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The head coach search

Punxsutawney said:
He "failed" in large part because Dolphins management and ownership tried to undermine him to land higher draft picks.

It was a ****** up situation in which the Dolphins still managed to win 9 games in Flores last season.

Though defensive oriented, he is considered to be very innovative and has the personality to set a strong culture.

He definitely deserves another shot to coach somewhere with more patient and less meddlesome ownership.

The same with Stefanski.
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And he never wanted Tua...
 
Avoid_Lloyd said:
No coach will come and be forced to keep coordinators, maybe 1 or 2 position coaches max.

Tomlin smartly kept Dick Labeau, but I’m sure it was 100% up to him.

No one will keep Austin 😂
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Nope, the Rooneys basically pick the brand new head coaches assistants... the did it to Cowher and Tomlin...
 
Punxsutawney said:
May as well get the discussion started.

Personally, I'm not married to the idea of an offensive-oriented coach, though that would be my preference.

I dont think they'll look to the college ranks, but you never know.
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It's important to get this started quickly and get a new HC hired. These smoothbrained, anklebiters have been left without a reason to flood the joint with their paraurethral offerings.

Maybe also start a single thread for the incessant feminine ejaculation that will resume as soon as the new HC loses the clear coat.

Because we know that's coming and it won't take long. What's the o/u
 
madinsomniac said:
Nope, the Rooneys basically pick the brand new head coaches assistants... the did it to Cowher and Tomlin...
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THIS!
ALL this speculation and names being thrown around is pointless.
Especially the college coaches and former already were NFL head coaches.
Noll, Cowher, and Tomlin - All three were in their mid 30s. All three were relative unknown coordinators. All three were defensive minded. All three were former players.
We all have the Rooney playbook for coaches.
Look at the current NFL coordinators, more closely to the DCs, that are in their mid-30s, relative unknowns, that were former players.
That should narrow the list down and can begin a real discussion for this thread.
 
Whomever the new coach happens to be and I’m hoping it’s Klint Kubiak, needs to hire his own staff.
Sure the GM’s Omar and Andy can be involved, but the new HC needs to have a big hand in it.
Fire Smith, Austin, Meyer, Bubbles, at a minimum. Start clean and flush out the old regime Tomlin lackeys.
 
Punxsutawney said:
He "failed" in large part because Dolphins management and ownership tried to undermine him to land higher draft picks.

It was a ****** up situation in which the Dolphins still managed to win 9 games in Flores last season.

Though defensive oriented, he is considered to be very innovative and has the personality to set a strong culture.

He definitely deserves another shot to coach somewhere with more patient and less meddlesome ownership.

The same with Stefanski.
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Failure is failure IMO.

Flores never even made it to the playoffs.

Stefanski’s teams stunk on offense and were carried to what little success they had with defense-Stefanski is an offensive coach. Mayfield excelled more after he left Stefanski

Both Flores and Stefanski went out absolutely crashing and burning

Flores made a stink on the way out too, we just said goodbye to an egotistical coach

I’ll pass IMO
 
Avoid_Lloyd said:
Failure is failure IMO.

Flores never even made it to the playoffs.

Stefanski’s teams stunk on offense and were carried to what little success they had with defense-Stefanski is an offensive coach. Mayfield excelled more after he left Stefanski

Both Flores and Stefanski went out absolutely crashing and burning

Flores made a stink on the way out too, we just said goodbye to an egotistical coach

I’ll pass IMO
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Both were burdened with bad owners... Miamis wanted Flores to tank... like openly told him to..

Stephanski got the Browns to the playoffs twice but had an owner blowing up the team at every opportunity... Watson in for Baker... that was Haslam, getting Sanders last draft, another owner demand... he blew up a bunch of other relationships with players too...
 
Confluence said:
I really wanted Vrabel last year.


