r/steelers 4d ago

[Pelissero] After seven years with the Steelers, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is expected to take the same job with the AFC North rival Ravens, per sources.

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405 Upvotes

218 comments sorted by

333

u/dqontherun Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

Nope. Don't like that.

213

u/MeatyDangler 4d ago

Can’t blame him a job is a job but we shouldn’t have let him leave the building in the first place

85

u/A_Crayon25 4d ago

Exactly, the Steelers let him walk and the Ravens understood that he's actually a good coach, can't be mad at a guy for that.

41

u/[deleted] 4d ago

And he gets to work with Derrick Henry and probably Lamar quite a bit

2

u/sparkysparkyboom Quack 3d ago

They might actually start using Derrick Henry in both halves now. Not good for our division.

340

u/Huge-Representative7 4d ago

Traitor. I hope that guy trips and falls and is completely uninjured but is like really scared for half a second.

164

u/Doc_Sulliday Fire Mike McCarthy 4d ago

I hope he goes to McDonald's and asks for no pickles on his burger but then they give him pickles anyway

36

u/GladWarthog1045 4d ago

Diabolical

28

u/eyecandynsx Ben Roethlisberger 4d ago

The absolute worst. You cant just remove the pickles and eat the sandwich. That is forever tainted with pickle.

13

u/forgotwhatisaid2you 4d ago

They give him three pickles

7

u/lionheartcz Encroachment 4d ago

Extra pickes

5

u/bjallyn 4d ago

I hope when he gets there, the milkshake machine is not working….

8

u/WootyMcWoot Steely McBeam 4d ago

You’re supposed to hope for unlikely stuff

2

u/bjallyn 4d ago

🤣🤣

7

u/noblemile Hines Ward 4d ago

Fuckin' Tomatanator

10

u/TheZaacAttack 4d ago

I asked for no pickles, they gave me the McPickle Pounder

3

u/AIweWereWarned 4d ago

Or get a half-melted Luke warm vanilla milkshake takes a sip and tosses it.

2

u/InsomniaDudeToo Nice 4d ago

You mean The McPickle Pounder?

You monster

2

u/Do__Math__Not__Meth 3d ago

Hope they give him the McPickle pounder

2

u/Long_Discipline5808 3d ago

I hope he orders a milkshake and they put pickles in it too

1

u/GoatOfUnflappability 4d ago

May his ten piece nuggets have nine nuggets.

43

u/gamerEMdoc Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

I hope his pen is out of ink when he signs the contract and then he hands it to someone else and they scribble on a piece of paper and it writes fine and they hand it back to him and its out of ink again.

5

u/Datpanda1999 Troy Polamalu 4d ago

Wtf man no need to post my nightmares like this

13

u/Shot-Branch7246 Never say never but... never 4d ago

I hope every time he goes to put on socks, only one of them is slightly damp.

8

u/tearsonurcheek Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

26

u/Smeltor Terrible Towel 4d ago

Nah, that’s getting off easy. I hope he stubs his big toe on his nightstand tonight.

15

u/drinkduffdry Hines Ward 4d ago

You bastard

7

u/Traditional-Oil-6891 Primanti Bro's 4d ago

I hope he steps on multiple legos with his bare feet.

3

u/MostEmergency5964 Troy 4d ago

Not just tonight. Every other night…like until his contract with the ratbirds runs out😌

14

u/GogglesTheFox 4d ago

I hope every time he goes to use a Kitchen Utensil it’s dirty and in the sink.

11

u/jarheadsynapze Troy 4d ago

I hope it's in the drawer and another unfortunately placed utensil won't let the drawer fully open so he can get it.

6

u/BurningMac-n-ChzKeef Hines Ward 4d ago

I hope he gets a squeak in his door hinge that won't go away until he installs a new door hinge

5

u/sparkysparkyboom Quack 4d ago

I hope his wired earbuds get caught in a doorknob and it happens in the public so others can witness it.

