It's not even officially the offseason, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have already had enough twists and turns to last them until training camp starts in July.
The latest is the strange saga that is linebackers coach Keith Butler and his willingness to stay on in the same role (apparently) after turning down a possible promotion to defensive coordinator for the second time in the last three years.
Following the 2009 season, the Miami Dolphins wanted Butler as their defensive coordinator, but somehow the Steelers front office convinced him to stay. Evidently, there was some sort of verbal or handshake agreement that Butler would be the "defensive coordinator in waiting" and would assume the position once legendary defensive wizard Dick Lebeau finally called it a day.
Well, that day hasn't come yet, and over the weekend it was reported that Butler was in-line to be the Colts defensive coordinator under new head coach Chuck Pagano.
After former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians ended his brief "retirement" to assume the same role in Indianapolis, it seemed all but a done deal that Butler would join Arians.
Surprisingly, however, Butler has agreed to continue his role for the Steelers as their linebackers coach.
I can't say I would have blamed Butler for leaving. I was surprised to find out that he's 55 years old. For some reason, I thought he was a lot younger. He obviously wants to be a defensive coordinator, and since there aren't too many of those jobs out there, even the most die-hard Steelers fan couldn't have been too unhappy if he had left.
I mean, let's face it, verbal agreement or not, there is no real guarantee that Butler will be named the next defensive coordinator once Lebeau does officially retire. Above all, the NFL is a business, and even though the Rooneys are honorable people, things can change in a matter of a year or two.
What if, after Lebeau's departure, Mike Tomlin decides he wants to implement his old Tampa 2 defense? This is just a guess, but he's probably going to want to go with a coordinator that knows that system. Butler has been a 3-4 zone-blitz guy for years. It would probably be much easier to bring in a guy who knows that system than it would be to ask Butler to try and learn it so he could, in turn, teach it to his assistants and players.
Or what if, Heaven forbid, the Steelers have a bad couple of years and there's a call for sweeping changes on the coaching staff? Sometimes, remaining loyal can come back and bite you. Look at what happened to former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. For years, Bradley was considered maybe the successor to Joe Paterno--heck, he was pretty much coaching the team over the last decade or so as it was--but even before the Jerry Sandusky scandal surfaced, it was believed that the people in charge at Happy Valley had had enough of the Paterno regime and were going to completely wipe the slate clean once the legendary coach finally decided to call it a career. For all of Bradley's loyalty, he was rewarded with a brief stint as interim head coach after the Sandusky controversy forced Paterno's dismissal last November. The president and board of trustees then went in a new direction with a new coach and his own staff. Now, Bradley is out of work. Like Butler, Bradley is in his 50's, and who knows if he'll ever coach his own team.
Kudos to Keith Butler for remaining loyal to the Steelers, but he needs to remember that it is a business above all. Hopefully, for his sake, his loyalty will be rewarded some day in the future.
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