MVN - Most Valuable Network

Let The Search Begin

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a situation that they haven’t often faced over the last 34 years.  They are in search of a new head man to lead the Steelers into the a new era.  The Rooney’s said yesterday that they have already compiled a list of the possible candidates they will be looking toward.

Is there honestly a more coveted job for those coaches out there looking to become a head coach.  With the security the Steelers past two coaches have had, you would think people will be fighting for this marquee position with one of the NFL’s winningest franchises.

While Bill Cowher will certainly be missed, it’s time for a new legacy to begin, but not a legacy that will clash with the current system.

Although we can’t all see what exactly is on that list the the Rooney’s have made, we can speculate about who are great candidates.  This is the Steel Tradition short list.

The Insiders:

Ken Whisenhunt:

Ken Whisenhunt entered his third season as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator in 2006 and has earned high praise for installing a balanced offensive attack while adding a slice of trickery into the weekly game plan.

Promoted to his new position on Jan. 20, 2004, after serving the previous three years as the team’s tight ends coach, Whisenhunt begins his 10th season as an NFL coach.

Last year, the Steelers averaged 26.8 points per game in the playoffs, posting 34 points in the AFC Championship Game at Denver, who finished the regular season among the best in scoring defense (16.1 avg.). Additionally, Pittsburgh averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL.

The Steelers showed significant improvement in 2004 under Whisenhunt while re-establishing their proud running attack. Overall, the Steelers’ offense improved from 22nd in the NFL to 16th in 2004, and the rushing attack finished second in the NFL compared to 31st from the previous season.

Whisenhunt, 44, joined the Steelers coaching staff as tight ends coach in January, 2001, when Mike Mularkey was promoted to offensive coordinator. He spent the 2000 season as tight ends coach for the New York Jets and was closely involved in offensive game-planning. 

Prior to the Jets, he spent the 1999 season coaching special teams for the Cleveland Browns.  Whisenhunt’s first NFL coaching job was with the Baltimore Ravens in 1997, when he coached tight ends for two seasons.

Whisenhunt began his coaching career at Vanderbilt University, where he coached special teams, tight ends and H-Backs for the Commodores from 1995-96. In 1996, he oversaw Bill Marinangel, who led all NCAA Division I punters with an average of 46.6 yards-per-punt and finished third in the nation with a 42.7 net punting average.A graduate of Georgia Tech, Whisenhunt played nine seasons as a tight end/H-Back for the Atlanta Falcons (1985-88), Washington Redskins (1989-90) and New York Jets (1991-93). He caught 62 passes for 601 yards and six touchdowns and earned a reputation as a well-rounded tight end and special teams player.

Whisenhunt finished his Georgia Tech career ranked second on the Yellow Jackets’ all-time receiving yardage list (1,264 yards) and fourth in career receptions (82). He was a consensus All-Atlantic Coast Conference and honorable mention All-America selection as a senior in 1984 when he averaged 19.1 yards-per-catch.

Whisenhunt passed on the Raider job a year ago and has interviewed for several others, but that job that he wanted is there for the taking now.

Russ Grimm:

Russ Grimm is in his sixth season as the Steelers offensive line coach and serves as Bill Cowher’s assistant head coach.

Grimm, 46, joined the Steelers Jan. 10, 2000, as only the second offensive line coach in Bill Cowher’s 15 seasons and has made an indelible impact in developing the Steelers’ offensive line.  Grimm’s value to the coaching staff was recognized by Cowher, who promoted Grimm to assistant head coach prior to the 2004 season, the only coach to hold that title in Cowher’s 15 years.

In his 25 years in the NFL, Grimm has only been associated with two teams. He spent 19 years as a player and a coach with the Washington Redskins prior to his appointment with the Steelers.

Under his guidance in 2005, the Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL and they also grinded out 181 rushing yards in their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Grimm has molded a formidable and tough offensive front anchored by All-Pro guard Alan Faneca, who earned his fourth Pro Bowl start in 2006 in five appearances, and center Jeff Hartings, who made his second Pro Bowl appearance in 2006 and has developed into one of the best centers in the NFL in just five seasons.

