Steelers’ Head-Coaching Plan Could Be Suddenly Riding On The NFC Championship Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a situation that they haven't been in since the 2007 NFL season. For only the fourth time since 1969, the Steelers are looking to hire a new head coach to pave the way forward for the franchise, now that former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has made his decision to step down. The team has interviewed many candidates so far, but a lot of the news circling the organization is centered around current Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator, Chris Shula. The Rams are set to play in the upcoming NFC Championship Game this weekend, in part thanks to Shula's work on assembling the Rams' defense.

There has been plenty of discussion from many within Steelers media and from former Steelers players about the background the new head coach has, but despite not fitting the mold some would desire for the future Steelers head coach, Shula seems to be a hot candidate linked to the team, regardless. However, interviewing Shula in person could take a fairly long time, as the Rams could be in the mix to go to the Super Bowl, and there are those who stress that the Steelers must remain patient if they believe Shula is the guy.

Mark Kaboly and Chris Mack discussed this very detail on the latest episode of the Kaboly & Mack show, with Kaboly giving his opinion on what the Steelers may believe about Shula, as it stands so far.

"To me, I think the old way of getting a head coach, their way, maybe it's archaic, who knows if it even works anymore, I'd still go with the young defensive guy that has a strong personality," Kaboly said. "And to me, watching a lot of clips of Chris Shula tells me that he's the guy. But, what you better hope for, and I think a lot is hinging on this, but you better hope Seattle takes care of business on Sunday."

Kaboly's belief that the Steelers may like Shula out of the other candidates also comes with a very important detail. Unless the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Rams in the NFC Championship Game this upcoming Sunday, the Steelers will have to wait two to three weeks to get that in-person interview with Shula while other candidates for head coach take jobs elsewhere. Mack stresses the need for patience later on in the show.

"You also have to think somewhat outside the box when it comes to your head-coaching hire," Mack said. "And if that means you got to wait around for Shula if you feel like he's the guy, then you wait around for Shula if you think he's the guy. You don't just say, 'Oh well, the Rams won and they're going to the Super Bowl, so he's gonna be busy for the next two weeks, better hire [Mike] McCarthy or [Brian] Flores.' You're gonna sell out the future of the organization because you can't wait two weeks when nothing else is happening?! Nothing's going on during those two weeks!"

Mack is absolutely right. Should the Steelers become impatient and make a hiring decision on a different candidate that would clearly be a downgrade in potential compared to Shula, it could be a disastrous mistake that sets the franchise back years.

The Steelers must exercise patience when it comes to getting the right person at head coach, and that may mean waiting for the NFC Championship to play out.

Steelers Can't Afford To Hire The Wrong Head Coach

The Steelers have had incredible success with head coaches since 1969. Tomlin went to two Super Bowls in his time with Pittsburgh, and despite not ending his tenure on the highest notes, he continuously kept the team in contention. If the Steelers were to make a mistake in hiring the next head coach, especially if Shula ends up going elsewhere and seeing success because someone else was patient, it would be another first for the franchise in terms of ineptitude that simply can't happen.

What did you think of Kaboly and Mack's comments about the Steelers' head-coaching search? Let us know in the comments below.

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