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Chiefs Owner Hunt, Coach Haley Admire the Steelers

From left, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Wards, President Barack Obama, Steelers Chairman President Dan Rooney, Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, and members of the Steelers, pose with the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

More photos » Charles Dharapak - AP

8 months ago: From left, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Wards, President Barack Obama, Steelers Chairman President Dan Rooney, Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, and members of the Steelers, pose with the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Early on in the Kansas City Chiefs search for a new GM last winter owner Clark Hunt referenced the Pittsburgh Steelers as an organization that was doing it right. The Steelers have had three head coaches since the 70s and consistently produce playoff teams and championships.

When Arrowhead Pride interviewed Mr. Hunt at the end of September, we asked him about his admiration for the Steelers.

Star-divide

"First of all," he told us, "I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the Rooney family, and clearly, the Steelers are one of the model franchises in all of professional sports - as evidenced by their success.

"We want to make decisions that help our football team for the long term, which is something the Rooneys and the Steelers have done extremely well over the years."

Indeed. The Steelers are currently the only NFL team with six championship rings.

The Chiefs head coach, who has a background with the Steelers, was asked if he someday like his team to resemble Pittsburgh.

"That would never be a bad thing," Haley said. "I think for the Steelers this has been a long time in the making. This is something that was established back in the ‘70s and a blueprint they set about for the entire organization."

Haley's father worked for the Steelers for years so many folks, including team president Art Rooney II, remember him.  Haley says their organization is set to run so that it's successful year in and year out.

"But having that inside knowledge of a lot of the stuff that was going on," he said, "I know that they set the stage for what they’ve stayed for a long time. They’re consistently in all areas – personnel, how they draft, all areas, they’re very consistent in nature. They don’t panic. If things don’t go real well early they don’t panic; they’ve proven that over the years."

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You know, for all the talk about the "Patriot way"

The Steelers have a good organization for a reason, and I think Haley hit it right on the head: Patience.
Of course everyone wants to win now, and win big, but it takes time to build a team how you see fit as a GM or head coach for the longevity of winning. I think time will really tell in 3 years where the Chiefs are headed as an organization. However, I think this season is already better than last. Harder to watch offensively, yes. But I think steps are being taken in the right direction.

This isn't a "kum-bye-yah" campfire! THIS IS FOOTBALL!

by IISaiNtII on Nov 20, 2009 12:49 PM CST reply actions   1 recs

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