The Pittsburgh Steelers have a list of candidates for their head coach opening, and they\u2019re starting to meet with the ones they\u2019re able to. Two they\u2019ve expressed interest in, yet are unable to meet face-to-face, are Nate Scheelhaase and Chris Shula from the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n
The former is quite an interesting candidate. He was the first interview Pittsburgh requested that we know of, and he would bring quite a different vibe to the organization. As a young, offensive-minded coach, it would certainly be a jolt to a franchise that\u2019s been led by defensive specialists for decades.<\/p>\n
However, it also would be a big jump for Scheelhaase himself. He\u2019s just 35 years old and has never been an offensive coordinator before. Analyst Steve Palazzolo thinks it might be a little too soon to make him the next head coach in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep saying, the head coaching thing, it\u2019s being a CEO and it\u2019s buy-in, and it\u2019s getting 53-plus people. There\u2019s all these non Xs and Os elements. But coordinating is a step there, where you have to get half the team on the same page, learned up,\u201d Palazzolo said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan<\/a>. \u201cSo it does feel like a big step to leap over. And he\u2019s still young, and maybe it\u2019s a little early for that move. Again, tough to say. But I think I\u2019d rather see it with, you know, time as an offensive coordinator first.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s reason to believe in Sean McVay\u2019s coaching tree, which Nate Scheelhaase comes from. Several of McVay\u2019s former assistants have moved on to bigger roles in the league. Those include Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Brandon Staley, Kevin O\u2019Connell, Raheim Morris and Liam Coen. Mike McDaniel was also on the same staff as McVay in Washington, before McVay took over in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n However, being a head coach is more than just coming from a reliable coaching tree. The Steelers are familiar with a CEO-type presence in that role. While Mike Tomlin\u2019s expertise came on defense, he certainly had a command of the locker room. Tomlin made a lasting impact on players, even long after their departures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Maybe Scheelhaase has what it takes to make that jump. After all, Gerry Dulac reports that the Steelers were impressed by his interview, one that reminded them of Tomlin<\/a>. But while Scheelhaase has been good in his role as the Rams\u2019 pass game coordinator, jumping up to head coach is a massive leap. He was an offensive coordinator at Iowa State, but is in just his second year at the NFL level.<\/p>\n