� said Foote, who in turn took to LeBeau. 鈥淭he way he calls games always helps everybody. He鈥檚 always putting us in the right position. Everybody鈥檚 game got better when he came. Not a shot at Tim Lewis, but when he came (James) Farrior was Defensive Player of the Year, I started coming into my own. We鈥檝e been No. 1 so many years since he鈥檚 been here. The last decade we鈥檝e been the best defense in the league.鈥�
But those were Foote鈥檚 salad days. Two Super Bowl rings later, the Steelers kicked him to the curb. They let him sign with the Lions and Foote endured a 2-14 season before coming back to Pittsburgh as a backup. He HAS to have some residual bitterness for his coordinator.
Talk, Larry, The Enquirer wants to know!
鈥淎www, no,鈥� Foote said. 鈥淎nd they didn鈥檛 really throw me to the curb. A young stud, Lawrence Timmons, came around and started pressing my time. It鈥檚 part of the game.
鈥淎nd, really, I know Dick was upset. Not trying to brag or anything, but he was upset when I was gone. It鈥檚 part of our relationship. He didn鈥檛 want to see me leave. It had to be a collective agreement to bring me back, especially paying me what they were paying me to be a backup. No, we have a great relationship.鈥�
No squabbles over the playcalls?
鈥淣ah. Nah. Nah. Not with Dick LeBeau,鈥� Foote said. 鈥淲hen you see his resume and his body of work, you shut up. He calls it, we haul it. We know the gift that he has at defense, so we鈥檝e got total faith in what he calls. Whatever Dick calls is the best situation, and if something goes wrong he鈥檚 the first one to take the blame. He鈥檚 one of those coaches, who, when I do coach, is the guy whose style I want to have.鈥�
Obviously, this coordinator has this signal-caller brainwashed. So I took my investigation to the man himself. I caught him after lunch while he was eating an ice cream cone. But he almost dropped it when I asked if he could 鈥済ive me some good juice on your problems with Larry Foote.鈥�
鈥淣o problem at all,鈥� LeBeau said after his belly-laugh had subsided. 鈥淚n fact I told Larry he鈥檚 the only guy from Michigan I ever loved.鈥�
LeBeau didn鈥檛 seem to care that this story was going nowhere, and especially not to TMZ.
鈥淟arry doesn鈥檛 do anything for you to get upset about,鈥� LeBeau said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a coach鈥檚 dream. He鈥檚 a coach on the field. He鈥檚 always on time for everything. He never misses a formation. He misses very few practices. What鈥檚 to get upset about?鈥�
As mentioned earlier, LeBeau took a shine to Foote in 2004. LeBeau said it was due to Foote鈥檚 鈥渜uickness and smarts鈥� and how someone might fool Foote once, but not a second time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 intuitive and he鈥檚 got all that,鈥� LeBeau said. 鈥淚 liked his quickness. He鈥檚 very quick and he鈥檚 done a great job of keeping himself in condition. I think he鈥檚 probably in the best condition I鈥檝e ever seen 鈥� and he鈥檚 never in bad condition. I think he鈥檚 going to have a real good year, I really do.鈥�
Right. And that鈥檚 why you kicked him to the curb in 2009? Huh? What about that?
鈥淚 was just very, very glad to have him back because of his knowledge of our defense,鈥� LeBeau said. 鈥淎nd he knows what everybody around him is supposed to be doing. I said earlier he鈥檚 like having a coach out there on the field, and you can never have too many good football players. And Larry Foote鈥檚 a good football player. I was so pleased to get him back. He鈥檚 been a starter for us all along. He鈥檚 just an excellent player.鈥�
OK, well maybe this one won鈥檛 sell in the bottomless soap-opera section of the sports pages. But at least this investigation can be put to rest.
The other one 鈥� the one on offense that the media just can鈥檛 get enough of 鈥� may never be able to say the same.