As we enlarge our coaching search, I have been wondering why Russ Grimm is not a serious candidate to return to his team and take over for his coach.
When Joe Gibbs returned 4 years ago, wasn't it he who wanted to pry Grimm away from the Pittsburgh Steelers to run the offense? And wasn't it those same Steelers who held onto him with their kung fu grip, saying the only way Grimm would leave was if he was to become a head coach somewhere. So what happened?
When Bill Cowher retired after the 2006 season, Grimm and Steelers OC Ken Wisenhunt were the players' favorites to take over the job. However, the Steelers went with Vikings DC Mike Timlin and said goodbye to their offensive masterminds. Wisenhunt still picked up a head coaching job, taking over in Arizona, but Grimm was not so lucky.
Wisenhunt took care of Grimm, bringing him to Arizona, but again it only seemed like a matter of time before Grimm would take over somewhere. But much like his induction to the Hall of Fame, Grimm is still waiting for the phone to ring on a head coaching offer.
It was speculated early on that Grimm could be a candidate to take over in Washington, but in the hordes of candidates Dan Snyder has brought in, Grimm was not one of them. Given Snyder's penchant to relive the glory days it would seem Grimm would have been a good fit for his former team.
Instead, we spent our time hiring coordinators and waiting for other coaching candidates to become available for interviews. We may do okay if we actually hire Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo, especially after what he did to the mighty Patriots, but it still would've been cool to see Grimm head up the latest version of the Skins.
Hopefully the way this process has been drawn out, we will find our perfect fit and Grimm will finally get a well deserved shot with someone.
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Steelers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Steelers. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Who will be the next coach?
Now that the media carousel is spitting out tons of names for the vacant head coaching gig, let's take a look at who may actually be on the radar:
1. Jim Schwartz (Tennessee defensive coordinator): The first official interview, I find it hard to believe that while he is one of the hot candidates this offseason he will actually get the job. If Dan Snyder decides to hire a defensive minded HC, I think another former Titan DC will get the job. Which brings us to ...
2. Gregg Williams (Washington assistant head coach-defense): This in house candidate and former head coach seemed to be named the successor to Joe Gibbs the moment Gibbs hired him to run the defense. However, the longer this process drags out and the more big name candidates interview for the job, the less likely it seems Williams has the job locked up.
3. Al Saunders (Washington assistant head coach-offense): Another former head coach in the league, Saunders was brought in two years ago to punch up the offense. Unfortunately, I don't know if the offense was really that much better under his guidance and I don't really see him as a likely choice to succeed Gibbs.
4. Bill Cowher (former Pittsburgh head coach): This is the exact type of big splash Snyder has made in the past and he could do a lot worse than hiring the former Steelers head guy. However, Cowher has repeatedly said he wanted to take two years off before coaching again which would put his return in 2009. But we know from experience that if Snyder wants something bad enough, he will usually throw enough money at it to make sure he gets it. So if Cowher feels the need to get rich again, he will probably have the opportunity.
5. Russ Grimm (Arizona assistant head coach-offensive line): Gibbs wanted to bring his former lineman in to run the offense when he returned but Pittsburgh wouldn't let go of him. One of the fans choices to replace Cowher, Grimm was passed up and followed Ken Wisenhunt to Arizona. It's probably not likely Grimm will be hired but it would be fun to see the old "Hog" take control of a team he helped get to 3 Super Bowls as a player.
I personally still think Williams has to be the favorite to get the job but if Cowher can be swayed out of the booth, the job is his. Either one would be a good choice to run the Skins and have the type of mentality needed to keep this team headed in the right direction.
1. Jim Schwartz (Tennessee defensive coordinator): The first official interview, I find it hard to believe that while he is one of the hot candidates this offseason he will actually get the job. If Dan Snyder decides to hire a defensive minded HC, I think another former Titan DC will get the job. Which brings us to ...
2. Gregg Williams (Washington assistant head coach-defense): This in house candidate and former head coach seemed to be named the successor to Joe Gibbs the moment Gibbs hired him to run the defense. However, the longer this process drags out and the more big name candidates interview for the job, the less likely it seems Williams has the job locked up.
3. Al Saunders (Washington assistant head coach-offense): Another former head coach in the league, Saunders was brought in two years ago to punch up the offense. Unfortunately, I don't know if the offense was really that much better under his guidance and I don't really see him as a likely choice to succeed Gibbs.
