Whisenhunt big player in last conversion to run
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Ken Whisenhunt has walked in Bruce Arians' shoes in more ways than one.
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ken Whisenhunt stood front and center the previous time a Steelers offensive coordinator received a mandate to run more consistently. It was 2004, and he was that coordinator. The directive came from his boss, Bill Cowher.
It nearly happened overnight. The Steelers' coaches who fell in love with the Tommy Gun, pass-happy approach in 2003 quickly fell out of love with it when it produced a 6-10 record. Under Cowher's dictates, they turned into the most-prolific running team in the NFL in 2004 and set an AFC record with 15 victories.
Now, after setting team passing records but missing the playoffs in 2009, comes another command to return to a more consistent running offense, this one from club president Art Rooney II.
The planning falls to Bruce Arians this time. He succeeded Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator. He also assisted in the planning of that 2004 offense that began in earnest in training camp that summer. The Steelers emphasized the run at Saint Vincent College as they had not in years to the point there were no passes thrown in goal-line drills as was often done previously and more so-called middle-run drills were performed that August.
A similar approach might be seen in Latrobe this summer.
"There are always times that you send a message, and that was one of them," Whisenhunt recalled here Wednesday. "And I think our offensive line accepted that message, and they blocked very well, and we ran the ball very well that year."
They led the NFL in rushing with 2,464 yards one season after Tommy Maddox had set their individual passing record. They did not specifically turn to the run that '04 season because they had a rookie quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, although he was a beneficiary of it. The decision to run more came long before that, when Maddox was still the starter; his elbow injury in the second game of the season opened the door for Roethlisberger to play and go 13-0 as their starter in the regular season.
"That was deliberate," Whisenhunt said of the emphasis in the '04 camp on the run, "to make sure we re-established that toughness and that mentality, and it worked for us."
First Published March 25, 2010 12:00 am
