No one can argue that Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has helped Ben Roethlisberger play his best football. Since Haley took over for Bruce Arians in 2012, Roethlisberger has improved his completion percentage (65.2), yards per game (287.4) and passer rating (96.0).
Simply, he's better.
And yet, heading into the Steelers' AFC Divisional Round playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the relationship between Haley and Roethlisberger was in as bad of a place as it's been in years. The communication has been an issue, one reason why quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner has come down from the booth to the sidelines to serve as a conduit.
It was Roethlisberger's idea, one coach Mike Tomlin agreed with.
And how do they proceed? Do they bring Haley back, hoping the relationship improves because the product is so successful? Move on from Haley, with Fichtner as the offensive coordinator? Bring in someone new?
One option for Haley could be going with head coaching candidate and offensive line coach Mike Munchak if he gets the Cardinals job.
Haley is expected to be on the sidelines Sunday, even with a broken pelvis suffered after being attacked outside a bar on New Year's Eve. The decision facing the Steelers is not related to the incident, a source said.
Either way, it remains to be seen if Haley, Roethlisberger and the Steelers stay together this offseason.
Ben Roethlisberger's career by offensive coordinator:
Todd Haley: 55-30 (.647) W-L record, 65.2 completion percentage, 7.7 pass YPA, 284.7 pass YPG, 164-74 TD-INT, 96.0 passer rating
All others: 88-33 (.708) W-L record, 63.1 completion percentage, 8.0 pass YPA, 233.1 pass YPG, 165-100 TD-INT, 92.1 passer rating
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