Steelers Hall of Famer Jack Butler, 1927-2013

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback and long time BLESTO Director Jack Butler has died after a long battle with a staph infection he received as the result of an artificial knee transplant.

Butler was 85, and is survived by his wife and 15 grand children, and 8 children, including his son Mike, who recently joined the Steelers scouting department.

Unknown to the last several generations of fans in Steelers Nation, Jack Butler was a star on the SOS squads “Same Old Steelers.” As the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1950’s struggled in mediocrity, Jack Butler was building a Hall of Fame resume as a cornerback.

According to the obituary published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by Bob Cohn, Butler intercepted 5 passes as a rookie.

The Steelers were on the road and losing 13-0 to the Washington Redskins and despite out rushing and out passing the Redskins all day, Butler had intercepted the legendary Eddie LeBaron 3 times.

As told by Tim Gleason in his classic, From Black to Gold, the Steelers scored a face-saving touchdown late in the 4th to make it 13-7. Butler intercepted LeBaron a still NFL record 4th time, returning the ball for a pick-six and leading the Steelers to victory.

Butler’s career was cut short in 1959 when he blew out a knee, which is a shame because he’d intercepted 19 passes in his final two seasons – an even more remarkable feat when you consider that Butler only played 12 game seasons in an era where a team that threw 20 passes a game was considered “pass happy.”

All told Butler played in four Pro Bowls, three All NFL teams and the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950’s. As of May 2012, Butler stands tied for 15th on the NFL’s All Time career interception list, picking off legendary quarterbacks such as Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin.

Butler even saw spot duty at wide receiver, catching 7 passes and took four of them into the end zone for four touchdowns.

From Being the Talent on the Field to Finding the Talent to Field

After retiring from the game, Jack Butler first dabbled as an assistant coach and then join the BLESTO scouting combine, serving as its director from 1966 to 2006.

BLESTO stands for Bears Lions Eagles Steelers Talent Organization, and was formed when player data on NFL prospects was far from ubiquitous as it is today.

In his capacity as BLESTO scout, Butler hired and/or trained hundreds of NFL scouts, including former Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe and current Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert.

From his perch at BLESTO Butler also had a hand, at least indirectly, on the scouting reports that Chuck Noll used to select Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Rod Woodson, and Dermontti Dawson – all of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jack Butler, Man of Class, Man of No Regrets

Injuries didn’t simply end Jack Butler’s NFL career, they impacted the rest of his life. He under went multiple surgeries, walked with a limp for over 50 years, and had both knees replaced – and it was the latter knee replacement which lead to the staph infection which cost him his life.

• Butler, however, had no regrets.

As Ed Bouchette recounted in the his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, When asked by Art Rooney Jr. if given the constant pain he struggled with, Butler would do it again, the former Pro Bowl cornerback did not flinch, telling Rooney, “’He said, “Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.”'"

Butler was also a class act, drawing praise from Dan Rooney who said “He was an excellent person both on and off the field, and he played an integral role in the BLESTO scouting program and our entire draft process before his retirement.”

Art Rooney II followed suit, explaining that “Jack Butler was one of the all-time great Steelers. He devoted his entire life to the NFL and made contributions to many teams and many players through his work with BLESTO and player personnel matters.”

Kevin Colbert’s comments were perhaps the most effusive:

Jack was a great person and great friend who always placed his faith and family first. Beyond his great play on the field, he was a legendary personnel man who helped so many of us get established in our scouting careers. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

It is fair to say that a majority of Steelers fans who’ve rooted for their beloved Black and Gold without knowing who Jack Butler was, but they certainly are well acquainted with his legacy.

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All in the Family - Another Colbert, Butler Join Steelers Scouting Department

Joe Greene’s retirement from the Steelers scouting department has left ripples in its wake. Either that, or the shuffling in the Steelers scouting department was caused by the Ron Hughes semi-retirement, but most of Steelers Nation has never heard of Hughes, and working Joe Greene into the intro is a hell of a lot more sexier....

Indeed, Ron Hughes, who has headed the Steelers college scouting efforts, will step down as College Scouting Coordinator and move into semi-retirement as Senior Assistant for College Scouting.

