When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator, another coaching name cropped up. People began to ask if Mike Munchak, a onetime Steelers offensive line coach and former Tennessee Titans head coach with a young Smith on the staff, would be returning to Pittsburgh to reclaim his old position.
When Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joined Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE Wednesday morning, the entire crew picked Dulac’s brain about the Smith hire and the entire process behind it. At the very end, Dulac was asked about the possibility of a reunion with Munchak.
“No,” Dulac told the show. “They’re set with where they are with Pat Meyer. I will tell you that Mike Munchak was a possibility as coming back as a line coach, but the Steelers really like Pat Meyer. He’s done a great job with their run game.”
Munchak was the Steelers’ offensive line coach from 2014-18. His lines consistently opened holes, the Steelers averaging over 4.0 yards per carry every season except 2017. Protection was a problem early in his tenure as the Steelers allowed 33 sacks in both 2014 and 2015. However, over his final three years with the team, the Steelers allowed 21, 24, and 24 sacks.
In comparison, Meyer has had the last two seasons to work with the offensive line, and the Steelers averaged 4.1 yards per carry both seasons. In 2022, the team surrendered 38 sacks and gave up 36 last season. Perhaps with a new offensive coordinator who has proven NFL experience both of those statistics will improve in 2024.
There is no question that Munchak was a beloved member of the Steelers. So when the team hired a coach from outside the organization with ties to Munchak, it only made sense that people would begin to connect the dots. However, Dulac says that the Steelers are happy with Meyer and their actions bear that out.
