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Unless Dick LeBeau has changed his mind in past couple days, he is not interested in becoming a position coach, only defensive coordinator.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 21, 2015
UPDATE: Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports LeBeau isn't interested in a position coach job. This conflicts with earlier reports.
If ex-Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is heading to Arizona to serve as the team's linebackers coach under Bruce Arians, it would make the sixth time a former Steelers coach has been hired by the Cardinals after leaving Pittsburgh since 2007. But it would easily be the biggest.
The current Cardinals coach, Bruce Arians, was the Steelers' offensive coordinator from 2007-11. Arians replaced Ken Whisenhunt, who was named the Cardinals head coach after the 2006 season. Whisenhunt brought with him offensive line coach Russ Grimm, and eventually, ex-Steelers defensive backs coach Ray Horton, who served as the team's defensive coordinator. Amos Jones, an assistant special teams coach with the Steelers, went to the Cardinals last season, and currently serves as the team's special teams coordinator.
LeBeau resigned his position with the Steelers shortly after the 2014 season ended with a wild card round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Rumors have been circulating of his potential hire in the desert under Arians since then. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reported Tuesday the team is nearing a deal that would bring LeBeau in as their linebackers coach, with the Cardinals not yet having settled on their defensive coordinator. The most recent rumor is Arizona's interest in Mike Nolan for that position.
The Steelers' defense has sagged in recent years, but even with that, LeBeau's resignation was seen as a bit of a surprise. It was his second of two stints as the team's defensive coordinator, this one lasting from 2004 until 2014, and included in that are three conference championships and two Super Bowl titles. Steelers team president Art Rooney II recently made his first public speaking comments regarding LeBeau, wishing him well, while noting the team needs to improve its pass rushing production in 2015.