4. Bill Cowher (former Pittsburgh head coach): This is the exact type of big splash Snyder has made in the past and he could do a lot worse than hiring the former Steelers head guy. However, Cowher has repeatedly said he wanted to take two years off before coaching again which would put his return in 2009. But we know from experience that if Snyder wants something bad enough, he will usually throw enough money at it to make sure he gets it. So if Cowher feels the need to get rich again, he will probably have the opportunity.
5. Russ Grimm (Arizona assistant head coach-offensive line): Gibbs wanted to bring his former lineman in to run the offense when he returned but Pittsburgh wouldn't let go of him. One of the fans choices to replace Cowher, Grimm was passed up and followed Ken Wisenhunt to Arizona. It's probably not likely Grimm will be hired but it would be fun to see the old "Hog" take control of a team he helped get to 3 Super Bowls as a player.
I personally still think Williams has to be the favorite to get the job but if Cowher can be swayed out of the booth, the job is his. Either one would be a good choice to run the Skins and have the type of mentality needed to keep this team headed in the right direction.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Preseason Game 2 recap
Observations from Saturday's 12-10 loss to Pittsburgh:
1. How many times are we going to watch stars go down with injuries in meaningless games before a different approach is taken. Luckily it looks like the Jason Campbell injury isn't too serious but losing Marcus Washington could be almost as big. Washington's loss wasn't felt too bad last night but if he misses any regular season games, the defense may have a hard time trying to erase last season's struggles.
2. Speaking of the defense, it looks really good considering the competition at this point but anyone who thinks this defense will be like last year's is going to be sadly mistaken. London Fletcher seems to be a great addition in the middle and seems to be providing a much needed spark.
3. Again, it's only the preseason but Todd Collins looked good when he came in for Campbell and marched the offense down the field for a score while Mark Brunell again looked old. Brunell moved the offense somewhat in the final drive and it wasn't his fault that last pass was intercepted - he can't control his receiver tipping it to a defender - but where he threw the ball was what concerned me. With no timeouts and less than 20 seconds, a long pass down the middle of the field was probably not the right place to throw the ball in the first place. If that pass had been caught, I find it hard to see the offense getting set up and stopping the clock with a spike before time ran out. He should have gone to the sidelines in hopes of being able to get the field goal team on in time.
Despite the loss things seem to be encouraging but we won't have any idea how much impact this work in the preseason will have until the first games are played. The battle for I-95 is up next.
1. How many times are we going to watch stars go down with injuries in meaningless games before a different approach is taken. Luckily it looks like the Jason Campbell injury isn't too serious but losing Marcus Washington could be almost as big. Washington's loss wasn't felt too bad last night but if he misses any regular season games, the defense may have a hard time trying to erase last season's struggles.
2. Speaking of the defense, it looks really good considering the competition at this point but anyone who thinks this defense will be like last year's is going to be sadly mistaken. London Fletcher seems to be a great addition in the middle and seems to be providing a much needed spark.
3. Again, it's only the preseason but Todd Collins looked good when he came in for Campbell and marched the offense down the field for a score while Mark Brunell again looked old. Brunell moved the offense somewhat in the final drive and it wasn't his fault that last pass was intercepted - he can't control his receiver tipping it to a defender - but where he threw the ball was what concerned me. With no timeouts and less than 20 seconds, a long pass down the middle of the field was probably not the right place to throw the ball in the first place. If that pass had been caught, I find it hard to see the offense getting set up and stopping the clock with a spike before time ran out. He should have gone to the sidelines in hopes of being able to get the field goal team on in time.
Despite the loss things seem to be encouraging but we won't have any idea how much impact this work in the preseason will have until the first games are played. The battle for I-95 is up next.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Preseason Game 2: Redskins vs. Steelers
Washington (1-0) vs. Pittsburgh (1-1)
Time: 8 p.m. ET at FedEx Field
ESPN game preview (not a whole lot of info because it is preseason)
The second week of the preseason only usually differs from the first in that the starters usually play a little longer. However, Washington left most of their starters in for the entire first half last week so who knows how long anyone will play. The coaching staff is hoping the starting O will put points on the board and but Pittsburgh always has one of the toughest D's. No reason to get overexcited by a win or frustrated by a loss but let's hope we can keep key players healthy another week.
