New OLine Coach

[BurgSteelerFan]

Who will replace Kugler? I have heard Tunch Ilkin may replace him. I think he would be a great choice.

[GBMelBlount]

Good thought. Tunch Ilkin is a good man. Great character.

[Seven]

I wouldn't mind Tunch. I don't necessarily like listening to him all that much but think he would be a fine coach. If Whiz gets fired in Arizona Russ Grimm might be out of work although I'm not sure how either party would feel about a reunion there. Should be some good coaches that get freed up with the firing of their head coach/staff in the coming weeks.

[fansince'76]

I wouldn't mind Tunch. I don't necessarily like listening to him all that much but think he would be a fine coach. If Whiz gets fired in Arizona Russ Grimm might be out of work although I'm not sure how either party would feel about a reunion there. Should be some good coaches that get freed up with the firing of their head coach/staff in the coming weeks.

I'm sure Grimm still has some pretty hard feelings over not being named HC back in '07.

[Devilsdancefloor]

If the titans can Mike Munchak id love to have him as the Oine coach

[Moose]

I guess I'll have to read up on 'Tunch', don't know much about him. I really don't think Grimm would work out....that would be too awkward .

[Psycho Ward 86]

http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/119207-ed-tunch-ilkin-would-make-a-fine-line-coach

looks like it is a possibility

[Craic]

I wouldn't mind Tunch. I don't necessarily like listening to him all that much but think he would be a fine coach. If Whiz gets fired in Arizona Russ Grimm might be out of work although I'm not sure how either party would feel about a reunion there. Should be some good coaches that get freed up with the firing of their head coach/staff in the coming weeks.

Keep Grimm as far away from this team as possible. He and Whiz are the reason it took us this many years to get to a place where we can be excited about our O-line going forward. I've said it many times, the players and backups they left us were crap - starters were getting old and backups weren't worth talking about. No way I want Grimm here.

Did Kugler say he was leaving? I must have missed that.

[Craic]

http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/119207-ed-tunch-ilkin-would-make-a-fine-line-coach

looks like it is a possibility

Articles have tendency to paint rosy pictures. But if this article is right and he's that good, with the young O line we have, the sky's the limit with a good coach. I can't help but be excited about a line of:

Left Tackle: ??? (Backup ???)
Left Guard: Colon - backup Foster (what an improvement this kid's made).
Center: Pouncey - backup Legursky
Right Guard: DeCastro - backup Foster
Right Tackle: Adams - Backup Beachum

Yeah, I know I left someone out. I'm not too sold on him.

[BlastFurnace]

If I were Tunch, I'd stay in the broadcast booth and do the occasional blocking clinic. He and Wolf are terrific on the radio and on game days.

Coaching seems like an absolute beating of a job to get into.

[KeiselPower99]

Tunch has been asked several times about coaching. Even Cowher asked him back in the late 90's. Howard Mudd from the Eagles is a good line coach and well respected around the league. Someone posted a depth chart earlier in the thread and Starks Foster and Legursky are all free agents at the end of the season.

[BlastFurnace]

Tunch has been asked several times about coaching. Even Cowher asked him back in the late 90's. Howard Mudd from the Eagles is a good line coach and well respected around the league. Someone posted a depth chart earlier in the thread and Starks Foster and Legursky are all free agents at the end of the season.

As much as I like Max, out of the three, he might be the odd man out of the three.

Legs is very good as a backup Center. Foster can play RT and both guard positions. Beachum can backup at RT or guard spots as well. Gilbert and Adams should man the tackle spots next year.

It's a shame because I think Max is our most consistent O'lineman.

[Shoes]

Keep Grimm as far away from this team as possible. He and Whiz are the reason it took us this many years to get to a place where we can be excited about our O-line going forward. I've said it many times, the players and backups they left us were crap - starters were getting old and backups weren't worth talking about. No way I want Grimm here.

Did Kugler say he was leaving? I must have missed that.

Amen on Grimm.... didn't hear anything about Kugler leaving.

[KeiselPower99]

As much as I like Max, out of the three, he might be the odd man out of the three.

Legs is very good as a backup Center. Foster can play RT and both guard positions. Beachum can backup at RT or guard spots as well. Gilbert and Adams should man the tackle spots next year.

It's a shame because I think Max is our most consistent O'lineman.

I think Foster is gone. I have a feeling Indy will be in his ear. Id love to see Max come back as like you said he has been our most consistent linemen this year. I think Doug will be back unless he gets a starting offer somewhere.

[BlastFurnace]

Amen on Grimm.... didn't hear anything about Kugler leaving.

Kugler is going to be the HC at his Alma Mater

[Shoes]

Kugler is going to be the HC at his Alma Mater


Thanks BF!

