[hide] As he contemplated retirement last winter, everyone in the Steelers building knew Ben Roethlisberger wanted Todd Haley fired and while he didn’t get his wish, there has been more movement in Roethlisberger’s favor that if he returns next season, he will get his way from Mike Tomlin and Haley won’t be brought back.

Tomlin has considered replacing Haley at least two times in past but was unable to get approval from ownership. Many in Steelers circles expect this off-season to be different, no matter how the Steelers finish.

During the second half of this season, Roethlisberger has already made a strong push for Randy Fichtner to be elevated to offensive coordinator and got his way with Mike Tomlin prior to the Tennessee game that Fichtner become much more involved in the offense which he has.

Jason LaCanfora reported today that Roethlisberger quickly got approval from Mike Tomlin about a month ago to “have a buffer between him and Haley on the sidelines.”

Aside from playcalls coming in, Roethlisberger and Haley are said to barely communicate during games anymore. [/hide]