Did anyone notice at the press conference

[Jeff1220]

TD was talking about how "we wanted Tom Clements as our offensive coordinator a few years ago."

Then a reporter asked him something like, "What do you mean that you wanted him? What happened? Why wasn't he hired?"

TD's approximate response: "That's over with. That's all water under the bridge."

This sounds like a suggestion (although vague) that TD did not want Gilbride and, if fact, had advised GW against hiring him. But GW hired him anyway, despite TD's and TM's advice.

If true, this would eliminate some myths about TD:
1. That TD went over GW's head and hired Gilbride himself.
2. That Gilbride was hired because of his prior relationship w/TD.
3. That wanted MM to keep Gilbride.

As I'v said before, TD is an NFL Team President and GM. He is not the man on the grassy knoll and doesn't make hires that he thinks will make the team lose. He has methods, but these myths about him being a power hungry control freak seem to be pure fantasy - a product of the conspiracy-paranoid internet. I trust that the guy is doing what he can to put this team in a position to win.

[ArcticWildMan]

Interesting. I wonder if maybe Ralph had a say in it and sided with Gilbride?

[helmetguy]

Gilbride was definitely a GW hire. With very rare exceptions, assitants/coordinators are the domain of the HC, not the GM.

As far as TD being labelled "poer hungry," that's an outgrowth of the disputes between TD and Bill Cowher.Cowher wanted the same autonomy over player personnel that some other HC were getting (like Holmgren, Parcells, etc.). As long as he had a GM, Rooney wasn't going to vest all that responsibility in Cowher. TD's contract was up, while Cowher still had three years remaining (at $2 million a year). There is no way that Rooney would retain TD if, in fact, TD even considered showing Cowher the door, since Rooney would have still had to pony up the $6 million Cowher would have to be paid. The Pittsburgh papers depicted the situation as a "power struggle" and, since Cowher remained in place, it was TD that the papers depicted as the "power hungry megalomaniac." Had they said that about Cowher, they risked losing considerable access to the team.

[Earthquake Enyart]

It doesn't matter if TD was a power hungry egomaniac then.

He's trying to make sure that what happened in Pittsburgh doesn't happen again to him. He's controlling everything and I'm still convinvced that TD hired KG, knowing full well that if everything went to hell, GW was on the hook with no more time left on his contract. The perfect patsy.

[caveboy]

"Interesting. I wonder if maybe Ralph had a say in it and sided with Gilbride?"

I don't discount the Ralphie-boy factor in all this. Afterall, he's personally taken credit for selecting Bruce Smith, Thermal and Jim Kelly. Specualtion here, but maybe he was sold on getting KG as a way to help his fav DB.