Oct 17, 2015 5 min read

Could you blame Bruce Arians for running up the score?

The Arizona Cardinals team that he is bringing to Heinz Field has scored 190 points in five games. That’s the fifth-most points scored over a five-game spread in NFL history.

Not bad for a guy who retired in 2012.

Arians’ departure was not one of the Steelers’ better moments.

Team president Art Rooney II had gone on the Steelers’ flagship radio station WDVE-FM after the 2011 season and, when asked whether Arians would be returning as offensive coordinator, said it was “Really Mike’s (Tomlin) decision.”

The only problem with that is that Tomlin had told Arians he wanted him back, and Arians had told his players and others that he would be back.

Then Arians got a phone call from Tomlin.

Arians told ESPN.com this week that he thought Tomlin was calling to offer him a raise. Tomlin fired him instead.

Then the Steelers released this statement from Tomlin:

“Bruce Arians has informed me that he will retire from coaching. I appreciate his efforts over the past five years as the team’s offensive coordinator and for helping lead our offense to new heights, blah blah blah and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.”

Here’s what I wrote in this space at the time:

“It’s Art Rooney’s team. He’s the boss. Why doesn’t he just say that he told his coach to fire the offensive coordinator?

Is it because it’s just not the Rooney way to portray the image of a ruthless business man?”

Art’s old man fired Art’s Uncle Art. His dad fired his own brother.”

This is another example of the local media being reluctant to question and/or criticize anyone in the Rooney family. Imagine if Art II’s last name were Nutting.

Was it right to send his coach out to lie to the media?”

Arians went on to spectacular success as interim coach in Indianapolis in 2012 after being hired to be the Colts’ offensive coordinator and has a 25-12 record with the Cardinals since being hired as their head coach in 2013.

That’s some retirement.

He should bring a lawn chair to Heinz Field, set it up behind one of the end zones and watch the game with his grandkids.

• Penguins rookie Daniel Sprong is going to make a lot of NHL scouts do a lot of explaining in the near future. How did he last until the 46th pick in the 2015 NHL draft?

• The Pirates’ window may not have been slammed shut when they lost the play-in game to the Chicago Cubs, but the opening got a lot smaller. The Cubs have now moved on to the NLCS and they did it with young players who arrived earlier than expected. The Cardinals won 100 games despite losing several key players to injury. They’ll be healthier next year and they have that new billion dollar TV local TV contract to take with them when they go shopping for free agents. The Cubs are stuck in a bad local TV deal for a few more years, but they know there’s a billion dollar-plus deal waiting for them.

The Pirates have to be considered the third-best team in the National League Central. They have a lot of decisions to make this off season and will most likely see a wider talent gap between the two teams ahead of them by the time the 2016 season starts. They might be able to narrow that gap – on paper anyway – by greatly increasing their payroll, but nobody should bet on that happening.

• Mark Melancon is one of the players who could contribute to the Pirates’ fatter payroll next season, but should he? Melancon led the major leagues in saves, and set a Pirates record in the process, and would appear to be a slam dunk for a huge contract when he goes to arbitration. But, if he’s not overrated, then the job he has is.

The Pirates have had several good, if not great, closers the last several years, guys named Williams, Hanrahan and Grilli, who seemed indispensable right up until they weren’t. It’s just not that hard to find a good closer these days. They’re almost never asked to pitch with men on base. Melancon was asked to pitch the last inning when the Pirates had at least a one run lead. Ask the great Pirates’ relievers of the past like Kent Tekulve, Dave Giusti and Roy Face if their jobs would have been a little easier if they had almost never been brought in with men on base in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Pirates should think long and hard before they throw a huge contract at Melancon. Money spent on him could be used for a good starting pitcher or a first baseman.

John Steigerwald writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.