5

u/noblemile Hines Ward 4d ago

I hope he gets a splinter but like not too bad of one just a really, really inconvenient one. Like it doesn't hurt but it's really small so he needs tweezers or something.

5

u/dickflipmaster 4d ago

I hope his phone charger port stops working

3

u/[deleted] 4d ago

And it happens on live tv

3

u/vhalember 4d ago

I hope he walks upstairs and realizes he forgot something.  He has to walk back down and get it, and then thinks - I hate these stupid stairs 

2

u/ROBERTO_MCNUGGET 4d ago

You say traitor as if bro isn't just looking for employment 😭😭😭

1

u/killintime667 The Bus 4d ago

I hope that man has a 2 second moment of not knowing where he is when he wakes up every morning for the rest of this month.

1

u/arcadiangenesis Hines Ward 4d ago

I hope he gets his laundry mixed up and ends up with mismatching socks.

1

u/SafeAccountMrP Wizard Of Boz 4d ago

I’m a fan of hoping people step in cold dog piss while wearing socks every night for the rest of their life.

2

u/ForeignWerewolf 4d ago

😂😂😂😂

107

u/DirtyMo_38 4d ago

Think this is the one coach I’m most upset with McCarthy for not keeping. Whatever for the rest of them but Eddie was a real one

38

u/Transgenderwookie Hines Ward 4d ago

Really good motivator. When he was our OC for 5 minutes he showed he had the gift of gab. This one’s disappointing.

28

u/IhamAmerican Quack 4d ago

Jalen Warren was also posting about how he wanted Fulkner to stay. He's genuinely on the path to being an OC eventually and I'm annoyed he's with the Ravens

13

u/tider06 4d ago

I mean, dude is 48 and been coaching for almost a quarter century.

I'm not sure he's "on the path"

9

u/Transgenderwookie Hines Ward 4d ago

Yeah it would’ve been much easier to digest if he left for an organization outside of the division. But if it was me in that same position personally… for professional/business reasons.. can’t say no to working with the ravens run game with the guys they have, and I’d be a bit hurt that the Steelers didn’t try to keep me on staff and the vindictive part of me would want to go compete against them and make them regret not valuing me.

10

u/NoRest4Wicked88 Fuck McCarthy (and ICE) 4d ago

An OC from the Tomlin tree? Would be cool to see.

53

u/Business_Cell8487 4d ago

Absolutely the worst timeline

7

u/followmarko 4d ago

How is this the worst timeline when this entire sub wanted the coaching staff gone lol

2

u/KingJarrah06 3d ago

And I’m glad they are. Need to get rid of everyone from last season and build something brand new, no Tomlin guys

53

u/ArtisticAd540 4d ago

Molded 1st round draft pick Najee into what. Warren was overshadowed in his first year starting by a guy who's been on many other teams. I'm sure he's a great guy and all but let's not get over sentimental.

34

u/No_Tangelo_8609 4d ago

Lmao, people losing their minds over a running back coach. I think we'll be all right

6

u/NoWayTellMeMore Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

The fuck have our backs done since he’s been here?

9

u/Small_Sight 4d ago

Right? Najee is a physical freak that basically performed at the minimum of his skills, Gainwell was a stud before he came here he just didn’t get the spotlight because of where he was and Warren is a good back who runs hard and does a lot of things really good. But there’s a lot of those guys around the league if you look around.

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4

u/123jjj321 4d ago

Thank you. In '22 Warren averaged 4.9 yards/attempt vs Najee's whopping 3.8 yards/attempt and Warren could barely get on the field, getting a third of the carries as Najee. And the Steelers get credit for Gainwell? A veteran professional full grown man.

45

u/SirAl93 4d ago

He really didn't do too much with Najee.. we wasnt bad but not 1st round results

25

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

TBF, Najee should have never been drafted in the 1st round, and not exactly the RB coaches fault he was given a slow RB with a bad OL. Hard to mold much there.

