Steelers forced to switch gears in their offensive coordinator search following top candidate’s decision to stay with NFC foe
There is a new name to watch in the Steelers’ OC search.
Through Tuesday morning, there was one name atop the list of candidates to be the Steelers’ offensive coordinator. That man was Scott Tolzien, the current quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints.
Tolzien has familiarity with both Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers, as he backed up Rodgers during the trio’s time together in Green Bay. Well, instead of taking the jump to the Pittsburgh Steelers OC position, Tolzien is staying put as the quarterbacks coach in New Orleans, and the Steelers have a new frontrunner for the OC job.
Steelers pivoting to Brian Angelichio as top offensive coordinator candidate
If you’re thinking this potential hire would be an out-of-the-box one, think again. Angelichio would be par for the course when it comes to Mike McCarthy hires, seeing as he served as McCarthy’s TE coach for three years in Green Bay.
However, he’s most recently been on the staff of one of the hottest offensive minds in the league via Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings. To learn more about Angelichio and what he can bring to the Steelers, I spoke with Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota.
“Brian Angelichio was hired away from the Carolina Panthers when Kevin O’Connell took over as the Vikings head coach, and has a long history as a tight ends coach, working with the position exclusively since 2007. He came to the NFL with Greg Schiano in 2012 as a tight ends coach. He spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, and Panthers before joining the Vikings, where he gained the title of passing game coordinator. He would bring an explosive vertical attack with him to Pittsburgh, which is arguably what the Steelers need with DK Metcalf on the outside.” – Forness
If the Steelers were to lock in Angelichio, I would be fine with the move. At the end of the day, this is Mike McCarthy’s offense. He is the one installing the scheme, calling the plays, and adjusting both in-game and in-season based on performance.
Where this move would lose some luster in comparison to the Tolzien hire, is that Tolzien has been instrumental in the development of Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. The Steelers, sooner rather than later, will have to develop their own signal caller of the future, and given Mike McCarthy’s age, that could very well come under a new head coach.
Maybe that turns out to be Angelichio.
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