I watched an interview with Casey Hampton on NFL Plus recently, and when asked about his friendship with Dan Rooney, Hampton’s smile said it all. “He was an old school cat. He was just my guy, he was just cool, you could talk to him about anything, and it was never about football.”

Casey Hampton sits down with Rob King to talk about his football career, the history of our defense, and more. @pepsi pic.twitter.com/LbOSryaicW

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 28, 2024

Casey looks great, by the way. He has shed much of the weight that made him an immovable object at the nose tackle position. It was good to see him again. It made me think about all the interviews I saw in the past where players would speak about how much they loved Dan Rooney. The Steeler Way can mean a lot of things, but to the men that played for Dan Rooney, he was the living embodiment of it, carrying on the traditions of his father Art Rooney, AKA “The Chief”.

Jerome Bettis spoke to ESPN after the passing of Dan Rooney. “He had an amazing way of reaching out. Mr. Rooney had an open door policy that I had never seen before. Mr. Rooney meant everything to the players, made you as a player want to go further and do more for the organization than you normally would.” In another interview with Sports Illustrated, Bettis went further. “It all goes back to Mr. Rooney. He sets the table so that everyone wants to come to work and do their best. He’s the boss, but it’s not like he’s the boss. You want to play for him. I saw Darnell Dockett tonight, and he was like “What is it about the Steelers? What do you have that’s different from everywhere else? And it’s Mr. Rooney and the atmosphere he creates.”

I can go on and on with statements like him. Ben Roethlisberger said he was a grandfather figure to everyone, and that Mr. Rooney made everyone he met feel important. Troy Polamalu said Dan was the heart and soul of Steeler Nation and called him Papa Rooney. James Farrior said in the preseason of 2008 that he would never forget Dan Rooney telling him “They gave us the hardest schedule this year. Looks like we are going to have to win the Super Bowl.” And they did just that. Farrior also spoke of how down to earth Mr. Rooney was, saying in an interview “Where else can you see the owner of the team driving around looking for a parking spot? The man breeds the Steeler culture. He’s an awesome dude.” Indeed he was, James. After the Super Bowl win against Arizona, Dan Rooney walked up to Aaron Smith and stuck out his hand, but Smith instead embraced him in a hug that only an NFL defensive lineman can give. Aaron told him “I’m just so happy I could be a part of giving you something you deserve so much. We’re lucky to have you for an owner.”

I’ve never heard a player speak that way about Art Rooney II. I can’t say what presence he has in the locker room, around the facility, or his policy on doors…open or shut. The reason I can’t speak on it is that the current players never mention him at all. It’s a striking contrast to his father. The only document I have to go on is the NFLPA survey where he ranked 31st out of 32 owners by the team. That report stated “There is little confidence among respondents in the willingness of club owner Art Rooney II to invest in a better workplace.” The Steelers players also gave Art II an F- grade for treatment of players’ families. That stands in direct contrast to several players that spoke about how wonderful Dan Rooney was with their kids in past interviews.

The person associated with the organization that the players did give an A grade to was Mike Tomlin. And it’s not just his guys that feel that way. Players across the league routinely say the one team they would like to play for is Pittsburgh, just for a chance to play for Tomlin. We saw the impact of that with Patrick Queen this offseason. Not only did he join his former team’s biggest rival, Queen bypassed more lucrative contract offers to do so. In an age where quality free agents can demand and get salary cap busting contracts, having a coach that players will take less to be a part of his team matters.

Coach Tomlin is probably the biggest divide in Steeler Nation…at least if you read Twix (Twitter, X), but I recommend you don’t if you can keep from it. Of course, he has his strengths and weaknesses, as do all coaches. I’ve had my share of frustrations watching in-game decisions and personnel choices for both staffing and the depth chart. I also balance that and realize just how good of a job he has done, and that he seems to be a good human as well. So while there is a large contingent of Steeler fans upset over his contract extension, I am not one of them. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl are stacking good draft classes and free agents, and having a lame duck coach for a season would only undermine the efforts to utilize this roster. A firing would have been even worse.

Mike Tomlin being seen in the same light by players as they once regarded Dan Rooney might be his biggest and most overlooked asset as the head coach. The Steeler Way will always need a figurehead that personifies that culture, and right now it’s not coming from ownership. Players respect and want to play for Tomlin. This new contract extension will only help bring in free agent pieces to round out this roster primed for improvement. Make no doubt, the pressure is on to perform, as it should be in this results orientated business. Tomlin embraces that, and we should all be looking forward to how these next few seasons unfold.