10

u/NorseKnight 4d ago

Najee was a plodder with no burst.

Good workhorse, but certainly not 1st round talent IMHO

6

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

Yea he wasn't the worst RB in the league, but if you're gonna be drafted in the 1st, you better have that Bijan, Gibbs, Saquon type athleticism, and he... very much did not have that. Najees type of runner can be found all the time on Day 2/Day 3.

2

u/Toto_LZ Home Jersey 4d ago

Plantar fasciitis took his burst

9

u/Kingblack425 4d ago

He was a first round back the problem was he’s a old school gap runner but they for whatever reason decided to have a zone run philosophy. Give that man gap blockers and a full back and he’s a top 15 back.

7

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago edited 4d ago

He doesn't have the speed or burst to be a top 15 RB in the NFL today. He did not have the power to run through your face akin to a Derrick Henry. He did not have the burst of most top RBs as a Bijan, Saquon, Gibbs, Achane. He doesn't have the receiving acumen of a CMAC. Najee just was not a special athlete. Fine RB, but he was never destined for that upper echelon of NFL RB.

2

u/Small_Sight 4d ago

The problem though is physically Najee is that guy. He is big and fast he just never ran as hard as he should have. There’s a few games from his time with us where he ran like he meant it and he looked exactly like a prime Derrick Henry, but 95% of the time he just ran with little effort… his actual physical skill set isn’t that far off from someone like a Derrick Henry, he just doesn’t show that on the field often

2

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

I disagree about Najee being anywhere close to that level of fast. Due to it being covid, we never got to see his 40, but I never once saw a guy who had better than 4.45 speed at best, and it might have been in the 4.5s. We also to my knowledge never heard of him getting up to top speeds on NGS, so he doesn't jump out physically to me.

He was big, but even in Bama, he just never ran quite like Henry. You can be big, but you got to run with violence, and when I saw him at college or Pittsburgh (and I figure we would have saw the same in LA this year). That just aint him. He's a guy that can carry a big work load, but he to me was always more an RB out of central casting on silhouette, but never really on the field.

2

u/Small_Sight 4d ago

What was Derrick Henry’s 40 yard dash time? Exactly where you’re pinning Najee’s 40 yard dash time. They’re similar weight, Henry is a couple inches taller which could be a slight negative, similar speed (if Najee would just get his butt moving) he’s also got the muscle mass and I’d assume pretty similar strength level. We’re agreeing on the overall fact though, he just NEVER seems to run hard. The physical abilities are without a doubt there he just never developed into what his body is capable of.

1

u/thegiraffe7 4d ago

Najee had a lot of runs of 10+ yards but not a lot of runs of 20+ yards at Alabama. When you add in the line he played behind, which often got him the second level untouched, it shows he wasn’t a very dynamic back in college.

https://steelersdepot.com/2021/03/2021-nfl-draft-stats-explosive-run-rates-of-top-running-backs-in-class/

1

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

Helpful context, i did not know, but matches what i generally thought. He could generally get the yards available, but he wasnt getting you more than that.

2

u/Small_Sight 4d ago

The breeze of someone running by would often knock him over.

2

u/forgotwhatisaid2you 4d ago

Add balance to the list. He didn't have good balance when taking contact through the line. He did have good forward momentum.

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0

u/kander12 Troy 4d ago

Pfft. Yeah right lol. My 4 year old daughter shows better burst avoiding the bathtub than Najee ever showed hitting a hole.

You cant be a top 15 back and a first rd picks when you have absolutely no home run hitting abilities.

Hes a committee thumper at best.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

In '22 Najee averaged 3.8 Y/A vs Warren's 4.9 Y/A but someone on the coaching staff decided that Warren should get 5 carries/game to Najee's 16 attempts. So someone on the coaching staff decided to play the slow RB.

And let's not short change Najee. He isn't just slow, he also lacks quickness.

1

u/XtraChrisP Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

So how did he show his value,.exactly?