Sigh.
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I wanted Ben Johnson and want Klint now, not that there aren’t some other interesting options. I hope the Steelers interview a **** ton of them..
 
slashsteel said:
I wanted Ben Johnson and want Klint now, not that there aren’t some other interesting options. I hope the Steelers interview a **** ton of them..
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I wanted Kevin O'connell, that's when I started to seriously look at other coaches. But there are a lot of options right now, lots of first time options, some retreads. One thing to keep in mind, this will be Duece's first go round...
 
Avoid_Lloyd said:
Failure is failure IMO.

Flores never even made it to the playoffs.
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He was originally tasked with rebuilding the Dolphins, and showed signs of doing it while having ownership suggesting that he shouldn't try "too hard" to win.

So, yeah, he was set up for failure, and he kind of screwed himself from getting another HC job sooner by taking the dirty laundry between him and the Dolphins public.
 
Punxsutawney said:
May as well get the discussion started.

Personally, I'm not married to the idea of an offensive-oriented coach, though that would be my preference.

I dont think they'll look to the college ranks, but you never know.
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I'm not worried about it.
A defensive-minded HC is okay as long as he 1) hires a good OC and leaves him alone or 2) if Smitty stays then find out how much he was handcuffed by Shades.
I'm not real enamored with Smitty since he wanted Jonnu Smith (no relation), who played for him in Tennessee, who sucks, and ignored Friermuth who is a better player.



Know that it is VERY likely Smitty stays as OC if he doesn't get hired as a HC because he still has a year or two on his contract and as we know Deuce doesn't pay people to stay home.
 
Steelmann said:
Why Davis Webb…..give a little insight
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Played under Kingsbury in college and is now under Sean Payton and was part of the staff that took Denver from salary cap hell and a dumpster fire to the number 1 seed in the AFC. From all accounts is a football guru. He’s young at 30 so fits the Steelers mold of going young at coach so they stick around 20 years.
 
I asked A I to look at the coaches production;

The Most Productive Options: Side-by-Side​

CandidateWhy They are "Most Productive"The Stats to Back It Up
Klint Kubiak(Seahawks OC)Modern NFL Efficiency: He has a "Midas Touch" for quarterbacks and high-scoring offenses in the current NFL climate.In 2025, his Seattle offense finished Top 10 in Points and #3 in Passing Success Rate (51.6%). He also led the league in Red Zone TD % (67.2%) with the 49ers.
Curt Cignetti(Indiana HC)The "Turnaround" King: He has literally never failed. He takes losing programs and makes them champions instantly.He has an 88.2% winning percentage over the last 4 years. He took a 3-9 Indiana team and went 15-0 in 2025, winning the Big Ten and Rose Bowl.
Brian Flores(Vikings DC)Elite Defensive Turnaround: He is the most successful "pure defensive" mind available with prior HC experience.He took the Vikings defense from 31st to 16th in one year, then to 3rd overall in 2025. His units led the NFL in interceptions (24) this past season.

The Deep Dive: Who wins the "Success" argument?​

1. The Case for Klint Kubiak (NFL Success)​

Kubiak is the most productive at solving the specific "Passive Steelers" problem. His units don't just score; they are efficient. This year, his Seahawks offense was one of the best at winning the 4th Quarter because of his "heavy run" scheme that sets up deep shots.
  • Key Success: He took Sam Darnold—a veteran many had given up on—and made him a Pro Bowler in a single season.

2. The Case for Curt Cignetti (Career Productivity)​

If "productive" means "winning games," Cignetti is in a league of his own.
  • The Record: Across IUP, Elon, James Madison, and Indiana, he has a career record of 134-36.
  • The "Pittsburgh" Factor: He was a GA at Pitt and his dad coached for the Steelers. He knows the city’s expectations better than anyone. He is the most productive "program builder" on the list.

3. The Case for Chris Shula (The "Rising Star" Success)​

While he has less "time" as a coordinator, his production with the Rams' young defense was incredible. He turned a group of rookies into the #5 Red Zone defense in the NFL. He is productive at developing talent quickly—something the Steelers' aging defense desperately needs.
 
Here's a question , do you think the next coach, whoever it will be, will be here for the next 10, 15, or 20 years? Or do you think the owners will be quicker to pull the plug on an underachieving coach?
 
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