It has been a few weeks now since the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Richard Mann to be their new wide receivers coach to replace Scottie Montgomery, who left to return to Duke.
Bob Labriola of steelers.com recently talked to head coach Mike Tomlin on their way back from the NFL combine and he asked him what he liked about Mann.
“He’s just a football purist,” said Tomlin. “He’s a good communicator. He says what he means in very concise sentences. He’s got a great deal of experiences and has worked with a great variety of guys. He knows everything about playing the position at this level.”
Mann comes to the Steelers with 28 years of NFL coaching experience and most recently was the wide receivers coach with the Tampa Buccaneers from 2002-09. Tomlin worked with Mann in Tampa from 2002-05, so the two were definitely familiar with one another prior to his hiring.
Many thought that Montgomery was forced out of Pittsburgh, but a report last week indicated that Duke gave Montgomery a $500,000 raise to return to his alma mater.
Mann will inherit a group of receivers that underachieved in 2012. That group will also be minus Mike Wallace, who is expected to leave in a matter of weeks when the free agency signing period begins.
The 65 year old Mann will be quite a change for Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders as Montgomery was much closer to their age. There also figures to be an even younger receiver in the fold next year as the Steelers are expected to address the position at some point during the upcoming draft. Knowing that Mann is perceived as a good communicator certainly can\’t hurt, nor can his knowledge of the game.
