The Pittsburgh Steelers have had quite a few changes at the offensive line coaching position the past few seasons. The Steelers had stability at the coaching position for five seasons under Mike Munchak, but Munchak left to be closer to family for a job with the Denver Broncos after the 2018 season. Munchak's record as the team's offensive line coach was 54-25-1, making him the second-most successful offensive line coach in Steelers' history.
Post-Gazette
Munchak cited family reasons for leaving the Steelers' organization in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in January of 2019.
"“As my career shows, when I get somewhere, I stay there.""When this opportunity came up to work in a city with my daughter, her husband, my granddaughter and my other daughter not far away in L.A., that’s what we wanted."
"This was all about family from the beginning. If my daughter lived here, I wouldn’t have taken any head coaching interviews. I’d rather be a line coach here than a head coach anywhere else, other than family."
Shaun Sarrett was promoted after the departure of Munchak and held down the position for two years, before his contract was not renewed.
Steelers.com
After Sarrett, the Steelers promoted Adrian Klemm to coach the offensive line in 2021, after being Sarrett's assistant for two years. Klemm left this past December to take a position at the University of Oregon. After Klemm's departure in December, assistant Chris Morgan took over for the remainder of the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Adrian Klemm directs his charges during Pittsburgh Steelers training camp on August 7, 2021 at Heinz Field In Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Now, the offensive line is manned by Pat Meyer, who was hired in February this year.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer instructs during OTA drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Wednesday, June 1, 2022.(Karl Roser/ Pittsburgh Steelers)
The one player who has played under all of these guys mentioned above is right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who just re-signed with the Steelers to a new three-year deal.
Okorafor and guard Kevin Dotson spoke a little bit about stability and adapting this past week as well as what it's like under Meyer.
"At the end of the day, it’s a business. Everyone has a family to take care of or the opportunity to move on to a new job. I don’t take that too hard. Yeah, it’s easier to have the same group of players and coaches for two, four, eight or 10 years. But no one cares if I have one coach for 10 years or 10 coaches over two years. They just want me to do well," Okorafor said.
Dotson, who has had four coaches in his three years, stated:
"You’re expected to adapt if you’re going to play in the league. It would be nice to have [stability], but you have to do what you have to do.”
On the differences of Klemm and Meyer,
"They definitely do different things," Dotson said. "He’s a little more informative. He takes a lot of time to sit down and show you how he wants it. Adrian was still good. He just had a different way of teaching. It’s going to change. I’m a person who needs to walk through a play just so I can get the steps right in my mind. Some guys can teach you on the board better. It just depends on what type of teacher you are.”
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman James Daniels goes through a drill at an Organized Team Activities session Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Daniels is only 24 years old but is the most experienced of the Steelers' offensive lineman. (Chaz Palla/Tribune Review)
New Steelers' guard James Daniels, who has also experienced several coaching changes since coming into the league in 2018 spoke about coach Meyer.
"The biggest thing Pat does is instill in us to play together. Communicating and making sure if the guy next to you doesn’t know what he’s doing, tell him what to do. He’s been really good about us communicating and making sure we’re on the right page. Even if we’re wrong, we’re all wrong together. There have been times when people haven’t been blocked [in previous years], and there have been big plays [for the defense]. So he’s just focusing on that we all play together and we all communicate.”
What do yinz think of the comments made by Dotson, Daniels, and Okorafor? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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