Former Steelers OC Todd Haley Reveals Shocking Truth About His Relationship With Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't had the pleasure of winning a playoff game since the 2016 season. Ben Roethlisberger was leading the team in his prime with the offensive unit soaring as one of the best in the NFL. During those years, the likes of Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell were in their primes, making the job relatively easy for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Todd Haley was calling the plays for the star trio, but he never seemed to fully get along with the veteran signal-caller. This led to some tension during the coach's tenure in the Steel City, which has been very well known.

Haley would end up being relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the 2017 campaign, despite the franchise finishing the regular season with a record of 13-3. It was pretty evident that Roethlisberger wanted the offense to head in a different direction. Randy Fichtner ended up being internally promoted to be the offensive play-caller, something that did not work out whatsoever.

Joining Bob Papa and Chris Bisignano as a guest during a Week 9 recap, Haley went into some more detail about how things were handled with Roethlisberger. It may shock fans to know that the two rarely communicated on the field.

"Perception is not reality," Haley said. "[Roethlisberger and I] played golf together. We played darts together. I think coaching is how you coach somebody. With Ben, I went about it a little different way. His good friend was on our staff, our quarterbacks coach. I found out pretty quickly that if I talked to Randy Fichtner, who became the [offensive] coordinator after I was there, that Ben would pay attention."

As Haley continued to explain a little bit more, he admitted that one of the most important aspects of an offensive coordinator's relationship with his quarterback, communication, was nonexistent for the most part. The duo literally used Fichtner as a pass through when trying to go over things.

"I never yelled at Ben," Haley stated. "Never said a word to Ben, but if I called Randy over after a bad play, Ben would work his way around the practice field, and I'd see him say, 'What did he say?' I coached through [a] conduit."

This is pretty shocking to hear. It was known that Roethlisberger and Haley had a complicated relationship, but it's incredible for one of them to acknowledge that they really didn't have strategic conversations when on the field. Words can get lost when not speaking directly to another individual, so it shouldn't come off as surprising if the process of using Fichtner was not perfect. It could be the main reason why Haley was let go and Fichtner got promoted.

Things haven't always been perfect with Mike Tomlin leading the way for the Steelers and this is another example. Organizations will often favor their franchise quarterbacks, but this seems to have been a completely different level of chaos. There was very little discussion between a signal-caller and offensive coordinator when football was at the forefront of the discussion. That certainly seems to be problematic.

Fichtner's tenure with Pittsburgh did not go well. He acted in the role for three seasons before eventually being let go. The Steelers did win 12 games in his final year, but then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Cleveland Browns. It's safe to say that Fichtner was one of Tomlin's scapegoats after the defeat.

Steelers Haven't Had Great Track Record With Assistant Coaches Under Tomlin

It's very clear to fans that Tomlin lacks a coaching tree. He has had several individuals coach under him that are either no longer in the NFL, or stuck with insignificant roles. Haley seems to be enjoying his time away from the sidelines, but keeps tabs on Pittsburgh. His most recent explanation of his relationship with Roethlisberger is quite baffling overall.

Do you think the Steelers made a mistake firing Haley? Let us know in the comments below!

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