Mason's Mailbag: Expect a major impact from Mike Munchak

[Miles]

Hey Mase, I'm not sure how many people realize what a good situation we are in by hiring Mike Munchak. Do you think our running game will improve once our offensive line gets coached up by him?


-- Russ Musick


The running game should improve, but I expect the more significant upgrade to come in pass protection. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers had the league's second-worst sack rate for 10 seasons prior to Munchak's 2014 arrival -- all of which were with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. With the same passer and Munchak coaching the Steelers' offensive line from 2014-18, the sack rate was the league's second-best, trailing only New Orleans in that span.


One person who understands this is ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who was on Orange and Blue 760 this week.


"The hiring of Mike Munchak was one of the biggest offseason acquisitions of this NFL period," Mortensen told Orange and Blue 760 later adding, "Go talk to the Steelers. They're still crying tears over that one."


One of the most economical and beneficial investments a team can make is in quality assistant coaches. If you get a good group of teachers like Munchak and others on the staff to work with players on a day-to-day basis, you have the best chance of maximizing the players' talents. Further, there is no salary cap on coaches, and the salary scale is far below what it is for top players. The hiring of Munchak is an investment in the entire offensive line, and it should pay immediate dividends.