There's a red herring hanging there when Coach Smith says Pete wanted a rah-rah, highly energetic type and he couldn't give it to him because he didn't have the energy he had 30 years ago. I always liked Coach Smith, but perhaps it's that type of lethargic attitude that Pete is trying to reverse, so he went in a different direction with the run game. As was mentioned earlier, it sounds like he was offered another position on staff, so Pete still valued his contributions, but he turned it down.
And I hope Pete and John take a hard look at the roster, determine if a player has a lack of hunger and if so, trade or cut. This team is a strong contender for another Super Bowl crown and you have to weed out the malcontents, if any. This is where the big boys play, so it's time to man up and get with the program.