Former Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Will End Up Hurting 1 Hated New England Patriots Upon His New Position

The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen their fair share of assistant coaches come and go in the 21st century. Adrian Klemm was named the assistant offensive line coach in 2019, replacing Shaun Sarrett. He was then promoted to offensive line coach in 2021 where he then left the team with two games remaining in the regular season to join the Oregon Ducks. Now, Klemm has another NFL role.

In 2021, the Steelers' offensive line under Klemm was one of the worst in the league. Rumor has it that Klemm's poor relationship with Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada was the main reason why Head Coach Mike Tomlin agreed to the release of Klemm in the first place. While the Steelers did lack talent all over the offensive line, it was obvious that Klemm was the main problem with the team. When Chris Morgan took over for Klemm over the last two weeks, the offensive line improved greatly despite JC Hassenauer and John Leglue starting on the interior. In the first 15 games, Klemm's offensive line allowed 35 sacks in 15 games, while Morgan's line allowed 3 in 2 games. 

Ben Roethlisberger only got sacked twice while getting hit two more times against the Cleveland Browns in week 17 despite dropping back 46 times. It also helped that Najee Harris had the best game of his life, with 188 yards rushing. The next week, he only got sacked once while getting hit only one more time. Morgan had the terrible offensive line running much more smoothly than Klemm did. Many fans clamored for Morgan to be brought back before the Chicago Bears got to him first and signed him to help rebuild their offensive line. 

How did the Steelers do after Klemm?

Despite the offensive line playing better without Klemm, the Steelers still went out and signed James Daniels and Mason Cole to help build up the offensive line under new OL coach, Pat Meyer. The Steelers' offensive line played great in 2022, with Daniels not allowing a single sack while playing every snap of every game at right guard. The new offensive line clearly bought in to Meyer's system, and the newest additions in Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo are expected to keep boosting the line for 2023 and beyond. 

While the offensive line was improved, it was also very stable and reliable. As mentioned before, Daniels started every game. It wasn't just him; the entire starting offensive line started every game. They were able to play well and stay on the field. Under Klemm, injuries started to pile up, especially in the interior, as well as all the problems of getting any sort of blocking. Not only is Meyer's group playing better, but they're playing smarter and staying on the field. 

After spending another year with Oregon, Klemm was given an interview to be the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. When he didn't get the job, he was then hired to be their offensive line coach. He will be looking to try and coach up their revamped offensive line with Riley Reiff and a former first-round pick, Cole Strange. 

If his tenure with the Steelers is anything to go by, nobody will know how to make any sort of block and Mac Jones will hit the turf repeatedly. Bill Belichick is normally quick to make changes with the depth chart, so Rhamondre Stevenson's days might be numbered as the top running back on the team. The line will have to rely on the veteran leadership of guys like Reiff and Trent Brown to thrive. Who knows if that will be enough for the Patriots?

To make it even better for the Steelers, they play the Patriots on Thursday Night Football in Week 14. The elite Steelers' pass rush will have their chance to feast on an offensive line strategy that they played against throughout practice in the 2021 season. Even with Larry Ogunjobi and Keeanu Benton being new additions to the line, the other pass-rushing veterans for the Steelers will already have a great idea on how to attack the Patriots' offensive line, but not in the way that Klemm teaches "attacking."