The Steelers have promoted Phil Kreidler to the role of College Scouting Coordinator. Kreidler has worked in the Steelers scouting department since he joined as an intern during Chuck Noll’s final season in 1991.

Keeping it in the Family

Dan Rooney often said that he regarded Joe Greene as family, and with Greene gone the Steelers are keeping it in the family. Literally. Rooney's son, Dan Rooney Jr., is already a member of the Steelers scouting department, and now Dan Colbert, son of Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert, was promoted from intern to pro/college scout.

Mike Butler, son of former Steelers cornerback Jack Butler will join as the Steelers BLESTO scout, an organization which Butler headed for decades, giving him a hand in the evaluations ever Steelers Hall of Famer from Terry Bradshaw to Dermontii Dawson, whom Bulter would share the stage with in their induction into Canton.

Dave Petett, who has severed as a “scout” for nine years, will now be a pro/college scout, while Mark Bruener will shift from BLESTO scout to college scout.

That’s probably more than you’d ever care to know about the org chart of the Steelers scouting department, but these individuals are faceless, nameless gnomes that tirelessly mine the college ranks, the pro football equalivialent of tilling the earth that has yielded a record Six Lombardi Trophies.

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Steelers-Max Starks Break Up for Real? Pittsburgh Signs Guy Whimper

They say breaking up is hard to do. The Pittsburgh Steelers and free agent tackle Max Starks can attest.

The Steelers have had a love-hate relationship with Max Starks since drafting him in 2004 that has seen the front office offer him a transition tender only to see the coaches start the season with Starks on the bench.

That was in 2008, and Starks bailed out the team and helped lead them to victory in Super Bowl XLIII. One of the team’s first moves after the NFL 2011 lockout was to cut Max Starks. Starks was of course back in October, going from walking the streets to starting on consecutive Sundays.

Word was that when the Steelers drafted Mike Adams in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft their hopes were that Adams would replace Starks. But when it became clear in training camp that Mike Adams wasn’t quite ready to take over the reigns and left tackle, Starks was signed again.

Pittsburgh is thin at tackle, and Starks is still available, but again he’s not the preferred option, as the Steelers have signed veteran tackle Guy Whimper as reported a few days ago by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Whimper was originally drafted by the New York Giants in 2006 and played the last three seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Behind the Steel Curtain, (full disclosure, I also write for BTSC) labled the signing as curious, citing a Football Outsiders J.J. Cooper’s analysis that had Whimper giving up sacks in nine straight games in 2011. Interestingly enough, Cooper started 15 games in 2011 but was not a regular starter in 2012 and in fact was listed as a tackle/te in Pro Football Reference.

Whimper was signed for the league minimum, so the Steelers can easily cut him in training camp if he does not work out. And who knows, perhaps Max Starks will be available to replace him.

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Joe Greene Retires as Steelers Scout with One for Each Thumb

Six Super Bowl rings will apparently have to be enough for Pittsburgh Steelers Legend “Mean” Joe Greene who yesterday announced he was retiring from his front office position with the Steelers scouting department.

It was no less than Greene himself who coined the phrase “One for the Thumb,” and when he did so a fifth Super Bowl seemed very much in reach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Greene continued playing into his mid-30’s, at the time this was a very mature age for the NFL, in pursuit of the additional hardware but was forced to retire with a bare thumb in after 1981.

Greene of course got a second shot at getting “One for the Thumb” in 1987 when Chuck Noll asked him to rejoin the Steelers as defensive line coach. Greene perhaps whiffed the possibility when he helped Noll make his story book run the playoffs with the 1989 Steelers, but alas they came up short.

Following Noll’s retirement, Greene was given serious consideration for the head coaching job, but Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe ultimately decided to go in a new Direction with Bill Cowher.

No longer employed by Pittsburgh, Greene’s shot at the elusive “One for the Thumb” seemed to end, as went on to coach Don Shula’s last defensive lines in Miami, and then worked for the Arizona Cardinals until a coaching change cost him his job in 2003.