Grimm also has tutored seventh-year offensive tackle Marvel Smith, who has blossomed into a Pro Bowl player, and guard Kendall Simmons, who has entrenched himself as a starter since the second week of his rookie season in 2002. He also has been instrumental in the development of third-year tackle Max Starks and center Chukky Okobi.

A native of Scottdale, Pa., and a graduate of the University of
Pittsburgh, Grimm coached the Redskins’ offensive line from 1997-2000. He is credited with the development of
Washington tackles Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels, who each earned starting spots as rookies on the Redskins’ offensive line. Prior to coaching the offensive line, Grimm spent five seasons (1992-96) as Washington’s tight ends coach.

Grimm started 11 seasons at guard for the Redskins (1981-91) and helped lead the team to four Super Bowl appearances and three victories. He was voted to four consecutive Pro Bowls (1983-86) and was a first-team selection to the 1980s all-decade team. He was among the 10 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Grimm has been in Pittsburgh under Bill Cowher for a number of years and has interviewed for several head coaching jobs.  This job could be that head coaching job that he’s been eyeing, but with a lot more security.

The Outsiders

Ron Rivera:

In 1984, Rivera was a second round choice draft pick for the Chicago Bears, becoming the first Puerto Rican to play in the NFL. In 1985, he played in Super Bowl XX, which the Bears won and he thus became the first Puerto Rican to play in a Super Bowl Championship Team. Rivera played for the Bears for a total of nine seasons (1984-1992). Rivera also participated in the Super Bowl Shuffle, a rap music video the Bears made.

In 1993, Rivera went to work for a WGN-TV and SportsChannel in Chicago as a TV analyst covering the Bears and college football. In 1996, he became the defense quality control coach for the Bears.

In 1999, Rivera was named linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his tenure the Eagles advanced to the NFC (National Football Conference) Championships for three consecutive seasons. He is credited with developing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter into a two-time Pro Bowl performer.

On January 23, 2004, Rivera was named the Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator, becoming the first Puerto Rican in the history of the NFL to hold such a position. In 2005, the Chicago Bears defense was rated #2 in the NFL. The Bears qualified for the NFC Play-Offs losing in the 2nd Round to the Carolina Panthers 29-21. The 2005 season output of the Chicago Bears has earned him consideration for Head Coach assignments from several NFL teams. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. Rivera was interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Arizona Cardinals.

 Kirk Ferentz:

After playing football at Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ferentz played linebacker for the University of Connecticut. He was a football captain and an academic all-Yankee Conference linebacker at Connecticut. He served as a student assistant at Connecticut in 1977 and graduated in 1978. Ferentz spent his next two seasons as defensive coordinator at Worcester Academy, where he taught English literature. He then spent one season in 1980 as an assistant offensive line coach at the University of Pittsburgh. That Pitt team (coached by Jackie Sherrill) finished with an 11-1 record and a number two national ranking.

He was the offensive line coach at the University of Iowa under Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry for nine seasons, from 1981 to 1989. Eleven Hawkeyes coached by Ferentz went on to play in the NFL. Three of them were first round picks in the NFL draft, and five of his players were first team All-Big Ten selections.

Ferentz left Iowa to coach at the University of Maine in 1990. After three seasons of coaching the Black Bears to a combined 12-21 record, he was named the offensive line coach of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Ferentz served under Bill Belichick in Cleveland and later followed the franchise to Baltimore when they became the Baltimore Ravens. 

On June 2, 2006, Ferentz became the highest paid coach in the Big Ten and third highest in college football when he was given a restructured contract that boosted his salary to $2.7 million.

Currently there are rumors that Ferentz may get consideration for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coaching job should Bill Cowher decide to step down at the end of the season.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 6th, 2007 at 9:49 am and is filed under Steelers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.