Steelers Former Executive Doug Whaley Discusses A Key Component Of The Organizations Greatness During The 2000s

The Pittsburgh Steelers are often considered one of the greatest organizations in all of sports. They are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl victories with six. They have also seen extreme success spanning across multiple decades. Every member of the organization has been a key part of that success, from the front office down to the players on the field. Doug Whaley, who was in the Steelers player personnel department from 1999-2010, recently opened up about the team's success during his time in the position. 

Steelers Are Successful For A Reason, Says NFL Executive

Whaley recently appeared on the podcast, The Berm Pit, where he spoke at large about his career on the business side of football where he has experience in multiple NFL organizations as well as in the XFL. As a member of the Steelers player personnel department, Whaley had a lot to do with putting the team together every year he was in the Steelers front office, and clearly he did a good job as he had two Super Bowl winning teams during his tenure with the team. 

Whaley spoke glowingly about the players he was able to take part in acquiring, including Joey Porter Sr., Ike Taylor, Lamarr Woodley and James Farrior, who were all key members and contributors to the Steelers feared defense in the 2000s. Whaley spoke about why the organization is great, and why the team had so much success during that time period.

"We had it rolling and we had a nice continuity. We knew what it took to be a Steeler. And the other thing that is so great is, and I'll give this to Charlie Batch, he said it. 'Good teams, the culture is set by the coaching staff and the upper management. Great teams, the culture is set by the locker room.' And we had that locker room. When a player came in, they couldn't do anything but acquiesce to what the Steeler way was. And if someone tried to cheat the system, the players would come up and say 'he gotta go'."

The Steelers had clear leaders in their locker room, they had a way of "self-policing" the culture the team was building and didn't allow any new players to come in and mess with what the organization was trying to build. This culture and team identity was one of the greatest in the league over that time span in the 2000s and had extreme success. 

Whaley spoke about the clear leaders that were in the locker room during that time, and most of them were on the defense. Some players he mentioned included Taylor, Farrior, Woodley, Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark. They all had great success on the field, and were all definite pillars of the Steelers organization in the 2000s.

Since Whaley's time in Pittsburgh, he has worked in various positions across different football leagues. Due to Whaley's extended success with the Steelers, he was offered the job of assistant general manager with the Buffalo Bills in 2010 which is when he left Pittsburgh. After several seasons serving in that position, he became the Buffalo's general manager once his predecessor stepped down in 2013. 

Whaley's time as general manager with the Bills has been criticized by many as he decided to trade up for Sammy Watkins in the 2014 NFL Draft, as well as his decision to cut long-time Bills running back and fan favorite, Fred Jackson prior to the 2015 season. After the 2017 season, Whaley was fired along with the rest of his staff. Whaley currently serves as the Vice President of Player Personnel for the XFL, where former Steelers Hines Ward and Porter Sr. both coach with the San Antonio Brahmas. 

Although his career has been rocky and even at times controversial since he left Pittsburgh, fans should be grateful for Whaley playing his part in building the culture of the Steelers teams of the 2000s. What do you think of how he described the Steelers locker room? Let us know in the comments below!

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