Joe Greene Comes Home, Makes Good on “One for the Thumb”

Greene however did not stay on the unemployment line for long. Dan Rooney offered him a job in the Steelers scouting department, where Greene began work in 2004 as Kevin Colbert’s “Special Assistant/Pro and College Personnel” where he focused on scouting college talent in the Southwest as well as pro talent, according to the Steelers media guide.

When he returned to Pittsburgh, the Steelers were coming off a 6-10 season, and Pittsburgh Shock Jock Mark Madden lambasted the move as “Window Dressing” designed to disguise a off season of horrendous free agent moves such as the decision to sign Duce Staley (and eventually draft Ben Roethlisberger).

• The next season the Steelers went 15-1 and a year later they won Super Bowl XL

...Ah, perhaps Mr. Madden would like that one back.

By 2005 the term "One for the Thumb" had fallen out of favor with Steelers management if not the fans, but Joe Greene nonetheless finally got his fifth ring for Super Bowl XL and later earned a sixth for Super Bowl XLIII.

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Jarvis Jones Makes Bold Statement in Requesting Greg Lloyd's #95

Since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft Jarvis Jones has said all the right things.

When asked by Dan Gigler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette if he feels pressured to replace James Harrison he responded:

I don’t compare myself in [any] way to James Harrison. Great player. I respect him. Never met him. I love his game. I wouldn’t mind being an impact player like James Harrison.

He likewise took a question about “falling” to 17 in the draft in stride, explaining:

I landed right where I wanted to be. I don’t think [anything] of it. This team chose me for a reason, because they wanted me to be here. And I fully accept that those [other] teams passed on me for a reason – they didn’t want me to be there so I fully accept that. I’m just going to continue to get better, do everything my coaches ask me to do and just love being a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Contrast the humility displayed by what many considered to be the best edge rusher in the draft with some of the recent statements attributed to Gino Smith and you get a better appreciation for that is known as “The Steelers Way.”

• But actions speak far louder than words.

And Jones did not even need to be a Steeler for a week to make one of the boldest statements ever for a Steelers rookie.

Jarvis Jones decided to change his jersey number to No. 95, which once belonged to another ROLB of distinction for the team: Greg Lloyd
— Bob Labriola (@BobLabriola) May 2, 2013

If this were a poker game has seen his opponent’s $50 and raised it with a C-Note.

Yes, the Steelers franchise is rich enough and deep enough that numbers of former greats go on to be worn by players of varying worthiness.

Witness, Steelers Hall of Famer John Stallworth’s number 82 being worn by the likes of:

• Yancey Thigpen, Antwaan Randle El and Bobby Shaw
  and…
• Henry Bailey and Derek Hill

But the bestowal of 95 is not a matter that should be taken lightly.

Per the Steelers media guide, 8 players have donned number 95 since Greg Lloyd’s departure in 1998.

That’s a high number, but most of those have been “limited release editions” used for defensive lineman or linebackers, Corbin Bryant or Donovan Woods types, who’ve been temporarily activated from the practice squad. Defensive end Ryan McBean also wore the number for a full season in 2007.

Alameda Ta’amu wore the number in 2012 when not serving a suspension for his drunken rampage on the South Side.

The only other player to wear number 95 for the Steelers was 2003’s second round pick Alonzo Jackson, and we know how he turned out.

Indeed, the most notable player involving number 95 since Greg Lloyd’s time was Joey Porter. As a rookie in training camp Porter was assigned 95, and Porter was a preseason sensation whose play was so dominant that Levon Kirkland reportedly took to calling him “Greg” in the huddle.

• Porter wanted to forge his own identify and switched his number to 55.

Jarvis Jones has taken the opposite route. Originally assigned number 91, Jones asked for 95.

• That’s fine, because Greg Lloyd was as much about attitude as he was about on the field performance. 

Greg Lloyd’s “Just Plain Nasty” and “I Wasn’t Hired for My Disposition” wasn’t an attitude he simply demanded of himself, he demanded it from the rest of the locker room.

If you doubt that, look no further than Hines Ward’s retirement press conference where he cited Lloyd as someone who helped instill the proper practice ethic in him, despite the fact that Lloyd got cut shortly after Ward’s rookie mini-camp.

