Steelers Hire Offensive Line Coach

[Heinz Hitman]

Somebody that I am not very familiar with. Came from Buffalo, where they had an AWESOME o-line last year. Really?

http://www.steelers.com/article/116922/

[Master Blaster]

You might want to curb your sarcasm once you read what the guy had to deal with in buffalo this past season.

http://www.steelers.com/article/116924/

"Bills coach Dick Jauron decided to trade starting left tackle Jason Peters, and then he cut veteran Langston Walker, who was supposed to start at right tackle, a week before the season started.

Kugler had to replace those two veterans with a left tackle in Demetrius Bell who was a seventh-round pick two years ago without an NFL start in his career, and with a right tackle in Brad Butler who hadn't played the position regularly since his college days at the University of Virginia.

Butler tore his ACL in Week 2. Bell was injured in Week 3 and then again in Week 10 whereupon he landed on the injured reserve list.

The Bills started seven different tackle tandems through the course of the season and nine different offensive line combinations over 16 games. Their starting tackles during the season included Kirk Chambers, who originally was cut by the Bills when the roster was reduced to 53 in early September, journeyman Jonathan Scott and rookie Jamon Meredith, who was signed off Green Bay's practice squad. Buffalo also had another rookie practice squad tackle who was supposed to start the Week 16 game at Atlanta – Andre Ramsey – but he injured his calf in practice that week and could not play.

By season’s end, the Bills had five offensive linemen on the injured reserve list – two tackles and three guards – along with their two starting tight ends (Derek Schouman and Derek Fine) who were considered the team’s best blockers. One of the guys who ended up filling in for the Bills was former Steelers No. 1 pick Kendall Simmons, and he vouched for Kugler’s abilities as a coach without being asked.

“Also, the offensive coordinator (Turk Schonert) got fired before the first week of the season,” said Tomlin. “In the midst of a lot of things, the videotape was very good. They got after people, they put hats on hats, they finished. The things Sean and I talked about when he came in here showed up on tape.”

There is a mentality required to play the different positions on an NFL team, and that personality often stems from the assistant coach with whom the players work on a daily basis.

“That could be said for any position. I believe that,” said Tomlin. “The great position coaches I have been around, the core beliefs they have in regards to football and coaching football show up on tape and are displayed by the men they coach.”

As for Sean Kugler’s coaching personality?

“He’s a fundamentalist. He’s rock solid schematically. He coaches (his players to) finish. He believes in some of the core things I believe in in terms of winning by attrition in the trenches. Again, it all showed up on the tape.”

[DSH_97]

When the Bills allowed Peters to go, then Walker, the question then was, what the hell is going on with the Bills? Bills fans weren't happy about it. Peters was an up and coming stud, and have made alot of progress considering he was a former TE at Arkansas. You'd think they'd least kept Walker on board...

I know nothing about this guy. I can only assume as what's been said in the article and trust Tomlin's thoughts about him as truth. I can't imagine that O-line getting any worse than they are now. So hopefully there's a change of events here.

[Master Blaster]

One thing is for sure, he doesn't let adversity overwhelm him or his attitude to how he approaches his job. That's a quality that'll take him a long ways in this business.

[primantibro1]

One thing is for sure, he doesn't let adversity overwhelm him or his attitude to how he approaches his job. That's a quality that'll take him a long ways in this business.

I hope he is more liberal with whom he choses to send his porn. I mean the entirety of the NFL is one thing ... but what about the fans?

If I were him, I would be tickled pink to be taking over for Z ... Great organization, shi&&y position coach as a predecessor. Moreover, he should be part of a shift to run the ball more effectively. There are probably a decent amount of notes from seasons past sitting around the office;)

[HazMat]

One thing is for sure, he doesn't let adversity overwhelm him or his attitude to how he approaches his job. That's a quality that'll take him a long ways in this business.

I hope he is more liberal with whom he choses to send his porn. I mean the entirety of the NFL is one thing ... but what about the fans?

If I were him, I would be tickled pink to be taking over for Z ... Great organization, shi&&y position coach as a predecessor. Moreover, he should be part of a shift to run the ball more effectively. There are probably a decent amount of notes from seasons past sitting around the office;)

Meh..why bother with notes? He can call up Belli-cheat and borrow his videotapes.

[BigCurt]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

[Master Blaster]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

Or perhaps he was a product of guilt by association. Maybe he's a very good coach that got lumped in with some very poor coaches.

[DSH_97]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

Ok. All bets are off! Will they ever break free of their f#@&ing ties with Detroit??!? It's like they don't know of any other franchise in the league! If the only teams they can go to for coaches are the f#@&ing Lions and Browns, we're doomed to watch this repetitive s#%t til Colbert leaves town....

[mojouw]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

Ok. All bets are off! Will they ever break free of their f#@&ing ties with Detroit??!? It's like they don't know of any other franchise in the league! If the only teams they can go to for coaches are the f#@&ing Lions and Browns, we're doomed to watch this repetitive s#%t til Colbert leaves town....