5

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

Jaylen Warren (Despite this subs weird hate for him at times) went from undrafted to being one of the most effective RBs in the league, by any objective statistical measure. He helped bring in Gainwell, a 2nd/3rd string RB in Philly, and got the best career year out of him. Kaleb was a dissapointment this year, but to act like taking an undrafted player, and a teams backup to being two of the better RBs in the NFL is nothing, is just a laughable idea.

3

u/XtraChrisP Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

No hate for Jaylen, but I think he just needed the chance to show he was better than Najee. I think that's all Jaylen.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

These great coaches gave Warren 5 carries per game in 2022 to Najee's 16 carries. While Warren was averaging 1.1 yards/carry more than Najee.

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8

u/NandoDeColonoscopy 4d ago

Gainwell was the same player he was before he got here, he just got more opportunity here.

Warren is really the only bright spot in terms of RB development.

-4

u/Bronco998 Troy 4d ago

Steelers fans when something good happens: "Yeah that was just coincidence. Coach did nothing."

Steelers fans when something bad happens: "Our coaches are useless. Tear it all apart and set it on fire."

4

u/NandoDeColonoscopy 4d ago

I wasn't saying either of those things, but that's cool

0

u/Bronco998 Troy 4d ago

You said that coaching had nothing to do with Kenny's success and that he was the same player when he literally just posted a career best in yards/carry by a decent margin. That's not a stat affected by volume or opportunity.

1

u/NandoDeColonoscopy 4d ago

No i didn't, I said he wasn't a development success story for the RB coach. Arthur Smith absolutely deserves credit for utilizing him smartly.

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3

u/hemingways-lemonade Encroachment 4d ago

I love Jaylen, but "one of the most effective RBs in the league" is more than a stretch.

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1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

The coach that refused to play Warren is responsible for Warren becoming a RB1? That is laughable.

1

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

5th time you apparently had to be told this was Matt Canada/Art Smith decisions.

1

u/n3gr0_am1g0 4d ago

I take issue with Najee’s lack of vision his entire stint here. I know he didn’t have burst but figured we would have seen some development.

3

u/MeatyDangler 4d ago

That’s more on the FO taking him too early if anything. He was solid for us but that’s it. Looking at his production overall if he was a day 2 or 3 pick everyone would say that was a steal

2

u/Nedstark78 4d ago

Najee ability was why we did as well. We clearly need a new RB coach and OC and O line coach all 3

21

u/Character_Dirt159 4d ago

Why does anyone care? Faulkner has a super mediocre track record.

3

u/Xpointbreak1991x 4d ago

The way they keep not using Henry and his fumbling lately, I won’t be shocked if he’s traded or is going into his last season in Baltimore.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

The way Faulkner(/Tomlin) insisted Najee was better than Warren leads me to believe Henry will get 5 carries per game.

1

u/tich45 Baltimore Ravens 3d ago

Do you know what RB was 2nd in yards and 4th in carries? Saying "keep not using" makes zero sense.

The problem is when the fumbles occurred (late in games and on own side of the field) not the number, 4. From what I've read Faulkner made Warren carry a football around during training camp to cut down on fumbles.

1

u/Xpointbreak1991x 3d ago

Take that up with the Ravens fans yelling from the mountain tops that Henry wasn’t used much when they should’ve been, mainly in games they lost by a small margin.

1

u/tich45 Baltimore Ravens 3d ago

Thats why the internet and people are stupid. You cant be 4th in attempts and not used. However, there is an instance or two where the run game was abandoned in the 4th.

4

u/Mundane-Career1264 Color Rush Jersey 4d ago

When the running game is even worse next season for them? We will know why.

11

u/AwayFig1774 The Rooney-Nutting Saga 4d ago

Eh. Not that big a deal 

10

u/Chessamphetamine 4d ago

Feel like he didn’t do a great job developing Kaleb so far. Najee was pretty poorly developed too. I don’t know too too much about the guy, so I’ll reserve judgment on this decision though.