• Jarvis Jones has thrown down the gauntlet in choosing his jersey number.

Let’s home Jarvis Jones can live up to the challenge he’s set for himself. Because you have to earn the right to wear number 95 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Al Pacino's "Six Inches in Front of Your Face" Steelers Style....

On Any Given Sunday might not have been the best movie made about pro football out there, even if one of its characters was supposedly inspired by Kordell Stewart.

But Al Pacino’s “Six Inches” in front of your face is one of the better cinematic renditions of a half time locker room rally speech.

Caddy Lakis, an apparent Steelers fan, has taken the trouble of editing together a collage of great moments from Steelers history, and interspersing it with Pacino’s “Six Inches” in front of your face.



Complements to Lakis, who has paired some of Steelers Nation’s proudest and most poignant moments for an excellently choreographed video, including unearthed footage of a young Dick LeBeau, a heavy dose of James Harrison’s 99 interception return in Super Bowl XLIII, Hines Ward’s retirement speech, Charlie Batch’s difficult day in Cleveland, Antonio Brown’s fumble in Dallas, and much more more.

Enjoy!

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Landry Jones Arrival in Pittsburgh All But Signals Charlie Batch's Exist

The Steelers surprised (and displeased) the pundits by drafting quarterback Landry Jones in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Beyond the surprise behind the Steelers using a 4th round pick on a quarterback, Landry Jones arrival likely means something else:  Charlie Batch’s days as a Pittsburgh Steeler are over.

The Steelers have already signed Bruce Gradkowski to a two year contract and, while they were expected to take a quarterback in the draft, they had also held out the possibility that Charlie Batch might return to back up Ben Roethlisberger for a final season.

• Bruce Gradkowski’s not going anywhere, and the Steelers have shown more patience with drafted quarterbacks.

Since arriving in 2000, Kevin Colbert has drafted Tee Martin in 2000, Brian St. Pierre in 2003, Omar Jacobs in 2006, and Dennis Dixon in 2008. Of those four 5th round picks, only Omar Jacobs got cut in training camp.

Given that Landry Jones was a 4th round pick, his lease on an roster spot has got to be considerably longer, than his predecessors who arrived in Latrobe as 5th rounders. (Although during Kevin Colbert’s tenure the Steelers have cut 4th round picks, namely wide receiver Danny Farmer in 2000 and wide Fred Gibson in 2005.)

Although many things can change, heavens know the Steelers have had their share of training camp quarterback injuries, the odds have greatly increased that Charlie Batch has played his final game for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No official word on Charlie Batch’s status has been released by the Steelers, although in his post-draft press conference Steelers quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner all but acknowledged that Batch’s days were done:

We have had great experience in that room with Charlie and Byron. I just think it was time to start grooming a new player, freshen up the room if you will.

For his own part, Batch at least appeared to be trying to forestall the inevitable, tweeting:

Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds waterSwedish proverb
— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) April 28, 2013

However, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook, Batch seemed to accept that the end was at hand, as he told Cook who observed:

But Batch won't survive the drafting of Jones. He said he's not bitter but rather thankful to the Rooneys and to general manager Kevin Colbert for giving him a chance "to live out my dream ... I'm the only guy born and raised in Pittsburgh who played for the Steelers and won two Super Bowls."

Charlie Batch truly is a home town boy who made good. While he speculated that the Steelers were intent on grooming Landry Jones as Roethlisberger’s replacement, he affirmed that he’ll stay in Pittsburgh dedicated to his foundation. (Batch's prediction about Landry being selected to replace Ben has been discounted)

Indeed, Batch went so far as to tell Cook, "I want to be remembered more for what I'm doing off the field than what I did on it."

• What better statement of a man’s character is there?

The truth is that Batch accomplished both a lot on and off the field in Pittsburgh.

No official word has come out that Batch’s days as a Pittsburgh Steelers are over, but when that word does arrive, Steel Curtain Rising will give his legacy its appropriate adieu.

Until then, we’ll simply say, on behalf of Steelers Nation, “Thank you Charlie, for a job well done.”

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