DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Steelers Hire Zierlein as Offensive Line Coach

I'd like to dedicate this thread to Tabber.

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Ready for the challenge
Thursday, March 15, 2007
By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

For four seasons Larry Zierlein coached the Cleveland Browns offensive line and had to face the Steelers defense twice a year.

Now, his line will have to face them on a daily basis, and he isn't sure which is worse.

"I can't quite figure out if it's better to go against this defense twice a year in games, or to not have to face them in games but have to go through practices against them,' said Zierlein. "It's an outstanding defense."

Zierlein, the team's new offensive line coach, was with the Browns from 2001-04. He is happy that when football season rolls around this year he will be on the other sideline at Heinz Field.

"I used to dread it when we went from the hotel and I would see the outline of the stadium and I would say, oh, we have to go there," said Zierlein. "We played them nine times when I was in Cleveland and we won once. We had some close games, but we only won once. It was never fun coming here.

"I think I am going to like walking into the stadium better now."

Zierlein brings to Pittsburgh 37 years of coaching experience on various levels, most recently serving as the assistant offensive line coach in Buffalo in 2006.

He spent one year out of coaching, in 2005, and while he enjoyed time with family then, he still approached the football season in a coaching manner.

"I would tape every game I could get on TV and study them throughout the week," said Zierlein. "I went to some high school and small college games. You miss that."

With the Steelers he inherits a strong line, but one that will be faced with the challenge of replacing center Jeff Hartings. He is ready to take on the challenge.

"They have always had the reputation of being strong," he said of the line in general. "The Steelers have always done a great job of keeping that position fortified. It's hard to keep it at a particular level for a period of time because of free agency, but we would sure like to keep it going like this."

Zierlein knows being the new guy will mean an adjustment period for the lineman where they will have to learn to trust him, but he welcomes getting to know them and work together with one goal in mind –winning.

"I am looking forward to looking them in the eye, getting them in the meeting room and just seeing what the tone of the group is," said Zierlein. "I just want to get them on the field. The quicker I can understand them and they know me, the quicker we are going to progress.

"They have to know number one that you know what you are talking about. Secondly they have to know that you care about making them better. Despite the fact that it's professional football, there is a personal level involved in it as well. Any time a new guy comes in, particularly, when a new staff comes in to a situation where you are new not because the team is bad but because of the situation, it's different than if they had been losing and they might have welcomed a change. It's not like they were a bad team."

Zierlein, 61, spent two years in the United States Marine Corps before he went in to coaching, serving from 1966-68, including one year in Vietnam .

"Back in the mid-60s they instituted a two-year volunteer program," said Zierlein. "As a kid I was infatuated about World War II and the Korean War. I thought it would be a neat thing to do. In 1966, when Vietnam was just beginning, I enlisted."

Zierlein went to San Diego for boot camp and then was stationed at Camp Pendleton before serving a little over a year in Vietnam , from early December of 1966 to late December of 1967.

"There were good days and there were some days that weren't as good," said Zierlein of the experience. "It was a good experience. I never had any flashbacks. I had a dream for several years that they were sending me back. That would wake me up."

His military background, combined with an upbringing that stressed discipline, is something that has molded his coaching style, but he knows how to keep it balanced.

"Once you have that it probably carries over a bit," said Zierlein. "You can't do it the same way they did it in boot camp. But there are the expectations that you have to get the job done, there is not much time to do it, you have to do it now. That has carried over into my thoughts. Paying attention is important because I know it was drilled into you if you didn't pay attention and weren't focused bad things could happen to you. I think it's the same way in football. You have to be focused and pay attention. That's why in meetings and on the field I like to have their attention. Something that they don't hear could cost us on Sunday.

"I've been accused of not being real patient and I am working on that. I stress technique and fundamental things. I kind of demand the guys play hard and finish. I spend a lot of time on cutup time and game preparation and situations. That's what the game is, situations that unfold. We spend a lot of time on third down situations because if you can't handle the blitz on third down you aren't going to win. I guess sometimes I am not as patient as I would like to be. With the older guys, you have to be. Sometimes it's a struggle."

Zierlein graduated from Fort Hays State College and began his coaching career there. The Lenora, Kansas native and his wife Marcia have three children and four grandchildren.

Where are all of those people who said our Offensive line coach sucked because he couched a bad offensive line...I mean this guy did too...so that means he sucks too right?

You can be couched all you want but you also need this thing called TALENT

Joe Thomas Joe Thomas

hes probably gonna admit that melvin fowler was actually a better Olineman than Alan Faneca

As Eotab will attest, I was never a big fan of Larry's myself, true he didn't have much to work with and a coach who thought the OL was of secondary importance, I just felt Larry was the wrong fit for the team at the time, mostly because of his lack of NFL experience. So there I came forward and wish him all the best in his career only not when his team is playing the Browns.

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...not when his team is playing the Browns.

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Or anybody else for that matter.

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You can be couched all you want

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I hope that was an innocent typo....

What is it with the Steelers always picking up our castoffs?

Coaching goes only so far. By the time these guys get through a major college program, there isn't a whole lot more you can teach them in the way of mechanics....it is just scheme.

I'm no fan of Larry Z,, but I don't think he's a bum either.. he had so little to work with here in Cleveland... I'm not sure anyone could have gotten more out of what players he had.

