ART II: LESSONS FROM HONEST ABE

By Swissvale 72, with contributions from Fury

After not pursuing General Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces despite having vastly superior numbers following the Battle of Antietam in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln had this to say about his commanding general of the Army of the Potomac, "If General McClellan isn't going to use his army, I'd like to borrow it for a time."

So it is with the Pittsburgh Steelers as President Arthur J. Rooney II makes decisions that weakens the Steelers on-field product in the ever-competitive world of the NFL, prioritizing public relations over the pursuit of a 7th Lombardi Trophy.

If one's to trust the accuracy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette polling, a sizeable portion of Steeler Nation called for the head of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after his off-season travails in Milledgeville, Georgia.  Of course, back in the day, polling of the Pittsburgh dailies was treated with appropriate disdain.  Asked about poll results which showed a clear fan preference for his understudy, Terry Hanratty to be under center, quarterback Terry Bradshaw quipped, "The only poll I care about is the one that Chuck Noll conducts."  Ain't that the truth!

In light of their being no suspensions issued recently to Titans quarterback Vince Young, arrested after an assault in a Nashville bar, or to Bengals running back Cedric Benson after his fourth arrest for DUI, the pro-Benners (of which I am one) are crying foul.  What about equal justice from Commissioner Roger Goodell?  Ben's never been arrested in his life (other than his two minor traffic citations for not wearing a helmet and operating without a current cycle license), yet these other miscreants, with mug shots, will miss zero playing time.

The Commish may well be guilty of ruining our game, presiding over the pussification of the NFL, but do we seriously think he's anti-Steelers?  Consider:

• Goodell is a businessman.  He likes money and likes to see his business (NFL) do well.  The Steelers sell.  When they play in lesser NFL markets, the seats are filled by Steelers fans.  A business man has to like that notion.  On the contrary, last year, in the midst of a resurgent, division-winning season by the Cincinnati Bengals, the virulent receiver Chad Ochocinco personally bought 1500 tickets so the game would not be blacked out locally in the Queen City. 
• Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney had considerable influence in the selection of Goodell as Commissioner.  Rooney is now an Ambassador for an administration that has been examining at anti-trust laws.  While an Ambassador's position is largely ceremonial, Rooney being appointed by the President may be of some assistance to the NFL during some of these Congressional disputes. 
• The Steelers, arguably the prime victim of the Spygate imbroglio of the New England Patriots, offered no resistance to the Commissioner's ruling on the topic, or to his destruction of the incriminating evidence.  It was a U.S. Senator from the wrong end of the Commonwealth that did the squawking on the Steelers behalf.  The Steelers ownership publicly considered it water under the bridge.
• The NFL (and Goodell) gave the Steelers organization a ton of latitude and time to assemble a new owner strategy.  The Rooney brothers were involved with gambling which is anathema to professional sports.  The NFL gave the Steelers every concession to fix this. 

So, is Goodell anti-Steelers?  I don't think so.

So, why is the Steelers quarterback, with no pending charges, suspended for at least a quarter of the season while the offenders skate?  Simply, while admittedly speculative, our belief is that it's because the ownership of the Titans and Bengals didn't ask for their players to be suspended while the Steelers front office practically demanded it. Art II drove the suspension.  The man that could have influenced the public outcry by standing in  Ben's corner, giving him the benefit of the doubt, instead reacted to the first report and allowed his quarterback, the franchise's Moses who's led the Black & Gold to a pair of Super Bowl wins after a 26-year absence of wandering in the proverbial desert of the NFL, by letting him twist in the wind on the eve of the NFL Draft, suggesting that he would entertain trade offers.  He also felt the need to pen a "Dear Fans" letter to his season-ticket holders suggesting that most Steelers were decent citizens, strongly implying that his signal-caller was not.  Art II bought the first report. First reports are often not verified, confused and in the heat of a moment.  Art II did not have the facts, reacted angrily to Ben having made news in a negative manner and went into damage control.  His statements were weak and non supportive of the player most instrumental in adding to the "W" column. As more and more information was made public, as the inconsistencies mounted, did Art II do as fellow Pittsburgher, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, recently did?  Did Art II reconsider, admit to having over-reacted, to having made a mistake?  No, Art II did nothing of the kind, and placed his franchise at a competitive disadvantage for the 2010 season by not having done so.

Before Ulysses S. Grant was appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac, critics complained that he was a drunk, and unkempt and comported himself as not befitting an officer. President Lincoln said: “If I knew what brand of whiskey Grant drinks, I would send a barrel to my other generals.”

If only Art II had applied this logic to the presence of Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes on his football team.  We've written, at some length on this before.

In short:

• Santonio was traded for the equivalent of a boxful of trinkets for being a bonehead.  His being an absolutely clutch receiver, a beast in the open field is undeniable.
• Yes, he's suspended for the season's first four games.  Doing simple math, that means he's available for the season's final twelve games, plus playoffs.
• Yes, Mike Wallace could step up into the starting role.  Steelers though, run three wides nearly two-thirds of the time.  Who steps up into Wallace's role?
• -Atwan Randle El?  Please...
• -Emmanuel Sanders?  Untested...
• -Arnaz Battle?  Who?
• But Steelers got Bryant MacFadden for the #5 choice from the Jets.  C'mon...they couldn't have traded another choice for BMac?
• The Steelers say they'll be more committed to the run anyway.  C'mon...that's dumb.  They'll run the ball better by passing the ball worse?  Santonio's presence commanded defensive resources that can now be committed to stopping the run.  Additionally, Santonio, in the tradition of Steelers receivers, was a damn good blocker in the run game.

So, in arguably the worst personnel move in Steelers history, exceeding even the Buddy Dial for nothing trade of 1964 (the Steelers reasonably expected to receive All-American tackle Scott Appleton), Art II unloads one of his team's top offensive threats for a lowly draft choice.

On the cusp of the 2010 season, a campaign in which the aging Steelers could arguably content for a 7^th Super Bowl championship, the team is without its miracle-worker quarterback for at least the season’s first quarter, and has jettisoned perhaps its top playmaker.  It’s admittedly the case that Art II has presided over a pair of Super Bowl championships, and the Steelers’ front office has a long, proud history of having made the right moves.  As is the case with players though, ownership should not be judged on its laurels, on prior accomplishments, but on how it positions its team going forward.  In this instance, President Arthur J. Rooney II, in our estimation, has sacrificed the pursuit of a championship in favor of more positive public relations. 

As SBI (Steelers Best Interest) > Being Right….we sincerely hope we’re dead wrong on this one.  Unfortunately, we don’t think we are.