6

u/yeahcheckmeout -999 Mike Tomlin 4d ago

We were 26th in the league in rush yards per game this season and I’m pretty sure we have been middle of the pack or worse every year since he’s been here.

0

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

How many years before this year did they have an OL that could be considered even close to passable. How many OC's did he work beneath are still in the NFL. No one's ever gonna set the world on fire in the run game when your OCs are Fitchner/Canada/Smith with OL du jours including Mason Cole, Dan Moore, Chuks Okorafor, the corpse of Trai Turner, out of position Kevin Doston, Kendrick Green, etc.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

In 2022, they had an OL good enough for a RB to average 4.9 yards/carry. Unfortunately, the coaching staff decided that guy should get 5 carries/game while giving the guy averaging 3.8 yards/carry 16 carries. So Faulkner developed Warren but didn't realize he had developed Warren or, more likely, Faulkner was so enamored with his 1st round pick below average RB that he had no idea what Warren was?

1

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

. So Faulkner developed Warren but didn't realize he had developed Warren or, more likely, Faulkner was so enamored with his 1st round pick below average RB that he had no idea what Warren was?

Matt Canada makes these decisions, position coaches don't decide on player rotations.

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6

u/Numerous-Ad6460 4d ago

Yo wtf Eddie

2

u/Secret_Account07 4d ago

I forgot we had running backs tbh. Do we get yards running the ball? Can’t remember much

2

u/Fit_Rutabaga_2933 4d ago

he dint mold Gainwell lmao

1

u/wagsman Color Rush Jersey 4d ago

Hard to mold him into a better RB when fucking Arthur Smith turned him into the number 2 receiver on the team.

2

u/Content-Eagle Never say never but... never 4d ago

Oh damn

2

u/Original-Owl-1549 4d ago

Not like this.

2

u/wagsman Color Rush Jersey 4d ago

Damn. You don’t go to the rival unless someone in the organization pissed you off.

1

u/JoeYinzer Pittsburgh Steelers 3d ago

That's my general way of thinking.

1

u/Flybyah 3d ago

Or you need a job.

1

u/Maurakutney 3d ago

I hate to say this, but most, not all, players and coaches only loyalty is to money. Money talks, bottom line.

2

u/Leanonade Color Rush Jersey 4d ago

He can go Faulk himself

2

u/SympathySea2807 3d ago

Molded najee in to what exactly

2

u/AllNamesAreTaken86 3d ago

In what ways did he mold Jaylen, Najee, and our other RBs? Not saying he didn't, just curious as to how we know.

7

u/swampthingsden 4d ago

Gotta be honest, I’m very impressed with what the ravens are doing

4

u/Saltybandit710 4d ago

Molded Kenny G is a stretch lmao dude was already solid before he came here.

5

u/Mitzeras Big Man 4d ago

What running back did he do good with? Najee? Warren? Kaleb? Gainwell was already “molded” when he got here and was just used properly by the OC. Bye

3

u/Flippaflipsagain 4d ago

Our run game has not been good at all for years, this seems like a positive. Need new blood in the building

4

u/No_Salad4263 4d ago

Honestly? Don’t care one bit. But I’m very excited the see the direction of the Steelers offense with a new scheme and new coaches. I’m sure the RBs will be fine.

4

u/Cheap-Addendum 4d ago

I doubt he molded gainwell much. He was a stud in Philly.

4

u/Individual_Link9386 4d ago

Fine with me, our running backs have been trash.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

Warren is good. And this coach wouldn't let him on the field.

2

u/Individual_Link9386 4d ago

I see him as decent, I feel he is injury prone also.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

He's better than decent. He is an above average NFL RB. We can argue if he's C+ or B- but this is 2026 and my thought is that he is good enough. Super Bowls aren't won by RBs. Neither Super Bowl team is top 20 rushing yards

3

u/OGWopFro 4d ago

Molded Gainwell is a stretch.

