The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation has gotten the lion’s share of scrutiny this offseason. Everyone wants to know who will be the starter, Russell Wilson or Justin Fields? Not far behind in the scrutiny department is the wide receiver room. We know George Pickens has the ability to make game-changing plays, but there isn’t anyone really proven behind him.
So it’s up to wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni to get the best out of players like rookie Roman Wilson and veterans Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins and Calvin Austin III. He’s already making an impression on Wilson with his no-nonsense coaching style. But how does Azzanni view his style and methodology?
“I just have always been hands-on right there in the thick of it,” Azzanni said during the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp per video from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’ve had a lot of great mentors throughout the years as a coach. I mean, this is year 26 as a receiver coach, so I’ve kind of been in all areas of the pool. I’m in there and I know what works, I think. So that’s why I’m hands-on, and that’s the best way. These guys learn visual, they learn physically, so that’s why I am the way I am.”
Azzanni certainly has plenty of coaching experience. He’s spent seven years in the NFL coaching wide receivers with the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and New York Jets. In 2020, he helped coach rookie WR Jerry Jeudy to 52 catches for 856 yards and 3 touchdowns. The number of catches and yards were both the second-most by a Broncos rookie ever. Prior to joining the Bears in 2017, Azzani coached at the college level for 18 years.
He has experience coaching kids fresh out of high school, college standouts and NFL veterans. He doesn’t treat them any differently and expects everyone to work hard every snap. It stuck out to Austin, who says that Azzanni will do everything he can to get the best out of his players.
Azzanni approaches each practice, whether it’s OTAs, minicamp, training camp, or mid-season the same.
“It’s intense, it’s energetic,” Azzanni said. “I mean, I kind of black out when I get out here, honestly. It’s the most comfortable I feel in life, this right here. That’s coaching so I’ve always been that way. I’m just an intense, urgent guy, kind of a perfectionist…Guys learn the best that way, I think. You just gotta be up front and hit them right between the eyes with the good and the bad.”
What we haven’t heard is how Pickens is taking to Azzanni’s coaching style. Pickens is the unquestioned top dog in Pittsburgh, especially after the team traded away Diontae Johnson earlier this offseason. He’s got the physical ability to win contested catches as well as stretch the field.
Pickens also has a bit of a reputation for not showing maximum effort on every snap. From what Austin said about Azzanni, that’s not going to fly in 2024. Will Azzanni be able to get the best out of Pickens on almost every play? Or will there be confrontations and problems?
That could be an even bigger storyline in the wide receiver room than the question of who will line up opposite Pickens. But Azzanni seems to know how to get the best out of his players. It will be interesting to see if he can help Pickens get to the next level in Pittsburgh.