I understand the rage...I really do. However, Colbert's and the new oline coach's tenure in Detroit do not overlap.

[Master Blaster]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

Ok. All bets are off! Will they ever break free of their f#@&ing ties with Detroit??!? It's like they don't know of any other franchise in the league! If the only teams they can go to for coaches are the f#@&ing Lions and Browns, we're doomed to watch this repetitive s#%t til Colbert leaves town....

Stop whining, whiner. Did you happen to forget that this team WON the S.B. twice in the past five years?

[DSH_97]

He was one of Millen's guys in Detroit so how bad can he be?

Ok. All bets are off! Will they ever break free of their f#@&ing ties with Detroit??!? It's like they don't know of any other franchise in the league! If the only teams they can go to for coaches are the f#@&ing Lions and Browns, we're doomed to watch this repetitive s#%t til Colbert leaves town....

Stop whining, whiner. Did you happen to forget that this team WON the S.B. twice in the past five years?

Yeah. Only one of those victories was unquestioned. And the years surrounding those two victories weren't anything to write home about either. Perhaps the most enduring legacy under Colbert thus far, has nothing to do with those superbowls, but how sad the O-lines have been. After '01, there haven't been any rock solid line play during the entire course of a season to date. Even during the two superbowl runs, the O-line play was shaky at times....

[Master Blaster]

Although I agree, for the most part, regarding the OL it still doesn't change the fact that they were good enough to get the job done, twice. Now, I'm all in favor of upgrading both lines.

[gut]

This is the way I look at it:

EVERY team has holes. However, your stars can cover for that and overcome those deficiencies. But the issue remains that while you can cover a subpar player or two (or three), it is very difficult to cover an entire unit that is subpar.

Incredibly, we've found that Ben can cover the OL and Troy can cover the secondary. But normally the key is to spread those holes throughout the team so that no one unit is subpar.

What would that mean for the draft? Well, just looking at the current situation, while you'd like to inject youth into the LBers and draft for the future DL, as a unit they are fine with what you have. Even Farrior can be covered if you improve the secondary. The glaring weaknesses on this team are OL and Secondary - AS A WHOLE practically. You have to go after that in the draft and FA.

I know you get into to trouble when you start reaching for need. Steelers have done very well in R1 and R2 drafting BPA, but IMO they've gotten into trouble reaching for need in later rounds. They have a very talented core of players. I think it's imperative that they shore-up the OL and Secondary with a solid player in R1, R2 and R3. Maybe that would require a "reach" by the technical definition, but reaching in the early rounds can still yield a quality player, just not a star. They have plenty of pro bowl-caliber players. What they need is to patch some holes with solid players.

[Dwinsgames]

This is the way I look at it:

EVERY team has holes. However, your stars can cover for that and overcome those deficiencies. But the issue remains that while you can cover a subpar player or two (or three), it is very difficult to cover an entire unit that is subpar.

Incredibly, we've found that Ben can cover the OL and Troy can cover the secondary. But normally the key is to spread those holes throughout the team so that no one unit is subpar.

What would that mean for the draft? Well, just looking at the current situation, while you'd like to inject youth into the LBers and draft for the future DL, as a unit they are fine with what you have. Even Farrior can be covered if you improve the secondary. The glaring weaknesses on this team are OL and Secondary - AS A WHOLE practically. You have to go after that in the draft and FA.

I know you get into to trouble when you start reaching for need. Steelers have done very well in R1 and R2 drafting BPA, but IMO they've gotten into trouble reaching for need in later rounds. They have a very talented core of players. I think it's imperative that they shore-up the OL and Secondary with a solid player in R1, R2 and R3. Maybe that would require a "reach" by the technical definition, but reaching in the early rounds can still yield a quality player, just not a star. They have plenty of pro bowl-caliber players. What they need is to patch some holes with solid players.

I somewhat disagree because they have not been that great in round 2 ... See Zo , also see Coke ...and then we have Sweed that is 3 of the last 5 second rounders that have been or are in the midst of being out of the league .......

I also think the Def front 3 is a far higher priority than Linebacker at this point ( not that linebacker is not of concern )

I would rank in no specific order of the top 3 needs being

secondary playmakers
def line
O-Line

and would draft BPA based on those 3 needs the entire draft and would not draft any other pos unless someone with such extreme potential literally fell from the sky in my lap ....

[gut]

I would rank in no specific order of the top 3 needs being

secondary playmakers
def line
O-Line

and would draft BPA based on those 3 needs the entire draft and would not draft any other pos unless someone with such extreme potential literally fell from the sky in my lap ....

Not a bad plan, but they need to get to take the best between C and G, IMO, in R1. The DL I think has a year or two (assuming A. Smith comes back and Hampton is re-signed or tagged) and Troy (if he can stay healthy) is a big boost to the secondary. They can't hope or really wait for an R3 OL pick to pan out. More than any position, they need someone to step-in immediately to upgrade Hartwig and Essex - the middle of your OL, right next to each other, cannot be ignored. Only a shutdown corner falling into our lap in R1 would make me not go OL in R1.

