Am I wrong for not being concerned about who the Steelers’ new offensive line coach is?

You’ve got to hand it to Adrian KIemm, he hasn’t even been in our psyches for a minute, and he’s already a lightning rod for controversy.

In case you don’t know who Klemm is—and there’s a very strong possibility that you didn’t before Monday—he’s the Steelers’ new offensive line coach. It became apparent on Monday that Klemm’s promotion from assistant line coach (a title he held with the Steelers since 2019) would soon be a reality, and it became official on Tuesday. But even before it was a sure thing, Klemm was the subject of many heated online debates.

People were wondering how the Steelers could do such a thing as promote the assistant to the offensive line coach (that’s not what they call it, but I like The Office) to full-fledged offensive line coach without so much as dumping bushels full of cash on Mike Munchak’s lawn.

One BTSC article about Klemm’s promotion garnered well over 100 comments. There was green everywhere; folks on Team Klemm made remarks that generated dozens of “recs,” while those on Not Team Klemm generated even more.

Twitter was abuzz on Tuesday, with even tackle Zach Banner chiming in on his new boss’s behalf:

“Y’all don’t kno Klem. We do. And that’s all that matters...”

As you might imagine, Banner’s Tweet led to even more discussion.

My goodness, Coach Klemm. To quote the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, you’re what’s causing all this. Woooooooooo!

As a long-time writer, I must thank Coach Klemm for giving me something to write about in February. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a good time to write about things like the Steelers hiring of a new offensive line coach, but it’s never felt this sexy before.

I feel naughty writing this as if I’m bringing up one of those subjects that will divide the fan base (you know which subjects fall into that category). Will I face a fine from the Powers that Be at BTSC for mentioning the Klemm hire? How about sanctions? What about a demerit?

All this jazz over the new offensive line coach.

If I may be serious for one moment, am I wrong for thinking folks are overreacting to the new offensive line coach? Am I foolish for thinking it’s, well, foolish to worry about this kind of stuff?

I’m honestly asking. I’ve said many times over the years that assistant coaches used to just get hired in the winter or spring, and you may not have even known about it until the summer. But, now, in the age of social media, everything is a story. In 2021, you could generate tons of discussion over one of those future/reserve contract signings, and it doesn’t even have to be Dwayne “The Heir Apparent” Haskins.

But am I just looking at things in a “Back in my day” kind of way? Just because the hiring of a new position coach wasn’t a story years ago, does that mean we shouldn’t place more importance on it today? Did the Steelers really do a thorough enough search before promoting the guy who coached under the guy—Shaun Sarrett—who they just let walk due to poor results from the hogs during the 2020 regular season?

Were there more viable candidates out there, and would one of them have made a bigger impact than Klemm?

The impact part is impossible to say until Klemm gets to work with his guys and teaches them the things he believes in, his philosophies, his techniques.

This is just speculation on my part, but it’s hard to believe the Steelers would have promoted Klemm if they thought he was a true disciple of the Shaun Sarrett coaching tree (that’s a phrase I never thought I’d type).

Regardless of whether or not Klemm is right for the job, will it even matter without an infusion of young talent along the offensive line?

For what it’s worth, just like with Matt Canada, I’m willing to give Adrian Klemm a chance as the Steelers’ new offensive line coach.

Just typing that gave me chills. An offensive line coach has never been so scandalous.