By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

Russ Grimm arrived at the Steelers practice facility on the South Side on Monday for a normal day at the office as the team's assistant head coach/offensive line coach.

On Wednesday, he arrived as one of the finalists for the team's head coaching position.

Grimm had a second interview with Steelers management, which included Dan Rooney, Art Rooney, II and Kevin Colbert, as they continue their search for the man to replace Bill Cowher as their head coach.

"I am excited about the opportunity," said Grimm. "I think it's a point and time in my career when I am ready to make that next move. I am excited about it. I am confident in my ability to run this football team.

"The Steelers are built from the ownership, the community. Whether it's me that fills in this spot or somebody else, I think this football team is going to be successful simply for the fact of the way it has been through the years, the way it's been handled and the support it gets from the community. I am just excited about the opportunity."

Grimm spent almost six hours in the interview, which is his second one, covering all of the bases. And he understands why the process is so thorough.

"It's a process that I have gotten a little familiar with over the last couple of years," said Grimm. "They will make a decision when they are comfortable. I thought things went as well as can be expected. I am happy with the way things went on my end. I have to sit back and wait for a decision to be made and we will go from there.

"It's a big decision. I know if I were on the other end of the table I would not make a decision until I am comfortable with somebody. As an assistant coach I am not making a decision or calling a play until I am comfortable with it. It's a process you go through and when they are comfortable with one of the candidates for the job they will make a decision and things will move forward."

Grimm didn't go into details about the interview, but one thing that he did come away with is a clear understanding of what being a head coach means. It's not just about X's and O's like it is for the assistants. There is a lot more involved.

"There are certain parts of this job that I am unfamiliar with because of the experience factor," he said. "There are going to be things I am going to have to deal with that are league factors that haven't come across my desk before. It's a little bit of the unknown. There are league meetings - I don't know what goes on there, I haven't been to a league meeting yet. Those things excite you to see what happens. I feel confident in the other areas as far as coaching a football team, but there is a lot more that goes into it."

The football knowledge is not an issue. Grimm has been praised for his intelligence, his approach to the game, his mastery of the X's and O's. You just won't hear him toot his own whistle, as that isn't his style.

"I feel confident as to when to use timeouts, when to throw the flag, when to run, when to pass, when to punt, when to go for it," said Grimm. "Those are decisions that are sometimes gut feelings, sometimes everyone in the stands feels one way and you feel the other. Am I saying I am not going to make any mistakes, no. I imagine the longer you coach the more you see. Those things come up and you learn from them."

Grimm is a no-nonsense guy. He comes to work in a pickup truck. He is comfortable in a camouflage Steelers hat, jeans and a plaid shirt. The no-nonsense approach is something he would bring with him if he gets the job.

He commands and has earned the respect of the offensive linemen he works with on a daily basis because he has been there. He played for the Washington Redskins famed Hogs offensive line for 11 seasons and is now one of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2007.

"He's going to teach all day and let you go out and do what you have to do," said Steelers offensive guard Alan Faneca. "He's not the kind of guy to say something just to say something. He's not going to beat a dead horse on the sideline. But he'll let you know when you mess up and he's going to correct it.

"When he first got here, I thought I knew a lot and we were doing complicated things before. But when he got here, that completely changed. Our learning of the game up front just grew tremendously."

His roots are deeply seeded in Western Pennsylvania. He hails from Scottdale, Pa. and played high school ball at Southmoreland High School where he was a linebacker and quarterback.

He went to the University of Pittsburgh with dreams of sacking quarterbacks, but as a sophomore reluctantly became one who instead was protecting the quarterback on the offensive line. The rest, as they say, is history.

He has learned from some of the best in the game, as he credits those who coached him in college, Jackie Sherrill and Joe Moore, and those he either played for or coached under in the pros, including Joe Gibbs, Joe Bugel and Bill Cowher, with influencing the coach he has become.

"I don't think it's just one characteristic, you watch how other people do it," said Grimm. "I know the last couple of years I watched how Bill handled certain things. You watch the news on how other coaches handled certain situations, how they handle it during the good times, how they react to things during the bad times, how you handle off-the-field things and how you deal with the press and community. There are a lot of variables that go into it. I have been blessed to be around some good coaches."