[SteelerCarl]

This hire is about as meaningless as the special teams coach hire will be.

The special teams coach and the OL will make ZERO difference to the performance of this team. What the team needs is different players on special teams. The new OL coach will have no more control over the blocking scheme than the previous guy. That's Arians call, and if he is going to continue to roll out schemes and plays that don't match the personnel then 2010 will be more of the same.

Think of Larry Zierlein and Bob Ligashesky like fall guy extraordinaire Oliver North.

The announcement of the 2010 steelers new OL and ST coach is about as exciting as the new line-up of 2010 Buick's.

[DSH_97]

That would be all good, except for one thing in particular: Neither of those coaches that were fired, have very good track records in the league.....

And when I say that, in no way am I saying the players they have now are good enough to carry out the duties of the respective units. Clearly, they could do a better job personnel wise. But Larry Z and that other bum, they get by on a few good plays made by the players, nothing to do with their ability to coach. As we seen this year, when it was time to coach up the players to do their job, there was no response on the players part.

I thought Buick was dead

[DarthSpartans20]

The Bills finished 16th in the league in rushing and averaged a pretty respectable 4.4 yards a carry in 2010. I think that is damn good considering they used 6 different left tackles, 9 different offensive line formations and had 4 different starters get lost to season ending injuries. Not to mention they have no passing game to speak of and teams would consistently load 8 in the box against them.
The Steelers finished 19th in rushing and averaged 4.1 yards a carry. I would think he could make this line better when it comes to rushing the football.

[Dwinsgames]

The Bills finished 16th in the league in rushing and averaged a pretty respectable 4.4 yards a carry in 2010. I think that is damn good considering they used 6 different left tackles, 9 different offensive line formations and had 4 different starters get lost to season ending injuries. Not to mention they have no passing game to speak of and teams would consistently load 8 in the box against them.
The Steelers finished 19th in rushing and averaged 4.1 yards a carry. I would think he could make this line better when it comes to rushing the football.

perhaps he can make them better players , but ...........

if the play calling and formations do not change considerably I highly doubt we will see much difference in terms of production

[gut]

Coaching these guys up to simply be a little more consistent in the run blocking, along with running effective RB screens (incredible how far this team has slipped from among the best in the league to the worst), would do wonders for sustaining drives (via blown-up plays) combined with improving the pass protection by slowing down the rush if we show we can exploit it more consistently.

I think the impact of being able to hit 2-3 quality RB screens a game against those overload blitzes that give us so much trouble would do wonders. Put a couple of big ones on film and it completely changes the risk/reward dynamic in those types of blitzes that have been so effective against the Steelers.

Take it a step further with teams having better success playing man against our receivers and you see that RB screen is really a vital play that our arsenal is lacking.

[Dwinsgames]

Coaching these guys up to simply be a little more consistent in the run blocking, along with running effective RB screens (incredible how far this team has slipped from among the best in the league to the worst), would do wonders for sustaining drives (via blown-up plays) combined with improving the pass protection by slowing down the rush if we show we can exploit it more consistently.

I think the impact of being able to hit 2-3 quality RB screens a game against those overload blitzes that give us so much trouble would do wonders. Put a couple of big ones on film and it completely changes the risk/reward dynamic in those types of blitzes that have been so effective against the Steelers.

Take it a step further with teams having better success playing man against our receivers and you see that RB screen is really a vital play that our arsenal is lacking.

problem is that has little to nothing to do with the 0-Line coach and everything to do with the O-Coord and his play calling and that has not changed

[DSH_97]

It's about 70/30, IMO. The worse half, however, still remains a part of Tomlin's staff. You can call the best conceived play possible for any situation, and it won't do a damn bit of good, if your interior OLs are blown the hell up at the LOS, barely giving the QB time to go through his progressions. It also doesn't help if the OLs are getting their ass kicked so badly, that after a hand off to the RB, he's stuck in the backfield because the OLS have already giving up ground to the guys they're supposed to be blocking. Can't move defenders out of the f#@&ing hole, no passing lanes for the QB. Gotta point a finger at the OL coach for that. Especially if it's an ongoing issue.

Of course, that's not to let BA off the hook. No need to go into depth about him here

[Dwinsgames]

It's about 70/30, IMO. The worse half, however, still remains a part of Tomlin's staff. You can call the best conceived play possible for any situation, and it won't do a damn bit of good, if your interior OLs are blown the hell up at the LOS, barely giving the QB time to go through his progressions. It also doesn't help if the OLs are getting their ass kicked so badly, that after a hand off to the RB, he's stuck in the backfield because the OLS have already giving up ground to the guys they're supposed to be blocking. Can't move defenders out of the f#@&ing hole, no passing lanes for the QB. Gotta point a finger at the OL coach for that. Especially if it's an ongoing issue.

Of course, that's not to let BA off the hook. No need to go into depth about him here

that would be all well and good IF we where seeing good play calling to start with .... but we have not for the most part


perhaps some of it can be considered the chicken or the egg argument I guess

[DSH_97]

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