Monthly Archives: January 2014

Some Words From Kirby Wilson On Leaving The Steelers

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While there hasn’t been an official announcement from the Steelers organization, Kirby Wilson’s departure is all but announced. Ian Rapoport shared some of what Kirby Wilson had to say about the Steelers.

According to Rapoport, Wilson thanked Tomlin and the Steelers “family”, saying that they “were integral in my recovery from my accident 2 years ago.” On leaving Pittsburgh Wilson said, “I got to a point in the progression of my career where I felt a change of scenery might be best for all parties.” Wilson also called the Steelers “the class of the NFL.” He closed by saying thanks to the fans.

“Lastly, a big thank you to Steelers Nation… the best fans in the NFL.”

ESPN’s Scott Brown confirms that Wilson is leaving and taking a lateral move to the Vikings for their running backs coaching opening. Brown also says that the Steelers gave Wilson permission to pursue other positions in the NFL.

 

Report: Kirby Wilson Not Returning To Steelers

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This may be more of a rumor than a report at this point, but Ed Bouchette is reporting that even though Kirby Wilson was not hired as the Ravens offensive coordinator, he will not be returning to the Steelers.

This may be true, though, Ed did say that he was hired by the Ravens this morning when in fact the Ravens decided they were going with one of the other candidates. Bouchette goes on to say that Wilson is expected to join the Vikings staff in some capacity. Which coaching position and expected by whom you ask? I couldn’t say.

Jason La Canfora offered up some of his own thoughts on the Wilson situation.

I couldn’t say what La Canfora is talking about with the situation getting sour. I’ve not seen a single report of that. He himself neglected to mention anything of that nature when discussing Wilson as a candidate for the Titans OC position.

Wilson is under contract with the Steelers, so without permission, he is not free to interview with other teams. There have been no reports of requests outside of the Ravens coordinator position. We’ll know more soon I’m sure, and it could very well be true, but I doubt we’ve seen the end of journalists speculating on this.

Kirby Wilson Will Remain Steelers RB Coach, Ravens Decline

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The Baltimore Ravens have informed Steelers Running Backs Coach Kirby Wilson that he is no longer a candidate for their offensive coordinator position. The Baltimore Sun reports that Wilson was told that the Ravens have decided to go a different direction. This leaves Kyle Shanahan and Jim Hostler as the two remaining candidates.

Wilson interviewed for a second time with the Ravens yesterday, after having a “great” first interview. Before being turned down, the running backs coach told the Baltimore Sun that he appreciated the chance. “I appreciate the interview,” Wilson said. “It’s been a long time coming. I appreciate the chance just to do it. It’s something a lot of people dream of doing. I’ve been fortunate and blessed.” He went on to say, “It went really well. It was very informative. They gave me a chance to present what I’m about and what I believe in and I heard what direction they want to go in and what they believe in. I was happy with the visit. I gave it my best shot.”

Report: Omar Khan No Longer A Candidate For Miami GM Job

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The Miami Herald is confirming what was previously suspected. Omar Khan is not a finalist for the Dolphins general manager position. According to Armando Salguero of the Herald, the Dolphins are narrowing their search down to a couple finalists. Salguero writes, “Late last night I was told by one NFL source two candidates who are definitely out are Pittsburgh’s Omar Khan and Tennessee’s Lake Dawson.”

As I opined a couple of weeks ago, there was never much of a chance of Khan leaving to the take the position with the Dolphins. We’re safe from worry for the next year or two, when the inevitable happens again. One thing does seem unavoidable: one of these years the Steelers will lose Khan to a general manager opening. Until that time though, we can still make the tattered Star Trek references.

Kirby Wilson Has Second Interview With Ravens Friday

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According to the Baltimore Sun, Kirby Wilson is scheduled for a second interview with the Ravens tomorrow. The Sun reports that according to team sources, Wilson’s first interview went very well and the Ravens want to have him in for a second interview on Friday. Wilson interviewed for their offensive coordinator position yesterday. The team source reportedly labeled Wilson a “very serious candidate.”

John Wooten, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, told The Baltimore Sun, “Kirby feels very good about it and would do an excellent job for the Ravens. Kirby knows the Ravens very well and he has a ton of great ideas. He knows the division. He has a lot of energy and is an excellent football coach who’s very deserving of an opportunity.”

The Ravens are also having Kyle Shanahan in for a second interview today. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Ravens hired him.

Steelers Make It Official- Mike Munchak Hired As Offensive Line Coach

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The Steelers made last night’s news official and have announced that Mike Munchak is the new offensive line coach. The hiring of Munchak comes just 20 days after the firing of Jack Bicknell Jr. was announced. Munchak was fired by the Titans on January 4th. He was their head coach since 2011. He could have retained his position if he agreed to fire certain assistant coaches, but he refused to do so.

