Where in the world is Todd Haley? With the Arizona Cardinals looking for their next head coach, we have conflicting reports on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator's whereabouts.
A source close to Haley first told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport the coach won't meet with the Cardinals after the team requested permission for an interview.
"He loves (the) Steelers job," the source said. "He's very happy."
Steelers president Art Rooney II told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Haley was in fact interviewing with the Cardinals, but it was Haley's agent, Jerome Stanley, who told Rapoport "no interview" was taking place.
"The report is wrong," Stanley said. "I stand by my statement. Period. You can report that!"
The Cardinals, meanwhile, declined comment.
Another source with knowledge of Haley's thinking told Rapoport the coach wouldn't interview with teams unless it's clear he has a "very real" chance of winning the job. Haley -- who isn't exactly on sure-footing in Pittsburgh -- believes the Cardinals already know him well from his two-year run as their offensive coordinator from 2008 to 2009.
Haley has unfinished business in Pittsburgh. A perennial playoff team under former coordinator Bruce Arians, the Steelers sunk to 21st in offense in 2012 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2009.
From Haley's first moments in town, whispers of discord with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger dominated. The coach and his star passer swatted down most of those reports, but Big Ben never was at ease in Haley's scheme. His numbers were strong, but Roethlisberger is a player who's accustomed to calling many of his own plays and leaning on creativity in the no-huddle.
We didn't see much of that in Pittsburgh this season, and Haley -- if he sticks -- might be determined to return and show he can do the job as well as the guy before him. Or he might not, depending on how this shakes out.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
