I'm a Steelers fan. Didn't think what I said was very controverisal, just that dealing with players on an individual basis is not one of BB's strong points. From the follow-up posts including quotes from Seymour and the almighty Bruschi, not to mention quotes I could pull out from Milloy, Law and others, this is certainly not unsubstantiated. DOn't get me wrong, I don't think letting McGinnest go was necessarily a bad move. Givens was a nobrainer to let walk and AV I think has forgotten that he is still just a kicker. Sure he may be the best kicker in the game but that's like being the prettiest fat girl at the prom. You can't sustain success in this league by paying vets big bucks. You just have to keep reloading through the draft.
I do think some of these situations, namely McGinest and Milloy, could have been handled better. Players know this is a business but you do see that some of these handling have rubbed some the wrong way.
Butas long as the winning seasons continue, none of these feelings will matter. Look at all the coaches in all the team sports and you'll see many of them, and many of the most successful ones, are not particularly well-liked by their players. Larry Brown in basketball has always been a pain in the ass, Bob Knight, Parcells, etc. Sure they have guys that love playing for them because they are smart and know how to win but at the end of the day they ain't going out for a beer with them. Again, not that that matters to winning.
