Dick LeBeau spent 56 years of his life in the NFL. On Saturday, he resigned as the Steelers' defensive coordinator, though he told the Daily Citizen in Urbana, Ohio that he's "not retiring."
Which immediately brings back memories of how Bruce Arians "retired" as the Steelers' offensive coordinator three years ago only to take that same job with the Colts weeks later. Arians parlayed his success in Indianapolis into the Cardinals' head-coaching gig and likely Coach of the Year honors.
LeBeau, 77, almost certainly isn't looking to be a head coach again. He was 12-33 with the Bengals from 2000-2002, and he's been wildly successful as a defensive coordinator, most recently during the past 11 seasons with the Steelers. But that doesn't mean he's done with football.
So what's next for the man who played 14 seasons for the Lions before going into coaching?
His 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame speech might offer a glimpse.
"Life is for living, folks," he said. "Don't let somebody tell you that you're too old to do this or too old to do that. Stay in life. Life is a gift. It's a joy. Don't drop out of it. Don't let somebody else tell you and don't let your mind tell you.
"If I would have gotten out of my life's work at 65 or 67, when they say is the age of retirement, here is what I would have missed, folks: I would have missed not one, but two World Championship football teams that I got to be a part of. I got to be a part of a No. 1 defense that statistically had the lowest numbers in the last 35 or 40 years. I had my number retired from my high school. Had a building named after me in my hometown. I made the Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary team. I was accepted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Now tonight I guess when I sit down, which I'm gonna do, I'll be in the NFL Hall of Fame. My mother always said, 'Onward and upward, age is just a number.' "
Put another way: Yes, LeBeau is 77, but there should be plenty of people interested in his services.
Where could LeBeau land?
Arians and the Cardinals make a lot of sense. Partly because Arians and LeBeau are close, but also because Arizona would be looking for a defensive coordinator if Todd Bowles lands a head-coaching job.
Then there's Tennessee, where former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is now the coach. LeBeau is close to him, too, as well as Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who was once the Steelers' defensive backs coach under LeBeau.
What is Pittsburgh's plan, post-LeBeau?
When LeBeau returned to the Steelers in 2004, they were a mediocre unit without an identity. For much of the next 11 years, they ranked among the top defenses in the NFL, and the 2008 group -- which featured James Harrison, James Farrior, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor and won the Super Bowl -- was the best of the bunch.
But LeBeau's defenses struggled in recent seasons as players got old and the front office's efforts to replace them were hit and miss. The unit ranked 19th in 2013 and 30th this season, according to Football Outsiders.
And there could be even more changes in 2015; Polamalu, Taylor, Harrison and Keisel could all be gone, meaning more upheaval -- and youth -- in on the defensive side of the ball.
So now what? According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will meet with linebackers coach Keith Butler on Monday. Butler has been with the team since 2003, and has long thought to be LeBeau's successor even though Tomlin has never said so publicly.
Worth noting: Tomlin and Butler worked together long before their paths crossed again in Pittsburgh; Butler was the defensive coordinator at Arkansas State in 1998 when Tomlin was the defensive backs coach. And two years before that, the two worked on the University of Memphis' staff.
Perhaps the Steelers feel the time is right for Butler, who is 58. He has had several chances to leave for other jobs but remained in Pittsburgh, citing loyalty. In January 2012, it looked like Butler might follow Arians to Indianapolis to join Chuck Pagano's staff, but a day later, he decided to stay with the Steelers.
"I was devastated yesterday when I heard [that he might be headed to Indianapolis]," defensive end Brett Keisel told us at the time. "I was surprised that the Steelers were going to let him go [to the Colts]. I knew that when Arizona wanted him to come down last year, [Pittsburgh] didn't even let him take the interview. But everything worked out, he's staying with us, and I'm very happy about it."
And now, Butler could finally be getting that promotion.
This time, 'gone but not forgotten' isn't a cliche
Three years ago, team president Art Rooney II wanted an offense that better protected Ben Roethlisberger and had some semblance of a running game. That led to Arians' departure, Todd Haley's hiring, and a bunch of revisionist historians lamenting about those halcyon days of deep passes and high scores. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger is playing the best football of his career, and the Steelers' offense was one of the league's best.
The defense is in transition, and while it's not all on LeBeau, maybe now's the time to start over.
"We want to thank Dick for his many years of service with the team and all that he has done for this organization," Tomlin said in a statement. "His coaching helped lead us to many successful seasons and championships. We are very appreciative of his efforts, and we wish him well."
Rooney added: "I want to publicly thank Coach LeBeau for his many contributions to the Steelers organization over 16 seasons. He is one of the finest men who has ever been connected to the Steelers, and the NFL. His leadership has positively impacted so many players and other members of our staff. I will always be grateful for what he has taught us about the game of football and about life."
That's the thing, LeBeau is a better person than coach.
"If he tells us to jump off a cliff, I believe we would do it," former defensive end Aaron Smith once said, via the Post-Gazette's Ron Cook. "If he tells us to do anything, we do it because we know it's the right thing."
Then there's this, also from Cook:
LeBeau's players -- some of the biggest, toughest and meanest the NFL has known -- weren't hesitant to show their love for him. Their greatest tribute happened before the final regular-season game in 2005 against the Detroit Lions. At linebacker Joey Porter's urging, 27 defensive players spent $300 each to buy LeBeau's retro No. 44 jersey from his playing days with the Lions and hung the jerseys in the lockers at Heinz Field. LeBeau cried when he walked into the room.
"He treats you with such decency," former defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen told Cook. "We've all heard the saying that it's not what you accomplish in life that's important, but rather the lives that you touch and change for the better. He epitomizes that. He changes people's lives. His teachings make you a better man."
And that's really the point of all this, right?
