Wesley Hitt/Getty Images Mike Munchak, offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, looks on during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on November 17, 2014.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak appeared on The Cook & Joe Show (93.7 The Fan) earlier this week to discuss the upcoming 2023 Joe Moore football camp for offensive linemen (Coraopolis, Pa., June 3-4). Not surprisingly, the hosts asked him what he’s been doing since he last coached in the NFL (with the Denver Broncos in 2021) and whether he’s interested in a return to the league.
“Over the last 15 months it’s been a couple knee replacements and taking care of the health,” began Munchak, after noting that his knees were “kind of wearing out on me.”
Mike Munchak: ‘I Definitely Have Interest’ in Coaching
Asked directly if he’d like to coach again, Munchak said:
“Yeah, I miss it…. I definitely have interest if the right opportunity comes up — now that I have these things behind me — to get back in coaching.”
That’s a statement that ought to get the attention of NFL teams, considering Munchak’s longstanding reputation as one of the best offensive line coaches in the league.
For its part, Pittsburgh’s offensive line has mostly struggled since Munchak left Pittsburgh in 2019, accepting a coaching job with the Broncos so he could be close to his family. On the other hand, the line appeared to make significant progress during the second half of the 2022 season under the tutelage of Pat Meyer and 1st year assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams.
In May of last year, Munchak told Ron Cook and Joe Starkey that “the hardest thing I ever did was leave (the Steelers).”
On May 25, he reiterated his fondness for the Steelers and in particular head coach Mike Tomlin.
“I will always be a Steelers fan after spending my five years here with Coach T,” he said. “He does a good job selling the tradition. What you are a part of when you come in the door, you realize what you are a part of — all the greatness, all the championship years. What they are a part of and what’s expected of them. Players take pride in that. They know there is a standard when you put a Steelers uniform on…. I thought that was one of the things that stood out the five years I was there.”
Ex-TCU Long Snapper to Try out With Steelers
On a different note, former Texas Christian University long snapper Antonio Ortiz is coming to Pittsburgh to try out with the Steelers, this according to a May 26 tweet by the official Twitter account of the XFL.
This year, Ortiz served as long snapper for the XFL champion Arlington Renegades. Last year he signed with the Chicago Bears following a rookie minicamp tryout, but was waived in July.
In college, he served as TCU’s long snapper for four years, and was named a Mannelly Award semifinalist in 2021, which is the award for the nation’s best long snapper.
The Steelers have been looking for a long snapper to compete with Christian Kuntz, who has held the job since the summer of 2021, when he beat out incumbent Kameron Canaday in a “down to the wire” training camp competition.
Earlier this month, the team invited longtime Ravens tight end Nick Boyle to try out as a long snapper. In Jan. 2023 Pittsburgh invited four long snappers in for tryouts, namely, Hunter Bradley, Steven Wirtel, Thomas Fletcher and Brian Khoury.