[BlastFurnace]

I think Foster is gone. I have a feeling Indy will be in his ear. Id love to see Max come back as like you said he has been our most consistent linemen this year. I think Doug will be back unless he gets a starting offer somewhere.

I have a feeling that Indy will make a run at either Mendenhall or Wallace too.

I hope Foster does stay. I think it will depent on the kind of faith the coaching staff has in Beachum backing up Colon...and...if they trust Colon to make it through the entire season.

[Craic]

As much as I like Max, out of the three, he might be the odd man out of the three.

Legs is very good as a backup Center. Foster can play RT and both guard positions. Beachum can backup at RT or guard spots as well. Gilbert and Adams should man the tackle spots next year.

It's a shame because I think Max is our most consistent O'lineman.

Agree with you everywhere except on Gilbert. I just don't know about him. I think Adams is already a better RT than he is. Can he beat out Beachum for LT? Starks may come back to man that spot. I don't remember Willie Colon's contract right now, but I think we're stuck with him for another couple of years. I don't mind, he's great at his position, he's just not durable anymore.

[ALLD]

I like Tunch in the videos.

[Chidi29]

Just throwing out two names.

Jim Hueber, OL coach at Pitt. Was with Tomlin as an assistant OL coach in Minnesota in Tomlin's lone year as the DC. Longtime coach at Wisconsin who always churn out great lineman. Born in Philly.

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hueber_jim00.html

And this one is more "out there" but maybe Mike Tice if the Bears can him. With Lovie Smith's job security seemingly always in doubt, it's possible they make a move.

[Seven]

Articles have tendency to paint rosy pictures. But if this article is right and he's that good, with the young O line we have, the sky's the limit with a good coach. I can't help but be excited about a line of:

Left Tackle: ??? (Backup ???)
Left Guard: Colon - backup Foster (what an improvement this kid's made).
Center: Pouncey - backup Legursky
Right Guard: DeCastro - backup Foster
Right Tackle: Adams - Backup Beachum

Yeah, I know I left someone out. I'm not too sold on him.

Kugler is going to UTEP.

You're more sold on Adams and Beachum than you are Gilbert? Wow. I thought Adams was a complete liability in pass protection and saw a huge improvement in that area once he got injured.

And what has DeCastro done to start over Foster if we keep him? I don't see why Foster wouldn't go into camp as a starter.

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I think at this point if they try to kick Max Starks off the team again you have to go into camp with an open competition at both tackle spots. Gilbert at LT and Adams at right would probably be my idea right now. But who knows. I'm willing to bet Starks is back by week 3 or so as usual.

[Chidi29]

My projected five for next year.

LT - Gilbert
LG - Colon
C - Pouncey
RG - DeCastro
RT - Adams

[Psycho Ward 86]

Just throwing out two names.

Jim Hueber, OL coach at Pitt. Was with Tomlin as an assistant OL coach in Minnesota in Tomlin's lone year as the DC. Longtime coach at Wisconsin who always churn out great lineman. Born in Philly.

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hueber_jim00.html

And this one is more "out there" but maybe Mike Tice if the Bears can him. With Lovie Smith's job security seemingly always in doubt, it's possible they make a move.

love love love huber, not gonna lie im highly biased because im a Badger.

interesting woth the mike tice pick. what do you see in him? plenty of coaching experience, only a small portion of it as O-line coach, and hearing from bears fans from the past 2 years (lot of bears fans in sconnie as well) seems like one of the hated men in bears country.

[Chidi29]

love love love huber, not gonna lie im highly biased because im a Badger.

interesting woth the mike tice pick. what do you see in him? plenty of coaching experience, only a small portion of it as O-line coach, and hearing from bears fans from the past 2 years (lot of bears fans in sconnie as well) seems like one of the hated men in bears country.

No real reason, I guess. I was just trying to find the closest links to Tomlin I could. That's the best start when trying to predict a new position coach. There's a lot of coaches on this roster that Tomlin knows/has worked with in the past. Kirby Wilson, Randy Ficthner, Keith Butler. But then again, Tice hasn't worked with Tomlin so that kinda throws my theory out the window...

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And Hueber makes sense. Extremely experienced, OL coach in the NFL for a few years, worked with Tomlin, wouldn't have to relocate.

[Craic]

Kugler is going to UTEP.

You're more sold on Adams and Beachum than you are Gilbert? Wow. I thought Adams was a complete liability in pass protection and saw a huge improvement in that area once he got injured.

And what has DeCastro done to start over Foster if we keep him? I don't see why Foster wouldn't go into camp as a starter.

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I think at this point if they try to kick Max Starks off the team again you have to go into camp with an open competition at both tackle spots. Gilbert at LT and Adams at right would probably be my idea right now. But who knows. I'm willing to bet Starks is back by week 3 or so as usual.