Munchak has been with the Titans/Oilers for his entire NFL career, both as a player and as a coach. He was the Houston Oilers 1st round draft pick in 1982, and served as their left guard for 12 seasons. During that time he received several Pro Bowl nominations and other accolades. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

After retiring in 1993, he returned to the Oilers as an offensive assistant coach. A few years later, he was promoted to offensive line coach where he remained for 14 seasons, before becoming head coach in 2010. During his time as offensive line coach, there were only 2 seasons where Tennessee didn’t have a 1000+ yard rusher. Something the Steelers haven’t had in the last 3 seasons. Coincidentally, Chris Johnson ran for over 2000 in 2009.

Munchak not only brings a long resume full of accolades and coaching experience, he has an extensive background successfully coaching zone blocking schemes. We’ll explore that further in a future article.

Coach Tomlin definitely deserves some praise for landing such an esteemed candidate. The Texans seemed to be the “shoe-in” to hire Munchak, but he turned them down. The Oilers and Steelers were bitter rivals for decades, and Munchak grew up a Browns fan. Just sayin’.

“I am excited that Mike will be joining our staff at the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Coach Tomlin said in a statement posted on the team’s website. “Mike’s offensive line background speaks for itself, both as a Hall of Fame player for the Houston Oilers and as a very successful coach with the Tennessee Titans. I look forward to having him join our coaching staff as we have already started preparing for the 2014 season.”

His contract details are unknown of course, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were for longer than one year due to the salary implications. I also wouldn’t be surprised if there were other responsibilities included outside of the offensive line. That’s just speculation of course. Time will tell.

 

Report: Mike Munchak Will Be The Steelers Offensive Line Coach

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Well, apparently the news came sooner than I thought. Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain reports tonight that Mike Munchak is taking the Steelers offensive line coach job. This is fantastic news for the Steelers, who are gaining a seasoned offensive line coach and hall of famer.

 

Mike Munchak News Should Come Soon

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The Steelers interviewed Mike Munchak on Friday, and as you’d expect, there’s been no word yet about the outcome of the interview. Most of the coaching staff has been in Mobile, AL for Senior Bowl week, but will likely be returning tonight after any late interviews that might be scheduled. Munchak also interviewed with the Houston Texans on Friday, January 10th. For what it’s worth, Jason La Canfora thinks Munchak will be joining the Steelers coaching staff soon.

I have to say, after he didn’t get the Penn State job, I thought Munchak would end up with the Texans. It does seem though that if he were going to sign on with them, that he would have done so already. I would expect that we’ll know one way or the other by the end of the week.

Larod Stephens-Howling Says He’s Making A Quick Recovery

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Running Back LaRod Stephens-Howling tore his ACL during the season opener versus the Tennessee Titans. Since then, we haven’t heard much about LSH. This week, he spoke with his local newspaper about his injury, and his plan for the future.

Stephens-Howling says that his recovery has been ahead of schedule during the entire rehab process. “I’ve been feeling great. The rehabbing is going great…I’ve been ahead of schedule. I feel pretty strong.”, he told the Tribune-Democrat. When asked about the time-table for his return, he said, “I feel like I’m real close to being 100 percent. They’re saying definitely by February.” That’s great news for the former Pitt running back, but very early on the recovery calendar- only 4 1/2 months after his injury.

“One of my trainers told me my strength is back to where it needs to be to start playing football again and it hasn’t even been five months.”

He said he worked diligently with a machine at home until he was out of crutches. On top of being at the Steelers facility all week, he goes to the gym and does extra work with a trainer.  He credits that combination to the speed of his recovery.

When Stephens-Howling is cleared by doctors, he’ll be a free agent, at which time he hopes the Steelers will have a place for him. He said that his main goal right now is to be ready by summer.

Troy Polamalu To Miss Pro Bowl Due To Injury

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Troy Polamalu, one of 3 strong safeties selected to the Pro Bowl last month, will not be attending after all due to an injury. Many players cite a new “injury” as a reason for declining to go to the Pro Bowl, but ultimately, the team’s medical staff has to sign off on it. There have been no reports of an injury to Troy, and he saw more snaps this year than he has since 2008. He’s probably nursing a minor injury of some sort though, and will be starting his off-season workout regimine in no time.

Polamalu’s absence adds yet another Cleveland Browns player to the Pro Bowl roster. Browns Safety T.J. Ward will take Troy’s place in Hawaii. Antonio Brown is now the only player representing the Steelers in the Pro Bowl this year.

The new Pro Bowl format is non-conferenced, and team captains will pick their rosters starting tonight on the NFL Network. This is an attempt to gain interest from fans, which has been extremely low as of late. I wonder if the NFL has toyed with the idea of having viewers vote on the plays via social media…sort of like a live action Madden. It would probably get more fans interested in the event, though, I’m not sure players would be thrilled about it.