[UPDATE] I forgot to include the link to the Helmet Project again.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
2007 Previews: Pittsburgh Steelers
Note: This is a team-by-team look previewing the 2007 season. These are my official thoughts on how I think things will play out.
Last year: 8-8 (third in AFC North)
Best addition: Lawrence Timmons (LB, 1st round pick out of Florida State)
Key personnel loss: Joey Porter (LB, Dolphins)
2007 outlook: Once again the Steelers improved their team through smart drafting and leaving the free agent marking relatively alone. Aside from replacing some of the depth that departed, the only real blow to the Steelers was the loss of Porter, who many Pittsburgh fans will say is on the decline. And if there is one thing Pittsburgh cranks out and always has an abundance of, it's LB's, which bodes well for Timmons whom was chosen in the first round.
Offensively, the Steelers are hoping Ben Roethlisburger's bad luck is behind him. After the year he had last year, there should be no place to go but up. However, Roethlisburger may not be back to form right away as last year's offensive staff is now in Arizona, meaning Big Ben now has a new offense to get under his belt. His weapons on offense should help soften that transition though.
Key to success: If the Steelers can have a seemless transition to what the new coaching staff wants to do, there is no reason this team can't return to being the Super Bowl contender it was two years ago. Most of the pieces remain intact and as long as the Steelers remain a run first offense (which may not be a given considering new O coordinator Bruce Arians' statements that he wants more out of the passing game), they should be able to win games like they always do, controlling the clock and playing solid defense.
Against Washington: While the Skins and the Steelers do not face each other in the regular season this year and haven't played a regular season contest against each other since Washington lost a 17-6 game in Pittsburgh in 2004, the two teams will play in Washington during the preseason. With it being the second week of the preseason, don't look for the starters to play a ton but take it as an opportunity to see which bubble players have the best chance at catching on.
Fantasy sleeper: Hines Ward. For some reason Ward is one of those guys who always seems to be overlooked when it comes to fantasy WR's, even though he had almost 1,000 yards receiving and 6 TD's last season. The TD's may have been a little low but in three of the past five years Ward has posted 10 or more TD's. Don't make the mistake of overlooking Ward because he is a steady producer that you know what you are getting when you pick him.
Last year: 8-8 (third in AFC North)
Best addition: Lawrence Timmons (LB, 1st round pick out of Florida State)
Key personnel loss: Joey Porter (LB, Dolphins)
2007 outlook: Once again the Steelers improved their team through smart drafting and leaving the free agent marking relatively alone. Aside from replacing some of the depth that departed, the only real blow to the Steelers was the loss of Porter, who many Pittsburgh fans will say is on the decline. And if there is one thing Pittsburgh cranks out and always has an abundance of, it's LB's, which bodes well for Timmons whom was chosen in the first round.
Offensively, the Steelers are hoping Ben Roethlisburger's bad luck is behind him. After the year he had last year, there should be no place to go but up. However, Roethlisburger may not be back to form right away as last year's offensive staff is now in Arizona, meaning Big Ben now has a new offense to get under his belt. His weapons on offense should help soften that transition though.
Key to success: If the Steelers can have a seemless transition to what the new coaching staff wants to do, there is no reason this team can't return to being the Super Bowl contender it was two years ago. Most of the pieces remain intact and as long as the Steelers remain a run first offense (which may not be a given considering new O coordinator Bruce Arians' statements that he wants more out of the passing game), they should be able to win games like they always do, controlling the clock and playing solid defense.
Against Washington: While the Skins and the Steelers do not face each other in the regular season this year and haven't played a regular season contest against each other since Washington lost a 17-6 game in Pittsburgh in 2004, the two teams will play in Washington during the preseason. With it being the second week of the preseason, don't look for the starters to play a ton but take it as an opportunity to see which bubble players have the best chance at catching on.
Fantasy sleeper: Hines Ward. For some reason Ward is one of those guys who always seems to be overlooked when it comes to fantasy WR's, even though he had almost 1,000 yards receiving and 6 TD's last season. The TD's may have been a little low but in three of the past five years Ward has posted 10 or more TD's. Don't make the mistake of overlooking Ward because he is a steady producer that you know what you are getting when you pick him.
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