Adams was a liability against the top pass rushers, yeah. But he held his own against the normal pass rushers. Compared to Gilbert last year, he did a heck of a better job (first season to first season comparison). Run blocking there's no comparison at all. Adams sealed off the end a number of times, springing our RB's. I'll be the first to say that he sucked at LT when they put him there. At RT however, he did well. Don't forget, even Max Starks struggled for a couple years at Tackle before he got it down - heck, he was benched because of it, and lost his job to Colon. It was only last year that he really came into his own at that position. Adams reminds of Starks the year before last. I think he can take the next step next year and pass protect pretty well. Again, run blocking is hands down awarded to him out of our LTs.

What DeCastro has done is come in and have a decent first two games of preseason, then thrown back in to the wolves in the latter half of the season with a knee that there's no way is as strong as he would like, still was able to contribute on the line. Was I blown away by him? No. But again, with that knee blown out and basically playing his first reg. season game in a playoff run against teams in the hunt, that's baptism by fire. He has a whole lot more upside than Foster, and needs to be given the space to develop. He actually beat Foster out of that position in camp as well.

I think we're going to go into camp next year with Pouncey as the only real starter, and all four other positions open for battle.

[Seven]

Adams was a liability against the top pass rushers, yeah. But he held his own against the normal pass rushers. Compared to Gilbert last year, he did a heck of a better job (first season to first season comparison). Run blocking there's no comparison at all. Adams sealed off the end a number of times, springing our RB's. I'll be the first to say that he sucked at LT when they put him there. At RT however, he did well. Don't forget, even Max Starks struggled for a couple years at Tackle before he got it down - heck, he was benched because of it, and lost his job to Colon. It was only last year that he really came into his own at that position. Adams reminds of Starks the year before last. I think he can take the next step next year and pass protect pretty well. Again, run blocking is hands down awarded to him out of our LTs.

What DeCastro has done is come in and have a decent first two games of preseason, then thrown back in to the wolves in the latter half of the season with a knee that there's no way is as strong as he would like, still was able to contribute on the line. Was I blown away by him? No. But again, with that knee blown out and basically playing his first reg. season game in a playoff run against teams in the hunt, that's baptism by fire. He has a whole lot more upside than Foster, and needs to be given the space to develop. He actually beat Foster out of that position in camp as well.

I think we're going to go into camp next year with Pouncey as the only real starter, and all four other positions open for battle.

Couldn't disagree more with the bolded selection. Maybe I'll watch some of Gilbert vs. Adams tonight and see if I'm missing something. I don't discount your opinion, I just haven't seen it that way.

I agree with what you said about DeCastro for the most part. I just can't justify going into camp with DeCastro penciled in as the starter. He has to beat Foster out again in my opinion. A good pre-season and a couple solid games at the end of this regular season aren't enough for me to forget how well Foster played.

I agree with your last point. We have some good pieces at offensive line now. Let's see who beats out who.

[LLT]

I wouldn't mind Tunch. I don't necessarily like listening to him all that much but think he would be a fine coach. If Whiz gets fired in Arizona Russ Grimm might be out of work although I'm not sure how either party would feel about a reunion there. Should be some good coaches that get freed up with the firing of their head coach/staff in the coming weeks.

If Whiz gets fired....Grimm might be the head coach there.

[Seven]

If Whiz gets fired....Grimm might be the head coach there.

That's the first I've heard of that. It's funny that the Cardinals are thinking about firing their head coach and hiring one of three coaches who have worked under him (Haley, Horton and Grimm). All have huge Steeler connections too. Unique situation.

[Seven]

Adams was a liability against the top pass rushers, yeah. But he held his own against the normal pass rushers. Compared to Gilbert last year, he did a heck of a better job (first season to first season comparison).

I can't speak to a rookie to rookie comparison, but as far as this season I don't think it's even close. Gilbert is the far superior pass blocker in my opinion. Just watched the season opener @ Denver and week 2 vs. New York (Coaches tape for week 2, broadcast for week 1) and Gilbert looks head and shoulders above where Adams was as far as handling his man on any type of rush move. He's definitely not an impact blocker, and the footwork isn't close to where it needs to be, be he doesn't get slaughtered like Adams. When he goes low he doesn't miss, he can make up for a poor start better and gets to the second level quicker. He's not great, but as far as pass protection goes he is much better than Adams the last time we saw him. But hey, take my opinion for what it's worth - I'm just a fan.

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I realize this is only one play, but I don't know that I've ever seen a tackle get beat quite this bad. And Tuck has lost a step or five over the last couple seasons.

http://s9.postimage.org/eeibffqgv/TUCKSACK.jpg