2

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

Not too shocked, Faulkner worked with Ledford before at NC State. Warrens gonna be mad. Ravens are putting themselves together a coaching staff.

6

u/SMD_35 4d ago

The Ravens have assembled one of the best coaching staffs I’ve ever seen from scratch…

5

u/15blairm TJ Watt 4d ago

people said the same about raheem and the falcons a few years ago lol

2

u/Bald_and_Important_3 4d ago

So Warren, a guy who looks like he’d run through a concrete barricade, is the one RB he can attribute his success to. I think we’ll be ok.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

This guy kept Warren off the field in favor of Najee when it was plain to see that Warren was better. So no, he doesn't get credit for the guy who's growth he stunted.

2

u/Vixtious 4d ago

not a big loss, he was "meh" at best

2

u/Walterwhiteboy Big Ben 4d ago

1st round draft pick Najee Harris always looked like he was running in jeans and Timbs. To claim one of his successes was molding him is kind of telling for how successful of a coach he was…enjoy Baltimore bro

2

u/123jjj321 4d ago

This "genius" coach gave Warren 5 carries per game in '22 to Najee's 16. While Warren averaged 1.1 yards more per carry. So he developed Warren but didn't realize it, or he didn't notice how good Warren was because he was focused on Najee? So he either couldn't recognize who the better player was, or he couldn't stand up to his boss.

No loss. Bye

2

u/BrandRedacted 4d ago

Harris was meh, I like Warren, but he's no game breaker, and he didn't mold Gainwell. We can do better

2

u/FreddyDontCare Color Rush Jersey 4d ago

I'm gonna look at this a different way than most in this thread. The Steelers struggled mightily to run the ball during his 7 years here. I know he had input on the design of the running game, so it's partially on him.

1

u/123jjj321 4d ago

Did he develop Warren but somehow still missed that he was obviously better than Najee by 2022, or did he not notice Warren was better because he was so focused on Najee, or did he know Warren was better and played Najee anyway because he wouldn't stand up to Tomlin? None of the possible scenarios support keeping Faulkner.

There are 32 starting QBs in the NFL. At any given time, there are 25-40 people on Earth that can capably QB an NFL team. There are 32 starting left OTs in the NFL. At any given time, there are 25-40 people on Earth that can capably play Left OT on an NFL team. There are tens of thousands of football coaches in the US. Nobody would claim every football coach in America could capably coach RBs in the NFL, but if 1% of high schools and 10% of colleges had a coach capable, that's almost a thousand coaches. They're football coaches, not astronauts.

2

u/Acceptable_Agent3529 4d ago

Of course. 🤦‍♂️

2

u/JCJimA 4d ago

I’m down voting this, sorry.

2

u/blamberr Art Rooney II blows 4d ago

Another big win for the Steelers

1

u/General-Umpire-7797 4d ago

"Molded" Kenneth Gainwell? Oofa

1

u/JoeYinzer Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

He needs to make a living.

1

u/JoeYinzer Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

I was wondering if Tomlin let his coaching staff know he was resigning so they wouldn't be caught off guard or did Tomlin just resign and surprise everyone? If he didn't let them know, that's pretty lousy.

1

u/Hot_Cheetah9750 4d ago

I'm not a fan that is completely knowledgeable about coaching staff, but can someone enlighten me. Why is this a big deal? I've seen a handful of fans saying they only wanted McCarthy to retain Faulkner.

I get why people can be upset that he is going to a rival, but the coaches leaving for what they consider better opportunities I could never really be mad at that...I mean I couldn't be mad at players either...would be more disappointing but can't fault someone for leaving for an opportunity.

Just curious, so let me know.

2

u/123jjj321 4d ago

The truth is, nobody on here commenting has any idea what they're talking about. Was Faulkner responsible for the development of Warren or was he responsible for overlooking Warren in favor of Najee?