But he's got some talent over there.. maybe he can make it better, maybe not,, we will see...

When your best Olineman is Dave Wohlabaugh, your not gonna look good as a Oline coach

Yeah but he had Brad Bedell and Steve Zahursky!!!!!

Zahursky....the O-line pimps loved that guy.

We can't forget that mountain of a man Zuk.

Wasn't Zuk..REALLLLLY...eotab?

I saw that.....

They seem to like all the Browns' retrends. It'll be interesting to see if he is suddenly an excellent coach now that he is actually coaching people with talent.

Do not get me started...

Peen...Your regard of OL is rediculous and too simplistic.

Yeah...QBs do not need to be taught technique.
DBs no need
LBs come on they play college football too.



Of course not...but you think OL cannot be taught past the college level -

Meanwhile you look at the Senior Bowl practices and see Levi Brown being taught correct Technique by Muir for what seemed like the first time in his life!

Meanwhile why is Thomas so good? Technique...you mean all those several 100 other OLmen do not get taught technique...eveidently so. Matter fact Thomas coincidently was from the school of Muir.

Tucker...Tuckers career took a turn upward in the offseason of 2003 where he rededicated himself to conditioning and became a model student of Zierlien and finally became for the first time in his CAREER technically sound!

You think so low of the OL...but just like any OTHER POSITION in the NFL coming from college they have to learn a WHOLE HECK of a lot of technique...Matter of fact most OLmen that bust out...its cause they could not grasp the technique...just like QB busts, RB busts, WR busts, DB busts.

Yes OL actually plays football too. Just cause there are not stats for OL to make them sexy...They actually Play football and yes NEED TALENT AND YES NEED GOOD TECHNIQUE!!!


Good luck Z...btw he is a technique fanatic - hopefully he will not be successful with our rivals...so I take that back...NO GOOD LUCK

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I used to dread it when we went from the hotel and I would see the outline of the stadium and I would say, oh, we have to go there," said Zierlein. "We played them nine times when I was in Cleveland and we won once. We had some close games, but we only won once. It was never fun coming here.

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This is`nt a winning mentallity.......You dreaded it ....I`am sure the players picked up on that.......Yes there was close games....And if you showed some balls maybe we could have pulled those games out...........

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This is`nt a winning mentallity.......You dreaded it ....I`am sure the players picked up on that.......Yes there was close games....And if you showed some balls maybe we could have pulled those games out...........

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So the team picked up on Larry Z's cowering at the Pukesberg games? Come on dude, "showed some balls?" May be if our players manned up we would have won that game, but i don't think our O-Line coach was pissing his pants on the sidelines.

He's just saying some nice things about the Steelers cause that's his new team. We always dread playing them because they whip our butts year in and year out. I don't think he was afraid of getting hurt or anything, lol. It wasn't like he was playing, the only thing he had to lose was his job and may be some pride. May be if he showed a little more confidence in his guys or something. But it wasn't like he was on the side of the field pissing his pants because we were playing the Steelers. He just meant this as a "damn if we don't play well this could be a long game" which is totally true as evidenced by the Nightmare Before Christmas two years ago.

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We always dread playing them because they whip our butts year in and year out.

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Thats my point ....When are we going to stop going into a Steelers game with our tails between our butts....When we going to make them dread us....Coaches have to get the team up for games.....

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May be if he showed a little more confidence in his guys or something.

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Another point I was stating....If the coach doesn`t show confidence....then how will the players ?....

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May be if our players manned up we would have won that game,

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Is it always the players fault for not manning up?.......My experiances playing sports was the coaches being a big part of our play.....Not always on the greatest athletic teams....But had a coach that could get fire out of an iceburgh...And we won .alot...he knew how to fire us up......Even with the lesser talent of the teams in the league.....We went into games with confidence....And if he dreaded going somewhere...He never let us know that.....

Maybe I read into differently....He can compliment his new team all he wants....And as far as the Steelers seeing him in the games and accessing his talents......Well this is a new regime......Not the old.....So maybe they just got him because he`s a friend or the only one available?....Or as you say...They see a good coach..

I'm just taking a guess here Deisle but i doubt you played professional sports.

These guys are getting payed millions and they're adults (even though many don't act like it). I don't think that it's Larry Z's responsibility to get the player's pumped to play the Steelers. They know what the game means for them and for the Browns (as the Steelers are our rival).

I would think that the coaches main job is to teach the scheme and may be a little bit of fundamentals. But when it comes down to the game, coaches coach and players play. As Bear Bryant said it's not always about the X's and the O's but the Johnny's and the Joe's. Coaches obviously have to know what motivates what player and how to correctly do it. They must also know how to their players learn best. But i'm not going to blame the line sucking in those Steelers games on Larry Z. The players should be held accountable, period. These players are paid millions of dollars and should at least play their hearts out against our division rival.

I think the impact of many of these position coaches lessens as the players move up. So while Emilio Estevez was able to make nothing out of the Mighty Ducks, i don't think that Larry Z is in the same position in Pro Football. There's only so much that a coach can do, it's the players that play the game not him.

Although the funny thing is that the best coaching staffs always seem to have the best teams, year in and year out. But that's just the otherside of the argument i guess.