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When the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base heard of the departure of offensive line coach Mike Munchak for a lateral position with the Denver Broncos — things weren’t going over well, we will just put it that way.
Speculation immediately began as to why Munchak wouldn’t stay with Pittsburgh, and the offensive line he helped cultivate and make one of the best units in the National Football League.
“He is leaving because he has family in Denver.”
“He left because he didn’t get along with Mike Tomlin.”
“The Steelers were never going to promote him, so he decided to leave.”
“He was probably sick of the circus which is the Steelers’ organization.”
These, and many more, were offered up on various social media platforms as to the main reason why the Steelers were forced to promote Shaun Sarrett as the team’s new offensive line coach.
In reality, the reason for Munchak leaving Pittsburgh wasn’t as complex as many speculated. This from Mike Klis, who covers the Broncos:
There was family, yes. But I also heard Broncos went beyond there usual O-line coach budget to land Munchak. Big step in what promises to be an aggressive offseason. #9sports https://t.co/jL5deYDV2T
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) January 14, 2019
As he stated above, family was a factor in the decision making process for Munchak, but it also seems as if the Broncos opened up their bank account to give Munchak a big reason to re-locate to the state of Colorado.
It is rare for position coaches to stay in one place for a long time, and the hope is the Steelers’ new coach will prove he learned enough from his time with Munchak to keep the stout Pittsburgh offensive line not just intact, but equally successful in years to come.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers as they now turn their attention to the new league year, free agency and the 2019 NFL Draft.