did you guys see this quote?

by nerves of steel on Jul 29, 2008 10:59 AM EDT

Willie Colon said the linemen are more receptive to Larry Zierlein's coaching than they were a year ago, and that could translate into a more cohesive unit.

Colon, who will try to fend off a challenge by Starks for the starting job at right tackle, said the departure of seven-time Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca via free agency allowed Zierlein to assert his control over the linemen.

Faneca and Zierlein had some history prior to last year, as the latter coached the former for two seasons when they were at LSU in the 1990s. And Colon said Faneca did anything but try to sabotage Zierlein in the coach's first season in charge of the Steelers' offensive line.

Couple of points:

I had never heard Zierlien coached Faneca before (I must have missed that one). Were they unfriendly then? Or was this just a product of Grimm not getting the head coaching gig?

I'm not sure how much weight I give to Colon's comments--is he just blowing smoke? I know that Faneca was not happy with the Tomlin choice and that he was close with Grimm, but sabotage?

Any thoughts?

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interesting

I had thought zeirlein had helped recruit faneca back at lsu. Never heard of anything negative between the two.

Also unsaid, but probably undermining his authority, was the porn email incident last year.

by vherub on Jul 29, 2008 11:46 AM EDT reply actions

weird

i hope thats not how Faneca handled his last days in pittsburgh, he was a helluva player for us.

by tkired on Jul 29, 2008 2:21 PM EDT reply actions

I'm not reading it the same way

When he says “anything but try to sabatoge” I think he means did the opposite of sabatoge (e.g. act like a professional), not go right up to the line where misbehavior meets sabatoge. I would think the wording for the latter would have been “everything but sabatoge” instead of “anything”. I think what Colon is saying is that Faneca was unhappy about the contract and the coaches, which is going to have subtle effects on the locker room, even if nothing is overtly said. I might be wrong, though.

by BadMaafala on Jul 29, 2008 2:49 PM EDT reply actions

probably right

I thought the same.

by Chicago Steeler on Jul 29, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

i'm not so sure

it is not directly quoted, but they say colon said it. I’ve never heard anyone say “anything but try to sabotage”—it could have been written wrong or simply said wrong by colon. It does not seem to fit with the context of the article. The point seems to be that Faneca was either uncooperative or felt that zierlein did not know what he was doing. The contract situation did not help, but neither did Grimm not getting the job.

by nerves of steel on Jul 29, 2008 4:18 PM EDT reply actions

here's more

by nerves of steel on Jul 29, 2008 4:21 PM EDT reply actions

here's more

But Colon added, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and that’s sometimes how it goes. Alan’s gone … coach Zierlein is the boss now, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Colon declined to go into specifics regarding the differences between Zierlein and former offensive line coach Russ Grimm or why it took time for players to embrace what Zierlein has been teaching.

by nerves of steel on Jul 29, 2008 4:21 PM EDT reply actions

Hadn't heard that

Hopefully it does point to improve OL play this year, though.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jul 29, 2008 5:44 PM EDT reply actions

Old dogs

Well, I don’t know about sabotage, but I can well imagine that when things weren’t going well that Faneca might have been the coach on the field, trying to get the line to pull together as he knew it and thought it should work. Heck even if he was just grumbling a little bit, some of the younger guys would have paid attention due to Faneca’s stature on the team. I think putting Faneca at the root of last year’s problems is a little harsh though. It was a big period of adjustment, feelings were raw, and change is hard to deal with when you’re used to a certain way. I can’t wait to see the proof of the new unit cohesion there though…I just am a little worried that it all might be smoke and mirrors…hope I’m wrong.

by SCSteeler on Jul 29, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions