So, after fifteen years you decided to give the headset a rest. Can’t say this surprises me.
If you feel like you need a break, then you should take a break. I mean, you have done everything you can do with the Pittsburgh Steelers as it is, so it’s not like you owe them anything. In fifteen seasons, you led the Steelers to the Super Bowl TWICE, finally winning it against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL (Detroit, baby!). You’re record of 149-90-1, a .596 winning percentage, puts you second on the all-time wins list in Pittsburgh.
But it wasn’t how many wins you had that impressed me the most about your career, it was your consistency in keeping the Steelers in it. In fifteen seasons,you’ve only had three losing seasons. Three. During those twelve winning seasons, you were able to go to the Super Bowl on the arms of a second-year quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger in Super Bowl XL, and ten years prior with Neil O’Donnell. Does anyone even REMEMBER O’Donnell outside of Pittsburgh? Doubt it. The job you did in Pittsburg, keeping a franchise in contention year-after-year with players that otherwise would make up an underachieving team makes what you were able to do all the more spectacular.
Now that you’re retiring, you can sit back and enjoy your time with your family. Heck, you’re only 49 years old. Who knows? Maybe after a little break from Football, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to return to the sidelines. Maybe in Miami (or Detroit? *cough*), who knows? My point is that you are still a relatively young man (in the world of coaches), and you still have a lot of football in you. I promise you that after one season sitting at home, you’re going to feel so damn restless that you’ll take the first pro job available.
And you’ll rake in the green, too.
Sincerely,
James Walker
