Home Steelers 2021 Season Early Departure By Klemm Raises Some Questions for the Steelers

Early Departure By Klemm Raises Some Questions for the Steelers

by Steeldad
Klemm of the Steelers. steelcityblitz.com

It was just last week when we learned that Pittsburgh Steelers’ Offensive Line Coach Adrian Klemm would be departing at season’s end for the same job at the University of Oregon. Apparently the timetable moved up. Mike Tomlin confirmed today that Klemm would be leaving immediately for his new gig. While not unheard of, the fact that he’s leaving now raises several questions in my mind moving forward for the Steelers.

Why is he leaving with the team still in the playoff chase?

This is perhaps the most intriguing part of all of this. How do you leave your job when there’s unfinished business? Sure, the Steelers of 2021 aren’t exactly setting the world on fire but with just two weeks to go they are still very much in the thick of the postseason chase. Is getting to Eugene to start recruiting that necessary? He and every other human being who has coached in college would say, “yes.”

The fact however that Klemm would still openly ‘up and go’ is something I find curious.

Was Klemm told he wasn’t coming back?

The possibility exists that Klemm may have been told already that he would not return as the team’s OL Coach. If that’s the case then it makes perfect sense for the Steelers to move up his timeline and send him on his way.

We will likely never know regardless of whether he was told that or not but it makes one wonder why? Klemm has not done well with this young offensive line but he wasn’t exactly given much to work with either. He should not be the scapegoat for this underachieving unit.

Did Assistant OL Coach Chris Morgan have anything to do with it?

We’ve been told for months that the relationship between Klemm and Morgan wasn’t “great.” As part of that, it sounded as if there may have been a divide created within the players on the O-Line itself.

The possibility exists that with Klemm gone, these final two games could serve as an evaluation of sorts for Morgan moving forward. I’m not going to pretend I have any knowledge about Morgan’s ability but I find it hard to believe Tomlin and/or Art Rooney II don’t want to bring in an NFL experienced, veteran OL Coach. The experiment that they allowed to happen in 2021 blew up in their faces. How do they go into 2022 with a similar circumstance?

Is two games enough to evaluate Morgan?

In my opinion, no. That doesn’t mean you can’t take a lot from what goes on in the next eight quarters though. Does the O-Line play harder? Do they make better and quicker adjustments? Does Morgan see what adjustments need to be made in a fashion quicker than did Klemm?

It’s hard to really gauge exactly what took place here and it’s even more difficult to do when there are games left to be played. One thing is for certain, this is likely the first of what should be many moves this coming offseason.

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