The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive linemen did not need time to warm up to their new position coach. It would have been redundant, of course, because he is also their old position coach. Shaun Sarrett spent the past five seasons working hand-in-hand with Mike Munchak with this group, turning it into one of the best in the league, with his responsibilities and trust ticking upward every year.
With Munchak leaving for a job with the Denver Broncos to be closer to family, the Steelers did not hesitate to promote Sarrett, not just because they believe in him at an organizational level, but because he has the trust and faith of the linemen that he has been instructing, some for the past seven years already.
Why? Because they have seen him put in the work. Especially the likes of Maurkice Pouncey and Ramon Foster, who have been here for the entire duration of Sarrett’s employment with the organization, watching him work up the pecking order from an offensive assistant whose primary responsibilities lay as much off the field, compiling and studying video, as it was on the field instructing.
That focus on the film is something that remains with him, something that Pouncey and his fellow linemen have observed. As Bob Labriola quoted the seven-time Pro Bowl center yesterday during his response to a question for an Asked and Answered segment:
“He’s really big on tape study and pushing the envelope on showing things about the guys you’re going against each week. He details his work a lot, and you can appreciate that when you’re playing – a guy who’s detailed and works his butt off for you, you see all the work that he’s putting into it, but you still have to go out on the field and perform. I think he’s the right guy to lead us in the right way”.
‘Sweet Feet’ may not have ever made it to the NFL, but he did play, and that is also something that his linemen respect. Munchak was a Hall of Fame guard at the NFL level, but you don’t have to have been an elite player to make a great coach.
Munchak was known for being a technician and for focusing on technique with his linemen, and you can expect Sarrett to do the exact same thing. Because in actuality he has been doing the exact same thing, working with Munchak, all along, so there are no surprises.
