For four seasons Larry
Zierlein coached the Cleveland Browns offensive line and had to face the
Steelers defense twice a year.
Now, his line will have to
face them on a daily basis, and he isn't sure which is worse.
"I can't quite figure out
if it's better to go against this defense twice a year in games, or to not have
to face them in games but have to go through practices against them,' said
Zierlein. "It's an outstanding defense."
Zierlein, the team's new
offensive line coach, was with the Browns from 2001-04. He is happy that when
football season rolls around this year he will be on the other sideline at Heinz
Field.
"I used to dread it when we went
from the hotel and I would see the outline of the stadium and I would say, oh,
we have to go there," said Zierlein. "We played them nine times when I was in
Cleveland and we won once. We had some close
games, but we only won once. It was never fun coming here.
"I think I am going to like walking
into the stadium better now."
Zierlein brings to
Pittsburgh 37 years of coaching experience on
various levels, most recently serving as the assistant offensive line coach in
Buffalo in 2006.
He spent one year out of coaching,
in 2005, and while he enjoyed time with family then, he still approached the
football season in a coaching manner.
"I would tape every game I could get
on TV and study them throughout the week," said Zierlein. "I went to some high
school and small college games. You miss that."
With the Steelers he inherits a
strong line, but one that will be faced with the challenge of replacing center
Jeff Hartings. He is ready to take on the challenge.
"They have always had the reputation
of being strong," he said of the line in general. "The Steelers have always done
a great job of keeping that position fortified. It's hard to keep it at a
particular level for a period of time because of free agency, but we would sure
like to keep it going like this."
Zierlein knows being the new guy
will mean an adjustment period for the lineman where they will have to learn to
trust him, but he welcomes getting to know them and work together with one goal
in mind –winning.
"I am looking forward to looking
them in the eye, getting them in the meeting room and just seeing what the tone
of the group is," said Zierlein. "I just want to get them on the field. The
quicker I can understand them and they know me, the quicker we are going to
progress.
"They have to know number one that
you know what you are talking about. Secondly they have to know that you care
about making them better. Despite the fact that it's professional football,
there is a personal level involved in it as well. Any time a new guy comes in,
particularly, when a new staff comes in to a situation where you are new not
because the team is bad but because of the situation, it's different than if
they had been losing and they might have welcomed a change. It's not like they
were a bad team."
Zierlein, 61, spent two years in the
United States Marine Corps before he went in to coaching, serving from 1966-68,
including one year in Vietnam.
"Back in the mid-60s they
instituted a two-year volunteer program," said Zierlein. "As a kid I was
infatuated about World War II and the Korean War. I thought it would be a neat
thing to do. In 1966, when Vietnam was just beginning, I
enlisted."
Zierlein went to
San
Diego for boot camp and then was
stationed at CampPendleton before serving a little over a year
in Vietnam, from early December of 1966 to
late December of 1967.
"There were good days and there were
some days that weren't as good," said Zierlein of the experience. "It was a good
experience. I never had any flashbacks. I had a dream for several years that
they were sending me back. That would wake me up."
His military background, combined
with an upbringing that stressed discipline, is something that has molded his
coaching style, but he knows how to keep it balanced.
"Once you have that it probably
carries over a bit," said Zierlein. "You can't do it the same way they did it in
boot camp. But there are the expectations that you have to get the job done,
there is not much time to do it, you have to do it now. That has carried over
into my thoughts. Paying attention is important because I know it was drilled
into you if you didn't pay attention and weren't focused bad things could happen
to you. I think it's the same way in football. You have to be focused and pay
attention. That's why in meetings and on the field I like to have their
attention. Something that they don't hear could cost us on
Sunday.
"I've been accused of not being real
patient and I am working on that. I stress technique and fundamental things. I
kind of demand the guys play hard and finish. I spend a lot of time on cutup
time and game preparation and situations. That's what the game is, situations
that unfold. We spend a lot of time on third down situations because if you
can't handle the blitz on third down you aren't going to win. I guess sometimes
I am not as patient as I would like to be. With the older guys, you have to be.
Sometimes it's a struggle."
Zierlein graduated from
Fort Hays State College and began his coaching career there. The Lenora,
Kansas native and his wife Marcia have
three children and four grandchildren.