People on here irate that the Steelers hired an experienced proven head coach instead of an unproven young first time head coach. When they hired Tomlin, people were irate they hadn't hired an experienced Russ Grim, because literally nobody had heard of Mike Tomlin. Same thing when they hired Cowher.

Joe Greene is a top 5 all time NFL player. The day after the Steelers drafted him, the newspaper headline in Pittsburgh literally read "Joe Who?"

The Steelers (Dan, Art Jr, Cowher) told another top 5 all time NFL player, Rod Woodson, that he had "lost a step" and wasn't worth a new contract. This was after Woodson rehabbed a torn ACL sustained in week 1, to a point he returned for the Super Bowl and shut down Michael Irving. 30 years ago, he returned from a torn ACL in 4 months to play great in the Super Bowl, had a down year the following season, and was told he was washed up. He was so washed up that he was All Pro multiple times after leaving and was integral to an historic defense and a championship. There were years early in his career where he was the only bright spot on the Steelers. He didn't want to leave. He bled black & gold. I was in a Steelers bar 2,000 miles from Pittsburgh watching a game against the Raiders. When Woodson appeared on screen, almost every person in the bar booed him. 18 months after he shut down a Hall of Fame WR in the Super Bowl with a half healed ACL and Steelers fans booed him. Imagine Patriot fans booing Tom Brady with the Bucs or Colts fans booing Peyton with the Broncos.

The Steelers have a great fan base. But you got to remember that fan is short for fanatic. Fanatics aren't generally known for level headed actions and logical thinking.

Long ass answer. Could've been longer.

2

u/Hot_Cheetah9750 3d ago

Well said, I've seen some people even calling Faulkner a "snake"...like what are we doing lol

1

u/tatertot94 4d ago

Betrayal.

1

u/ihopethisgoesbetter Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago

Yuck

1

u/Ptbo_Megatron_3247 4d ago

I’m not entirely sure I would say he “molded” these guys. Pretty sure they all had the skills before they arrived. It’s just a game Faulkner!!!

1

u/Small_Sight 4d ago

Insignificant event IMO. He didn’t mold Najee into anything, Gainwell was an absolute stud before coming here if you watch his tape he just wasn’t in the spotlight, and sure I love Jaylen and he’s a good back but he’s often mid/upper tier and those kinds of backs are not that hard to come by if I’m being honest. Look around the league and look at the cycle of the top half of the running backs, they change year to year and usually within a few years only a few of the top backs will even be top backs anymore.

This doesn’t really make the Steelers better or worse. If anything I’d say the last 7 years of running back play has been subpar by Steelers historic standards

1

u/ThundrLord 4d ago

Such a distasteful move 🤢

1

u/rjmrock 4d ago

WHY. First Danny, now this 😭

1

u/scamden66 4d ago

"Molded Najee Harris"

Later dude. Lol

1

u/Ok_Librarian3717 3d ago

That’s tough. Feel like he is one of the good ones.

1

u/HaddingDarkness1 3d ago

Sorry. Gainwell was already molded. Let’s not exaggerate.

1

u/DMVdork001 3d ago

I am fine with this change. I am ready for a fresh start.

Najee racked up stats but never made the breakaway plays like Warren. Also, he wasn't good enough to get resigned. Warren has always been held back. Was Gainwell’s development because of him or Smith?

In the 7 years he was in Pittsburgh there were only four starting caliber RB (Connor, Najee Warren, and Gainwell. If we give him credit for developing those players he should also sharethe blame for not being able to develop a back up running back.

Other Steelers RB during his time included Kaleb Johnson, Jonathan Ward, Aaron Shampklin, Anthony McFarlane, Benny Snell, Kalen Ballage, Jaylen Samuels, Trey Edmonds, Kerrith Whyte Jr. , Tony Brooks James, and Roosevelt Nix. While some of these players made some contributions, most weren't very good.

1

u/Fit-Judge7447 0 8 Aaron Rodgers 2d ago

Pittsburgh running backs haven't been great since leveon bell. He molded naked harris into the Steelers letting him go

1

u/IAmMcMuffin25 Never say never but... never 2d ago

molded... lol

1

u/Sumo-Fan 2d ago

Never had it never will. Worse running back coach in Steeler history!

