Steelers have the smallest coaching staff in the league

[WindyCitySteel]

19 coaches. League average is 24. 10 on offense, 7 on defense, and Tomlin. The comments made by guys like Edelman and the Ravens after last year’s playoff game start to make sense when you realize how much MT must control everything on defense. The defense remains vanilla and predictable and fails against the best teams year in and year out.

The Steelers have a megalomaniac problem.

https://steelersdepot.com/2025/07/study-do-the-steelers-have-the-nfls-smallest-coaching-staff-2025-edition/

[The Standard]

Quality is more important than quantity.

No, the Steelers don't have quality either.

[Eich]

We have Mike Tomlin! His outstanding coaching skills, 18 years of experience, ability to innovate, and coach with his gut, more than makes up for the lack of coaches.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

This has been discussed in the past. The size of the staff isn't a concern to me. It's the coaching. I don't know if the problem has been poor coaches, or them not being able to do their job, but there is a coaching issue.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Maybe they need a mathematics coach.

10+7+1=18.

[hawaiiansteel]

Maybe they need a mathematics coach.

10+7+1=18.

The 1 more is probably Danny Smith our special teams coach.

[Starlifter]

I don't think a handful of coaches would somehow magically transform the team. Moreover, 18 dancing to Tomlin's tune or 23 dancing seems to make little difference to me. The only advantage to having more as far as I can see - is maybe you'd find someone hungry enough, innovative enough and ambitious enough to challenge the 'Steeler way' that has produced nothing but mediocrity for the last decade.

But anyone who exhibited those tendencies - wouldn't even get an interview.

[BURGH86STEEL]

Players generally win or lose games. This is a new concept to the OP.

[Eich]

Players generally win or lose games. This is a new concept to the OP.

Quality coaching puts those players in position to win. I don't think we necessarily need more coaches. We need a few better ones. When no one is hiring the guys that leave, that's not a good sign.

[NorthCoast]

Quality is more important than quantity.

No, the Steelers don't have quality either.

Reminds me of a buddy that recommended a local new restaurant. Said the place was great. Went a few weeks later and was disappointed. Told my buddy the place wasn't that great. He said "yea, but the servings are huge!". That's what made it great for him.

[WindyCitySteel]

Reminds me of a buddy that recommended a local new restaurant. Said the place was great. Went a few weeks later and was disappointed. Told my buddy the place wasn't that great. He said "yea, but the servings are huge!". That's what made it great for him.

Reminds me of an old Jewish joke Woody Allen told….

“Have you tried the new restaurant?”

“Yeah, the food is terrible, and the portions are so small!"

[WindyCitySteel]

Players generally win or lose games. This is a new concept to the OP.

And when the talent is equal, or god forbid, in the opponents’ favor, what is the coaches' job? Bend over and take it?

Tomlin and staff routinely get circles coached around them against good planners and schemers, and just throw up their hands and say “play better” when they get their hats handed to them.

Sorry, lining up and running the same vanilla schemes only works in college or back in the pre-free agency days when Noll or Lombardi could just impose their will on teams.

Coaching and scheming is a huge part of the game.

Here’s a former player pointing out the horrible scheme that routinely bites us when a team can pass out of heavy, we just throw a LB on a WR and take it up the old Royal American, cuz, line up and win your matchup!

https://steelersdepot.com/2019/10/minkah-fitzpatrick-its-not-tough-to-cover-keenan-allen-if-youre-not-using-lbs/

[Chucktownsteeler]

The 1 more is probably Danny Smith our special teams coach.

The other columns add up.

[Captain Lemming]

I heard our coaching staff averages only 5’9”. I dont know if that makes them the smallest, but it’s possible.

[NorthCoast]

Reminds me of an old Jewish joke Woody Allen told….

“Have you tried the new restaurant?”

“Yeah, the food is terrible, and the portions are so small!"

LOL. How about the classic from Yogi Berra?;
"Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it's too crowded"