Former Steelers Coach Mike Munchak Absolutely Misses Coaching And Is Extremely Interested In A Return

The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike Munchak to coach the offensive line in 2014. He had been let go by the Tennessee Titans as their head coach after leading them for three seasons when Mike Tomlin convinced him to come on board in Pittsburgh in 2014. Munchak made a significant difference during his tenure and the Steelers posted a 54-25-1 record while he was on the coaching staff.

Munchack moved on to the Denver Broncos where he remained until 2021, but is now enjoying some well-deserved time off at the age of 63 and taking care of his health with two knee replacements. Munchak was a Hall of Fame guard and played for the Houston Oilers until 1993. He coached for the Oilers and then the Titans from 1994 to 2013, working his way up from quality control coach, all the way to the head coaching position. 

Steelers Former Offensive Line Coach Mike Munchak Is Looking For The Door To Return To Coaching

Munchak is one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the NFL. The former Steelers coach is back in Pittsburgh for the Joe Moore football camp for offensive linemen. On Thursday, he joined The Cook & Joe Show to discuss how a year away from football was treating him and if this sabbatical might be viewed as an unofficial retirement from coaching. Munchak was very clear about wanting to continue coaching when he responded.

“Yeah, I miss it,” Munchak said. “That’s why the camps, working with kids, the teaching parts... I feel like I have a lot of knowledge and I can pass that on to the players. I definitely have interest if the right opportunity comes up now that I have these things behind me to get back in coaching.”

The Steelers' offensive line has struggled since Munchak left to coach in Denver. The current offensive line coach Pat Meyer began a significant turnaround in his first season in 2022. It is exciting based on the additional raw materials that he has to work with in 2023 to see what the results will be this season. Ron Cook and Joe Starkey asked Munchak what made coaching with Tomlin special and if he had any thoughts on what the current Steelers line might look like in the fall.

“I will always be a Steelers fan after spending my five years here with Coach T,” Munchak answered. “To be part of a great organization, a great city, being a Pennsylvania boy, to be part of that was kind of special. I always say in the AFC, it is the Steelers all the way. Coach [Pat] Meyer has done a lot of good things with the offensive line, I think it’s heading in a good direction. I haven’t had a chance to watch them on tape, and with line play, you really have to see the tape. They did some good things last year and I’m looking forward to some great things this year.”

The Steelers’ hiring of Meyer has yielded very good results thus far. It is not as dramatic a turnaround as Munchak performed when he was hired, but the results are measurable. Munchak is also well aware that his opinions on any of the current linemen might carry too much weight with fans and does his best to avoid singling out any current player.

The radio hosts then posed to Munchak who had been on the coaching staff with Tomlin for five seasons, what separated him from other coaches in the NFL. Munchak echoed a recurring theme about the current head coach’s ability to communicate with his players and staff and use the tradition of the organization as a key tool to deliver his message.

“[Mike Tomlin] does a good job selling the tradition,” Munchak observed. “What you are a part of when you come in the door, all the greatness, all the championship years. What they are a part of and what’s expected of them. Players take pride in that. They know there is a standard when you put a Steelers uniform on. They get players to play better, I thought that was one of the things that stood out the five years I was there. Players believe it and buy into it. He gets people to respond to him.”

One of the most popular sayings of the Pittsburgh head coach is ‘The Standard is the Standard.’ The saying means different things to different people and that may be why Tomlin is so fond of using it. Munchak gave some key insight into what the standard is in the eyes of the head coach and why the simple universal message still resonates with players 16 years into his tenure.