Whisenhunt decides to stay with Steelers
Offensive coach withdraws name from Oakland job
Friday, February 10, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Ken Whisenhunt
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Ken Whisenhunt delayed his trip by a day to Oakland, Calif., to interview for the Raiders' head coaching job so he could experience the Steelers victory parade Tuesday.
There, he heard something that stuck with him the whole time he was in Oakland Wednesday.
"Don't go to Oakland, please come back," fans in the crowd said over and over to him.
"That's in the back of your mind," Whisenhunt said. "People are that passionate about football. It's hard to leave."
So he won't. Whisenhunt yesterday withdrew his name from consideration for the head coaching job of the Oakland Raiders. Although Raiders executives say they never offered him the job, it's one he could have had if he wanted it.
Whisenhunt, the Steelers' offensive coordinator, spent most of Wednesday in Oakland discussing the job with Al Davis, the Raiders' managing partner, and football operations head Michael Lombardi. He returned to Pittsburgh on a red-eye flight yesterday, but his agent, Eric Metz, stayed in Oakland to negotiate with the Raiders before Whisenhunt decided not to pursue the position.
"I liked Al, had a good visit, a productive meeting and was flattered to be considered," Whisenhunt said. "I just felt like I needed to come back here."
Metz said the Raiders told him Whisenhunt had a great interview.
"After coming out here and taking a look, he decided to stay with the Steelers," Metz said. "Ken Whisenhunt is going to stay with the Steelers, a job he loves.
"We came out here, had an enjoyable visit, met with Mr. Davis, and Ken likes and respects him."
While the Raiders were offering Whisenhunt good money to become their coach -- more than $2 million annually -- they declined to give him the kind of control over the football operations he felt he needed. The Raiders job is seen as a coaching graveyard by many in the NFL because of the meddling Davis, who has gone through five coaches in the past 10 years, including Norv Turner, fired at the end of the 2005 season, his second. The meddling reached such a point that John Fox, Carolina's current head coach, quit his job as Raiders defensive coordinator in the middle of a season
Offensive coach withdraws name from Oakland job
Friday, February 10, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
<!--BEGIN PHOTO--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=145 align=right border=0>
<TBODY><TR><TD>
<TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD>
<TD>
Ken Whisenhunt
<CENTER>
Related articles
</CENTER>
</TD><TD>
</TR>
</TABLE><!--END PHOTO-->
Ken Whisenhunt delayed his trip by a day to Oakland, Calif., to interview for the Raiders' head coaching job so he could experience the Steelers victory parade Tuesday.
There, he heard something that stuck with him the whole time he was in Oakland Wednesday.
"Don't go to Oakland, please come back," fans in the crowd said over and over to him.
"That's in the back of your mind," Whisenhunt said. "People are that passionate about football. It's hard to leave."
So he won't. Whisenhunt yesterday withdrew his name from consideration for the head coaching job of the Oakland Raiders. Although Raiders executives say they never offered him the job, it's one he could have had if he wanted it.
Whisenhunt, the Steelers' offensive coordinator, spent most of Wednesday in Oakland discussing the job with Al Davis, the Raiders' managing partner, and football operations head Michael Lombardi. He returned to Pittsburgh on a red-eye flight yesterday, but his agent, Eric Metz, stayed in Oakland to negotiate with the Raiders before Whisenhunt decided not to pursue the position.
"I liked Al, had a good visit, a productive meeting and was flattered to be considered," Whisenhunt said. "I just felt like I needed to come back here."
Metz said the Raiders told him Whisenhunt had a great interview.
"After coming out here and taking a look, he decided to stay with the Steelers," Metz said. "Ken Whisenhunt is going to stay with the Steelers, a job he loves.
"We came out here, had an enjoyable visit, met with Mr. Davis, and Ken likes and respects him."
While the Raiders were offering Whisenhunt good money to become their coach -- more than $2 million annually -- they declined to give him the kind of control over the football operations he felt he needed. The Raiders job is seen as a coaching graveyard by many in the NFL because of the meddling Davis, who has gone through five coaches in the past 10 years, including Norv Turner, fired at the end of the 2005 season, his second. The meddling reached such a point that John Fox, Carolina's current head coach, quit his job as Raiders defensive coordinator in the middle of a season