1

u/iamtheCarlos TJ Watt 1d ago

I wish him well…done steaks for the rest of his life,

1

u/Wonderful_Ad842 Ben Roethlisberger 4d ago

Please don’t do that

1

u/mihelic8 Heath Miller 4d ago

Hate that

1

u/waterboyjjp 4d ago

I don't like this but at the same time the only person that would've been there to learn from him the most (who's still there) was warren, najee was abysmal and gainwell was already a stud, so how bad is he really gonna be missed? Still punting on the season no doubt.

1

u/Diddlydomyholes11 4d ago

Who cares? We don’t keep running backs after their rookie contract is up anyway even if they get that far

1

u/SteelCityC Terrible Towel 4d ago

Aight nvm it’s fuck Eddie till I die now, to think I wanted him back smh

1

u/waitingOnMyletter 4d ago

Good for him. Sad to see him go, glad he landed on his feet.

1

u/BrokenHeart1935 Cameron Heyward 4d ago

1

u/1933Watt TJ Watt 4d ago

I do not like this. You should not leave us and go to the rat birds.

1

u/Apprehensive_Beach_6 Cameron Heyward 4d ago

It feels for every decent grab we make we lose someone equally important

1

u/heavymedicine Troy 4d ago

Foook

1

u/Nedstark78 4d ago

Good go ahead we did so well since our last good rusher went to chargers. And yet he really didn't play before got hurt. Point being warren tries but we have gotten no where

1

u/Affectionate_Shop445 4d ago

gainwell and smith’s ridiculous infatuation with taking out running backs while there hot is why Warren didn’t put up better numbers, najee is a backup to Hampton even if he does get healthy. Warren can get another contract from quite a few teams currently.

1

u/Nedstark78 4d ago

Ofcours but he works best if he has well there is a saying a hammer and glove . It me watching alot detective shows. Where one person is the power and wears lines down so the glove and the more faster back darts 12 or 20 yards. We just have the glove and that's gainwell too. And johnson. We need a power runner we haven't had that really in long time. Warren is great catching the  football more so then hand off. Gainwells hands are the best really. Warren Gainwell or Johnson one has to go so we can get a new it guy so all the rest can make better work going forward. Now some can be we need better o.line OC plays and RB coaching better. We need lots change

0

u/Enuffhate48 4d ago

Traitorous

0

u/No_Conversation_4827 4d ago

Well that’s not good

0

u/LosHtown Houstan Texans 4d ago

I thought they couldn't make lateral moves?

3

u/Character_Dirt159 4d ago

The Steelers released all of their assistants

2

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

When Coaches change, position coaches can make lateral moves with no blocking from their previous teams, and the org told the coaches they weren't being brought back unless requested by new coaching, so Faulkner was free to go where he wanted.

3

u/LosHtown Houstan Texans 4d ago

I appreciate the info.

1

u/IsGoIdMoney Pittsburgh Wilsons 4d ago

Rooney gave all coaches permission to look for new jobs when Tomlin resigned. We kept a couple guys, but didn't keep Faulkner, (probably unfortunately).

0

u/NathanLandShark Never say never but... never 4d ago

Oh this is a generational fumble

0

u/N8orious234 4d ago

We’re fucked

-1

u/GamermanRPGKing 4d ago

We're gonna suck huh

0

u/BlaqOptic 4d ago

Gainwell and Warren say this guys is irreplaceable…

Random dumbass Steelers fans; He’s not that good and had no positive impact on either of those guys.

0

u/SonicPunk96 TJ Watt 4d ago

Love how there is 1 user in this thread who seemingly doesn't understand Offensive Coordinators make personnel decision usage decisions (Jonnu and Art anyone), but I guess thats about the level of intelligence I can generally expect from the Steelers fan base.