The Pittsburgh Steelers have received some criticism regarding the size of their coaching staff. The team maintains one of the smallest coaching staffs of all the NFL teams. However, during the past two seasons, head coach Mike Tomlin has not been afraid to bring in more help where it is needed.
Steelers.com
Former Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant coach Brian Flores.
During 2022, Tomlin hired defensive guru Brian Flores to come in and help the Steelers get their defense competitive. Flores has moved on, but now Tomlin has hired another coach who considered Flores a mentor, Gerald Alexander.
Speaking of the Steelers coaching staff, their team website now lists Gerald Alexander as assistant DBs coach. I don’t believe he held that title last year in any official capacity but he was a second-round pick in 2007 and spent two years as the Dolphins’ DBs coach.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) April 5, 2023
Alexander has been both a coach and a player in the NFL. He played college football for Boise State and helped lead his college team to the Herculean task of defeating the University of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006.
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Boise State celebrates after their improbable victory over the University of Oklahoma after the 2006 season.
He played safety and was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He wound up having a bit of a journeyman career during his five years in the NFL playing for several teams including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, and the Miami Dolphins.
After leaving the NFL, he started his coaching journey at Arkansas State. He was selected to participate in the Bill Walsh Minority Internship Program with the Tennessee Titans in 2015 and again in 2016 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These experiences helped him begin to make his transition from coaching college to professional football.
He continued to coach college football, now at the University of California, through 2019.
Steelers' Gerald Alexander Has Ties To Brian Flores
In 2020, Alexander was hired by the Miami Dolphins as the team's defensive backs coach under then-head coach Flores. Alexander was reportedly eager to work under and learn from someone as knowledgeable and admired as Flores.
During his time in Miami, he was respected and liked by the players, media, and fans. There are reports that Miami's late-season defensive resurrection in 2021 is due in large part to his efforts. He is also credited with helping Miami's young safeties, Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland have breakout seasons. Alexander was touted as one of their best positional coaches.
Kelley L Cox / USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers hire Gerald Alexander.
Alexander's name was making rounds around the league as an up-and-coming coach with a lot of potential. He made it clear he has aspirations to seek promotions and to grow personally. He had even applied for a defensive coordinator position with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, his ties to Flores might have sealed his fate with Miami and possibly cost him the Jaguars' job.
On February 2, 2022, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams, claiming racial discrimination in the hiring process. He specifically named several teams including the Dolphins, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos. Flores also claimed that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to bribe Flores into losing, offering him $100,000 per loss in an effort to improve Miami's draft position. This made him a bit of a pariah in the league.
Flores has made no secret of the fact that he wants to be a head coach again in the NFL, however, he felt that his own integrity and the integrity of the players, the teams and the league should come first.
Alexander tweeted out support for Flores and his stance and unsurprisingly, the Dolphins fired Alexander without warning on February 10, 2022. It seems his support of his former boss did not please the head honchos in Miami.
I already had a lot of respect for Brian Flores before today. Today confirmed he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.
— Gerald Alexander (@GAlexander21) February 2, 2022
*Your opinion doesn’t matter
Now both coaches, who were victims of the system in Miami, have found new life in Pittsburgh. Flores was hired by Tomlin as a senior defensive assistant. His job was to help support and possibly mentor coordinator Teryl Austin while being able to rebuild his own resume and look for new opportunities. It was no surprise that he was quickly snatched up after only one season and is now the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
Now coach Alexander is getting a similar opportunity. It sounds as though he brings a lot to the table. It will be interesting to see how he helps the defense improve.
What do you think about the Alexander hiring? Do you think he will help our defense improve? What do you make of his ties to Flores and their experience in Miami? Click to comment below!
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